Dating : The dinner.

(in english)

‘We need to talk.’ Ruth announced as Peter and Olivia fought over the last bit of pudding.

‘What is it, honey?’ David looked at her for a moment and then addressed the twins.

‘You two, please. Mommy is trying to tell us something.’

Olivia wiped her caramel sauce-stained fingers on the tablecloth and nodded.

‘Perhaps it is better to put the children to bed first’, Ruth pondered.

Her face was rigid and for the first time in the night, David noticed the smeared makeup at the corners of her eyes.

‘We will be quiet, mom! Please let us stay.’ Peter cried.

‘We promised the kids that there are no secrets in this house, remember?’ David blinked, offering a smile.

Ruth returned the smile, even though hers was only the beginning of a curve.

‘I am pregnant.’ She revealed.

‘We are going to have a brother!’ Peter and Olivia screamed and leaped across the room, waving their hands in the air.

Ruth looked at them for a moment. She always loved the sound of their giggles.

She then returned to David and a strong shiver ran down her back.

‘David, dear? I know we didn’t plan or anything, but…’

‘It is not that.’ He interrupted, rising from the table with the dirty dishes. His fingers touched the greasy tips of the plates. The aroma of basil and pesto reached his nose.

‘What is it then? If it is money, we’ll find a way. The twins can go to school full time and you can go back to work. It will be good for you, won’t it?’ She suggested, following him to the kitchen.

‘Stop! Enough! Tell me the fucking truth, now.’

The porcelain trembled in his hands as he placed them in the sink.

Ruth buried her nails in her palms, something hot boiled inside her throat.

Between her teeth, she whispered ‘What are you talking about? What is wrong with you?’

‘This child cannot be mine. It just can’t.’

Ruth looked into David’s eyes and realized they were the reflection of each other. A mixture of hate and shame on both faces.

‘I had a vasectomy six months ago, Ruth.’

She felt her legs melting and leaned against the wall. It was as if the world was slowly turning into a black hole.

David smiled perversely. Only then she noticed the two pairs of eyes facing her.

‘Mommy, what is a vasectomy?’