Page 79 of Baby Love
“You don’t think Daw’s father kept me on at his company after I dumped his daughter, do you? I’m between jobs, which is good for you right now. I can help you with Anya.”
“Hopefully P’Park will be here by dinner,” I say.
But he isn’t.
Kiet is doing the dishes when Cushion drops by.
When I introduce her to Anya, Anya smiles up at her and says, “You’re pretty.”
“Thanks. So are you,” Cushion says.
“I’m watching Anya while P’Park visits a friend who got into a car accident this morning.”
“P’Pear. She used to be P’Park’s girlfriend,” Anya tells Cushion.
“Oh,” Cushion says, giving me a look that might be sympathetic, but I’m not sure.
“Anya, why don’t you take your pajamas in the bathroom and get into them while I make up the couch for you to sleep on? Then we’ll all watch something on TV until it’s time for you to go to bed,” I suggest.
Cushion helps me get sheets on the couch and a pillowcase on one of the pillows while Kiet looks through what’s on television.
“Nothing scary,” I tell him. “We don’t want Anya to have nightmares.”
When Anya returns wearing her cute kitty pajamas, we all settle down on the couch. Kiet’s found an animated movie, and Anya curls into me while we watch. It isn’t long until I realize she’s fallen asleep.
My friends help me to tuck her in and then signal that they’ll be leaving. When they’re gone, I look at my phone.
No messages from P’Park.
I change into my pajamas and, afraid Anya might wake up in the night and be afraid in a strange place, make a bed for myself on the floor.
I’m awakened sometime later by the buzz of my phone. The screen reads eleven forty-eight p.m.
I open the text message from P’Park.
Sorry. Staying here with Pear. Call you in the morning.
I stare at the succinct message for a long time before putting my phone on the floor and settling down again to try to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Park
Idon’t know what to do. I feel like I should go be with Anya and Spin, but Pear nearly begged me to stay with her. And she’s hurt and in pain, and Auntie’s wiped out.
I keep hoping that Pear will fall asleep for the night and maybe I can leave, but she holds my hand and jerks to alertness every time I move.
“Thank you for staying with me,” she says. Her head is bandaged and her left arm is broken. The doctor says she was lucky it wasn’t worse because her car flipped.
“It’s okay,” I tell her.
She smiles groggily at me. Maybe she’ll go to sleep and I can at least get my hand back. I’d had to awkwardly text Spin with my left hand.
I feel terrible leaving Anya with Spin. Not because he can’t take care of her—I know he can. And Anya loves Spin. But I should be there with them. It feels wrong not to be. Sitting here holding Pear’s hand feels wrong, too.
Sighing, I try to get comfortable in the chair so I might get a little sleep. Pear senses my movement and her grip on my hand tightens.
I wake in the morning hearing my sister’s voice.
“Nong, go back to bed,” I murmur, still half asleep.