Mina
“I can’t thank you enough for taking me!” Mina exclaimed for the fifth time as they came in the door of the clubhouse with their arms loaded with shopping bags. “That was so much fun!”
Rose, an older club girl who was more like a mother to most of the men than anything else, smiled. She had once been a beautiful woman, but the years were beginning to take their toll. Though she still carefully dyed her blonde hair to cover up the gray that was beginning to show, and was never seen without her makeup, Rose was definitely not just some young girl. “I was glad to do it. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I got to shop for a baby, but all those little tiny socks are just too much fun.” She sat next to Mina on the couch and began going through their haul.
Mina smiled. She’d had almost the entire club against her about this pregnancy, and Rose had suddenly come out of the woodwork and asked to take her shopping. It had been such a welcome surprise. She couldn’t bring Skid along with her for anything, and Rose had always been kind. The fact that the older woman already had permission from Park lent itself to the theory that Rose was Park’s secret lover, but that was an avenue Mina didn’t want to travel down. Some secrets were best left uncovered.
“What else do you think I need? I’ve read a few articles online, but it seems like there’s so much … equipment. A bassinet, a crib, a mobile, a changing station, a diaper pail, a walker, a stroller, a car seat, the lists just go on and on. How much stuff can one little baby really need?”
Rose smiled as she pulled a soft white blanket out of a bag and carefully removed the tags. “A lot, but I think it’s more these days than it used to be. Some of it’s going to depend on the baby, too. Some are more demanding than others, or fussier. I remember my sister’s little girl wouldn’t sleep a wink. It didn’t matter how much she tried, Lacey couldn’t get that baby to lie down and go to sleep for anything. She finally bought this battery-operated cradlette and a white noise machine. Lacey went through a lot of batteries, but she had to do what was necessary not to lose her mind.”
“That sounds awful,” Mina replied with a frown. “Why wouldn’t her baby sleep?”
“It’s just how they are sometimes.” Rose looked at Mina and patted her leg. “Oh, don’t let that worry you. I’m sure everything will be just wonderful.”
For the first time, Mina wasn’t so sure. She hadn’t thought about having a baby beyond the aspects of pregnancy, birth, and snuggling in a rocking chair. “You know, I’ve never even changed a diaper before. How am I going to do this?” A wave of panic washed up over her back and settled on her skin, a prickly, uncomfortable feeling that made her feel hot.
“If every other woman on the planet can do it, then there’s certainly no reason you can’t. Besides, your father has changed plenty of diapers in his day, and for that matter so have I. You aren’t alone in this, Mina. Not at all. And I think you’ll find that you just know what to do. I did, when I had my son.”
Mina set down a onesie and looked at her. “I didn’t even realize you had a son.” It pained her to realize just how little she knew about the other members of the club, even though she had been part of the Legion her entire life. Maybe she really had been the selfish, spoiled little brat that everyone seemed to think she was.
“Oh, yes. I had him young, honey, when I was far too young to be thinking about starting a family. But like every other young girl, I had to just knuckle down and get through it. Jeffrey was a pleasant baby, so my struggles were all financial. Babies are expensive, and he was no exception. The father wasn’t willing to help at all, and my parents were angry with me for being a teen mother. I did my best, though.” Rose’s face softened as she reflected on her son.
“Where is he now?” Mina couldn’t remember meeting him, and she hoped she wasn’t making a fool out of herself by asking.
“Well, when he got into his teen years his father started coming around again. It made me really mad at first. I mean, I was the one who had worked so hard to raise him. But Jack had sobered up and said he wished he hadn’t missed out on so much with Jeffrey. After a year or so, my son wanted to go live with his father. He was old enough that there was no point in fighting it, because he could just go to court and tell the judge what he wanted. I let him go, and that was when I came to the Legion. I needed a good distraction.”
Pressing her lips together, Mina wondered if Skid would stay true even once the baby was born. No, she couldn’t think like that. Of course, he would. He would never be like Rose’s ex, and they would have things sorted out with Park well before the baby came. “Did you get to see him after that?”
“Any time I wanted to, but he was always busy. I went to his basketball games and showed up to take pictures of him at prom. He’s an adult, now, and he doesn’t have a whole lot of time for me. He’s too busy with his career and his love life.”
Mina blinked as tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. “That’s awful.”
“No, honey, that’s real. And it’s not a bad thing. I miss him, sure, but it’s healthy for a child to grow up and leave the nest. He’ll have kids of his own someday, and I know he’ll call me asking what to do. It’s like a big circle, and you just have to be patient while you get around to the other side of it.” Rose waved off her thoughts. “But you don’t need to think about any of that for a long time, Mina. Your baby will be stuck up your nose so much you won’t know what to do with it.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t completely convinced, but her elation at shopping for baby clothes was no longer with her. “I just never realized that it was like that. I never really thought about the future much. I want a home with my baby and with the man I love.”
“You love him?” Rose asked gently.
“I do. I have for a long time. Ever since he joined the club, I couldn’t stop thinking about him, with that jet-black hair…” She caught herself, realizing she was about to give her secret away. “I just hope I get a chance at that.”
Though she now knew more than anyone else did, Rose didn’t seem inclined to run off to Park and tattle. “I hope you do, too. Now, let’s get all these into the wash. We’ll have them all ready to go for when the baby gets here, even though that’s quite a way off yet.”
“Can’t,” said a voice from behind them.
Mina swiveled to find Jewel standing behind the couch with a smirk on her face. “I just put a big load of greasy rags in there, so you’ll have to wait.”
“How long have you been in here?” Mina demanded. “I didn’t hear you come in the door.” Several others were coming into the living room as well, and she was grateful that Rose had already gathered her new purchases back into the bags.
“Long enough.” She arched one eyebrow and smacked her gum loudly as she turned to Animal, who was heading for the kitchen. “Animal, sweetie, take me for a ride.”
“But I was just going to get a sandwich,” he protested, his thumb over his shoulder toward the fridge.
“It can wait,” Jewel snapped. “Let’s go.”
With heavy footsteps that rattled the floor, Animal went to the garage with Jewel on his heels.
“Don’t worry about her,” Rose remarked as she led Mina toward the stairs. “That girl’s always been a bitch. I wish I’d seen it when you decked her.”
Mina couldn’t help but laugh. “At least it kept her quiet for a while.” She wondered for a moment why Animal would jump at Jewel’s orders, but the answer was too obvious. They were sleeping together, and he didn’t want to cut off his source of satisfaction.
When the bags were all arranged on the bottom of Mina’s closet, she turned once again to Rose. “You won’t tell anyone what I said, will you?”
“Cross my heart.” Rose smiled and left, closing the door behind her.