Chapter 4: Almost Ready To Go

"So have you hidden all the peanut butter like I suggested?" Rose asked Kyle on the phone. She watched as the dryer neared the end of its cycle, the noise helped to muffle her voice. Maggie was still in the apartment, arguing with Reby while playing with the small child. Talking to Maggie's husband when she wasn't looking always felt a bit awkward, it brought up more than one vivid memory that was better left unspoken.

Maggie's husband had a flair for the dramatic, the subtle shift of his tone took the place of a wink. "She's pissed as hell, but I have to say it's making difference."

After surviving the cruise, Kyle, Maggie, and Rebecca moved to Florida. Kyle and Maggie quickly eloped after Maggie discovered she was pregnant. While the all tried to settle in there careers, Kyle and Rose both volunteered their weekends at the local animal shelter. Their shared love for animals and helped to breed a mutual friendship. Rose's liked to think her advice helped him and Maggie work through their issues.

Rose kept a picture of the four of them from the cruise displayed on the wall of her apartment hallway; Kyle was tall, broad shouldered, and fairly handsome. His brown eyes matched his shaggy hair, and his skin was a little pale from spending too much time indoors. Recently he had developed a slight pouch along his midriff, the days of fatherhood had deprived him of much needed exercise. Rose remembered how he had a chiseled six pack when they first met, and stifled a tear upon seeing him slowly lose it.

During her first pregnancy, Maggie had engorged on peanut butter. She gained ten pounds on top of the baby weight, which depressed her to the point of hostility. Only during the third trimester did her ravenous hunger for it stop, and after Bartholomew was born the craving ceased all together. Maggie dropped the weight surprisingly quickly, and the baby weight melted along with it. During that time, Kyle had gone through several nights of unforgettable terror as his wife suffered from irrational and emotional instability from the constant intake of sugars and hormones rushing through her body. Crippling depression seemed to always follow, adding to Maggie's inhospitality.

It was Rose that came up with the idea that the peanut butter needed to go, in fact it needed to disappear. Every time Maggie purchased a fresh container at the market, Kyle would accidentally 'misplace' it. Sometimes he would 'lend' it to Rose or a neighbor where it would mysteriously vanish, never to be seen again.

"How has it made a difference?" Rose asked.

She could hear Kyle clearing his throat before answering, "Well for one, she's sleeping better. And she hasn't thrown anything at me yet."

"Thats an improvement," Rose took a fleeting glance out of the room and down the hall. She didn't want Maggie to know she was the one who offered Kyle the suggestion to hide her cravings.

"And her libido is through the roof," Kyle teased.

"Great, don't really need to know that." A vivid memory flashed in her mind, back on the cruise she and Reby had witnessed Maggie and Kyle going at it in a drunken stupor. To say that Maggie liked it rough was an understatement.

Kyle noticed her reluctance to pry farther, but for some reason that only encouraged him to continue, "She's like a wild cat, sometimes she's a little too much for me."

"I still have nightmares, please don't elaborate any further." Rose pleaded with him.

"Oh yeah, those were the days." Kyle's voice drifted as if he were remembering something. He quickly changed the subject, "by the way if the next one's a girl we're going to name her Tulip."

"Tulip?" Rose turned around so quickly she nearly bumped into the plastic laundry bin on the small corner table. This was the first time hearing of possible baby names.

"Yeah, I figured it's a good way to name her after you."

The declaration blew her away, Rose gasped.

"Unless you object?" He seemed concerned with her lack of response.

Rose just shook her head from side to side, "But what if its a boy?"Kyle's answer gave Rose the impression that he was likely shrugging on his side of the phone, "Haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning toward Steven."

Steven? Rose wasn't sure if she liked that, "Thats nice I guess…"

"Whats wrong with Steven?" He asked sarcastically.

"Nothing, just kinda average I guess." Thinking back, Rose never met a Steven she actually liked.

"So how are you and Reby doing?" His question hinted toward his own debased curiosity. Rose barely caught his question as the buzzer to the dryer rang. The cycle had finally completed, she bent over to open the hatch to pull out a clump of tangled garments.

"Good, I can't wait till we get to the convention in New Orleans. We're going to do some Bachata, maybe a little salsa, and a ton of Kizomba…" Rose bit her lip just thinking about it. She couldn't wait to put on the new outfits she had acquired for the occasion. One of them in particular was certain to drive Reby wild. She would have to pack a special pair of lingerie in secret just for her.

Kyle struggled to offer a satisfactory response. He wasn't the 'dancing' type, he was more of a contact sport kinda guy. "Thats…cool I guess."

"You're totally not interested," Rose pulled the last clump of undergarments from the dryer. She wasn't looking forward to sorting them properly.

"It sounds fun!"

"You should try it! Take Maggie, you both would love it. Not too mention it's good for your health, and really sensual." Kizomba was especially intense, it didn't matter if you were the lead or the follow, the style of dance was as close to skin to skin contact as possible.

"I don't think I can handle any more…sensual stuff right now." His voice sounded a little distant.

"Oh come on baby daddy, Maggie tells me things, I'm pretty sure you can handle it."

There was a short pause on Kyle's end. Rose lifted the laundry basket up and placed it on the dryer hood by the time he spoke again, "I don't know how I feel about you knowing that."

"Oh cmon I thinks it's great. You both get along well and have a healthy sex life, its a good sign."

"If only you would share a little about you and Reby's sex life. It's only fair." Kyle's suggestion forced Rose to roll her eyes.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Rose scoffed

"Joking, just joking," He didn't even sound defensive.

"Ah huh," Rose knew she needed to wrap this call up quickly. She could hear Maggie exiting from the bedroom in search of her.

"You ready for the vacation? Mags noticed you were packing some interesting clothes."

Rose cursed, she wanted to keep some of that a secret. "Oh did she now?" There was acid in her tone.

"Couldn't help but wonder where you even find stuff like that," If she let him, Kyle would never stop talking. Rose could hear Maggie approaching the room.She hanged up on him quickly. The last thing she needed was to explain to Maggie that it was her that convinced her husband to hide the peanut butter, or give him advice on where to find sex toys or lingerie. Even if it was for Mags, Rose knew she would kill her if she knew she was inadvertently sharing part of their sex life.

Maggie strolled into the room just as Rose lifted up the laundry bin.

"Finally done?"

"Yup," Rose smiled.

"Good, and tell my husband he's an asshole." She turned around, but not before fixing her a menacing glare. Rose squealed a high pitch note as she felt her life flash before her eyes.