Chapter 2
	Wednesday sat in her car waiting for Johnny to get into his yellow pickup and leave.  She couldn't understand what had happened.  Ray who had glanced over her so many times was showing an interest.  What kind of interest was it was the question.  Was it because she made eye contact that she noticed this now?  Was he paying attention to her before and was too blindsided to see it by her own timidity.  She started the car when she saw Ray get into his Volvo 240 wagon.  She followed him out of the lot down Sailfin Street to Main Street.
	Wednesday wondered if it was obvious that she hadn't taken a shower in 3 days.  She had bothered to put on a clean set of clothes to go to the shop but her hair was still greasy and hung heavy.  She sat there for a moment staring into the mirror until another car came up behind her and blew its horn.  She pulled on to Main Street carelessly and almost got broadsided by an SUV.  She needed someone to talk to but she had so few friends and she hated to bother them because they had busy lives.
	Slowly Wednesday drove down Main Street to the outskirts of town to her old neighborhood.  She had moved 7 years ago right before her father's death but the old 2 story farmhouse still remained in her mind as home.  She drove past the quaint house and stopped at her friend Samantha's house.  She pulled into the driveway afraid she was blocking Samantha's husband's truck in.
	Wednesday knocked on the front door and started to turn away.  Samantha's husband Gerald answered the door in just a pair of shorts.  Wednesday wasn't comfortable with his state of dress and continued to look at her feet.  Gerald opened the screen door for her and ushered her in.
“Samantha's in the kitchen.”  Gerald pointed toward the kitchen then went and sat back down in the living room.
Wednesday nodded without making eye contact.  “Thank you.”
“Hey girl, chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting or chocolate icing?”  Samantha knew that Wednesday preferred cream cheese frosting but gave her the option anyway.
Wednesday sat down at the counter on a swivel bar stool then nervously turned a little left and right.  “Cream cheese definitely.”
“Is your car still acting up?”  Samantha said as she spread the icing on the first layer of the cake.
Wednesday nodded.  “It's still sluggish.  Johnny thought there might be water in the oil.”
“Gerald's truck did that.  I'm not good with cars but I think it was a blown head gasket whatever that is.  I do know that it cost a lot to get it fixed but you have Johnny who will do it for free.  So what have you been doing?”  Samantha reached into the silverware drawer and got a spoon then got a gob of icing with it and passed it to Wednesday.
	Wednesday smiled briefly.  She slowly ate the icing from the spoon.  She felt like she was intruding even though her friend always made her feel welcome.  Samantha had been her best friend since kindergarten so there was no need to be nervous but Wednesday nervously moved in the chair causing it to creak.
“I went to Johnny's shop today and got to see another of the cars.  I really like this one it's gun metal gray with red interior.  I would you rather it have black interior but oh well.  Ray showed an odd amount of interest in me.”
Samantha sat the second layer on top of the first then started to ice it as well.  “He always has but you never noticed before.  It's also a guy rule, you never date your best friend's sister.”
“Hold up now, I don't think he's that interested.”  Wednesday yawned and stretched.
Samantha laughed heartily.  “You never know, if you take care of yourself you're a beautiful woman.  I can tell you haven't showered in a few days by looking at your hair.”
“You're right, I just haven't had the urge.  The antidepressants aren't helping.  We've changed them at least 4 times in the past 3 months.”  Wednesday was embarrassed by her friend's observation.
“Has it been that long since I've seen you last?”
Wednesday brushed her bangs from her eyes after nodding.  “Yes it has been.  How have things been going?”
“Gerald got a raise and was moved to quality control at the factory.  I'm 2 months pregnant.”
Wednesday looked up in shock.  “Why didn't you call me and tell me?”
“I wanted to tell you in person.  Everything is falling into place and a baby is the final piece.  I want a boy but believe it or not Gerald wants a little girl.  He wants a Daddy's girl someone he can spoil.”  Samantha passed Wednesday the rest of the can of frosting.
“Thank you.  Back to Ray.  I never realized until tonight that his blue eyes are more of a blue gray very pretty.”
Samantha cut a piece of the cake and put it on a saucer.  “Be right back let me take this to Gerald.”
	Wednesday looked around the kitchen and dining room as she waited for Samantha to return.  The kitchen was in perfect order with canisters of dry goods on the counter.  A perfectly organized spice rack hung on the wall next to the refrigerator.  A lot of people would have put the spice rack over the stove but Wednesday remembered from home-ec that it was a bad idea to expose your spices to so much heat and variations in humidity.  Apparently Samantha remembered that as well.
Samantha entered the kitchen.  “Gerald is in there swearing that he said chocolate with chocolate.  I threatened to take it back from him if he was going to complain.  He took it from me and guarded it like a bear guarding a salmon.”
“I haven't baked a cake in so long I can't remember.  Of course the only thing I cook are TV dinners and Hot Pockets.  Mom does all of the cooking.”  Wednesday accepted the piece of cake that was offered to her.
Samantha passed Wednesday a fork.  “How is your Mom?”
“Not too bad, she had to take time off from the filter factory because she got textile asthma.”
Samantha tilted her head in curiosity.  “All the little particles from the materials get to her?”
Wednesday nodded taking a bite of her cake.
“I'm surprised Gerald has never gotten that.  He's worked there since he was 19, 4 long years.  It shouldn't be so bad since he won't be working on the line but QC is such a pain in the ass, measure this, measure that, check this, check that.”  Samantha had a seat beside Wednesday after cutting herself some cake.
	Wednesday had begun to feel more comfortable and creaked in her chair less but still she felt like she was a bother, an intrusion and an obligation.  What if this was a special evening for Samantha and Gerald?  What if that was the reason her friend had baked and made such a beautiful cake?
“You sure you and Gerald don't have anything planned?”  Wednesday asked taking another bite of her cake.
“No hun, relax, I just felt like making a cake, there's no special occasion.  If anything you coming here is the special occasion.  Maybe that was what fate was thinking.”  Samantha passed Wednesday a napkin.
Wednesday dabbed the corners of her mouth.  “That was a really good cake.”
“Good old Duncan Hines.  I haven't made a cake from scratch in 8 years since home-ec.  Remember back then we talked about opening our own bakery and making wedding cakes.”  Samantha sat her fork down across the saucer.
Wednesday let out a little sigh.  “I wanted it to but just never thought I was capable and you didn't want to go it alone.”
“We're only 22, the world is our oyster, we can bake a cake, make elaborate kites, open a left only shoe store.”  Samantha laughed heartily.
Wednesday laughed but with less intensity.  “We could open a right and a left store.”
“It is so damn good to see you.  Are you still seeing Dr. Ellis?”
Wednesday nodded.  “Once a month.”
	Wednesday had been going to see Dr. Ellis the premier psychiatrist for Fellowesville since last November.  They had made very little progress.  Wednesday wanted to change psychiatrists and go with a state agency one to save Johnny money since he paid for her visits.  Dr. Ellis told her repeatedly that she needed therapy, intensive therapy to get better and that medication alone wasn't the answer.  Johnny offered to pay for her to see Murphy Simpson the therapist that helped Johnny with his relationship problems and other problems.
“Do any of the drugs help?”  Samantha asked taking the saucers to the sink.
Wednesday shook her head once Samantha turned around.
“When Gerald's grandfather passed away last year he was on prozac to deal with the grief.”
Wednesday nodded in agreement.  “I remember that.  He was really close to his grandfather.”
“Gerald is a child of divorce and his closest male role model was his grandfather.  At least he died once Gerald was grown unlike your father who passed away when you and Johnny needed him the most.”  Samantha reached into the refrigerator and passed Wednesday a Diet Coke.
“Thanks.  All of the medications have side effects.  Dry mouth.  Clammy hands.  Constipation.  Dr. Ellis wanted to put me on anti anxiety meds for my shaking but I don't want to get addicted.”
Samantha sat back down next to Wednesday.  “I saw you shaking as you ate and you know there's no need to be nervous around me.  If you need them and you're going to need them for a long period I wouldn't worry about addiction.”
Wednesday nodded.  “I know you're right but I also don't want to be sedated.”
“I'm sure there is something out there that isn't addictive and won't sedate you.  It's 2003 medication has come a long ways and it's just going to go better as time goes on.”  Samantha rested her hand on Wednesday's knee.
“I read the literature for one called Zylotan.  It's most frequent side effect was rectal leakage.  That's wonderful calm, collected and wearing a diaper.”  Wednesday laughed for a moment then quickly stopped herself self conscious that that may not have been that funny.
Samantha smiled.  “Gerald's Dad is coming over tomorrow night for dinner and I have no idea what to make them.”
“Pigs in a blanket, deep fried tater tots and grape koolaid.”  Wednesday remembered how simple and basic her father was and smiled warmly.
Samantha laughed then took a sip of her soda.  “Um no, I'm thinking stuffed pork chops, broccoli, corn, and chocolate cake.”
Wednesday shrugged.  “I was just thinking of my Dad.”
“Vernon was lucky, it didn't take a whole lot to make him happy, you, your brother and Mom were all he needed, the meal, the entertainment, none of that mattered.  You were lucky.”
Wednesday nodded then brushed her bangs from her eyes.  “Yes I was.  I remember one time when I was 12 I tried to bake a cake from scratch.  It was dry, crumbly and took half a glass of milk just to choke down a small piece.  Daddy never once made a grimacing face instead he just kept smiling as he choked down that cake.”
“That was before you took home-ec.  I know for a fact that you can follow a recipe now and with a little practice could follow one from memory.  I still want to open a bakery but now that I'm having a kid I want to dedicate my life to being the best parent possible.”
	Wednesday wished she had stopped to get a carton of cigarettes or at least a pack.  She looked around for ashtrays and there were none to be found.  Wednesday wondered if Gerald and Samantha had quit smoking because of the baby.  She was uncomfortable around Samantha as she was with most people but not to the extent where she wanted to leave.  She hated to think of leaving just for a lousy, carcinogenic cigarette.
“Did you and Gerald quit smoking?”  Wednesday asked biting on her thumbnail.
Samantha nodded.  “As soon as I found out that I was pregnant I quit.  Gerald hated going outside to smoke so he quit too.  I still have cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters but I never could find anyone to give them to until now.”
Wednesday assumed Samantha meant her.  “Thanks.”
“Let me get them for you.”
	Wednesday expected a few packs of cigarettes, two or three ashtrays and a couple of lighters.  She was pleasantly surprised when she looked in the box Samantha brought into the kitchen.  In the box were 1.5 cartons of Marlboro Light 100s.  So much for quitting smoking Wednesday thought to herself.
Wednesday spoke softly but not quite a whisper.  “Would it be okay if I stepped out onto the back deck and had a cigarette?  I haven't had one in an hour or two.”
“Sure, you don't need to ask.  You are always so polite.”
	Wednesday shrugged then took a pack out of the open carton and stepped aside.  Stepping out on to the back deck Wednesday thought about children and how they changed their lives.  Being 22 she knew she had plenty of time left to worry about that.  The truth of the matter is she had only one boyfriend in 5 years and had only been intimate with 2 men her whole life.  She did date Larry for about a year but there was never a real connection and they hardly ever saw each other.  She also dated Ed's first cousin Kevin but that only lasted 5 days because she couldn't communicate with him since he had a major speech impediment.  Wednesday\