Some months later, it became impossible for Sharon to disguise the fact that she was pregnant. She had been disguising it with loose tops orbaggy sweaters over straight skirts with hidden elastic waist but the outline of the body under her loose clothes became all too apparent towards the end of that month.. By that time she was more than five months pregnant and physically, feeling much better than she had been feeling for a long time. The first four months of her pregnancy had been fraught with sickness, her body hadn't reacted well to her new condition and she had had far too much time from work. Now suddenly, she was blooming - skin clear, eyes bright, hair glossy and full of driving energy.
The whispers had began though. First people fell silent when they saw her, exchanged glances whispered, covertly studied her changing figure.
Sharon flushed and pretended not to be aware of the stares but in one end, decided it was time to confide in someone, so, she picked Amanda, the share analyst who was probably her closest friend in the bank and gave her an edited version of the truth.
Amanda was a warm hearted girl. She had a lively personality and men swarm around her like flies round a honey pot but she had been let down more than once by a guy she had been really keen on. She sympathized at once with Sharon's predicament.
'Men can be such rats! He dumped you as soon as he knew that you were going to have a baby! Isn't that typical?'
'Well, no. He dumped me before I knew, actually. Sharon felt obliged to explain. Although why she should feel that she had to defend Bryan like that, she did not know, especially since she hadn't told Amanda who the father was and it wouldn't enter her head to suspect Bryan anyway, since Sharon and Bryan had never been an Item publicly. Nobody had got an inkling that they had ever been involved with each other.
'Oh? Well what did he say when you told him?' Amanda asked.
'I haven't!'
Amanda stared open mouthed. 'But why not?'
'I don't see him anymore. It is over, finished and I don't want him back', That would make sure that nobody ever did suspect Bryan as the father of the child if they did believe that he was out of her life.
'I don't blame you. He sounds like an absolute beast. But you must make him help out with money. I would. Afterall, it's his baby too'. Amanda's eyes rounded. ' Oh, is he married? Couldn't he afford to help you with the money because he has other kids as already?'
Sharon almost nodded, then said. 'That's not the point. The point is that I don't want his money!'
'Well, I jolly well would!' Amanda said forthrightly.'Or aren't you going to keep the baby?'
'Yes,but I can afford to take care of it without help from anyone's, Sharon said and Amanda gave her an envious grin.
'On your salary, I suppose you can't, said Amanda who was earning no where near that amount. 'Will you get a nanny?'
'For the first year. But I thought I might be able to get an au pair or something of the sort
'Dies Mr. Standford know?' Amanda always blurted out the first thing in her head.She had a naive honesty which Sharon liked.'He is so conservative isn't he?Downright stuffy at times! I bet he was shocked'.
'David is a darling's, Sharon said resenting the criticism of David, mild though it was.
Amanda giggled. 'Oh, we all know that you adore David. In fact, alot of people have been laying money on it that David is the father of your baby and I...' she broke off as someone walked into the room.
Amanda looked around and started to smile as she recognized Bryan who was still her pinup for the month then stopped smiling just as quickly, meeting a glare like black ice from him which sent her eyes skidding helplessly away.
'Nothing to do Amanda?' he bit out. 'The bank doesn't pay you for sitting around drinking coffee and gossiping'.
She scrambled down from her usual perch on Sharon's desk and fled, for once, totally wordless.
Sharon looked at her computer screen, her mouth ash ash- dry with apprehension.
Bryan had been away for about three weeks, in Tokyo,this was his first day at work and she knew at once that he had heard the gossip about her. She had been dreading this moment for a long time. The moment that Bryan first heard about the baby. Would he guess at once that it was his?
He closed the door and rowed across the room like a caged animal,making her nerve - ends raw, sending her heart thudding.
'Is it his baby?'
The question hit her like whiplash and her head jerked back in shock.
'I don't want to talk about it', she whispered, her head turned away, her pale profile half veiled by the glowing dark red of her hair which she was wearing loose these days because she had had it restyled, shorter, easier to do in the mornings.
She had changed her whole image. Fir a reason she couldn't explain, she wore softer colours, lipsticks, eyeshadow, a very light foundation. It wasn't just her pregnancy that had made her look so different, the change had begun in her mind.
Bryan's black eyes brooded on her. 'You were talking about it to that half witted blond just now. Why can't you talk to me?'
'Amanda is a friend!'
He suddenly went rigid beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hand clench, the knuckles showing white, and flinched, for a second afraid he was going to hit her. The silence stretched between them like barbed wire, she heard him breathing, on his side of the wire, dragging air into his lungs as though he was only just able to breathe.
'No', he said at length, bitingly, 'I have no ambition to be one of your friends'.
That hurt. She wanted to yell back at him but she mustn't let him see that he had hurt her. She managed somehow to keep all expressions from her face, her head held high.
Then the phone rang and she answered it quickly, grateful for the interruption, hoping that he would go but he didn't. He stood by the window, looking out into the chilly sky, his shoulders back, his hands jammed into his trouser pockets, his black hair sleekly brushed back from his grim face.
The caller was a client wanting to hear about the recent scheme they were handling on capitalization and Sharon took her time explaining it to him. He finally thanked her and rang off.
She feared to look at Bryan but the silence was stretching on and she was feeling very uncomfortable. Couldn't he just say what he wanted to say and leave her office so she could breathe easily? She was even ready to endure his taunts of it would make him go away.