In the Age of Love and Chocolate

of times—”

“Scarlet! That’s great.”

“But with Gable gone, I know I can’t afford to wait around anymore. I need to figure out how to make money now.” She made a face. “I hate to ask, but would you give me a job at the club? A hostess or a waitress or whatever. I know I’m not qualified for anything else. If I had a job with tips and flexible hours, I could still audition now and then.”

I sat down next to Scarlet. I was still awkward around Felix, but he climbed into my lap anyway.

“Good,” Scarlet said. “Sit on your godmother. You’re getting too heavy for me, Felix.”

“Hi, Felix,” I said.

“Hi,” he said.

“Oh, he’s talking now,” I said. “Hi,” I said again.

He waved and laughed at me.

“The club can definitely take on another waitress, but won’t that be weird for you? I mean, I wish I had something better to offer you.”

“There aren’t exactly a ton of jobs in this city, and I’m not proud. I can’t afford to be.”

“Who will watch Felix while you’re at work? I’m not here a lot.”

“No, I would never ask you to do that. My father can. Dad always tries to help. It’s really my mother who disapproves of me, which is why I can’t live there either.”

“I’ll go back to Gable’s apartment with you to get your stuff and Felix’s, if you want.”

She laughed. “I’m about to sound terrible. I know I’ve already asked you for so much. But would you … would you mind going alone? I don’t want to bring Felix back to Gable’s parents’ place. Everyone is so upset. I don’t want him in the middle.”

At that moment, Theo came into the living room. “I will watch the baby,” he said, “and then you both will go.” He must have been eavesdropping.

He walked over to the couch and scooped up Felix from my lap. “See. Los ninos, they love me.” Felix was grabbing Theo’s mustache, which he had grown in the months since he’d moved to New York.

He offered Scarlet his hand. “We have not met. I am Theo.”

“Scarlet,” she said. “And he’s Felix.”

“Ah, the best friend. I am Anya’s boyfriend.”

Scarlet looked at me. “What? Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said.

“My English is not perfect,” Theo said. “I only mean I am a boy and I am her friend.”

“I don’t understand,” Scarlet said. “Is he your boyfriend or isn’t he?”

I sighed. “Who needs such labels? We should leave if you want to do this tonight.” I turned to Theo. “Also, Scarlet’s going to be your new waitress.”

“Wait? What?” Theo said. “You are not bad to look at, but do you have any experience?”

“I’m a fast learner,” she said with a smile.

* * *

Scarlet unlocked the door to Gable’s parents’ apartment. “Maybe they won’t be home,” she said.

We went inside and no one was there. Scarlet told me to pack up the bedroom while she packed up the nursery. I threw her clothes into a suitcase and her makeup and jewelry into a box. I was nearly finished when I heard the door to the apartment open.

“Scarlet?” a woman called. I recognized the voice as Gable’s mother.

“In the nursery,” Scarlet replied.

I set the suitcase and the box by the front door and went to wait just outside the nursery door. I thought there could be trouble so I wanted to keep close.

“You can’t take our grandchild away!” Gable’s mother yelled.

“I’m not taking him away. I would never do that. But we can’t live here anymore. It isn’t good for anybody. And it doesn’t make sense now that Gable is gone.”

“Gable will come back,” his mother said. “He’s upset.”

“No,” Scarlet said, “he’s not coming back. He told me he wasn’t, and I believe him.”

“Gable is a good boy,” his mother insisted. “He wouldn’t leave the mother of his child.”

“He did,” Scarlet said. “It’s been a month.”

I was mildly shocked that Scarlet had waited an entire month before she’d told me about Gable leaving.

“Well, you can’t take my grandson,” Gable’s mother repeated. “I won’t let you. I’ll call the police.”

I went into the nursery. “Actually, she has every right to take your grandson.”

“What is she doing here?” Gable’s mother was no great fan of mine.

“Scarlet is the mother, and the city doesn’t automatically recognize grandparents’ rights,” I said.

“Why should I believe you?” Gable’s mother asked. “You’re no lawyer. You’re some trashy girl who owns a club.”

“The reason you should believe me is because trashy girls like me have hard lives.” I got right in Gable’s mother’s piggish face. “I’ve bounced around family and juvenile courts since I was a kid, and I know everything about everything when it comes to who gets custody of whom.”

“It’s all your fault!” Gable’s mother yelled at me. “If you hadn’t poisoned him—”

“I didn’t poison him. He ate bad chocolate. And your son was a terrible boyfriend, so it comes as no surprise that he’s a terrible father and fiance. Come on, Scarlet. We’re leaving.” Gable’s mother was blocking the door so I moved her out of the way.

* * *

It took forever to get a cab and almost as long to cram Scarlet’s possessions into the trunk and backseat. We rode uptown in silence. “Thank you,” she said, as the cab rounded the park. “I really appreciate you coming with me.”

“I’m glad you called, though I can’t believe you waited a month to tell me Gable had left.”

“Truthfully, I’ve been kind of mad at you,” she said.

“Why?”

“I guess it’s not entirely your fault, but we haven’t seen each other that much, and I’d read about your club in the paper and how well everything was going for you, and I’d feel pretty bitter. Like, I’d always tried to be a good person and a good friend and look how my life has turned out.”

“You can’t think that way.”

“Most of the time I don’t, but sometimes. And then I’d get mad because I felt like you’d moved on without me. And I felt like you had amazing new friends and you didn’t want me around.”

“Scarlet, I’ve been busy, that’s all, and I know it’s difficult for you to make plans with the baby. If you had needed me, I would have been there.”

Scarlet sighed. “I know, but that’s why it’s hard to be friends with you, I guess. Sometimes I would like to know that I’m needed, too. I mean, have you even missed me? We’ve spoken like three times this whole year.”

I put my arm around her. “Scarlet, I’m sorry I’m not more … I’m sorry I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve.”

“No, you definitely don’t. At one point, I actually made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t call you again until you called me. Do you know how long that went on?”

I didn’t want to.

“Four months.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a bad friend.”

“You’re not. You’re the best friend. You’re my best friend. But you do have your faults.”

“I know.”

“Oh, don’t have hurt feelings. What I actually wanted to say is I realize that I was being silly before. We may not see each other as much as we used to, but there is no one else I would have wanted to be with me tonight. And isn’t it funny? You can lose a boy—God knows we’ve both lost a few of those. But even if I wanted to, I