I sat in my car and sighed, letting all the activities of today sink in. I quit my job and now I was being evicted...I sighed and pulled out my cell phone to call Johnsie.
"Tannus, where are you? I was worried-"
"There's some things I need to tell you, Johnsie..."
"What is it?" he asked, worry in his voice.
"I'm sorry but you're going to have to go back home."
"Wh-what?"
"I got evicted, Johnsie. We have to be out by the end of the week."
"Why?"
"The same reason I was going to be fired before I quit."
"Disturbance of the peace? What?! Really?! Those sons of bitches! Tell them they can't do that!"
"Johnsie, look-"
"No! Tell them that you haven't done anything! They know us!"
"Johnsie-"
"TELL THEM!"
"John Simon Trademathews!" I yelled, making the hysteric boy stop. "I'm sorry... I really am but I don't have any place to go and until I get some money for an apartment, I can't bring you with me."
"I can't go back, Tannus. I just can't." he said, his voice softer now.
"I know that. If Oliver had a place for us for a long period of time, I know he'd take you in. But he's only got one couch and we'd have to stay there for a while. Like five months type a while, until this... uh, kid is born. I'm so sorry, Johnsie."
There was silence over the phone and I thought that he had hung up on me but I heard him breathe in deep.
"You can't get a new one?"
"And risk this all over again? It would just be better on everyone if I just stayed with Oliver until this all blows over. After that, I promise you can come back and live with me. You know I wouldn't abandon you like that."
"I know... o-okay... I'll... I'll go back..."
"Please just stay low and remember, you are allowed to run. If it gets too bad, then I'll fix it."
"Why can't you fix it now?"
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Johnsie..."
"I know... I'll talk to you later."
The phone clicked and I wanted to kind of crawl into a ball. I didn't know what else to do...I called Oliver and told him what happened, though he had already heard it.
"Of course you can stay with me. I'm sorry that all this happened."
"Yeah, well, tell that to Johnsie... Anyway, I need to talk to Delilah, where can I find her?"
"I think she works out at some gym across from Home Depot on 12th Street. Tan, you need to raise money up quickly so that you can get Johnsie back. He can't stay there after all these years. I would have made a pallet for him-"
"Oliver, stop... Don't make me feel even worse than I do. Twelfth Street, you said?"
"Yes. I'll see you later then?"
"Yeah... Maybe... When does Delilah go to the gym?"
"Uh... I don't know. I guess I can ask Rose."
"Please do. I'm going to get some of the stuff out of the apartment and into a U-Haul to take to the storage unit."
"Be careful, Tannus. Don't move things that are heavy.
"Just getting out the essentials. I'm sure Johnsie will be about shortly."

It was a bit of rough terms between Johnsie and me and I felt bad for putting him out but I was going to be finding a place soon... when all this was over with. The week went by and some days and it was very boring on the couch at Oliver's house. I wasn't feeling well but it wasn't because of the pregnancy; it was my guilt over Johnsie. I just felt bad that I couldn't figure out a place for him away from that man. I texted him and he said that his old man was out of town, so that made me feel a little better, but what if he came back? Johnsie had been through enough with that man and now...
I sat up and rubbed my stomach, feeling kind of hungry, but for cake, not for pizza. Unfortunately, Oliver didn't have cake so I searched to see if maybe Madeline left some cake mix around for one of those surprise things she does. I didn't find cake mix, which made me sad, but I did find cookie mix and I figured that that was close enough. I texted Oliver to either bring a cake home or a mix so I could have some and then started baking cookies. They were sugar cookies with sprinkles... it was as close to cake as I was going to get.
I leaned on the counter, waiting for them to rise and looked down at my stomach. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be in this situation nor did I think I would be baking cookies. I had tried to stay away from the bad stuff but this pregnancy... it was really wrecking all my hard work to keep physically fit. Then again, I wonder if there are some things on Netflix for pregnant women, because I was feeling really down. I started searching through the workout videos when my phone rang. I picked it up.
"Dr. Bracken speaking... I mean... Hello?" I said, forgetting that I technically wasn't a doctor anymore."
"Dr. Bracken... it's me..."
"Johnsie? You alright?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"Not really... He came back home."
I got up and went to the oven to turn it off, heading back to the closet to get some pants and a shirt on.
"Where are you? Are you hurt?"
"Just a little... I ran, like you told me to do."
"But you're not in danger? He's not pursuing you, right?"
"Not that I know of. I just left to get away."
"Where are you?" I said, grabbing my wallet and sticking it in my back pocket with some difficulty.
"The pay phone down the road."
"I'll come get you; stay right there."
"But Oliver's-"
"We'll make due. I'm coming to get you."
I clicked the phone off, grabbed a half-baked cookie, and went to get Johnsie.

When I pulled up to the bench that was outside of the pay phone, I saw Johnsie sitting there waiting and rolled the window down.
"Want a lift?" I said softly.
He looked up, a nice shiner showing in the sun and got up to get inside the car.
We were silent on the way back as Johnsie looked at his lap or out the window and I sighed heavily.
"I'm so sorry, Johnsie. Truly... I should have never told you to go back home."
"Oliver can only hold so many people and being cramped like that would have been annoying for five months. You did what you could. And since you're not working anymore... Um, that reminds me, Dr. Manchester has been looking everywhere for you. I didn't tell her what happened and no one else seemed to want to fill her in either." He said with a shrug.
"I hear she works out at some gym. I'll catch her there and embarrass her or something." I said with a smirk. "What has she been wanting?"
"Just to make sure everything is alright and everything." He said with a shrug.
"Do you plan on getting your clothes?"
"I've got clothes at the lab that I've been taking. Just drop me off at Oliver's house if you don't mind. I'd like a nap."
"Sure thing."
I pulled into the drive and parked the car, handing Johnsie the keys but before he got out, I turned him around and took a look at his black eye.
"How long has that been there?"
He pulled away. "Three days." He said, getting out.
I made a face but rode off to where I thought Delilah would be.

I got out of the car and made my way ever so carefully to the gym. I went up to the counter and leaned on it, watching the eyes of people gravitate toward my stomach, which was not behaving so well in the inconspicuous aspect.
"Can I help you?" the guy asked.
"Yes, I was wondering if you knew if a Delilah Manchester came here."
"She's an instructor, yes..." he said, getting a look at me.
"And instructor? What does she do?" I asked, surprised.
"Are you some sort of stalker?"
"No, you dolt. Just answer the question..."
All he did was thumb at the board on the left of him and I looked.

BELLY DANCING/FAMOUS DANCES @ 4:30 W/ DELILAH

I blinked and looked back at the guy.
"Excuse me, she wouldn't happen to be in, would she?"
"She goes in about thirty minutes early to get her routine down and instructions precise... You're not... going to take the class, are you?!" he asked as if I had just stepped on his fingers as he hung from the ledge.
I gave him a big grin. "Why? Hurt your imagination?"
He just blanched at me and I laughed, heading to the back to see if I could find the dance studio.
I turned the corner and saw three guys looking in the glass window.
"What you guys looking at?"
"The instructor." One said, not looking at me.
I turned and my jaw dropped on the floor. I had never seen Delilah looking like that, so elegant and so curvaceous. She was moving her hips in ways I had never seen and her stomach was rolling like waves. It was very, very (regrettably) arousing.
When I thought of Delilah, I thought of my nerdy nemesis from high school and all her crazy inventions which led her to get a scholarship at the college I worked my ass off to get into. I thought of those scrubs she used to wear that were about a size too big for her because they ran out of her size. None of that had prepared me for the voluptuous body I was looking at now that was just... amazing...
I had never seen her like that. I'd never seen her carefree and lost in thought. She looked as if she were really performing for a king like the gypsies of old, taking in her turns and shakes as if her life depended on it. It was magnificent.
The music stopped and she wiped her forehead of sweat and took a drink of water when she looked at the door. She saw me and yelped.

*DELILAH*
My agenda for the class today was going to be great. First I would teach them about how to move your body to the music and then I thought about maybe going into something fun like learning the "Single Ladies" dance step by step. Only thing was that they all needed to learn how to move them hips... I swear, I love this class but sometimes the people that come in here have no rhythm... The song finished and I wiped my forehead and took a drink of water. I turned to go open the door for the members of the class to come in when I saw Tannus looking at me. I yelped and marched to the door. I grabbed Tannus' arm and pulled him into the studio.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" I growled.
"I came to tell you something but I saw you doing... that. I didn't know the mother of my child could make me so horny."
I blushed immensely at the blatant state of arousal he had just told me and I cleared my throat.
"Wh-wha-what were you wanting to tell me?"
Tannus looked over and saw people coming in.
"I'll tell you after class. I'll just sit over here and watch."
"W-watch?"
"Yup. Besides, when will you ever give me a show like this for free?"
I growled and clawed my fingers at him to strangle his neck but people were filing in and I deflated.
"Fine. Sit over there and don't make crude comments." I snapped, pointing at the corner of the room.
He grinned but obeyed, sitting over in the corner like a kid. Stupid Tannus, coming in here and telling me things like that.