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Harsh Realities
One night, Candice and AJ were out to dinner at a cozy little neighborhood Japanese restaurant. The brunette had to mentally admit, it was a nice little escape from all the complexities of her friends' personal lives. Just sitting and eating sukiyaki with her laid back boyfriend, having easy conversation without drama, was quite relaxing.
And then, out of nowhere, AJ dropped a crazy bomb on her.
"Aww, is that cute, or what?" the man asked. His attention was on the crying baby at the next table as the parents were trying their best to appease the infant.
Candice laughed, but it was full of sarcasm.
"What is? The fact that that baby basically owns that couple?"
"No," AJ said, "the baby alone."
He gazed at his girlfriend for a beat, then back at the child and focused his blue eyes back on her.
"You know what? Why don't we do that?"
"What, try to calm that kid down?"
"No," AJ laughingly said. "I mean have a baby... We should have a baby."
The brunette stared blankly at her boyfriend for a moment before bursting into mild laughter.
"Yeah, right! Sure, why not?"
"C'mon, Candice, I'm serious."
Candice focused her dark eyes on him, and her slight amusement suddenly transformed to alarm.
"You want us - us - to have a baby..."
"Yeah, I do," he admitted.
The brunette shook her head.
"You can't be serious! We barely have time for ourselves, what with my work, and-"
"So, cut down... Take a break."
Candice nearly gasped at that suggestion.
"I can't!" she exclaimed. "AJ, I'm trying to make partner at my firm. I can't just cut down or take a break from work!" She couldn't believe he would suggest something like that to her, and in such a callous manner.
AJ suddenly looked disappointed.
"Okay, I get it," he said. "I just thought there was more to your life than your job."
"That's not fair," Candice said in a discreetly soft tone. "We're not ready for something like that, AJ. And it's not just a job, it's my career."
"Yeah," the dark-haired man said. "I know." He dug back into his sukiyaki, effectively putting an end to the awkward conversation.
It proved to be short-lived, however, as a moment later, AJ thoughtfully eyed the child who'd brought on the discussion. He shifted his wistful gaze toward Candice, who was daintily drinking a cup of green tea.
The brunette cocked her head as she met his warm blue eyes, not at all liking what she was seeing in them. How could he even think to ask her something so heavy? They weren't ready for such a huge step in their relationship! They had barely even gotten back together before deciding AJ would move in with her, and even that had taken her some getting used to. Hell, Candice had to admit, she wasn't sure if she even was quite used to it yet.
"Don't," she said with a wave of her hand just as her boyfriend was about to speak again. "Please, don't. My answer isn't going to change in a matter of minutes."
"I know," AJ replied, half-sulkily and half-cowed. He knew better than to press any further. And so, they merely ate in silence. It was thankfully peaceful, with the awkwardness quickly slipping away. But then, AJ got an idea... Yeah, he liked the thought of it. He decided he would surprise Candice the next day.
*
Arriving back to her cozy apartment the next evening, Candice felt relieved. She'd had a rough day, losing in court and then later being passed on taking another case in favor of one of the partners. She was stressed additionally because she was waiting to find out if she would make partner at her firm.
Her sense of ease was quickly replaced by confusion and annoyance.
Sitting on the couch, in front of the TV, was AJ. Unfortunately, he was not alone.
"What the...?"
The sound of his girlfriend's voice drew the dark-haired man's attention. He looked up with a grin.
"Hey!"
"What's this?" Candice asked, gesturing with both hands.
"This," he replied, holding up the adorable border collie puppy in his arms, "is Riley. I got him from the pound this afternoon."
"AJ, what were you thinking?!" the brunette exclaimed. "We never discussed getting a dog! I don't have the time of take care of one!"
"I can help... It's no big deal."
"It is a big deal!" Candice cried. "I have no time to tend to him, and I'm trying to make partner at work, and-"
AJ cut in with, "You have a cat."
"That's different! A cat doesn't have to be walked six times a day!"
"I think you're making way too much of this," he said.
"Yeah? Well, I'll tell you what, AJ... You are taking care of this dog." She gave him a stern look.
"That's fine," AJ replied. He hated seeing her so upset. "Candice, it'll be fine... I promise."
The brunette nodded resignedly, but deep down, she wasn't fully convinced. Still, she decided to be agreeable, as she wanted her relationship to work and survive.
*
Four nights later, Candice was at her wit's end. While AJ had indeed stuck to his word by taking care of Riley during the day and evening, the dead of night was a different story. Every night since they'd had him, the puppy would cry at three AM, like clockwork. And every night, Candice would wake up, while AJ somehow slept right through it.
Leaning over the side of the bed to the small dog in the box that was a makeshift bed, she made a shushing sound.
"Please go back to sleep," she said, unhappy at having her own slumber interrupted for the fourth night in a row. "If you do, I'll give you a nice doggie biscuit in the morning!"
Riley only continued to whimper and whine.
Frustrated, Candice turned to eye AJ on her other side. Amazingly, he was still asleep, curled up in the fetal position on his left side, facing her. Normally, the brunette would have found this endearing... But given the circumstances at the moment, it irritated her instead. She rudely reached over, shaking the man.
"What? Hey, what are you doing?"
"AJ, this dog is crying... You take care of him!" Candice cried. "I have an important meeting at nine sharp!" For emphasis, she gave him another hard shove.
"Okay, jeez!" the young man relented. "I get it!" He was surprised as the brunette suddenly bent over to the puppy again, only to come back up and shove it into his arms. "Get out! I need my sleep!"
AJ stood up in only his boxers, Riley clutched against his chest. Despondently, he stared at Candice.
She shook her head.
"This isn't going to work, AJ," she said. It saddened her that she was going to have to do this, but it had to be done. "I'm sorry." Her brown eyes were sad but serious, firm.
The bartender eyed her with regret, silent for a full moment. Then, he nodded.
"I'll move out ASAP." he stared at her for a beat, quietly, before slipping out of the room.