“What’s wrong?” Michael asked from behind the grill. “Is it--”

“It’s the lunch rush, Michael. I’m okay. Really. But I think that table six will skewer me if they don’t get their burgers and rings pronto.”

“Yeah. Their order’s up anyway: five Will Smith burgers and three Saturn rings. But you shouldn’t be carrying that. It’s too heavy.”

“And how do you suggest I get this food over there? You can’t get it. You have to work on table eight’s order.”

“Let Liz carry it,” Michael suggested.

“Gee thanks, Michael,” Liz chimed in. “Just what I want. Another table to cover.”

“Don’t worry, Lizzie. I’m not an invalid. I can get it. And you,” She said turning to Michael, “hurry up with those fries.” Michael watched Maria walk away with the order.

“Hey,” Liz said. “I know you’re concerned. That’s only natural. But she’s a big girl and she can take care of herself.”

“Yeah, thanks, Liz,” He said flatly. “Look, don’t you have a table to cover or something?”

Liz sighed. “Well I would, except the new cook just burned one of my tables orders.”

Michael turned to the charred remains of table five’s hamburgers.

“Careful,” Liz chuckled. “You’re almost worse than Jose.”

***

Maria reached up and flushed the toilet.

“Oh…” She groaned. She folded her arms across the cool porcelain lid. “Normal women are not supposed to be morning sick at three fifteen in the afternoon.” She stood shakily. “Then again, I’m not normal, Michael sure as hell isn’t normal, and this pregnancy shouldn’t be anything close to normal.” She washed her face and hands and rinsed her mouth. “Now I know I’m weird. I’m talking to myself.”

Someone knocked on the door lightly. Maria looked up from the sink and saw her best friend peeping through the door.

“You okay, sweetie?” Liz asked.

Maria let her inside the tiny bathroom. “Yeah, I’m fine. But I don’t think I’ll be eating anymore peanut butter and pickle sandwiches anytime soon.”

Liz crinkled her nose. “Peanut butter and pickles? I don’t think I’d ever want to get pregnant if it meant eating stuff like that.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been eating them since I was a little kid. My mom used to pack them in my lunchbox. Remember? You never would trade sandwiches with me.”

Liz made another face, then laughed. “You are a strange, strange girl, Maria DeLuca.”

Maria put her arm around Liz’s shoulder. “I know. But you love me for it.”

Both girls giggled. Liz straightened Maria’s antennae headband.

“We’d better get back to work. Michael almost had a fit when you ran out of there like that. He demanded that I come in here and check on you.”

Maria laughed. “Huh… I figured he would have broken down the bathroom door himself. He’s being so overprotective.”

“Are you okay with this, Maria?” Liz asked after a moment.

“What? The baby?” She thought for a moment. “Yeah I am. I mean, I’m seventeen, my whatever-he-is and I have no intentions of getting married, my mom is going to murder me when she finds out, I’m nauseous half the time, I make six bucks an hour plus tips, my whatever-he-is makes six bucks an hour, not to mention the fact that my baby is half Czechoslovakian. But I’m okay with all of that, you know? It’s scary as hell, but I’m okay with it. There’s this little baby inside me and, somehow, that makes everything okay. And I have you guys and Michael. So I’ll be fine.”

Liz drew Maria into a hug. “I’m glad you’re happy. You deserve to be.” She let go of Maria and smiled. “Now we really should go. The customers will probably riot if they don’t get their food fast.”

Maria followed Liz out of the bathroom and started into the Crashdown. She hesitated as she reached the refrigerator.

“Uh… listen, Lizzie. I know that my break has lasted way longer than five minutes, but do you think I could get a little extra time? I got hungry all of a sudden.”

“After the peanut butter and pickles thing? What did you want to eat?”

“I’ll probably just get some cake or something.”

“Sure, Maria. Take all the time you need.” Liz turned to walk away.

“Oh, uh, Liz?” Maria called.

“Yeah?”

“Your dad keeps the extra condiments in the right bottom corner of the pantry, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Think he’d mind if I took one of the extra bottles of Tabasco sauce?”

***

“Go home, Michael.”

Maria’s silver antennae bounced as she spoke. She got her keys and exited the Crashdown.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Michael asked. He punched his time cards and followed Maria out the door.

Maria turned to face him. “It means that you’ve been my second shadow this week. I’d just like a little time to myself tonight, that’s all.”

“What? You don’t want me around you or something?” Michael folded his arms across his chest.

“You know that’s not what I meant. It’s just that we’ve been together every minute since I told you about the baby. I love that you’re already acting like a doting father, but I’d love to have a little time to myself too.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to either of you, Maria.”

Maria smiled and touched Michael’s cheek. “I know. But it’s not like I’m going to be playing with knives or anything. I’m just going to go home, take a bath, eat some ice cream, and go to bed. How’s that sound?”

Michael frowned. “Lose the ice cream. You don’t need all that sugar. Just drink some milk or something.”

“You’re pushing it, buddy.”

“Fine. But I’ll be at home all night if you need me,” Michael said.

“I know. Go home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Maria kissed his cheek. The smell of her strawberry lip-gloss filled the air.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” She said as she drove away.

***

“Hello, Michael. Can I come in?” Tess stood in the hallway outside Michael’s apartment later that night. “I don’t have time for this,” Michael said. He started to close the door.

Tess put her hand against it. “Just give me half a chance, Michael.”

Michael eyed her cautiously, then opened the door enough to let her squeeze by. “Make it quick.”

Tess walked into the apartment and looked around. “Where’s Maria?”

Michael closed the door behind her. “Not here. She said she needed a little vacation. She’s at her house.”

“Oh… I actually hoped she’d be here with you.” Tess’s mind wandered back to what Nacedo had said to her earlier that week.

“Why?”

She sighed heavily. “I came here to apologize. I had no business acting like that at the Crashdown. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“You think I was?”

Tess picked at her nails. “Well no. It’s just that… this summer it was just you and me.” She could feel the color rising in her cheeks. “And Max and Isabel, of course. I mean, we all got so close because all we had was each other. Now that Maria’s pregnant… I just don’t want anything to come between the four of us.”

“This baby isn’t going to come between us, Tess.”

“And Maria?” She asked. [Shouldn’t have said that, Tess.] She told herself.

“What about her?” Michael ran his hands through his hair.

“The baby is one of us, but she’s not.” [Shouldn’t have said that either.]

“You’re wrong,” He said curtly. “She’s been in this since the beginning. And she’s carrying my child. That should account for something.”

“Michael--” She looked down at her feet.

“No, Tess. You said you were here to apologize and here you are, talking shit about Maria again. What is with you?”

“Michael…” Tess stammered. “Listen… I’m not… I mean…”

“What, Tess?”

She looked back up at him. His eyes were flashing. She exhaled loudly and looked away again. “You’re right. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

Michael snorted.

“I’m sorry.” She reached out to touch his arm but he pulled away.

“You still have to apologize to her, you know.”

“Maria? Yeah. I intend to,” She said in a pained voice. “You really love her, huh?”

“Yeah,” He said without hesitation.

“Yeah,” Tess repeated quietly. She perked up suddenly. “Listen, I should go. Maybe I should stop by Maria’s later?”

“I don’t think that would be such a good idea,” Michael said, shaking his head. “But, uh, if you did, could you check on her for me? Just to see how she is.”

Tess smiled a little. “Yeah, sure.”

“Yeah, okay.” He opened the door and she walked out. “Goodnight, Tess.”

“Goodnight, Michael.

She watched as he closed the door behind her.

***