Free Shimmers of Pearl (The Pearl Trilogy, Part 3) by Arianne Richmonde Page B

Really! But this is like, brand new – this Smartphone is the best!”
    “It’s a great phone. It has advantages. You can keep your gloves on when you dial a number – not all Smartphones let you do that. Handy here in New York with the cold winters.”
    Sally’s Cheshire Cat smile is spread across her whole face. “This is the greatest gift ever.”
    “Don’t let Alexandre know I was asking about him.”
    “Okay, sure.”
    “And if you hear any information about Laura, pass the word along.” Oops! I have just broken my own resolution to put him out of my mind. I add hastily, as if to excuse myself, “I just worry about him, that’s all.”
    “Of course. You have my word this is just between us.”
    Sally, Rex and I meander about the park for a good half hour before I wend my way back home.
    I am cell phone-less and it feels great. After all, once upon a time we humans made dates with people, arranged a time in advance and turned up. We couldn’t cancel at the last second and flake-out when a better deal came up. We were responsible people, once. We could spell: see you tonight, not C U 2 nite. We had attention spans of more than five minutes at a go. We painted, sketched and wrote in notebooks, not just flicked like mindless idiots through our Facebook and HookedUp pages, worrying about what everyone else was doing and living vicariously through them. Yay! I am no longer shackled-down with invisible chains to my social-media addiction!
    It’s a wonderful feeling with no cell to know I am not being spied upon nor stalked. I feel liberated and brain tumor-free. Most of all, I feel protective of that tiny bundle inside me; not that there is much evidence; no more swelling than a large bowl of pasta or rice wouldn’t do. There is life within me and it feels incredible, especially as I am so in love with its maker, despite Alexandre being a heartbreaking bastard, I will still love everything about his future offspring…
    Because deep down inside me (call me a clueless fool), I feel there must be some mistake – he cannot be lying to me, he does love me.
    Yet – I need to get a grip - all the evidence is there, clear and sharp as crystal – he still can’t give up Laura.
    ***
    A week has passed by. Sneaking off for my secret Rex rendez-vous has become a regular habit. If I can’t have Alexandre, himself, I can feel close to him through his beloved dog. Today I’ve arranged to take Rex alone.
    I meet Sally at the entrance at Sixty Forth Street by Central Park Zoo. Rex is there waiting, all excited. Funny how Labradors and Labrador mixes wiggle the middle of their torso when they wag their tails. He’s ready for his tour around the park.
    I kiss Sally hello and give her a one hundred dollar bill. “Have a nice breakfast.”
    She shakes her head; her Cerise-colored pigtails swing in surprise and her wildly plucked eyebrows, which seem no more than painted curves, shoot up. “Pearl, this is way, way too much.”
    “I don’t have change,” I lie, wondering if she has caught onto my not-so-subtle bribe. It’s good to have Sally on my side, to get snippets of information about Alexandre, know where he’s going and when he’ll return. “Treat yourself to something delicious. I’ll meet you back here in an hour and a half.”
    “Are you going to the Central Park Paws event this morning?”
    Only dog-mad Sally could know about such a thing as Central Park Paws. “No,” I answer, “but tell me more, I’m intrigued.”
    “Well, Central Park Paws hosts regular events for dog owners in the park. Today is Monthly Bagel Barks – it gives dog owners the chance to meet, talk and have breakfast while the dogs enjoy some off-leash playtime. It starts in fifteen minutes until nine o’clock.”
    “I’m so sorry, Sally, am I robbing you of your meeting? We can go together if you like.”
    She looks at the hundred dollar bill and says, “No, it’s okay, I’ve always wanted to go to the Carlyle for breakfast