Wild Fiction

Genevieve joined Stephen and, resting her arm on the back of the sofa, ran her fingers through his hair. She suddenly noticed how similar Stephen looked to one of the author’s fictional characters that she had met in the basement. Conrad, yes Conrad, from the Africa adventure novel. She then realised that the author must have used Stephen as a model to create his character. He has to take people he has met before and use them to cast his characters. He has become incapable of dreaming up original descriptions for his characters. With a body like that, she could understand why he had modelled Conrad on Stephen. She had quite fancied the look of Conrad when she had first seen him and only ruled him out because he was fictional and not, in her opinion, capable of a romance with a real person such as herself.
‘Darling,’ she said in a velvet voice. ‘You know when we talked about children the other day after our workout in your office? Well, how serious were you when you said that you hated children and never wanted to have any?’
Stephen frowned as he looked at her. ‘Are you trying to tell me something?’
‘Yes,’ Genevieve said not wanting to draw the conversation out. ‘I’m trying to tell you that you’re going to become a father.’
‘What? How can that be possible? We used protection every time.’
‘I know, it must have just been one of those things. The other side of the 99% effective that you read about on the label. They do have a warning on the insert that one of the side effects of using those things may be pregnancy.’ Her attempt at humour went unrecognised.
‘So what are you going to do?’
‘I’ve decided I’m going to have the baby,’ Genevieve said. ‘And I want you to be part of his or her life as well.’
‘How do I know you didn’t trap me into this?’ Stephen edged himself away from Genevieve.
‘You scum,’ Genevieve said changing her tone. ‘You were the one wearing the condoms. How could I entrap you if you were the one in charge of the birth control.’
‘How do I know it’s mine?’ Stephen asked trying another tack. ‘Who else have you been sleeping with?’
‘You bastard,’ Genevieve struck out at Stephen but he caught her hand just above his head.
‘That’s it,’ he said standing up. ‘No woman strikes out at me, I want nothing more to do with you.’ He turned and walked to the door and pulled it open. For a moment he paused and then he swivelled his head to her. ‘Bitch,’ he said and left.
Genevieve was in tears when Gunther and Corp came back into the room.
‘What did he do?’ Gunther asked sitting next to her and putting his arm around her. ‘Would you like Corp to sort him out for you? Corp is very good with his hands.’
Between sobs Genevieve told Gunther and Corp about the affair and the pregnancy. ‘I wish he was dead,’ Genevieve said as she finished the story. There was a silence as Gunther and Corp looked at each other.
‘That can be arranged,’ Corp said.