The Beloved Beast

Part 22-A Proposal

"There's an order for a coffee and a bagel. Quick," Polly placed the slip in front of her. Tucking her hair behind her ear, and wiping her brow for the hundredth time since that morning, Tanya started the coffee machine. Filling the brew into a paper cup and placing a bagel on the plate she handed it to Polly. The cafe did a brisk business in the afternoon, and though Tanya was mostly responsible for running the office and keeping the accounts, she helped in the kitchen too when they were short-staffed. Polly, the proprietress of the cafe, was a friend of Monica's mother. It was through Monica that she had come to know of this much-needed job. She worked there till four in the evening and then she was back home to her studies.

"Put your feet up for a while, love. You have been running around for hours," Polly suggested, taking a sip of her coffee. They were sitting in the tiny cubicle-like office where she kept all the accounts of the business. There was a short lull in the flow of customers, and leaving the young man who waited tables, to manage things at the front, the two women were taking a break from the grueling day's work. Nodding her head tiredly, Tanya did as she was told, noticing the slight swelling on her feet. Tanya looked at the pleasant-faced woman who was tall and broad and ran the small business with an iron hand. It had been a month now since they had been following this routine. "Here," she held out an envelope towards Tanya, handing her the weekly wages with a smile. "I don't know what I would have done without you. You have taken up so much of my responsibilities," Polly appreciated the young girl sitting in front of her in her faded jeans and a shirt. Her hair was scrapped back in a ponytail, from which a few wisps hung loose, falling on her cheeks, and her face was red with all the exertion she had had. Was it good in her condition, Polly wondered? "I should thank you, Polly, for taking me in. This job has been a godsend. I did not relish the prospect of working in a corporate office. I like the informality here," Tanya assured her. This job had provided her with the financial independence that she needed desperately.

Back home, she took a shower before going to sit in her window, gazing out at the park where children played on the swings while the adults indulged in some gossip. She had returned to the city to come across certain welcome changes. After her marriage, her parents had somehow reached an understanding. They had sold the house which had been situated in a less than respectable neighborhood, and moved to a better one, with wide open spaces around it. It was nearer to her mother's office where she worked as an assistant, a job which had pretty regular hours. Her father, able to see reason at last, had agreed to enter into rehab. The clinic was about an hour's drive from the house, and he could visit his family on the weekends. The rest of the week it was just her and her mother.

 Tanya sighed in relief. This peace and quiet were much needed in the state of mind in which she found herself. Her examinations were near and she hoped to make it with good marks. She was no longer a regular student. It had seemed like a daunting task to face the snooty college crowd again and endure the snide remarks and sneers from them. They would have had a field day mocking her for her failed marriage. They had never expected Neil to care for her and they had been right. She was an artless fool who had believed that someone rich and handsome like him would ever truly love her. How was he in his new life, free of the curse? Did he ever think of her? The wistful thoughts brought moisture to her eyes, and she wiped them away angrily. She had had her share of weeping for him. For all she knew, he could have married Renee by now. After all, there was nothing to stop him anymore. She doubted that divorce really existed in the werewolf world. If it did she would have received the papers by now. Maybe they had had a meeting to take away her status as the Luna of the Northern Mountain Pack. She could ask Ray but could not muster up the courage to do so, but it seemed that sooner or later she would need his help in an urgent matter. Till then, she would try to face each day with fortitude.

It was almost nine in the evening and Tanya had just finished dinner with her mother. It was becoming a struggle to eat every day and she had lost a few pounds in the last month. She was making some notes from the lectures she had borrowed from Monica. Twice she glanced at her phone, a strong desire to hear Neil's voice once more assailing her, but she knew better than to do so. It was at that moment that the doorbell rang, startling her from her thoughts. Tanya shuffled down the stairs in her pajamas with a robe thrown over it, wondering who could it be at this time of the night. It wasn't the weekend so there was no question that her father could have come, and they did not know anyone in the neighborhood yet. Suppressing a yawn, and a little irritated, she held open the door to gasp in surprise to find Ray standing on her doorstep.

 He looked dapper in a denim jacket and pants with a white shirt tucked in the waistband. "Hello, Tanya. I was in the city for a few days and thought to look you up, just to see if you were okay," he started before his eyes popped open in astonishment. With a gesture of her hand, Tanya ushered him inside. They made their way into the sitting room, where Ray sank into a chair, still in a daze. Tanya slowly made her way to the sofa and made herself comfortable on it. Her mother must have fallen asleep from the tiring day she usually had."How have you been Ray?" she inquired, putting her feet up on a nearby stool. Ray gazed at the woman in front of him, his heart turning over in his chest. She had lost weight and her clothes hung loose on her. Her face had become a bit gaunt, and one could see the devastating effects of her pain on her face in the haunted look in her eyes, but the thing which moved him most was the clear proof of the fact that she was carrying Neil's cub. "When....when...did....you....?" Ray stammered, clearly flabbergasted. "I found out soon after I returned to the city. I guess it would have been too early for a human child but this.....this baby is growing faster," she explained. Ray nodded. "That's how werewolf cubs are born," he smiled. "Yes. I read up on the internet and found out that the gestation period is shorter. I just don't know what I shall do once he or she is born. I guess I shall have to learn to bring up a werewolf kid," she tried to show a brave face. Ray's insides melted at the way she was so courageously trying to face the quandary in which fate had put her."I will put the kettle on," she said rising and ambling into the kitchen.

 Ray followed behind her to lean on the counter. "Does Neil know?" he was curious. "No, I haven't told him, and I have no intention of doing so in the future. This baby is not his business." Ray disagreed, "I think it is and he has a right to know." "Don't speak to me of rights, Ray. Neil lost all rights to this baby the day he rejected me and our marriage," Tanya's eyes flashed in annoyance. "I will manage somehow to bring up my baby. I already love it to bits. Anyway, how is he?" she could not help asking. "He is busy planning his mating ceremony with Renee," Ray said, his voice disapproving. Tanya had expected as much, but it still hurt to hear it from her friend. "Does he know you are here?" she wanted to know. Ray shook his head."We don't see much of each other these days. Not on the best of terms now," his lips twisted in a self-deprecatory smile. "Anyway, Emma sent her love to you." "Where did you meet her?" she was surprised. Were they dating? "I just gave a lift to her to the city. She had come to fetch some important books or suchlike thing." Ray tried to make light of the fact. As they sat with their cups of tea, Tanya found her thoughts occupied by what Ray had told her about Neil. The more she pondered over it, the more it pained her to her heart, till she found the dam breaking with a deluge of tears. With an oath, Ray moved to her side, sitting down beside her and engulfing her in a hug. "Don't waste your tears on him, Tanya. He does not deserve them," Ray said, placing a handkerchief in her hands. She wiped her face of any traces of tears, before raising her head. Ray looking at her, found himself saying, "Will you marry me, Tanya? I can take care of both you and the cub." Astounded Tanya could only stare at his face, unable for a moment to answer him. What should she say? Should she accept Ray's offer?