Submit to the Boss He Rules the Boardroom and the Bedroom



Side Story 3: Paul VS Daryl (1)

Daryl went for the meet-up with Paula, but had to go back soon after she arrived at the cafe due to serious nausea. Paul hurried to take her back home. She just leant on his shoulder all the way, even getting a little dizzy.novelbin

Daryl and Paul actually didn't have much time together now.

Paul was always busy with his work and Daryl spent most of her time learning what she was supposed to know as a mother. Even if they had got the chance to kick off a conversation, Daryl would feel sleepy soon and fell asleep in no time. That's a normal syndrome of gestation.

In fact, Daryl had been worried about Paul's attitude towards this kid, when he was thinking about putting it in a paper box and giving it to others! He really detested children so much?

Now Daryl was resting her legs on his.

How many months left there? I just can't wait." complained Paul.

Daryl regarded him with puzzlement.

"I can't wait to eat the food you cook." explained he.

Why not learn to cook yourself? As though that's the sole reason you married me!" Sometimes, Daryl even thought Paul was only taking her as an excellent chef. 'Can't you think about something more serious?"

Something more serious?' Paul suddenly remembered that, "Oh, I've narrowed down the list of foster parents. Only as a backup method if we really can't be good parents, of course."

After a while, Daryl finally uttered. You really hate children so much? And you agree to keep it only because I want it?"

Casting a look at her, Paul answered slowly, "You are imagining things."

Daryl was just about to protest when she suddenly felt the baby's movement. She stiffened up and cried excitedly, "It's moving! Listen!"

As excitement immediately took the place of the indifference on Paul's face, he hurried to press his ear onto her belly. Such a drastic change did surprise Daryl a lot.

Yet the movement just stopped as soon as he approached, even when he waited patiently for another couple of minutes.

There was an awkward silence.

Daryl even thought the kid refused to communicate with Paul deliberately because it could already understand what he had said.

Paul straightened up out of embarrassment and moved Daryl's legs onto the sofa slowly before he went out of the room.

What are you doing?" Daryl asked after a pause.

'To contact the foster parents." Paul answered gloomily.

Daryl hurried to stop him. Wisely enough, she didn't ask anything about it although she was actually quite curious about the candidates in his list.

In the end, Paul compromised by replacing the cloth in the box with two pieces of newspaper, instead of contacting the candidates. That was his way of revenge on the kid who had refused to let him detect its movement.

Ridiculous as it was, this

father-to-be, who had never cared less about the details in his life, only crumple the newspaper he had brought back from the office and threw the wrinkled paper into the box. That was a "bed he made for the baby.

Standing with her hands in the hips, Daryl pulled a wry face. "I'll let you know more as soon as it moves next time. You don't have to do that." Thank you. But I'll have to do that." replied Paul.

Daryl finally gave up dissuading him and just changed the subject joyfully while stroking her belly, "Will you really have the heart to give her to others if it is an adorable girl?"

Paul paused and went on, "I'll only add an additional piece of paper onto the 'bed' for her."

So he thought two pieces of paper quite sufficient for a boy.

Daryl was struck dumb. While other fathers-to-be were busy with the naming of the baby or purchasing its little clothes, Paul was engaged in sending it away. Now he had laid the newspaper at the bottom of the box and put it into the wardrobe significantly.

Watching the funny process, it occurred to Daryl that the box could have been a bigger one - so that she could tuck him inside together with the kid if he insisted sending it away.

After giving vent to his anger with the joke, Paul felt much better and resumed the mood to hold Daryl affectionately, as though she and the kid were separate, and he could love her while disliking the kid.

The next day, Daryl perceived an obviously difference atmosphere in the classroom - some classmates were as friendly as before, some went with more enthusiasm towards her, while others just kept away from her inconspicuously.

During the break, she heard a woman in the front row delivering her aggrieved tirade, "I loathe the professional mistresses, they are even worse than those who finally take the place of the men's wives. How shameless! Good for nothing!1'

'Indeed!" someone echoed.

Don't judge others easily. You could be more open-minded. Some of my married friends are just having lovers of each own while maintaining the marriage." The older woman aside cast a deliberate and significant look at Daryl.

Yet Daryl was totally ignorant of their conversation as she was mind-wandering about the name of her coming child.

And the name "Queenie Thomas" just kept floating into her mind.

Daryl shook her head violently for she really detested that name!

She just didn't bother to care about what those women were talking about. Fortunately, they were civilized enough to let the conversation move on when someone sidetracked the discussion. It was not graceful to gossip in public after all.

When the class was going to be over, the coached announced to her trainees, "Child-rearing is a duty for both parents. I hope your husbands could join us next time for what they are supposed to know."

One woman immediately objected. "We've hired so nice a nanny that I myself don't even need to care much about this matter, not to mention my husband.'

The coach only smiled with dignity,

"Attending the class together not only enhances the relationship between the couple, but also offers

us a chance to know each other better without the trouble of holding a party. The class will be finished within one hour, and the attendance of your husbands is purely voluntary.'

That really put Daryl in an embarrassing position.

On the one hand, she thought the class necessary to Paul, but on the other, the classroom was the last place she wanted him to appear.

The coach would count the number of trainee's husbands who'd like to attend the class. About half of the men came in her previous classes, or else it would really be a waste of the expensive training fees.

In the end, Daryl finally figured out a method to resolve the problem: she could learn by herself and then teach Paul the knowledge at home.