Arriving at Andien’s apartment, Lisa put her high heels in the corner of the room along with Andien’s other shoe collections. The two women were immediately greeted by Andien’s two favorite pets, two British Shorthairs. One of the cats had gray fur and the other was jet black. They were both fat and adorable as their owner.

Lisa saw the cat with black fur rub its cheek against her calf. She laughed gleefully seeing it. Was this how it felt like to have a child? Lisa shook at her thought.

“Are you still keeping a cat, Ndien?” Asked Lisa as she took off her blazer. The weather was quite hot that night, and the AC in Andien’s apartment was not too cold.

“Ah, I’m already tired of the boy Lis! Cats are not fussy and they are very independent. There is no strange commitment— it’s weird but still fun if you live with a cat!”

“Come to think of it, I think you’re right Ndien!” Lisa muttered as she put her tote bag on the pantry table. The woman took one of the glasses and filled it with cold water from the refrigerator. She took a quick sip. Ever since she left the hospital, her thirst was getting bigger.

Andien’s apartment was not that big. The size was almost the same as the size of a 3×3 meter boarding house, maybe a little bigger. There was no room other than the bathroom. Andien’s pantry and bed are only one meter away without a wall. At the end of the room near the window was a litter box for cats’ poops and their cage. There was only one dining table complete with two chairs and one bed.

When compared to Lisa’s not-so-good house, Andien’s apartment was much sadder in shape.

“Uh, yes, about that at the hospital, you said you want to tell me?” Andien had been curious since she picked up Lisa from the hospital.

Lisa was silent for a moment, her heart suddenly started beating fast. It’s not that she didn’t want to talk, but Lisa didn’t know where to start.

“Why, confused about where to start?” Andien asked as he unwrapped the cat food. Andien put the cat food on a small plate and put it on the floor near the pantry.

Lisa smiled and nodded. She carried the black furry cat and sat on the bed while staring blankly at Andien’s apartment ceiling.

“Today’s incident is very strange, Ndien. I also don’t know whether I can accept it or not.”

“Yes, start the story, Lis, how do I know if you haven’t started yet!”

Lisa took a very deep breath. Her eyes closed then she began to dare to start his story.

“I’m pregnant, Ndien.”

“Are you kidding, Lis !?” Andien jumped from her bed. Her pupils widened when she heard Lisa’s story.

“No, Ndien! Really! The doctor in the ER told me!”

“Jeez Lis, whose child is that in your stomach right now!?”

“My guess is… Who else if not our favorite President Director?”

“Oh my God, what are you going to do about this, Lis? Are you okay if he found out you’re pregnant!? You guys secretly like to have fun in the office huh!?”

“Well, the agreement between Oscar and his personal secretary includes, apart from having to wear sexy clothes, every time a job is done he asks to be satisfied. Even though at the beginning it was only a punishment if I broke the strange rules he made, but instead it became a requirement. I foolishly said yes and did not fight at all!”

“You’re crazy, that’s a form of harassment!” Andien exclaimed, shaking her head.

“What else can I do? If I don’t follow all the rules and Oscar’s requests that don’t— no I can be fired! It’s hard if I have to find a new job! I am already 25 years old, even as a Sunbucks employee I would be rejected!”

“It’s true. Not to mention that you still have to pay for your sick mother and your younger sibling who is still in college.” Andien brought her face closer and whispered, “By the way, does your mother know about this?”

“I’m confused, Ndien. I don’t know how to tell this to Mother. Actually, I don’t want her to know that I’m pregnant. It can get complicated later!”

“But if you’re already pregnant, in the end she will know too, right? Not only your mother, even people in our workplace!”

“I still don’t have the courage to tell my mother, Ndien!”

Andien put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder, “Okay, while you are thinking about how to tell your mother about your pregnancy …You can live in my apartment until you finally find the perfect time!”

“Thanks really, Ndien! You are the best!” Lisa said smiling, her tone sounded cheerful.

“Eh, that means Mr. Oscar already knows if you are pregnant?”

Hearing that question made Lisa pause for a moment. The cat that she had been carrying and caring for was now released. The black cat then ran to the end of the room.

Lisa’s eyes began to glance downwards and said in a weak voice, “About that, I asked Dani not to tell Oscar that I was pregnant. I don’t want to add to his workload. He’s President Lis! He’s so busy for goodness sake!”

“But you said the fetus in your stomach right now is Oscar’s real child, right!?”

“Yes, that’s still a conjecture, Ndien. But how come I’m sure this is Oscar’s real son?”

“Yes it is clear! It’s been a month since I haven’t seen you coming out to the Sky Lounge again. We also rarely meet the same office because of different floors. Moreover, you rarely talk to me now. How do I know if you are dating or not?”

“Yes, I’m sorry Ndien. Being the personal secretary of a president is far more tiring than when we were on the same floor. I miss the days when I was still a finance manager…” Lisa had tears in her eyes and wiped it with the sleeve of her dirty shirt.

“Oh, it’s okay, Lis! Besides, it’s not your fault either, you’re now the president’s personal secretary. Even though it’s a bit strange that your position is demoted.”

Lisa laid down her tired body and then looked at the ceiling of Andien’s apartment for the umpteenth time. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. The woman did not dare to voice her opinion about her demotion. Even though Andien had been her best friend since high school, she was still an office colleague. What if her personal opinion about their president suddenly got leaked? Anyway, Lisa did not want to discuss the matter of demotion further.

“What do you think I should say to Oscar tomorrow if asked about my illness?” Lisa asked.

“Just say you’re so tired you passed out!” Andien replied briefly.

“Yes, but this also concerns the future of the child in my stomach, Ndien. I’m really confused about when to talk to him…”

“Never mind Lis, I told you earlier. When the time is right, you must tell him!” Andien’s words had some truth in it. In fact, Lisa really didn’t expect herself to be pregnant, especially considering that she was still working. But what had happened, had happened.

The apartment fell silent. One by one, Andien’s cats climbed onto the bed and sat curled up beside her. One of them was busy rubbing its head against Lisa’s face who was looking up dumbfoundedly at the ceiling.

“By the way, what clothes am I going to wear tomorrow? I haven’t had the time to go home yet?” Lisa asked innocently.

“Just wear my clothes tomorrow!” Andien said.

“Eh, it won’t fit. Our bodies are so different, Hihihi.” Lisa teased, chuckling.

“Damn you Lis!” Andien turned off the light in her apartment and fell back on the bed.

The two women then slowly fast asleep, along with the two cats british shorthair curled up beside them.. They looked forward to the unexpected tomorrow at Petersson Communication office.