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I opened the door to find Simone standing there looking fashionable as ever while I was feeling like the Good Year blimp. “It’s about time, I thought you’d never get here.” I left her to close the door behind her and headed back down the hallway.
“You’re not even dressed, though I’m not surprised, you never are these days, and look, you’re vertical for once.”
She did have a point. I think I’ve spent more time in bed these last few months than the whole of my life, and it had nothing to do with the baby.
Jason, that scamp, is always ‘hungry’ as he so aptly puts it, and hardly ever lets me out of the bedroom in the mornings. Forget about the weekends when we have nothing to do. We always make these great plans to go out somewhere, but come Monday morning we’d hardly left the bed since Friday night.
He has a playful side to him that brought out the child in him and I could almost imagine exactly what the child growing inside me was going to be like once he got here.
In the bedroom I went through my extensive closet for something to wear. I had a room full of clothes but could never find anything to wear these days. I looked down at myself and could no longer see my toes. Since he wasn’t here to console me, to reassure me that I was still the most beautiful woman in the world, I became hormonal.
“Hey what’s wrong?” She saw the tears and came over to rub my shoulder.
“Look at me, I’m huge. Nothing fits, I look awful, my hair’s a mess. I don’t know how Jason can stand to look at me.”
“Look, I’d like nothing better than to take a ride on the crazy train with your pale ass, but we got a store to get set up. We’ve already got a clientele and not one piece of cloth is on a shelf. Can you maybe postpone this little meltdown ‘til later?”
“Bitch.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
“Remind me again why I let you and my husband talk me into this? I’m about to give birth any minute. Now maybe isn’t the best time to be starting a business.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have told your crazy ass other half that you couldn’t find any decent clothes for pregnant women and how maybe you should open a store.” She’s right; Jason takes everything I say literally. Though at the time he came up with the idea it had seemed like a great one.
That was five weeks ago, just five. In that time he’d found a space, got designers lined up and taken care of everything. All I had to do with Simone’s help of course was get everything set up.
I was scared and excited, but whenever the fear threatened to take the lead Jason was always there to love me out of my funk. As if he had some kind of radar I heard his voice coming down the hallway past the nursery and just like that I forgot what I was stressing about in the first place.
“Uh-oh, I hear his footsteps out there, better get out of the line of fire.” She met him at the door and the two of them had their usual battle of wits before she gave me a warning look that said, ‘you have five minutes and we’re outta here.”
“Hey you, what’re you doing home so early? I thought you had a meeting this afternoon?” He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me in as close as the mound between us would let him and kissed my forehead.
“I had second thoughts about letting you two go down to the store alone. I imagine it’s a lot of work and since you won’t let me hire anyone to get you set up, I think I should be there to help out.”
He’s so thoughtful, so aware of everything about me, my every need, that I can’t remember what my life was like before him. “How’s my baby?” He kissed my nose and held me by the hips. “He’s been kicking like a racehorse all day.”
“I meant my other baby, but good to know our son is strong and healthy, like his mother.” His hands moved to either side of my tummy and rubbed as his mouth came down on mine.
“Now you wanna tell me what was bothering you before I showed up?”
“What makes you think something was bothering me?” Sometimes I think he has the place bugged. No one’s that attentive and tuned in to another human being.
“It’s my job sweetheart, I told you. I will always take care of you. How can I do that if I’m not aware of what’s going on with you?” I laid my head on his chest and the tears started again.
