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Angie heard the chicken scratch sound of the pen on paper. In some strange way, it calmed her.
When they c
alled Laurens name, Angie almost stood up. Then she thought: No. Lauren had a lot of growing up to do. This was the start of it. Angie could only be here for her afterward.
The appointment seemed to last forever. It gave Angie time to relax, to regroup. By the time Lauren came out, Angie had regained control. She was able to talk to Lauren about all of it--the symptoms, the aches and pains, the morning sickness, the Lamaze classes.
On the way home, they stopped at the grocery store for more prenatal vitamins, and then sat down on a bench out front.
"Why are we sitting out here?" Lauren asked. "It looks like its going to rain any minute. "
"It probably will. "
"Im getting cold. "
"Button your coat. "
A green minivan pulled up in front of them and parked.
"Its about time," Angie muttered, tossing her paper coffee cup into the trash bin beside the bench.
The van doors opened all at once. Mira, Mama, and Livvy emerged onto the street. They were all talking at the same time.
Mama and Livvy went to Lauren. Each taking one of the girls arms, they hauled her to her feet.
"I thought the restaurant was closed today," Lauren said, frowning.
Mama stopped. "Angela said you needed some new clothes. "
A pink blush spread across Laurens creamy cheeks. The color seemed to emphasize her freckles. "Oh. I didnt bring my money. "
Livvy laughed. "Me, too, Mama. I forgot my wallet. Youll have to dust off the old credit card. I could use some maternity clothes, too. "
Mama thwopped the back of Livvys head. "Smart aleck. Come on. Its going to rain. "
The three of them took off down the street, arm in arm, their voices sounding like a swarm of bees.
Mira hung back. "So," she said softly. "Are you going to be okay with this?"
Angie loved her sister for daring to ask the obvious. "I havent been in a maternity shop for a long time. "
"I know. "
Angie looked down the street. The ironwork sign for Mother-and-Child hung at an angle above the sidewalk. The last time shed been inside the store had been with her sisters. Angie had been pregnant then, and smiling had come easily. She turned to Mira. "Ill be okay," she said, realizing as she said the words that they contained the truth. It might hurt a bit, might remind her of a few of her harder times, but those feelings were part of who she was, and in the end, it was more hurtful to run away than to face them. "I want to be there for Lauren. She needs me. "
Miras smile was soft and held only the merest worry. "Good for you. "
"Yeah," Angie said, smiling, "good for me. "
Still, she took her sisters arm and held on to it for support.
TWENTY-EIGHT
SPRING CAME EARLY TO WEST END. A COLD, RAINY winter set the stage for riotous color. When the sun finally dared to peek through the gray layer of clouds, the landscape changed before your very eyes. Bright purple crocuses came first, popping up through the bleak, hard earth. Then the hillsides turned green, and trees unfurled the splendor of baby leaves. Daffodils bloomed along every roadside, created spots of color amid the runaway salal.
Lauren bloomed as well. Shed gained almost fifteen pounds already. Any day now she expected her obstetrician to start frowning at the weighing-in debacle. She moved more slowly, too. Sometimes at the restaurant she had to pause outside the kitchen door and catch her breath. Walking from table to table had become an Olympic caliber event.
And that wasnt the worst of it. Her feet hurt. She went to the bathroom more often than a beer-drinking alcoholic, and gas seemed to be burning a permanent hole through the middle of her chest. She burped constantly.
