by Patricia Fry
“Anyone home?” Brianna called out.
“Yes we are!” Michael said. “Come in, come in.”
“Hi guys,” Gladys Jordan said, stepping into the living room first. “Good to see you. Michael, you look great.” She reached up and gave him a one-armed hug.
“What’s this?” he asked, looking at what she held in her other arm.
“Something for the baby,” she said with a wide smile.
“Oh, it’s adorable,” Savannah said. “Hi Mom.” She hugged both her mother and the teddy bear she held.
“Show them what it does, Mom,” Brianna said, slipping through the front door behind her.
“Oh yes. Watch this.” Gladys squeezed the bear’s paw. “Grandma loves you. Grandma loves you.”
“That’s coming from the bear?” Michael asked.
Gladys handed him the toy and he squeezed the button several more times to hear the recording Gladys had programmed into it. “Cool,” he said.
“Very sweet,” Savannah agreed. “Hi Bri,” she said, hugging her sister. “Good to see you.” She pulled back and asked, “Are you ready to settle into your new job?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” She paused, then said, “Yes, I’m ready to take on the geriatric community—walkers, gout, arthritis, and all.” Then she chuckled and said, “Just look at how you’ve blossomed since the last time I saw you—what—in August?”
“Has it been that long?”
“I haven’t seen you since Easter,” Gladys said. “You look healthy—look at that baby belly. Can’t wait to meet my grandchild. Here,” she said, taking the bear from Michael, “listen baby.” She held it next to Savannah’s stomach and pushed the button.
“Can he hear that?” Michael asked.
“He?” both Gladys and Brianna said in unison, each with an expectant look on their face.
“Naw, we still don’t know what it is,” Michael said. “We decided we don’t want to know, right, honey?”
Savannah nodded. “Yup, so when we get tired of referring to the baby as ‘him or her,’ we get lax and just use ‘him.’”
“Oh look at that cat of yours,” Brianna said. “He wants to check out the bear.” Everyone laughed as they watched Rags, who was standing on his back feet, stretching up Gladys’s leg with his front paws, trying to get a better look at the talking bear.
“Now go play with your own toys, Rags,” Michael said. “Leave that alone.” He then turned to Gladys. “So, you say he…uh…or she can hear what’s going on out here…from in there?” He nodded in the direction of Savannah’s belly.
“Sure,” Gladys said. “The baby listens in on all the conversations you have with each other and…well, with anyone Savannah talks to. Sometimes expectant parents play music or recite poetry or read the classics for their unborn babies.” She glanced from Savannah to Brianna. “I used to read to you girls before you were born.”
“What, Nancy Drew mysteries?” Brianna quipped.
“Noooo, cute little nursery rhymes mostly, although, you’d think I read scientific books to you the way both of you navigated toward medicine.”
“Hey, I like that idea,” Michael said. He turned to Savannah. “We could decide what we want him or her to be and we could read books on that topic out loud at night before we go to sleep.”
Savannah grinned at her husband. “Or we could let him or her grow up and decide what he or she wants to be.”
“Oh…I guess you’re right,” he said. “Well, can we read animal stories to your tummy?”
Everyone laughed. “Yeah, you do want a child who likes animals, don’t you?” Gladys said as she acknowledged Lexie, who was nudging the woman’s free hand with her nose. Gladys set the little bear on the sofa along with her purse and bent over to pet the dog, who was dancing around now, eager for attention.
“Do you have luggage you want me to bring in?” Michael asked.
“Yes—in the back,” Brianna said. “You remember how to open the back of the Lexus, don’t you?”
“Sure,” he said as he stepped out the front door and onto the spacious wrap-around porch.
“Can we see the nursery?” Gladys asked, clasping her hands together under her chin.
“Let’s wait until Michael comes back in,” Savannah said with a wide smile. “He takes such pride in showing off his handiwork.” She looped her arm in her mother’s and glanced back at Brianna. “Come on, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
Leading them through the first door on the left at the top of the stairs, Savannah said, “Mom, this is your room.”
“This is Maggie’s old room. Savannah, you have done quite a nice makeover.” Gladys scanned the room with her eyes wide, a smile on her lips. “It’s just lovely.”
Brianna feigned a pout. “This was my room last time. Where do I sleep, in the dungeon? Am I the ugly stepsister now that you’re the fairy princess who is about to make the queen a grandmother?”
“Nooooo,” Savannah said, running her hand over her sister’s dark-brown, carefully straightened hair. “You’re no such thing. You, after all, are about to give our mother a new son-in-law?”
“Yes, Brianna. I am so looking forward to seeing you settle down with the man of your dreams,” Gladys said wistfully.
“Don’t hold your breath, Mother,” she said. “I’m not as easy to tame as my big sister, there.”
“Where do you want these?” Michael asked, sounding a little breathless as he appeared at the doorway with a suitcase in each hand and an overnight bag tucked under one arm.
“The red one goes in here, I guess,” Gladys said.
“I’m in the dungeon,” Brianna said.
Michael lowered his eyebrows and looked over at Savannah. “Dungeon?”
Savannah didn’t notice. She was still staring at her sister. What’s going on with her, I wonder? I will definitely have to find out. Are she and Bud having problems? I certainly haven’t noticed Bud acting anything but high on love, lately. Gosh, I hope Brianna isn’t having second thoughts. “Uh, Brianna’s in the blue room—next door,” she told Michael.
“Oh, we’re naming the rooms, are we?” Brianna said. “Like the White House. Do you have an oval room, Savannah?”
“Nope, just a blue room, Adam’s room, the master bedroom, this room—which Auntie calls the ‘Room of Doom,’ the nursery, and…”
“Room of Doom?” Brianna asked, wrinkling her nose. And then, “Oh yes, now I remember. You had a murder here, didn’t you?”
“Eeeewwww,” Gladys said. Then she looked up at Savannah. “Well, I don’t care what my sister calls it or what happened here, this room is beautiful and I’m too happy to waste one minute with a negative thought.”
“My kinda gal, Gladys,” Michael said as he placed the red suitcase on the luggage stand and turned to walk down the hallway with the other two bags.
Brianna followed behind Michael. “I want to see my room.”
“Me, too,” Gladys said. “And then can we see the nursery?”
“This is pretty,” Brianna said. “It certainly is blue. I hope I don’t get the blues sleeping in here.”
“Oh Bri,” Savannah said, “blue isn’t related to the blues—it’s actually a calming and relaxing color.”
Gladys looked at her daughter. “I didn’t know that.” She squinted a little. “Now, what colors did I see in my room? I recall a nice soft tangerine shade…”
“Yes,” Savannah said, “creativity, vitality, healing. It’s a great color to immerse yourself in. In fact, we should call that room ‘The Healing Room.’” She glanced around at the others. “Any objections?”
“Much better than the ‘Room of Doom,’” Gladys offered. “Yes, I like that: The Healing Room.”
“Where did you learn this stuff?” Brianna asked.
Savannah looked over at her sister, her blond pony tail whisking to one side. “What stuff?”
“About colors.”
“Our friend, Iris. She loves color and desig
n. Well, you’ve seen how she dresses.”
“Yes, I couldn’t believe what she wore to your wedding,” Gladys said.
“Mom, times have changed. It’s okay now to wear bright colors to weddings and jeans to a funeral,” Brianna explained. “And with Iris’s figure, height and red hair, she can sure pull it off.”
Savannah leaned toward her sister, placing her hand on her arm. “And would you believe that she buys most of her designer clothes and shoes at thrift stores and consignment shops?”
“Really?” Brianna said. “I wondered how she could dress like that on a waitress’s salary.”
“Well, she does have a knack for decorating,” Gladys said. “I like this room, too. Just look at the detail around the ceiling, the wainscoting, that beautiful wallpaper…”
Michael said, “Savannah and Iris chose the wallpaper.”
“And Michael expanded the closet in here. It was just a tiny space.” Savannah flung the closet door open and pointed. “Hangers for your clothes, Brianna.”
Brianna took another look around the room. “One thing I like about it, it’s not too feminine.”
“Yes, we actually consulted Michael in decorating this room. We wanted it suitable for both men and women.”
“You kids did a good job,” Gladys said. “And I imagine the nursery is suited to a boy or a girl.”
“Yes,” Michael said. “Come on, I’ll show you. I’m not quite finished, but almost. Savannah and Iris have done some cool things in there with curtains, decals, and stuff.”
As the foursome descended the stairs, Gladys said, “Let me get the bear. I want to bring my grandchild’s first toy to his or her room.”
Savannah and Michael glanced at one another. She cleared her throat, wincing slightly. “Well, the cute talking teddy won’t be the first toy, I’m afraid.”
Gladys stopped. Her shoulders slumped slightly.
“But it is a most welcome gift, nonetheless,” Michael said. He jaunted down the remaining steps to retrieve the bear, which he recalled seeing on the sofa when he had come in with the luggage. “Not there,” he said running his fingers through his hair.
“What’s that?” Gladys almost shouted.
Everyone turned to look at her. “What?”
She put her hands up to her mouth, a frown on her face. “Well, I thought I saw that bear disappear around the staircase there.”
“What? A walking bear?” Brianna exclaimed. “Mother, are you seeing things?”
“I guess so,” she said shaking her head. “That was just plain weird.”
Michael smiled and took long strides in the direction Gladys had pointed. In a few moments they heard him say, “Found your walking-talking bear!”
“Huh?” Brianna said.
“What do you mean?” Gladys asked timidly.
“Come look,” he invited, a wide grin on his face.
As the three women turned the corner around the large newel post at the bottom of the staircase, they saw it. There was the bear scooting along the floor on its back, Rags pulling it along by one ear.
“Oh Rags,” Savannah said. “How are we ever going to keep you away from the baby’s things?”
Gladys sighed. “Yes, I see that could be a problem.”
“Poor kid,” Brianna said. “His only sibling is a thieving feline.”
Everyone laughed as Michael attempted to retrieve the bear from the cat.
Savannah looked at her sister, tilting her head. “The baby has a brother, Brianna.”
“Oh, of course, Adam,” she said. “What does he think about having a brother or sister?”
Savannah’s face lit up. “He’s pretty excited. Says he wants a brother. You know he does love his little sister, but says he wants a brother this time so they can play boy games.”
Michael, bear in hand, looked up and laughed. “Yeah, I think he believes the baby will come out his size and they can ride bikes together the day we bring him or her home.”
“What a cutie,” Brianna said with a chuckle. “Hope we get to see him this visit.”
“Not this weekend,” Michael lamented. He smiled. “He’ll be here next week.”
“Bummer,” Brianna said.
“He is a sweet boy,” Gladys said. “So full of enthusiasm for everything around him. I loved watching him interact with my great-nieces and -nephews here last Easter.”
“Yeah, he had a ball, didn’t he?” Michael said.
Savannah smiled. “All the children did.”
“Soooo, let’s go see the nursery,” Brianna said. “Then I want to chill with a glass of wine.”
Michael pointed. “Right this way.” He held up the bear and said, “Let’s go put you away—up high where Rags can’t molest you.”
“Rocking horses,” Gladys said. “Why am I not surprised? This is delightful. I love the soft blues and yellows. Cheerful, yet mellow.”
“This really is pretty,” Brianna said. “Gosh, what a transformation from the last time I saw this room—that was right after you found that gypsy curse letter in the wall.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure glad we solved that crazy mystery. Those were some dismal days.”
“I remember how down in the dumps you were. That really freaked you out.”
“But look at her now,” Gladys said. “Happy, happy!”
***
Later that evening, as Savannah and Michael dined with their overnight guests and her aunt and uncle, Gladys said, “Maggie, I don’t recall eating in this dining room since you and Tom lived here.”
“We used the dining room when you were here over Easter,” Savannah reminded her. “But yeah, it doesn’t get used much, I’m afraid, except as a catch-all room. We don’t often have enough guests at one time to warrant serving in here.”
“Well, I like eating in the kitchen. It’s more casual,” Brianna said.
“I’m with you, Bri,” Margaret agreed. “This room can be stuffy.”
“Only when the company’s stuffy,” Max observed. “But then I don’t think Savannah and Michael know any stuffy people.”
“No stuffy people here today,” Michael said with a smile.
“Does anyone want a piece of Max’s rum Bundt cake?” Savannah asked.
There were nods all around the table.
“I’ll help you,” Brianna said, rising and following Savannah into the kitchen. She moved over toward her sister and asked, “Is there something wrong, Vannie? You seem a little distracted this evening. Are you feeling all right?”
Savannah swung around toward Brianna and spat, “I am so sick and tired of everyone asking me how I feel.” When she saw the hurt look in her sister’s eyes, she turned back toward the counter, her head down, her eyes closed. She faced Brianna again and said, “I’m sorry, Sis. I’m so touchy at times. Sometimes I’m just really not very good company.” She wept quietly.
Brianna wrapped her arms around Savannah. “It’s okay. I’ve known some preggo ladies in my time and they sure can be hormonal. It comes with the territory, I guess.” She pulled back. “You’re not usually a moody person. It must be hard…”
“Yeah, especially when there’s something terrible happening outside of your control. Everything seems to be magnified.” She glanced toward the doorway to the dining room and lowered her voice a little. “I cry so easily.”
“Has something terrible happened?”
“Well yes—only we hope not. One of our friends is missing.” Savannah choked up.
“Need help?” Gladys called from the doorway. When she saw Savannah’s face, she rushed to her. “What’s wrong, Vannie?” She looked anxiously from one daughter to the other.
“One of their friends is missing, Mom,” Brianna said gently.
Gladys creased her brow. “Oh yes, Michael was just talking about that. You all must be so worried.”
Savannah took a deep breath. “Yes, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do but pray for her.” She reached out and grasped their hands. “Wi
ll you both go to church with us tomorrow and pray for her?”
Gladys and Brianna looked at each other and then at Savannah. “Of course we will,” Gladys said.
“Sure,” Brianna said.
“Thanks Mom…Sis. It means a lot.” She pulled a paper towel from the roll, ran some warm water over it, and blotted at her face. She then said, “Okay, let’s serve the cake, shall we?”
***
Sunday morning came on the heels of a busy Saturday.
“Good morning, Michael. Where’s your wife?”
“Huh?” Michael said as he looked up from Saturday evening’s newspaper.
“You know, that pumpkin-tummy woman you’re married to?” Brianna said with a yawn.
“Taking a shower. She’ll be out in a minute. Coffee’s hot, if you want a cup,” he offered. “And there’s some of Savannah’s homemade applesauce. Make some toast if you want. We thought we’d eat light this morning and stop in at the diner for brunch after church.”
“Will Max and Auntie join us?”
“I think that’s the plan.”
“Goodie.” Brianna glanced toward the staircase. “Oh hi, Mom. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes—that is a comfy bed—nice room.”
“Good morning everyone,” Savannah said upon entering the room.
“Hi sweetheart,” Gladys said, walking over and hugging her daughter. She stepped back and looked at her. “You are radiant.”
“That’s ’cause I’m happy, Mom.” She flashed a big smile and said, “I’m going to have a baby!”
“I don’t think I’d be happy if I got fat like that,” Brianna said.
“Fat?” Savannah pouted. She looked down at her sister, who stood about the same height as their mother and Aunt Margaret, and had inherited a similar ample, curvy figure.
Gladys came to her oldest daughter’s rescue. “That’s not nice, Bri, and it’s not true. Your sister is as slim and trim as ever—she just has a baby bump.”
“Hey, it’s probably the only time I’ll be able to call my stilt-legged, string-bean sister ‘fat’ and I’m gonna take advantage.” She leaned in toward Savannah and said, “Fat, fat, fat.”
“At least I’m going to lose my extra weight in a quick few minutes, unlike most people who get fat,” Savannah said, hands on hips.
