The First Time Mums' Club

by Lucie Wheeler

  Pippa lifted her hand up and said, ‘thirty-four.’

  ‘A very uncomfortable and miserable thirty-two!’ Imogen lay back on the floor and spread her arms out to the side. ‘Right, that’s it. I’m staying here like this forever.’

  ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if we all, one by one, started to go into labour,’ Pippa laughed as she looked at Zoe’s face, ‘You wouldn’t know who to deal with first.’

  ‘That’s not even funny to joke about.’ She eyed them all suspiciously. ‘None of you are feeling twinges, are you? Because I don’t think I could handle three labouring people. Ellie’s going to be hard enough on her own.’

  ‘Hey!’

  ‘What? You’re telling me you are going to be as chilled as a cucumber during labour?’

  ‘Ah! Cucumber. That’s what I forgot,’ Imogen huffed. ‘Now what am I going to eat with my Haribo?’

  ‘Urgh! You are something else, Ims.’ Ellie turned her nose up at the thought of Imogen’s craving. ‘So, has Jason seen the place yet?’ Ellie asked the question that Pippa had guessed none of the others wanted to ask.

  ‘Not yet. I will send him the details when I’m properly in. I don’t think I can face him just yet.’ She paused and then decided it was now or never. ‘There’s something else, too.’

  ‘Oh my God, you’re not taking him back, are you?’ Zoe’s eyes were wide with anticipation. ‘Because you know you don’t have to do that. I know it seems hard now, but you’ve done the hardest bit, you’ve left. You have your own place now – and this is lovely – so please don’t let him trap you into letting him wheedle his way back in and –’

  ‘Will you breathe, woman? I’m not taking him back.’ Pippa laughed as Zoe exhaled in relief. ‘However, I can’t say the same for Jenna.’

  ‘No!’ Ellie gasped and the others all followed suit. ‘Are you serious? I thought she was done with him too?’

  ‘Yeah, so did I. But she came to the house the other day and asked to speak to me. She told me she loved him and really wanted to make it work, but she wanted me to say it was okay first.’

  ‘So you gave her your blessing?’ Ellie was shovelling in more strawberries as the story unfolded.

  ‘More than that, I gave her the house.’

  ‘What?’ This time the girls spoke in unison.

  ‘I told her that she and Jason were welcome to the house and that I hoped they could work through things.’

  ‘Pip,’ Zoe shuffled on the floor. ‘I don’t understand. Why would you do that?’

  ‘Because I’m tired.’

  ‘If you’re tired, you take a nap! You don’t give away your house.’ The more worked up Ellie got, the more strawberries she ate. Pippa found the girls’ reactions amusing.

  ‘Look, girls, I know you’re worried about me, but you really don’t have to be. I’m okay. I know what I’m doing. The house was never going to be my home any more. Even if I took Jason up on the offer of staying there, it would always be the place where Jason and I argued. It was full of sad memories and betrayal. I didn’t want to be there any more. This way, he is off my back and I get to start fresh. In somewhere that is mine.’ She looked around the room. ‘Yes, it’s going to take time to get it looking cosy and then baby will probably be here before I have a chance to do anything substantial with the place, but do you know what?’ The girls all waited in silence. ‘It already feels like home.’ Pippa smiled, knowing that every word she said was true. She meant it.

  ‘Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?’ Zoe looked uneasy, but Pippa placed her hand on Zoe’s knee and nodded. ‘Well, in that case, you know we will always support you. And we will help you make it cosy before the baby comes, won’t we girls?’

  A general agreement ran round the circle and Pippa nodded again. ‘Great, now let’s eat before Ellie demolishes it all.’

  ‘Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you girls about.’ Ellie put another strawberry in her mouth and pulled out a few pieces of paper. Pippa leaned over to take a look, but couldn’t make sense of Ellie’s scrawl. ‘I have been doing a lot of thinking lately – business-wise.’

  ‘Oh excellent! Have you decided what you are going to do once the baby is here?’ Pippa picked up a sandwich and nibbled at the edges.

  ‘Yes, kind of. And it involves… you girls.’

  They all looked to each other and then back to Ellie. ‘Care to elaborate?’ Zoe questioned.

  ‘What, you don’t know either?’ Pippa asked Zoe, who shook her head. ‘Blimey, this must be big.’

  ‘Well, I was talking to Zoe a while back about branching out to face-painting to widen my client base once the baby comes. I can do children’s parties, it works around childcare, it’s alright pay, actually, and I am only required to do as much or as little as I can manage – it’s perfect.’

  ‘Sounds great,’ Imogen agreed. Moving uncomfortably on the floor.

  ‘Ellie, it does sound great – don’t get me wrong – but face-painting alone won’t bring in much of a wage.’ Pippa knew how hard running a business is and she didn’t want Ellie to go in naively.

  ‘You’re right; face-painting alone won’t bring in much. That’s where you girls come in.’

  Confusion seeped round the circle. ‘I don’t understand.’ Zoe frowned.

  ‘Pip – what do you love to do?’

  ‘Bake,’ she replied in a heartbeat.

  ‘Exactly. Imogen – what do you love to do?’

  She looked worried, as though she might get the answer wrong. ‘Well, I love working with children. You know, things like playing games, doing activities, hearing them laugh…’ she trailed off, smiling at the images her words conjured up.

  ‘Perfect. And Zoe?’

  ‘Well, I seem to be the odd one out here. I just love to be social, make food; design new menus… stuff like that.’

  Ellie smiled. ‘You are not the odd one out – you are a key cog in my idea.’ Ellie was smug and the others had no idea what was going on in that head of hers.

  ‘Ellie, come on. Stop talking in riddles – what are you talking about?’ Pippa laughed, pressing for more information.

  ‘Well, I wanted to propose that you girls go into business with me – as a party-planning company.’ Ellie waited for an initial reaction.

  ‘I don’t understand where we fit into this?’ Imogen asked.

  ‘Think about it. To run this business successfully we need someone who loves to create things – themes, menus, designs, invitations… Zoe loves doing this – did you see the flyers she made for the mums’ club?’

  Agreement hummed around the circle.

  ‘And if, as a business, we can offer the whole thing – even better. We can plan the party, design the invitations, and create a theme and food to echo that theme. Pippa, you can bake the birthday cakes and I know you are super-organised, so you can sort of project-manage. Imogen, you will be perfect for entertaining the children, creating activities and games to reflect the theme. You can coordinate everything related to the fun parts. And me – I can be face-painter extraordinaire. I will also be helping out more in the café, especially if Zoe is doing more on the party-planning business. And I am sure, between us, there are other avenues we can go down, too. It could be the answer to all our work predicaments.’ She paused and looked at the shocked faces around the group, and added, ‘And I would get to work with my best friends.’ She held her hands out to the side. ‘What more could we ask for?’

  ‘Wow, you’ve really thought this through.’ Pippa picked up the various bits of paper that Ellie had laid out on the floor.

  ‘So what do you say, girls? You want to go into business with me?’

  Chapter 40

  ‘I’ve got a surprise for you!’

  Ellie glanced up from the magazine she was reading and eyed her sister suspiciously. ‘What are you up to?’ Zoe started jumping up and down on the spot and squealing, followed by rapid clapping of her hands. ‘Seriously?’ Ellie asked, raising an eyeb
row and stifling the smile that was creeping up.

  ‘I’m so excited. I’ve been sitting on this for almost two weeks now and the anticipation is killing me!’

  Ellie waited for Zoe to continue, but she didn’t. She just stood, smiling manically at her.

  ‘So… am I supposed to be guessing or…?’ she trailed off.

  ‘Oh right, yes, sorry. Get your coat.’ She ran out of the living room.

  ‘My coat? Where are we going?’ Ellie called out into the hallway. ‘I’ve got to tell you, Zo, this bump isn’t getting any lighter, do I really have to walk somewhere?’

  Zoe poked her head around the door. ‘I’m driving; you’ve just got to walk to the car. You can manage that, right?’ She disappeared again.

  Ellie shuffled to the end of the sofa, mumbling ‘Doesn’t look like I have a bloody choice, does it?’ She took a deep breath and hoisted herself up to a standing position. She was just about done with this pregnancy now. Her feet hurt, her back hurt, her boobs hurt… she wasn’t glowing, she was ballooning.

  ‘Come on, slow-coach,’ Zoe chirped, as she bounced back into the room.

  ‘I’d like to see you carting around a lump like this!’

  ‘Oh, someone is a grumpy-pants today.’

  ‘And someone has taken too much caffeine today!’ Ellie shot her a look and waddled over to the front door.

  ‘Come on, less than two weeks until due date. Then it’ll all be over and you’ll be holding that bundle of joy in there.’ Zoe rubbed Ellie’s tummy and she recoiled in discomfort.

  ‘Get off.’

  Ellie and Zoe’s phone’s beeped at the same time. They looked at each other. ‘How’s that for synchronised texting!’ Zoe laughed and read hers first. ‘Oh it’s Alice – Imogen went into hospital in the early hours of this morning and they are going down for an emergency C-section in the next hour.’

  ‘Oh God, I hope she’s okay.’ Ellie rubbed her tummy again; it had become a sort if instinct thing now.

  ‘I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll reply in a bit. Let’s get going, otherwise we will be late.’

  ‘Come on, then, let’s get this over with.’

  ‘It’s a surprise; you’re supposed to be happy, not wishing for it to be over.’ Zoe jumped up and down again. ‘I can’t wait to see your face.’

  ‘This wants to be good. I had a day planned on the sofa today, so whatever it is needs to top that otherwise you’re getting it.’

  ‘Oh don’t worry,’ Zoe smiled. ‘It’ll top it tenfold.’

  Twenty minutes later, Zoe pulled up and parked on the side of the road. Ellie glanced at her surroundings. She then looked at Zoe, unimpressed. ‘You’ve driven me to… a road. Seriously, Zo, this needs to get better, and fast. I need to pee again.’

  ‘We’re not there yet. Just wait.’ She pulled her key from the ignition and got out.

  ‘Where are you going? You said I would only have to walk to the car.’

  Zoe walked round and opened Ellie’s door. ‘Yes, to the car. And then from the car.’ Ellie groaned. ‘Come on, it’s not far!’

  Ellie shuffled herself out of the car and looked at Zoe. ‘Well?’

  ‘This way.’ Zoe skipped off across the road and stopped at a gate. ‘Come on.’

  ‘Are we visiting someone? You should’ve told me before we left; I would’ve done my make- up! Look at me! You’re out of order, I’m not going in.’

  Zoe walked back across the road and looped her arm into Ellie’s, guiding her across the road. ‘Don’t be silly, you look beautiful. Anyway, we are not visiting anyone. Well, not exactly.’

  Ellie stomped up the steps to the front door behind her sister. She longed to be sitting on the sofa again, reading her magazine and getting ready to nap. Ellie lifted her arm to knock, but Zoe gently placed her hand over hers and lowered it. When Ellie looked at her, confused, Zoe held up a key. Ellie pointed to the key and frowned. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘This, dear sister, is a key.’ Zoe winked and unlocked the front door, opening it up to a beautiful grand hallway. ‘You coming in or shall I just wait for you here?’ Zoe’s face was as smug as you could get – she was loving every minute of this. Ellie, on the other hand, was confused.

  Ellie walked past her sister and into the room on the right, which was clearly a living room. Ellie knew this because the grand fireplace and bay window kind of gave it away. She turned to Zoe, who was now hovering in the doorway to the living room. ‘It’s empty?’

  ‘Wow, there’s no getting past you, Sherlock.’ Zoe smiled excitedly.

  ‘Zoe, I’m confused and hungry and I need a pee. Would you just tell me what’s going on?’

  ‘I can do one better than that.’

  ‘What?’ Ellie’s voice was high-pitched now, frustration starting to creep in because of the constant riddles. Zoe left the doorway, so Ellie walked over to the fireplace and ran her finger across the mantelpiece. It was a beautiful, carved wood effect in the most gorgeous cream colour. She sighed.

  ‘Hey, beautiful.’

  She froze, knowing that voice so well. Her heart pounding against her chest wall, she slowly turned to look over her shoulder. And there he was. Standing in the doorway with Zoe by his side.

  ‘Chris?’ He gave the smallest nod. His smile was spread across his face and he looked genuinely happy to see her. He also looked as though he was taking some pleasure in seeing her so shocked to see him. ‘I… I don’t understand.’

  Zoe squeezed Chris on the arm and said to him, ‘I’ll leave you to it.’ She then looked at Ellie, ‘I’ll be in the car. Just… listen to him.’ Zoe gave Chris one last smile before leaving the pair of them standing in the empty room, staring at each other.

  ‘Chris, I don’t understand. I thought you were coming up here next weekend?’

  ‘Just listen.’ He held his hand up to quieten her. ‘Let me say what I need to say and then I promise I will listen to you and whatever you decide, I will accept. But please, just hear me out this last time?’

  Ellie nodded her acceptance of the terms, rubbing her belly as it tightened a little.

  Chris walked further into the room so that he was a little closer to her. ‘Els, you haven’t made this easy for me – or yourself, for that matter – but I need you to understand how I feel.’ He paused as he gazed into her eyes. His beautiful deep-blue eyes searching for hers to reciprocate. ‘What happened between us, that night, was the best thing that ever happened to me.’

  ‘But Chris …’

  ‘No, let me finish.’

  She nodded and held it in.

  ‘I felt completely connected with you. It was right, we fit together perfectly.’

  Ellie snorted as she laughed at his poor expression. The serious face he had also broke into laughter. ‘Okay, bad choice of words. But you know what I mean. Stop it, let me get this out.’ He smiled at her. ‘That night was great, all the nights we have had together have been great. But then it’s over and we go back to being just us. But the truth is, it isn’t just meaningless one-night stands for me – it means something, you mean something.’

  Ellie began swaying her hips to relieve some of the pain in her stomach as her belly tightened and relaxed. She’d been getting pains for the last few days. She wasn’t impressed. She saw him take in the way she was moving and reassured him. ‘Braxton Hicks. It’s fine.’

  He nodded and continued. ‘When you were acting weird around me after last time, not texting and being off with me, it really wound me up. Not because of what you were doing, but because I had let myself get attached to you when I knew there could never be a future with us.’ Ellie felt disappointment drop as she heard him say there was no future. Yes, it was what she had been saying for months now, but she started to realise how wrong she was about how she felt.

  Chris moved a step closer to her, but then seemed to stop, keeping enough distance between them to act as a barrier.

  ‘But then you told me you were pregnant. And my world fell apart. Because yo
u had been seeing that guy and told me it wasn’t serious, but now you were pregnant with, what I thought was his baby, it would have to get serious and I had really lost my chance. All those years of bottling up my feelings and I had missed my opportunity.’

  ‘Feelings?’

  He nodded. ‘And then you told me the baby was mine.’ He exhaled, blowing through his cheeks, ‘That was huge!’ Another laugh. ‘It was the best news I have ever been given.’

  Ellie creased her brow. ‘Chris, I don’t understand where you’re going with this.’

  He stepped forward to close that gap between them and placed his hand on her face. Ever so gently he stroked his thumb down her face and then over her bottom lip before saying, ‘Ellie, I’m in love with you. I always have been.’

  She was speechless. She wanted to say something, but couldn’t find any words. It was as if his stare, his eyes, had immobilised the use of her mouth as she stared back into them.

  ‘Do you love me, Ellie?’

  ‘Chris, this is stupid, you know I love you to pieces, you’re my best friend and –’

  ‘No,’ he stopped her mid-sentence, ‘I don’t mean like a best friend, I mean, do you love me?’

  She wanted to cry. There and then, she wanted to curl up into a ball and sob her heart out. Because, the truth was, she had never loved anyone as much as she loved this man. Slowly she nodded, her chin twitching with emotion as her eyes filled up.

  ‘Then why can’t you let us be together? Why are you fighting against this so much?’

  ‘Because I don’t want anyone to get hurt!’ The words came out before she even realised she was going to speak.

  ‘No one will get hurt, Els.’

  ‘You don’t know that for sure – I don’t want to take the risk.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Chris, I have only got you and Zoe. If we mess things up by doing this, then I lose you forever. I love how we are together – why have we got to mess around with it? It works!’

  ‘But it’s not enough any more! I love you, Els,’ he rubbed her tummy, ‘and I love this little one too, so much.’

  She gave in and let the tears slide down her cheeks. He closed the last gap between them and lifted his hand to her chin, pulling it up so that their heads were touching. He was so close, she could feel his sweet breath heating up her lips as he whispered, ‘I will never hurt you.’