I heard the phone ring and then ring again until the answering machine picked up. My guess was they were probably busy seeing friends or out grocery shopping. Most of the time at least one person was home.
I left a quick message saying I had important information and for them to please call me back. I wasn’t entirely sure of the etiquette but announcing that I was pregnant on an answering machine message didn’t seem appropriate. Some things were better told face-to-face, yet I didn’t feel it right to announce such a thing on a message.
Where was an etiquette teacher when I needed one?
No, scratch that.
I would probably get my rapped across my knuckles with a ruler simply for doing half the things I did today.
That and some of those etiquette teachers seemed very strict and unforgiving. I knew my way around basic etiquette but don’t think I would’ve lasted very long with a strict etiquette teacher.
I went back to my written plans about what to do with the program for the kids. I had thoughts of renting out a building for the time being. I knew Blake could easily afford to buy the building and then some, but part of me was worried that if this had failed then we’d be out that money that was spent. When that happened the building would either have to be sold once again or even be demolished for something new to be built in its place.
So what was the correct answer?
I knew I refused to sink on this project yet I had to be realistic about it.
I would have to see the building, have it examined by someone of my choosing to make sure it was safe to inhabit. Then there was also the matter of getting certificates and programs to make sure that children could stay in there. I hadn’t worked with young children for so long that I had forgotten what went into most of the certificates and certifications. I knew the basics of CPR and First Aid were necessary but what about the rest?
Maybe I should’ve gone into day care instead of college administration.
It didn’t take long for me to think that my body and hormones were trying to kill me. We were supposed to be on the same side, weren’t we?
Even trying to rent a building could turn into a stressful experience. If I wasn’t afraid that antacids could possibly harm the baby they would probably have become a food group by now. I was normally fairly good at handling changes and stress but everything combined seemed to be getting the better of me.
My hormones were trying to kill me!
It did remind me of what had happened earlier on the way to this place. Blake had decided to take a short cut that went past a hospital. On the side of the hospital was death being stopped by a man holding the universal symbol for medicine.
When I pointed it out with “He’s saying ‘not today’ death!”
Blake had looked and slowly said, “Uhhhhh….oh-kay. Someone has an odd sense of humor.”
“Are you jealous you didn’t think of it first?” I joked.
“Actually, yes I am.”
We both laughed at that.
When were inside the potential building it was something that we all looked around. It was a well-lit area with a large area for kids to play in outside. But what was the interior wiring like? What about the area where this building was? Was it safe for kids? Was it safe for adults?
Perhaps I was being paranoid but I also wanted to research the area. I didn’t want to plunk down money and have it be in a bad area where bad people could invade and create trouble.
I knew any people working or volunteering there would have to go through a background check and drug screening. I had to when I started working at that college and these days it was extremely routine for people to have to do that. Especially when working with potentially at risk kids.
Then there was a question about the kids. I certainly couldn’t be having them treated as potential criminals. What were we going to do? Put them all through metal detectors before they could enter?
Obviously there would have to be rules set up for them that they would have to follow. Would their also be rules for them to be able to “get in”? Would this just be open for a select few or for all?
What would the place be called?
Advertising it would be easy. With the internet just about everything was possible! You could promote almost anywhere and everywhere! Getting the word out would be the easy part of the ordeal.
These were important things that needed to be figured out and discussed. I knew Blake would offer his advice where possible, but he was not an expert in such subjects. Instead, I’d have to try to seek out teachers for help and advice. No one would know better than they would.
“I want to swing by the schools to try to talk to the teachers,” I told Blake.
“Why?” He asked.
“Who better than to give ideas and even help out?”
No matter how old I got I always felt nervous going into the principal’s office. I suppose we all did as it reminded us all of being children again and how much power that principal had. We could be sent there for something possibly good, but it was most likely bad. I still think they designed those halls and rooms that way to intimidate the kids. I know they sure did with me when I was that age.
Blake didn’t seem to be as phased as I was by being here. I didn’t know how or if the hallways and offices of private schools differed from public schools. Either that or Blake had never spent any time at all inside a principal’s office.
The principal was a stout woman who was dressed in a semi-formal jacket and pencil skirt. She sat down across from Blake and me. “Normally I’d assume you two were parents rather than someone trying to start up a program for kids,” she admitted.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. If we reach out to more at risk kids we can get them off the streets and give them something to do. It’s when they’re on the streets they’re risking trouble and getting into dangerous situations.”
“I agree, but how do you plan on going about it?”
“I was hoping to be able to set up an after school program for them. Somewhere safe that they can go to and spend time until their parents pick them up.”
“Something like a daycare then?”
“In a way. I’ve seen that the day care here only watches the really young kids. Up to the third grade. The older kids need extra help as they’re at the most risk.”
The principal nodded a little, “Yes, but where do we come in exactly?”
“I was hoping that I could speak to your teachers for advice and help on these kids and their needs. There’s no one size fits all but I’m hoping to find the most common needs of these kids to help them.”
“You’ll have to do it after school hours as many teachers are busy.”
Blake cut in, “Why not set up a time to call?”
“If one of the teachers has the time to talk that can be done,” the principal said.
I would’ve preferred a face to face discussion but I would accept whatever I could get. I would want to keep a note book with me so I could take notes and ask questions.
I knew some of these teachers did believe in their kids and may even be willing to help in their free time. Many teachers, if they saw potential, in a child they would do their best to bring it out. I had no reason not to believe any of these teachers would be any different.
I was able to get a few teachers on board with this idea. Many of them were fairly busy after school so they did not know how many would be able to help. It wasn’t until I entered college that I realized just how busy many teachers were after and before school. All of that lesson planning, creation, and grading of work. It was so much to do that I had never considered before.
At the same time there were also volunteers or other people in child care that could help. The teachers and school district would surely know of who would be the best candidates to help.
Blake was driving us to the store when I announced I wanted some sort of Italian desert that I knew I couldn’t quite pronounce correctly. I had taken Spanish in high sch
ool, which is very similar to Italian, but it was failing me at the moment. The deserts were these little cookie things with chocolate filling. Normally I wasn’t a person who craved sweet things but I did want, or rather, needed these.
“Are you sure?” Blake asked. “You’ve always hated them before! I’m the one who always eats them.”
“Your child wants them,” I replied.
“You’re going to hate eating them.”
“I need them! Besides, yesterday you were complaining about my eating peanut butter and banana burritos.”
“There are some things that belong on burritos and that isn’t it!”
“I can’t help what your offspring demands that I feed it.”
“Alright, but if you decide that you hate it it’s on you.”
“I’ll save you the remains.”
“Gracious of you.”
There were no remains to be had as I gobbled those cookie things down. I normally did not care for them but right now they were the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I suppose this was somehow karmic vengeance for my making Mom crave some honey nut cereal when she was having me. Normally she didn’t like it as she found them too sweet but she couldn’t get enough of them when expecting me.
So far the baby had been merciful and has not made me crave certain foods in the middle of the night. It had made me want certain foods at odd times during the day. I suppose Blake had gotten used to the idea and made sure the pantry was stocked with those foods at all times.
At the same time I thought if the baby didn’t come out knowing these words or about everything that went into an after school program I would be amazed.
“Getting some older things might entertain the kids,” Blake suddenly said. “Some kids might like those old school toys and things.”
“Do you think so?” I asked.
“Have you ever seen a kid reject Lincoln Logs? Every kid is different so what will work for one won’t work for another. Giving them something to keep them off the streets and help them learn will be a good thing for them. The arts will be good for some kids while others prefer something more practical or technology based. Technology is moving so quickly having something like that that teaches them could be a great help. Everything is going digital so letting them learn about computers and other techno-stuff could be good for them. I wish my parents had been more open about that, but most of all being able to be here with us to experience it.”
“They weren’t?” I asked.
“Afraid not. Most everything I learned I either had to have someone teach me how to do or I learned on my own. Dad, for some reason, didn’t like cell phones. When those brick of phones came out he refused to get one. Aunt said he kept blowing them up and at the time I thought she meant it literally! It turns out one of them had malfunctioned on him and he didn’t care for it.”
“Really? Your family didn’t care for the latest ‘it’ technology? I find that hard to believe.”
“Just because they didn’t like it it didn’t mean that no one else in the company used it for them,” Blake replied and smiled.
“Sounds familiar.”
“How so?”
“My parents would always have me program the VCR, microwave, and the latest techno-junk that they couldn’t understand.”
“We’ll be doing it to our baby in a few years.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yeah.”
“When you start shouting at kids to get off your lawn I’ll start to worry.”
~*~
I leaned against the shopping cart as we began to walk down the aisles. Due to the changes in my body sometimes it was difficult, even painful, to stand fully upright.
When we reached the candy and treats aisle Blake stopped in front of the cookies that I was busy craving. He put one box inside the cart.
“Add more,” I told him.
“Pardon?”
“Add more boxes. I know I’m not going to be the only one eating these.”
Blake added another box.
“Keep on adding them.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Why? They’re not that big.”
“Our baby is going to be hooked on these things.”
“It’s your fault.”
“How is it my fault?”
“You’re its father! You had to buy them for me to try!”
Blake laughed, “Yep, I trapped you that way. We also need to find out what gender the baby is. We can’t keep on calling the baby ‘it’ all the time.”
“I want to find out the gender when it is born. Do you think our parents referred to us as ‘it’ until we were born?”
“Everyone thought I’d be a girl so I was always called ‘she’ until I came out and the doctor announced that I was a boy. My brother was he/she for a while so I suppose there are worse things that you can call them.”
Tomorrow was the ultrasound to discover the gender of the baby and anything else that needed to be noticed. While Blake wanted to know the gender I wanted it to be a surprise.
Somehow I imagined my parents being the same way. Maybe that was genetics too.
Between waiting for the ultrasound I was making a list of final preparations that I would need before opening the after school program.
Blake had, unbeknownst to me, had done the final preparations for the after school program. He knew all of the paperwork and red tape that I would have to go through far better than I did. I was both happy about it and felt kind of irritated at the same time.
I was grateful for the work Blake had done for me, yet, I felt like I was missing out on that opportunity to learn. At the same time I wondered if I was really angry or if it was hormones that were making some things seem bigger and more important than they actually were? Blake did what he thought would be the most generous thing to do.
Nothing was actually there to stop me from learning how to do these things on my own. Nothing said I couldn’t brush up on the rules and all of that good stuff to learn how to do these things myself.
The human mind was a complicated thing indeed. Human hormones weren’t that far behind, I supposed.
As much as the big things were taken care of we still had the small thing to worry about such as who would be there to help? What about the interior? What about first aid as injuries would happen.
When I was that age I once watched my sister climb up on a rather unstable looking bench wearing heels that were far too big for her. I had been afraid to climb up on the same bench for fear of falling. In fact, that was all I could think would have happened. My prophecy had come true as the bench did indeed tip over and down she went. Nothing was broken but she was very angry and accused me of causing the fall by not getting up onto the bench with her. I could not recall what happened after that.
I also knew if we tried it there was bound to be another child who thought to try it too.
Why weren’t we born with adult brains inside our child’s bodies? There would be times it would make life so much easier.
Perhaps my hormones were working over time because Blake was not around to see the ultrasound. He had taken a fall at work and had to have his ankle x-rayed to make sure it was not broken. Blake had reassured me that he was fine and he could even stand on it, though it was with a great deal of cursing and bellowing.
It wasn’t an accident that he did to cause him to fall. A very pregnant employee had taken a wrong step doing down the stairs and Blake had grabbed her to keep her from falling. He had prevented her from falling but had fell himself.
He later said that all he could think of was what if it had been me who fell? He hated and even feared the idea that I could’ve been injured in such a way. Being an expectant father really changed his view point on things and now he was much more cautious of the world.
I had promised that I would bring Blake the print outs of the ultrasounds and any important news. For the first time since hearing about the accident he joked he’d bring me back the x-rays.
My name was called and I had been brought to a small room and given a gown to change into. Did these things ever close in the back?
I was about ready to moon the doctor and anyone else who saw me. The thought entered my mind of was this a full moon, half moon, or a quarter moon? If someone hadn’t seen me before was it a new moon?
Why was my mind jumping all over the place like that? Was it hormones or was I going crazy? Did everyone make jokes about their conditions? I knew there were plenty of mortality jokes out there as dying was something that we will all do one day.
I had been told to climb into a chair and to assume the position. Right about now I imagined my dad making a joke about how “assume the position” was soon followed by “and begin” for him having to do so many push-ups when he was in the military.
I can’t say I exactly cared for the process of the ultrasound. That could be between having something pushed down on my belly and my mind being elsewhere. I don’t think the baby much cared for it either as I could have sworn it kicked at the thing that they use to press down on your belly. The name for it escaped me at the moment.
“It’s a girl!” The person announced before I could say anything.
“Blake will be happy about that,” I said.
“You’re not happy about it being a girl?”
“I didn’t want to know until it as born.”
“Oh, sorry.”
In the grand scheme of things knowing the baby’s gender wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. I should be grateful that Blake was able to get immediate medical help for his injury. Maybe I needed to give myself a quick reality check as to what the important things were at this very moment.
Sometimes it was okay to get selfish and get busy thinking about the little things but it was important not to wallow there.
When I got like that my parents would have us do a quick and small gratitude list for things that we were grateful for. It didn’t have to be long but it did have to be about a few things. My current thoughts were I was grateful for Blake, the baby, and these possible options before us.
Now began the great race. Which would arrive first? The after school program or the baby? I really wasn’t sure which would appear first but part of me was good and ready for the baby to be born! When your mother says it’s something out of the Aliens movie she was not kidding.
The Alpha Billionaire's Unexpected Baby: A Billionaire BWWM Pregnancy Romance Page 43
