Her Pregnancy Surprise

by Kim Lawrence

  But she tiptoed around Matt. They talked about work or about the move. Even the talk of travel had ended. Had he given up on her? Fear clutched her every time she thought about the future.

  Wednesday afternoon, Matt called. Sara knew as soon as she recognized his voice that he had another trip lined up. He was calling to alert her.

  “Sara?”

  “Yes. What’s up? You bringing home dinner?”

  “What do you want?”

  “Barbecue sounds good.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Sara, I have a trip tomorrow. A short one, but I’m needed.”

  “Where to?” She caught her breath. How short?

  “Las Vegas. One of our security setups at a casino seems to have a glitch. Can’t tell for sure if it’s a problem, or lack of training for the security people. I won’t be gone long. A day or two at the most.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Las Vegas,” she said slowly.

  “So come with me.”

  “Okay, I will,” she said, startling them both.

  “You will?” he repeated. “I leave in the morning, won’t be home before Friday night if then.”

  “Or we could stay over the weekend and see a couple of shows. Even go swimming. Isn’t it always hot in Vegas?”

  “I’ll make the reservations. See you at dinner.”

  He hung up before she could say another word. Probably thinking she’d change her mind.

  Sara replaced the receiver and drew a breath. She was committed. What would Mr. Pepovich say? He was likely to kick up a fuss, but so what? She had time due her and a day or two wouldn’t break the firm. She’d take work with her if she could, but the firm preferred to keep the client’s records on the premises. Still, she could make it up next week by working later. She’d been leaving at five every day Matt was home. Next week she’d stay as late as needed. It was only a week until tax day. She’d make sure all her work was finished the day before. Who could argue with that?

  For this weekend, however, she was going to spend every moment she could with her husband, seeing the fabulous side of Las Vegas.

  The weekend in Las Vegas was all Sara had hoped traveling with Matt would be. They swam in the luxurious pool at one of the largest of the magnificent hotels on the Strip where they were staying. They saw two shows, ate decadently and made love in the sumptuous king-size bed.

  For four days Sara put reality away and enjoyed the life she had so hoped to have when she and Matt married. It was fabulous.

  But reality returned Monday when she had to go to work.

  “I’ll be late tonight,” she said as Matt prepared to drop her off at her office.

  “How late?”

  “Pretty late. Don’t wait up.”

  He caught her arm as she started to get out of the car.

  “What do you mean don’t wait up? You can’t work that late. Six or seven maybe, but not later.”

  “I have a lot of work to get through. Taking two days off last week means I have to get it down by working later to get caught up.”

  “What, are you planning to make up the sixteen hours you missed by working them through after normal business hours? Four hours a night?”

  “If I have to. I told Mr. Pepovich I’d get the work done and Friday is the deadline.”

  “I don’t want you working so late. You need to rest.”

  “I need to live up to my word and have the work completed on time. The clients are depending on us. On me. I won’t let them down.”

  “You need to rest.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but Matt, I do know how to run my life.”

  “What about me?” he asked.

  “I’ll see you when I get home,” she said, tugging her arm free and getting out of the car.

  Some way to make herself indispensable to her husband, she thought guiltily, virtually ignoring him while she plunged into work. But it was only until Friday. She’d be caught up then and could spend more time with him.

  She could take a leave of absence for a few months. To see what they could have had if the baby had not come along? Wouldn’t that make staying home that much harder in the long run, she questioned as she hurried to her office.

  She yearned to explore different cities, visit places she’d only dreamed about. Or even enjoy mundane things like sleeping in if she wished, or staying up late. Or shopping on Wednesdays when the stores weren’t crowded, instead of always on the weekend when half of the city was also shopping.

  Arriving at her desk, she quickly set to work. The sooner she got started, the sooner done.

  Sara was tired when she unlocked the door to the apartment. It was after ten. Matt opened the door and drew her into his arms. His kiss was sweet. She couldn’t have handled much more.

  “Did you eat any dinner?” he asked, as she took off her coat.

  “Yes.”

  “Time for bed, then,” he said ushering her into the bedroom. In less than ten minutes Sara was in bed, and asleep in less than two more.

  The pattern repeated itself every day until Thursday. At last—she was finished! Glowing with a sense of accomplishment, Sara sent the last form off for signing. She’d beat the deadline by twenty-four hours. She was bone-tired, and almost groggy with want of sleep, but she’d done it! Tomorrow would be a piece of cake and then she’d have the weekend free of worries. Next week she could approach Mr. Pepovich about cutting back her hours, or that leave of absence.

  She called Matt at work, wanting to let him know she’d be home before dinner tonight.

  “He’s not here,” his secretary said.

  “Oh, will he be back before closing?” she asked.

  “I don’t believe so. Can I take a message?” the woman asked.

  “It’s his wife. I’ll catch him at home later.”

  She wondered where he’d gone. He hadn’t said anything about going anywhere, had he? They’d barely spoken over the last few days. She collapsed into bed the minute she reached home. He drove her to work every day, and insisted she take a cab home each night. Otherwise, their conversation had been decidedly lacking in any hint of intimacy.

  The restraints of tax season were over. She could do more with her own life now, make sure she was the kind of wife he wanted to stay with.

  Matt wasn’t Bill. She had to remember that.

  But Matt wasn’t Matt, either, Sara thought Saturday afternoon. He seemed—distant. No other way to describe it. He’d been happy enough when she arrived home early on Friday, but beyond commenting he was glad she was cutting back her hours to a more normal routine, he had said little.

  “Want to do some packing?” she asked.

  He’d looked up from the paper he was reading and shook his head. “Time enough.” He looked down again.

  Studying him for a moment, Sara knew he wasn’t reading. His eyes almost bore a hole in the paper, but they weren’t moving.

  “Something wrong?”

  He shook his head.

  She didn’t want to do chores. She was free from the exacting workload that characterized tax deadlines. She wanted to do something frivolous and fun.

  But now that she was ready, Matt seemed not to care.

  “We could go do something.”

  He folded the paper and tossed it on the coffee table. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. What would you like to do?”

  “We could go to the movies, I guess.”

  Sara wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like that idea.

  “Sitting in the dark watching someone else act isn’t my idea of fun today,” she said.

  “What is? I thought you’d be tired and want to rest up.”

  She wasn’t sure if that was a comment about her pregnancy or her work, both of which were touchy subjects.

  “I don’t. Let’s do something fun.”

  Just then the phone rang.

  Matt picked it up. Sara rose and went to the window and looked sightlessly out over the Bay. It shouldn’t be as hard as
this to get him interested in doing something with her. A niggling fear settled in her stomach. He was distancing himself. If nothing else, he should have suggested they spend the day in bed, as they had on their honeymoon. It wasn’t that long ago.

  Yet it was, a lifetime ago. Before the baby.

  She sighed softly, tears threatening. Was she going to lose him because of their baby?

  “Sara.”

  She turned around to look at him.

  “Annie and Tony are throwing an impromptu barbecue today and want us to join them, up to it?”

  She nodded. At least it would get them out of the apartment.

  Tony’s place was in the old section of town, a huge old home that had been built after the great 1906 earthquake and had been in his family for generations. The yard was guarded by a high wooden fence, the patio at the back of the house shaded by a trellis with a wisteria just starting to bud.

  Sara had met Tony and his wife at the wedding. She greeted him and Annie. Tony and Matt were close and Sara wanted to do what she could to cement relations with him and his wife.

  There were several couples already in the yard. She recognized Dex, leaning near a young woman flirting like crazy. She smiled at Matt, wanting to share the moment, but he was already talking with Tony in low tones.

  “You two aren’t working, are you?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Only catching up on a couple of things,” Matt said.

  “That’s their favorite theme,” Annie said, laughing. “Come and meet my sister.” She nodded toward a pretty woman in a wheelchair.

  “What can I get you to drink first?” Tony asked.

  “A soft drink,” Matt said, putting his arm around Sara’s shoulders.

  “Right, the mother-to-be,” Tony replied. He smiled at Annie, then reached over the bar and pulled out a cola for Sara.

  “Matt, glad you could make it,” a blonde of about twenty-five walked by, smiling at Matt, and nodding politely at Sara.

  “Melody,” he said with a nod of acknowledgment.

  “Here you go,” Tony said, handing Sara a tall glass.

  “Is everyone here from work?” she asked taking a sip.

  Tony handed another drink to Matt and glanced around. “Pretty much. A couple of the neighbors, but most are from Aste.

  “Introduce her around, Annie.”

  “I intend to. See to it you two don’t talk shop all afternoon. Come on, Sara, let’s go see Julia before someone else arrives I have to greet. Are you totally thrilled about the baby?”

  “Sure,” Sara said, trying to smile. It was the standard response.

  Annie looked around and then leaned close. “We’re expecting, too, but Tony didn’t want to tell anyone yet. But I thought another mother-to-be would want to know.”

  “How wonderful. Your first?”

  Annie nodded. “Only Julia knows. We plan to tell folks soon, but for now, it’s just family—and very close friends.”

  Sara wondered later if it had been a mistake to come. Everyone knew Matt. They greeted him warmly, exchanging insider jokes and comments. When introduced to Sara everyone was polite, but she imagined she could hear the question tumbling in their minds—what had he seen in her?

  Despite the informality of the barbecue, the talk inevitably turned to business. Sara felt more and more left out as even the pretty, young women seemed to have a vested interest in the computer aspects, or the security planning.

  After chatting with Julia, she wandered around the yard, noticing how meticulously it was kept. For a moment, she tried to visualize Matt with a rake in hand. The image wouldn’t come.

  She glanced at Dex, still flirting with that pretty woman. She couldn’t picture him married. When she looked at Matt she tried very hard to see him in a yard pushing a little child on a swing. Neither the child nor Matt would appear.

  “I’m Margot,” a young woman said coming to stand beside Sara. “Annie sent me over. I’m pregnant, too. It’s my second, but I’m just as thrilled as I was the first time.”

  Sara smiled. “It’s my second, too. But there will be twenty years between my babies.”

  “Oh, wow, that’s like starting completely over. How cool for Matt to be able to have a family. He’s been such a lone wolf, I never thought he’d settle down. Have you picked out names yet?”

  Sara shook her head, “You?”

  Margot was off and running. She and her husband had a list of names, and were thinking about giving the child several, not just a first and second. She then talked about her son, age two, her husband Brian who was “over there somewhere.” She motioned vaguely with her hand, never taking her attention from Sara. “He loves these kinds of things. I’d rather stay home with Timmy. Want to find chairs somewhere? I’m ready to sit.”

  Sara agreed, glad someone at the party seemed glad she was there.

  The afternoon passed pleasantly with Margot. Sara enjoyed her company—especially since her husband seemed content to be in discussion groups from the office. The laughter that rang out from time to time made Sara wistfully wish he’d included her, but she was enjoying Margot’s company.

  Annie came by with her sister at one point and their discussion was lively and fun. Margot also knew the secret. Discussing babies proved to be better this time around, Sara thought. Her own excitement began to grow while exchanging hopes and plans with others in the same situation.

  The food, when served around seven, was delicious. Tony commandeered several of the men to help with the meat. The salads and side dishes appeared as if by magic from the kitchen.

  “For an impromptu affair,” Sara commented to Margot, “Annie and Tony sure have everything organized.”

  “Tony’s the organized one of the group. Matt is the computer guru and Dex is best at body guarding,” Annie said. “They play to their strengths.”

  “Dex is a bodyguard?” She looked at the man with the shaggy hair, trying to picture him in a tense situation, and failing. He looked too much like a boy-next-door type.

  “Oh, he does other things, planning security, training in self-defense, defensive driving, and all. But yeah, he’s their head for personal security.”

  “What area does your husband work in?” Sara asked Margot, looking around for Matt. He was talking to the same blonde Dex had been talking with earlier.

  “He works with Matt in computers. But he doesn’t know as much, nor can he gain the customers’ confidence as quickly as Matt can. It helps that he speaks several languages, though most of the international computer work we do is done in machine language.”

  They ate buffet style. Matt and Tony stood near the grill, keeping an eye on the second round of steaks while they ate. Some of the others gravitated toward them. Sara met Margot’s husband then excused herself to join her husband.

  “Hey,” Matt said when she stepped up beside him. “Enjoying yourself?”

  She nodded, holding up her plate. “The food is delicious.”

  “Some of us were talking about taking a sail tomorrow,” Tony said. “You and Matt plan to join us. The forecast is for good winds and warmer temperatures.”

  “I don’t think so,” Sara said, remembering their sail a few weeks earlier. “But I’m sure Matt will be up for it.”

  “Might take you up on it,” he murmured.

  Not the answer Sara wanted. She kept her smile in place, however, not letting the disappointment show. She wanted him to stay with her on Sunday. This was their first time together in a while and separate plans for Sunday wasn’t what she expected.

  Early Sunday Sara awoke to find Matt all ready dressed. He suggested she take the day to rest up after her hectic week. He was off to sail with Tony and Dex. She watched as he left, with barely a kiss on her cheek.

  By mid morning, Sara had rested all she wanted. She left a note telling Matt she had gone to her apartment, then headed out to continue the sorting she’d begun. They were due to move soon. Somehow she hoped by leaving everything in her past behind, Matt wou
ld have to stay.

  Would giving up her apartment be foolish? Or a way to cement their relationship even more so they would have to face the challenges ahead together?

  She knew he had lined up some friends from work to help with the actual transportation of their furniture and boxes, but she needed to sort through a few more areas to make sure she only took things she wanted.

  When Sara reached the apartment, she called Amber. “I’m at the apartment packing, want to come over?”

  “I’d love to, Mom. I’ve been studying until I’m almost brain-dead. My finals are this week and I need a break before plunging back in,” she replied.

  “We could do something fun if you’d rather. Seems a shame for you to take a break and then end up working,” Sara said. She was trying not to think of Matt spending the day away from her. She missed him. What if this was the beginning of a pattern?

  Or the beginning of the end?

  “I don’t mind. I’ll be there soon. Is Matt helping?”

  “No, he’s sailing with friends again.”

  Sara wondered if she should confide her doubts to her daughter. Amber was grown now. Sara didn’t need to shelter her any longer. But old habits died hard. She didn’t want Amber to worry about her and Matt. They would be fine.

  She hoped.

  Once off the phone, she tried to run from her thoughts as she began pulling down the dishes from the cupboards. Some she’d donate to charity, a couple of special pieces she’d take with her.

  Amber breezed in a little while later. Sara had sorted most of the kitchen utensils, sorted through the food in the cupboards, boxing the spices and condiments, and putting the rest in bags to take home with her.

  “Look what I got,” Amber said, giving her mother a hug. “Fresh bagels from Manny’s. Poppyseed for you, onion for me, plus lox and cream cheese!”

  “That sounds great. I’m hungry.”

  “Well, you are eating for two,” Amber said. She cleared a space at the small table and placed the bag on it. The aroma wafted in the air.

  “My mouth was watering all the way here. You’re lucky I didn’t stop to eat mine on the way,” she said cheerfully as she looked around for plates. “Where is everything? Are we boxing it all up today?”