by J A Fielding
“Everything is fine. I have it all under control,” she said, sitting down.
“You do know that Nakamura is more annoying than the Malibu princess, right?” Mitchell asked, looking at her. She nodded.
“Give me some credit, Mitchell. I have everything I need right here,” she said pointing to her head. “Those Japanese are going to know why we won the war,” she added, giggling. She grabbed her bag and kissed her forehead. “I love you,” she said as she began walking towards the door.
“I love you too,” he called from the couch. He suddenly frowned and looked at her. “We won the war because we hit where it hurt, Tasha,” he said just as she opened the door. She turned around and looked at him.
“Actually we won because there were people like me who considered hitting where it hurt,” she said before closing the door behind her.
As she drove to the office, she thought of just how her life would change when she became pregnant. She was so used to this routine every single morning that it actually felt like a part of her. The waking up early, going through her closet to decide what to wear, breakfast at home. Maybe it would be for the better. The serenity of the moment was suddenly interrupted by the loud ringing of her phone. She reached for her Bluetooth earpiece next to the gear box and put it on.
“Natasha Schmidt,” she said when she answered the call.
“I thought you were not giving up your name. What happened to hyphenating?” Natasha smiled when she immediately recognized Rita’s voice.
“Answering the phone saying Natasha Black-Schmidt is a bit too much. How are you?” Natasha asked.
“Not bad. Just missed you,” Rita said.
“Missed you too, sweetie, but you’re up early,” Natasha said looking at the clock. “It’s only eight. Dave driving you crazy?” she joked. Rita laughed.
“Nothing like that. I was supposed to be doing inventory. The delivery is late,” Rita said in a disappointed tone.
“Like I said, it’s only eight. How late could they possibly be?” Natasha asked as she made the final turn to the office building.
“I was expecting some Egyptian sculptures and Greek paintings yesterday morning. The company said they would be here by the evening but that didn’t happen, so they told me that they would do it first thing in the morning,” Rita explained. “The bastards cost me my morning sex and you know I love me some morning Dave,” she added. Natasha laughed.
“You are having a hard day, aren’t you?” she said as she parked her car.
“More like a bad week. There is a collector who has been coming in every week to check on the Greek pieces and I don’t even know what to tell him when he comes in today and I still have nothing,” Rita said sadly.
“Honey, pop a few buttons and explain the delay,” Natasha said as she slammed the door shut. “He will not even know what hit him,” she added.
“I don’t think Dave would approve,” Rita said.
“Fine, but I tried,” Natasha said. “Hey, I’ve got to call you back. I’m going in for a meeting with some guys from Japan, old clients, new product,” she said.
“You don’t sound very excited,” Rita said.
“That’s because I am not really looking forward to it. I’d rather be lost in space with the Malibu princess,” Natasha said.
“That bad, huh?” Rita asked. “But you got this. You always do,” she added. Natasha sighed.
“Guess I do,” she said. “Talk later,” she said quickly as she hanged up. She was not even sure she had given Rita a chance to say anything. She felt a little guilty as she thought of how rude she had just been. She would understand, she thought. After all, she was under immense pressure.
“Good morning, Tasha. Your coffee is on your desk, the Nakamura file is next to it and the board room is prepped,” Stacy said excitedly as Natasha walked into the office.
“Thanks Stacy, would you come into my office?” Natasha said with a smile.
“Sure,” Stacy said as she followed Natasha into her office. “What’s up?” she asked as she sat down.
“Tell me what you know about the Nakamura smartphone app,” Natasha said leaning back in her seat. Stacy took a long deep breath.
“Well, they came up with a chat application that works on all operating systems unlike the earlier versions that were only developed for Android phones. They launched a trial version a few months ago in the UK, South Africa and some states right here,” Stacy said. “Why do you ask?” she asked looking at Natasha questioningly.
“What do their options look like in trading?” Natasha asked completely ignoring Stacy’s question.
“Depends, if they tailor it the same way as the WeVibe application, then they are set for greater things. But if they are only concerned with the Android market then they are set to lose billions with iPhone users and people using Windows Mobile phones. Again, why do you ask?” Stacy asked looking at a smiling Natasha.
“Because you are running point at the Nakamura meeting,” Natasha said. Stacy shook her head.
“No, no, no, no,” she said. “I know nothing of their product,” she added. Natasha smiled.
“You just told me everything I need to know about their product in five minutes,” Natasha said. “And you are the one who compiled the file for the meetings, both this one and the one we had six months ago,” she added.
“But I was just preparing them. I didn’t have any….I don’t know if I can do this,” Stacy said twiddling her thumbs nervously.
“Stacy, I know about your degrees. I know that being a receptionist was not what you wanted to do all your life,” Natasha said. “I think it’s time we let you out of the nest, don’t you?” she asked. Stacy ran her fingers through her brown hair.
“I’m not even dressed for the presentation,” she said looking down at what she had on. Natasha looked at her and laughed. She was in a black pencil skirt and pink sleeveless silk shirt and a pair of black soled pink pumps. She looked beautiful.
“What exactly are you supposed to wear to a presentation? You look lovely,” Natasha said. She pointed at her skirt. “Do you know how many times I have closed deals in pencil skirts?” she asked. Stacy smiled.
“Forty-eight,” Stacy said. Natasha’s eyes widened.
“You kept count?” she asked. Stacy nodded. “Why?”
“You are kind of my mentor,” she said.
“Really?” Natasha asked smiling. Stacy nodded.
“You’re right. I need to do more with my degrees. I always hoped I could do more but I’m Stacy Reynolds. No one knows me. My dad is not some senator or rich guy. I didn’t know how to progress,” Stacy said.
“Hey, my dad isn’t rich either, or a senator,” Natasha said. Stacy smiled at her. “We make our own name. We shape our future. We make our own legacy,” she added smiling. “Three years ago, no one knew who Natasha Black was, but I changed all that,” she said again.
“I guess you are right,” Stacy said. She looked up at Natasha. “But why now?” she asked. Natasha smiled.
“Remember that day after my honeymoon when we hung out at my place?” Natasha asked. Stacy smiled.
“Those were fun times,” Stacy said smiling. “Hey, that’s the time we found out about the nursery. Did you ever talk to Mitch about it?” she asked. Natasha smiled and took off her blazer. The wrap around dress was even more flattering on its own. She hung the blazer on her seat and then leaned forward.
“Yes,” she said in almost a whisper. Stacy looked even more confused than when she first asked the question.
“And?” Stacy pressed.
“Let’s just say that the new Natasha Black is about to be revealed,” Natasha said as she slowly flipped through the pages of the Nakamura file.
“What? Already?” Stacy asked. “Congratulations! I thought you looked different but I didn’t want to say anything…” her words trailed off when she noticed Natasha looking at her as if all she had said was gibberish.
“I look different? How?” Natas
ha asked. Stacy shook her head.
“You…um…you know what, you could be glowing because you are happy,” Stacy said quickly, avoiding her gaze. Natasha looked at her.
“Stacy Michelle Reynolds, you had better tell me or so help me God…I will kill you with my bare hands!” Natasha said sternly. She looked as the color drained from Stacy’s face.
“You know my full names?” Stacy asked surprised.
“Don’t change the subject,” Natasha snapped. Stacy took a long deep breath.
“Your skin has always been flawless but lately it’s been even more glowing, and your breasts…they are not the same size they’ve always been,” Stacy said. “No offense,” she added quickly.
“None taken,” Natasha said as she leaned back in her seat. “I have noticed my breasts are a bit bigger too. I even had to go shopping because what I had no longer fits,” she added. “But I did get off the pill. It could be a reaction,” she said in a low voice.
“You got off the pill? You are serious about this!” Stacy said excitedly. Natasha smiled.
“Yeah, and I don’t think I want to be one of those women who leave their kids with perfect strangers,” Natasha said. Stacy’s eyes widened.
“Does that mean what I think it means?” she asked. Natasha nodded.
“Yes,” Natasha said with a smile. “But right now, we have to go and show the Nakamuras what you’ve got,” she added.
“I will need a celebratory lunch when I am done with this. Maybe Italian,” Stacy said. Natasha frowned as she picked up the file.
“Chinese. Something about Italian makes me sick of late. I don’t know why,” Natasha said. Stacy looked at her questioningly. “I know what you’re thinking and it’s not that. I took a test,” she said as they walked out of the office.
“You’ve heard of false negatives right?” Stacy asked matter of factly. Natasha shrugged.
“Yes but…”
“…but nothing. You peed on a stick. Go to hospital and get a proper test done,” Stacy said, cutting her short.
“Yes, ma’am,” Natasha said with a smile as they walked towards the boardroom.
*****
“You are a natural,” Natasha said as they walked out of the boardroom three hours later. “You were born for this,” she added as the two walked down the hallway together.
“Learned from the best, I guess,” Stacy said with a smile as she took a turn towards Natasha’s office. Natasha stopped and held her hand.
“I think this working day is over. We need to celebrate!” Natasha said excitedly. Stacy looked at her surprised.
“It’s only midday,” Stacy said looking at her wrist watch. Natasha nodded.
“Yes, perfect for our celebratory lunch,” Natasha said as one of the office secretaries walked past them. She cringed and held her breath. “What is that smell?” she asked pinching her nose. Stacy looked at her and frowned.
“That’s Linda’s new perfume. We all got it in the French Volce thank you package,” Stacy said. “I got it too, so did you,” she added.
“Please don’t tell me you wanted to go to the office and dab some of that on you,” Natasha said as she felt herself getting nauseated. Stacy shook her head.
“No,” she said. Natasha slapped a hand over her mouth.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Natasha said before running to the bathroom. She was still crouched over one toilet bowl when Stacy walked in.
“You okay, sweetie?” Stacy asked, knocking on the door of the cubicle Natasha was in.
“I don’t know,” Natasha said. “I just puked out last night’s dinner and today’s coffee and bagel,” she added. Stacy placed her hand on the doorknob.
“I’m coming in, Tasha,” she said as she opened the door. “Oh my God,” she said when she saw Natasha seated on the floor. “Has this happened before?” she asked. Natasha nodded.
“Yeah, twice or thrice,” she said. “Last week it was after dinner. Last Tuesday it was just after lunch,” Natasha said as she flushed the toilet. Stacy helped her up and walked her out where Natasha began rinsing her mouth out.
“Tasha, you are off your pills, your tits look like a Hooters girl and you are getting sick because of perfume?” Stacy said as Natasha rinsed her mouth. “Don’t you think it’s time you took a test?” she asked. Natasha looked at her.
“It could be a stomach virus,” Natasha said hopefully.
“If it was a stomach virus that has carried on for this long, you’d be dead or dying. Plus Mitchell would also be sick,” Stacy said. Natasha looked up at her. Stacy had a point. Natasha had also completely overlooked the fact that she was late. She thought it could also be another effect of coming off the pill but maybe Stacy was right. Maybe she needed to get a test done. She shook her head.
“I’m fine. Let’s just do the lunch,” Natasha said.
“I’ll make you a deal. If we go for lunch we must have Italian and I am going to wear the perfume in my bag,” Stacy said. This time, it was her turn to be stern. Natasha cringed again.
“Fine! We’ll go to the damn doctor just to get you off my back,” Natasha snapped as she looked at her reflection. “Do you have a mint?” she asked looking at Stacy.
“I’ll meet you in the parking lot,” Stacy said as she walked out of the bathroom. Natasha looked at her reflection and then stood sideways. She looked at her breasts and acknowledged that she did look like a Hooters girl. She grabbed her tits and nodded. They were fuller. She noticed that her ass was also bigger. Just then, the door flung open startling her. She looked at the cleaning lady and felt her cheeks flush.
“Mrs. Schmidt…I’m sorry…I…”
“It’s okay. I was just leaving,” Natasha interjected with a smile as she walked out feeling embarrassed. She knew that the news about her fondling herself would be leaked in the next few hours. She walked hurriedly to the parking lot. She was surprised to find Stacy already there. “Which path did you take exactly?” she asked. Stacy reached into her purse and handed her a tic tac.
“Let’s just go. I called Dr. Mauler when I was at the office. He is expecting us,” she said as Natasha walked round to the driver’s seat.
“I always thought you were too good to be just an assistant, Stacy,” Natasha said as she slipped the key into the ignition. Stacy smiled at her.
“Well…okay, I’ve got nothing,” she said shrugging her shoulders. She fastened her seat belt and put her bag in the back seat.
“Can I have the rest of the tic tacs?” Natasha asked as she began backing out of her parking space. Stacy opened her mouth to talk but then handed Natasha the tiny jar. She must have known that she was about to fight a losing battle. “Thanks! So we’re still having Chinese after this?” Natasha asked as they began to drive off. Stacy took a deep breath and nodded. Where to eat was another losing battle.
Chapter 4
Mitchell opened the bedroom door and poked his head through. Natasha was still lying on bed in a fetal position. He felt sadness go through him as he looked at her. She had been like this for two months now. He knew exactly how she felt because he had also been excited to be a father too. He longed to see that beautiful baby Natasha carried…the first, second and third time. He hated going through the same thing over and over again, having to get all excited about the baby and then losing it all over again.
The first time she told him she was late was just a couple of weeks after she decided to toss her pills. To say that he was excited was an understatement. He was glad he had seen the nursery, through. He had even gone shopping, getting onesies and color coordinated outfits. He smiled when he recalled the argument he had had with Natasha about buying unisex colors.
“Three generations in the Schmidt family have always been characterized by a first born male. This one will not be any different,” he had said in his defense.
“Well, you could be wrong and I would hate for my baby girl to think she was an accident,” Natasha had said with a smile.
“How exa
ctly would she come to that conclusion?” Mitchell probed. Natasha shrugged.
“Remember those photos of you as a baby where you are wearing a pink bunny suit? You know, the one with cuddly bears all over?” she asked. Mitchell frowned.
“We were never to talk of that again,” he said. Natasha laughed.
“I am surprised that bit of your past didn’t mess up with your sexuality,” she said. “And that is exactly what I am talking about when I say I need to ensure my child is not traumatized seeing herself in blue sailor uniforms,” she added. Mitchell smiled and put an arm around her.
“We could make this easier on ourselves and just get a scan,” he said. Natasha smiled when she heard a hint of hope in his voice. “They do have special machines for that kind of thing you know,” he added. Natasha rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry Mitch. I know you are a big part of this but I get to puke, I get to hate all the food I love and I get to have a nine pound baby pushed out of my you know what,” she said looking at him.
“Don’t forget the pooping on the table,” Mitchell said matter-of-factly. Natasha gave him a look that screamed ‘I would kill you if I didn’t love you enough.’
“So, Mitchell Schmidt, all points considered, I call shotgun,” she said with a sly smile. Mitchell nodded. He knew when to and when not to engage his wife in a battle, especially when she was already on a winning streak.
All this excitement had been cut short when Natasha woke up one day bleeding. At the time, she was still in her first trimester. This being her first pregnancy, she did not know what to expect. Even the “What To Expect When Expecting” literature proved to be pointless at this time. In the first few seconds, she had all the wrong thoughts going through her mind. It could have been implantation bleeding…but she was way past four weeks which meant only one thing. She was miscarrying. By the time she got to the emergency room, the pain in her abdomen confirmed the painful truth the doctor uttered. She had lost her baby.
