by J A Fielding
She smiled and clicked reply.
TO: Mitchell Schmidt
FROM: Natasha Black
SUBJECT: RE-MISSING MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
I miss you too love. I am just fine, getting bigger every day. Sometimes I think whales are smaller and the thought that I will only get bigger freaks me out, big time! And yes, I am still waking up in the middle of the day after all I am carrying your baby. Today I got up a bit early though. I went to bed at five last night, okay, last evening. Long day. And he is not ‘that English dude,’ he has a name. It’s Luke. If you were here you would notice just how much I am rolling my eyes at you right now. Wait, technology has made that possible. Why are we e-mailing? Why can’t we Skype? By the way, I felt the baby move for the first time today. Such a great feeling. Wish you were here.
She smiled as she clicked “send” and leaned against the back rest. She looked around for the remote and then realized that she had misplaced it, yet again. She sighed as she looked around, wondering if there was a chance it could have slipped in between the cushions. She was still looking when she heard another beep.
TO: Natasha Black
FROM: Mitchell Schmidt
SUBJECT: RE-MISSING MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
Okay, it’s official. I am jealous. The baby moved and I wasn’t there! Man, this is unfair. But I’ll be back in a couple of days and I will not let you go till I feel her move. Skype…hmmm, can’t work. Something about the hotel’s servers. And Luke will always be ‘that English dude.’ I don’t get how women just fall all over themselves just because a man has an English accent. So, ‘that English dude,’ Red Alert!
Natasha found herself laughing when she read the last sentence.
TO: Mitchell Schmidt
FROM: Natasha Black
SUBJECT: RE-MISSING MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
Correction, dear husband. It is not the English accent that makes women weak in the knees, it’s the British accent. And Luke’s not even that hot. He would have never have caught my attention if it wasn’t for that package of…you know what it doesn’t matter. What makes you so sure that it’s a girl I’m carrying? You realize that there’s a fifty-fifty chance right?
She leaned back and with her free hand, slowly caressed her tummy. She had never thought of knowing the sex of the baby. She wanted to be surprised. There was a thrill in not knowing. But what if Mitchell was right? Or did her husband know something she didn’t? She looked at her computer again and noticed the “new mail” icon pop up again.
TO: Natasha Black
FROM: Mitchell Schmidt
SUBJECT: RE-MISSING MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
I don’t know what it is that makes me so sure it’s a girl. Maybe I have been praying for a girl for so long I am hoping that my prayers have finally been answered. We’ll see. But whatever happens, you are mine and what you are carrying, male or female, is ours and I will always love you both.
Natasha smiled and clicked on reply again.
TO: Mitchell Schmidt
FROM: Natasha Black
SUBJECT: RE-MISSING MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
Nice save. But we’ll see. Patience pays….I’m sure our baby will be the definition of awesome! Feeling sleepy now, I have to take a nap. I have a busy afternoon ahead. Nan is taking me shopping later today.
She smiled as she sent her last email and got comfortable on the couch. National Geographic would have to do. She was not about to break a sweat looking for the remote. She heard the beep again and opened the new email.
TO: Natasha Black
FROM: Mitchell Schmidt
SUBJECT: RE-MISSING MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY
I am a bright man, so nice saves are kind of what I do. Sleep away my beautiful wife. I will call you tonight. Say hi to Estelle. I love you.
She smiled as she slowly stretched out on the couch and reached for the small blanket draped over the couch. She smiled as she pulled the blanket over her body and drifted off to sleep.
She woke up a few hours later to the delicious aroma of fresh bread. She rubbed her eyes and slowly made her way to the kitchen.
“And behold, there she is,” Rita said when she walked into the kitchen. She smiled and leaned over the counter.
“Hey, you. I didn’t think I would see you this week with all those new European clients and stuff,” Natasha said, hugging her. Rita shrugged and smiled.
“Today was one of those days I got to leave early,” she said. “What’s with you and your dad’s clothes?” she asked looking at the oversized t-shirt. Natasha rolled her eyes.
“Not you too,” Natasha said as she took a seat.
“Maybe someone in her generation should tell her,” Estelle said as she walked towards them carrying a tray of fresh bread and hot soup. “I have taken all I can, you know,” she added smiling.
“Nan, I said I would let you take me shopping. Give it a rest, jeez,” Natasha said angrily. Rita and Estelle looked at her in surprise.
“You do know she was just kidding right?” Rita asked looking at Natasha in shock. Natasha felt a guilty feeling take over as she looked at the two. She hated what this damn pregnancy was doing to her.
“Yeah, I don’t know what came over me,” Natasha said. “I’m sorry, Nan. I’ve been having these short angry episodes, which is weird because I am usually very slow to anger,” she added. Estelle smiled and took a seat on the other side of the counter.
“It’s okay, the hormones mess with your head and all,” Estelle said. “When I was pregnant with your father I could not stand anyone changing the channel even if I wasn’t watching it,” she said. “Drove my friends nuts,” she added with a laugh. Rita smiled.
“See? It’s normal. Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?” Rita said as she pushed a bowl of soup towards Natasha. “Your Nan tells me you are only able to stomach a few foods. You better eat that up before it gets cold,” she said as she took a spoonful of her own soup. “Mmmm, chicken and mushroom. How is it you manage to pull off great recipes without using a cookbook?” she asked looking at Estelle.
“A true cook comes up with her own and you know I love experimenting,” Estelle said. There was a hint of pride in her voice as she talked. “Maybe that’s why I’m such a hit at potlucks,” she added.
“Talk about blowing your own trumpet,” Natasha said as she took a bite of the bread.
“Hey, she blew it first,” Estelle said with a smile.
“So how’s the morning sickness?” Rita asked. Natasha rolled her eyes.
“It should be called all day sickness,” Natasha said irritably. “I don’t get why I am still getting sick in my second trimester,” she said sadly.
“Well, for some people, the sickness carries to term,” Estelle said.
“I miss having pizza and deli meats and Chinese…,” Natasha’s voice trailed off as she recalled the good days. “But right now I can’t even stand the smell. I tried having dinner at Wu’s last week but imagine, I wasn’t even halfway through the door when I suddenly got the urge to hurl,” she said poignantly. Rita put a hand on hers and smiled.
“The good news is it’s all worth it in the end,” Rita said. “Isn’t that right, Estelle?” she asked, looking at Estelle.
“That’s so right. Your daddy would get me pissed off on a daily basis kicking me, making me hate chicken. Can you imagine me hating chicken?” Estelle asked. Rita and Natasha laughed.
“Really?” Natasha asked. Estelle nodded and leaned forward.
“I went for nine months without ever having chicken,” she said before getting a faraway look in her eyes. “Maybe that’s why I got to love chicken that much,” she said. Rita nodded.
“Could very well be,” Rita said.
“Anyway, you better get ready. Wheels up in fifteen,” Estelle said walking to the kitchen. The girls broke into giggles.
“Wheels up? Do you have a private jet now that I don’t know about?” Natasha asked. Estelle turned around and smiled at them.
“I watch TV too. I am familiar with the l
ingo,” she said as she walked out of the kitchen. The girls laughed again.
“Your Nan has definitely lost it,” Rita said.
“Tell me about it,” Natasha said laughing. “All that cable TV is getting to her head,” she added.
“Clearly,” Rita nodded. “So anyway, how is our girl doing? Does she love being the communications liaison at NSCS or what?” she asked. Natasha laughed.
“She was a bit freaked out in the first months but she is doing great. I hear she is about to broker a great deal venturing into the African market and everything. I am so proud of her,” she said excitedly.
“Who knew that timid little girl had it in her?” Rita said as she helped Natasha off the stool.
“What about you? How is the beautiful world of art?” Natasha asked as the two walked up the stairs.
“Never been better. I met this new guy who takes great photos. I just began featuring his work in my gallery,” Rita said with a smile. “Those photos are flying off the shelves,” she added
“You better save me one then,” Natasha said as they approached her room. Rita nodded.
“You know I got you, right?” Rita said as she opened the door for her. Natasha walked in and was surprised to find an outfit in a laundry bag on her bed. She looked at Rita in surprise.
“What’s this?” she asked. “Because I am quite sure that wasn’t here when I woke up,” she added as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. Rita smiled.
“I know that the only reason you don’t want to have maternity dresses is because you think they are unflattering but I got you this to prove you wrong,” Rita said as she took a lovely plum colored knee length dress from the bag.
“That’s really cute,” Natasha said looking at it. “Give me that,” she said as she grabbed the dress and headed to the bathroom.
“I hope you’ve showered already,” Rita said jokingly.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Natasha said as she closed the bathroom door. She quickly got out of the baggy clothes she had on and pulled the dress over her head. She took a hairbrush from the cabinet, smoothed out the tangles and held her curls in a high pony tail. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. The sleeveless dress was designed to flatter her feminine features while carefully disguising her baby bump. The V-neck made her breasts look luscious and perky. She walked out of the bathroom and smiled at Rita.
“Girl, you make me want to get pregnant,” Rita said when she walked out.
“Really? You are not just pulling my leg?” Natasha asked. Rita crossed her arms over her chest.
“You know I always keep it 100 with you right? I would never lie to you and I swear girl, you look hot!” Rita said.
“Did Nan put you up to this?” Natasha asked as she sat back on the bed. Rita laughed.
“Have you met me? I put Estelle up to this, not the other way around,” Rita said. “So, you ready to go shopping?” she asked as she took Natasha’s hands in her own. Natasha smiled and nodded. “This time, nothing is going to happen. You are already out of the woods, okay?” Rita asked. Natasha smiled as s tear rolled down her cheek.
“Thanks for that. I needed to hear it,” she said.
“What are friends for?” Rita asked as she hugged her friend.
Chapter 6
There was a delicious aroma of chicken, fried bacon and toast when Natasha’s eyelids fluttered open on Friday morning. She thought she heard her father’s voice downstairs but she was unsure why. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and sighed. It was eleven-thirty. She had been sleeping for long hours…sometimes too long, it was disturbing. But on the flip side, she did actually love how rested she felt…except of course for the occasional puking.
“Wait,” she thought as she looked at the clock again. Eleven-thirty? And breakfast was still on? Estelle was the most predictable person as far as consistency was concerned. You could set your watch by her. Breakfast at eleven-thirty was odd. One thing about the Black household was that breakfast was strictly served at seven on weekdays to ensure that no one, absolutely no one, got late for work and on weekends at nine. Granted, sometimes weekend breakfasts would go well over ten but never eleven-thirty. But then again, miracles could happen, especially when Estelle Black was involved.
“Could be a Christmas miracle in November,” Natasha thought as she struggled to get out of bed. As she slowly walked to the bathroom, she felt a sharp pain in her side causing her to stop in her tracks. She took long deep breaths and tried to remain calm just as her doctor had advised. The pain, she had been told, was quite a normal occurrence especially in the third trimester. A relief flowed over her as the pain slowly disappeared. She walked towards the bathroom and turned the shower on before walking back to the bed. She smiled to herself when she remembered that in less than two days, Mitchell would be back home. This was the longest that the two had ever stayed apart and quite frankly, she hated it. She quickly made her bed and got undressed before finally stepping in the shower. Even though she weighed a ton, the best thing about the third trimester was the fact that she did not have to hurl every single moment. Of course, there was the occasional hurl but at that moment, she couldn’t even remember the last time she threw up.
As the water streamed down her body, she placed her hands on her huge bump and smiled. It was hard to believe that the little person she had inside her would one day come home introducing a pretty blonde girl as the girlfriend, or some guy who looked like Calvin Klein’s cover model as the boyfriend. She felt a shiver at the thought that she was carrying a girl. Well, she didn’t really care what the sex was, so long as the child was healthy but she often wondered what being a mother really meant. She stepped out of the bathroom and sat on the bed as she dried herself and thought of how she was going to spend the rest of her day. She needed to be outdoors. It had been three whole days since she got any sun and quite honestly she was beginning to feel a bit jaundiced. She slowly walked to her closet and picked out a blue floral print maxi dress and put it on the bed. She sat down to put on her panties and sighed.
“There are days when this took less than five minutes,” she thought as she fastened her bra at the front. “Aiden had better be a star child,” she thought as she pulled the dress over her head.
“Oh my god,” she said as she felt a kick in her belly. Just then, the door to her room creaked open; a lovely looking Rita was poking her head through.
“What? What’s wrong?” Rita asked as she walked in. Natasha smiled and stood up.
“I think I just named my son,” Natasha said. Rita looked at her as a smile played on her own face.
“You know the sex?” she asked. Natasha shook her head no.
“No, I was just thinking of everything I am going through and called the baby Aiden,” she said. “And he kicked,” she added excitedly.
“He?” Rita asked. Natasha nodded.
“I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s a ‘he,’” Natasha said. Rita threw her arms around her friend.
“Somehow, I feel it too,” Rita said as she pulled away. She frowned as she looked at Natasha’s tangled curls. “What’s going on here?” she asked pointing at her hair. Natasha rolled her eyes.
“I was just about to take care of that when you walked in. So…,” she walked to her dressing table and picked up a hair brush. “You’re on hair duty,” she added as she handed Rita the brush.
“Gladly,” Rita said as Natasha sat down in front of her dressing mirror.
“So why are you not at work? And why is Nan making breakfast while she should be making sandwiches or something for lunch?” Natasha asked as Rita began working on her hair.
“Work’s fine, I finally got a new assistant,” Rita said with a smile. Natasha smiled at her friend’s reflection.
“That’s wonderful,” Natasha said. “And does she or he know everything artsy?” she asked. Rita’s smiled seemed to be renewed when Natasha asked that.
“That’s the best part. She knows her stuff plus she�
�s eye candy,” Rita said excitedly. “In her first two days we made over three grand in sales. The men come in, look and buy,” she added.
“You sound like a pimp,” Natasha said laughing.
“Well, I kind of feel like one too,” Rita said as she gathered Natasha’s hair in a ponytail. “I have so much more time now to spend with my beautifully pregnant best friend,” she added as she fastened the last bobby pin leaving her curls loose at the top of her head. “There,” Rita said as Natasha looked at her reflection. She looked classy, if not simply gorgeous. Her breasts, which were a few sizes bigger, looked wonderfully full in her dress and her facial features popped thanks to her new hairstyle.
“I feel so pretty,” Natasha squealed. Rita gave her a brief hug and quick kiss on her cheek.
“You are,” she said. “Now let’s go down and get some food in you,” he added.
“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Natasha asked as Rita helped her up.
“Estelle had brunch today, remember?” Rita asked looking at Natasha wondering how that slipped her mind. But then again, she had become very forgetful of late. Natasha looked at Rita as a look of familiarity struck her.
“Oh yeah,” Natasha said. “Oh well,” she added as they made their way down the stairs. Rita suddenly stopped and looked at her. “What? Let’s go. I’m hungry,” she said looking at Rita.
“Some of Estelle’s guests are still here,” Rita said. Natasha looked at her confused. She didn’t understand why this was a big deal. After all, they had guests over all the time.
“Okay. So?” Natasha asked looking at Rita questionably.
“Sherea is here,” Rita said looking at Natasha who rolled her eyes. Sherea was one of the people who never really liked the whole idea of Mitchell Schmidt. To her, Mitchell was the monster who robbed her of the nice girl who was once a promising future daughter in law.
“Oh,” Natasha said. “But she should really get over the whole idea. I mean Jay did and he was the one I was in a relationship with, she added. Rita raised an eyebrow.
“Did he, Tasha? Did he really?” she asked looking into Natasha’s eyes. Natasha knew exactly what that look meant. Jay had been a thorn in her side ever since she started going out with Mitchell with late night phone calls, showing up at her workplace and even sometimes camping outside her apartment. He had actually gone into full blown stalker mode.
