The calm before the storm

Small hands. Tiny fingers. Light kicks of feet on her belly. A low coughing sound turning into a loud hearty chuckle. The sights and sounds of her dreams. They are more vivid now and she remembered every single one. She tentatively lifted her eyelids and let the bright morning sun hit her eyes. Barry had pulled open the curtains to let the light in. She called out his name. There was no answer. She looked at the wall clock and saw that it was already 8:30 am. He must have let her sleep in and left for work. He had made his side of the bed and left her a note saying that her breakfast was in the oven. He had even picked up all the clothes from the floor. She smiled. Every since they got the news of her pregnancy he had forbidden her from doing any house work, made sure she was always comfortable and even gave in to her crazy fantastical cravings. Midnight biryani or even the peanut butter and vanilla ice cream combination that she couldn’t get enough of. “Angel”, she turned over to her side and then used her hands to push herself up and then manoeuvre her swollen legs to the floor.

Cautiously standing up she winced a little. The effect of her weight made her knees ache a little every time she stood up. She stumbled a little and used the bed post to steady herself. She made her way to the bathroom and was greeted, as always, by the full length mirror. She looked at herself for several minutes as she did every morning. She decided to take a closer look at herself. A little stumbling and panting and bending and she was soon out of her clothes. Her hair, now thick ropes of lustrous hair hung down till her waist. Her skin glowed, almost luminous. Her stomach, now the biggest it was ever going to be looked like a giant basket ball stuffed under her skin. She out a hand on her stomach and made kind noises to her baby.

She was rewarded with an onslaught of kicks, whoops and swirls. She smiled. The baby almost never failed to respond to her voice.

She quickly went about her morning duties and made her way to the kitchen.

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Later that afternoon, Barry had decided to take the rest of the day off and take her out for an evening of her favourite things.

A leisurely stroll on the beach, the sand cushioning her tired swollen feet; a vanilla ice cream coke sprinkled with roasted almonds; a visit to her favourite bookstore for the latest James Patterson thriller; and finally a fancy light dinner at her favourite restaurant. He has remembered that she had been craving lasagne was days. After dinner, they both headed to the beach again. Now almost deserted, they lay silently in the sand, watching the stars and listening to the waves.

On the way home, they picked up a tin of vanilla ice cream to soothe her stomach and satisfy her late night cravings.

As Barry turned the keys in the lock and pushed open the door, she felt a sharp pricking pain pass through her back. She clutched her back for a few seconds. Barry turned around looking concerned. He held her as they stepped over the threshold. Again, the pain came, like a stroke of lightening. A hundred confused thoughts raced through her mind. She wasn’t due for another 2 weeks. Maybe this was the false labour the doctor was telling her about. Barry was asking her about how she was feeling. He looked frightened. But she felt oddly detached. Another bolt of pain passed through her abdomen this time. She felt her slacks getting soaked. “It’s time”, she heard herself say. And as Barry led her back to the car, she thought about the uneaten tub of ice cream left on the floor near the door, she thought about wet diapers, sleepless nights and painful times to come and already she was tired. The chaos had begun.