by Glynis Astie
Louis squeezed my hand. “It will be tight, but we can do it.”
I took a deep breath. “Well then, we need to start narrowing down our choices.”
Hiding a smile, he said, “I couldn’t agree more.”
Entering our combined requirements narrowed the playing field considerably. While perusing a three-bedroom two-bath colonial, one requirement we neglected hit me right between the eyes. When was I ever going to get the hang of this?
“Bluey! We forgot the most important thing! We need to find a house in a good school district.” I put my head in my hands. “I can’t believe I didn’t put that on my list. What kind of mother doesn’t make that first on her list?”
Louis pulled me to his chest. “Syd, I did not put it on my list either, because it is a given. All the towns we have selected in our search have excellent school districts.”
I met his eyes with confusion. “But how do you know?”
“I researched the best schools in the Bay Area.”
I was flabbergasted. “You did?” Bluey was turning out to be a much more responsible parent than I was. “But how? When?” I don’t know why the particulars were so important to me, but I felt the need to ask.
He kissed the top of my head. “On the days I didn’t come home to have lunch with you, I either researched schools or toured neighborhoods.”
What? I sat bolt upright. Perhaps not the best idea in my current condition, but I was truly shocked. “All this time, when I read countless facts about his brain and body development and you seemed, well, uninterested, you were off plotting where he would go to school?”
Louis chuckled. “First, I wasn’t plotting. Finding a good school for him is not a nefarious plan. Second, it is not that I was not interested in his development. I paid attention at all the doctor’s appointments. I just did not feel the need for the daily blow by blow.”
“Huh.” He had a point. Not everyone wanted to know every detail.
He took advantage of my pensive moment to add, “I also found local parks, grocery stores—since I know you must have one within two miles of your home—AND isolated neighborhoods with close freeway access.”
Wow. He had thought of everything. I was touched by his dedication, but felt guilty for not putting in more of an effort in this regard.
Pulling one of his usual Jedi mind tricks, my amazing husband said, “And before you make some ridiculous comment about not doing enough in the way of home research, may I remind you, you have the incredibly important job of growing our baby.” He caressed the side of my face. “You have given him his first home, so why not let me do the bulk of the work in finding his second?”
There are times when my husband says things that leave me speechless. Some of these occasions result in the urge to slap him, but not this time. This time I wanted to kiss the stuffing out of him. This time, he had reminded me, yet again, how lucky I was be his wife.
I turned to him with glistening eyes. “Bluey, I…”
“I love you too, mon coeur.”
For the first time that day, I felt truly at peace. I threw my arms around Louis’ neck and allowed myself to get lost in the promise of our future. Instead of being petrified of what lay ahead, I chose to embrace it. Given our track record, there was nothing we couldn’t handle. Our life together may have been tumultuous, and far less than perfect, but it had also been the greatest joy I had ever known.
It was at this moment I realized something of great importance. “I need to make one thing very clear. Simply because I agreed to name our son Luc AND I have agreed to your timeline for buying our first home doesn’t mean you will always get your way.”
Louis gave me a cocky smile. “Whatever you say, Syd.”
I froze. “You didn’t concoct a scheme to bring your mother here in an attempt to force my hand, did you? Because if you did, there will be serious consequences.”
Louis threw back his head and laughed. “I think we both know I would never voluntarily spend such a lengthy period of time with my mother. You are not the only one she drives insane.”
Good point. Once this topic had been laid to rest, we joined Simone for dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in front of her favorite French movies. (Well, they watched. I slept.)
Am I worried that we will only have one bathroom for a few more months? Absolutely not. Spending the amount of time I had outside the bathroom door today finally registered a very useful fact in my poor pregnant brain. The bathroom door can be very easily unlocked by poking a pin through the center of the handle. Never again would I find myself without access to the bathroom. I fully understand your repulsion and remember very well my own expression of this feeling to my father with regards to such an idea. But I learned one very important thing as a result of the Incident. Desperate times really do call for desperate measures.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I’m thrilled to announce that over the past week, I have only had to enter the bathroom door through nefarious means once. Thankfully, I interrupted my mother-in-law’s thirty-minute makeup ritual rather than a bathing exercise. And the best news? I’m pretty sure the naked desperation shown during my break-in impressed upon her the need conduct such frivolous activities in the living room from this point forward.
On to more exciting matters! Today is a day I have been thinking about for many months now. A day when my baby’s arrival will be celebrated with abandon. A day full of silly games, delectable food and hordes of happy people. Today is the day of my baby shower. Yay!
The event has been generously sponsored by my parents and planned to the hilt by none other than the extraordinary Kate Wilson. I continue to be in awe of her crafty capabilities. Sam’s birthday party easily could have been produced by Martha Stewart herself. Undoubtedly, my baby shower will be no different. Kate had selected an “Under the Sea” theme for its obvious appeal, Sam’s love of dolphins and my delight with The Little Mermaid. (Granted the concept was borderline masculine, but the actual shower is more for the mother than the baby.) I love Sebastian. He is such a crabby little crab!
At one o’clock on the dot, Simone and I were delivered to Kate’s house. Once Louis had settled me comfortably on the couch, he and Kate conferred over my resting schedule for the duration of the party. I honestly don’t know what they had to discuss; I had to remain in a reclined position every moment I wasn’t either peeing or bathing. Please forgive my vulgarity; I have HAD it with being a) confined to a resting position, b) uncomfortable and c) HUGE.
Once Louis left, Kate came to sit with me. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”
I laughed. “Big. Sweaty. Unwieldy.”
“I remember those feelings.” She pulled a face. “Well, you look gorgeous!”
I inspected my light blue dress, smoothing the skirt self-consciously. “Thank you.” I brought my gaze to meet hers. “I feel like every item of clothing I own is in the same style.”
She patted my knee knowingly. “That’s because only a few styles work on women when they’re this pregnant.” She swept her hand over my vast midsection. “You pretty much live in tent-like garments with empire waists. Keep your chin up, Syd. You’re almost there.”
I nodded. I knew she was right, but my due date still felt impossibly far away. Three weeks was a long time to wait when your body had expanded to what felt like its breaking point. Suddenly I found myself bopping my head to the Billy Joel song playing in my mind. “Pressure!” (Oh, how I have missed the puns…)
While I absently rubbed a stubborn sore spot on my back, Kate took my hand. “Why don’t you come lounge out back while we finish setting up?”
I brought my feet down, slipped back into my flats and reached out for her to help me up. Once in a standing position, I asked, “Who’s ‘we’?”
She led me into the backyard to find Grace and Vivian setting up the cake table. After exchanging quick hellos and hugs, my mouth fell open in shock as I took in the group’s efforts. The entirety of Kate’s fence was
draped in white glittery fishing net which was embedded with every type of sea creature you could possibly imagine. There were dolphins, crabs and fish as far as the eye could see and every table was covered with shimmering blue tablecloths. The overall effect of the vibrant colors, the ornate animals and the delicate technique was breath-taking. I was touched by the lengths they had gone to to create such a beautiful event.
Kate gently brought me out of my stupor and helped me to sit on the nearest lounge chair. Once I was properly situated, she asked, “So, what do you think?”
I shook my head. “In a word? Exquisite. Amazing? Maybe I need two words. Exquisitely amazing!”
She beamed. “I’m glad you like it.”
Beholding the backyard, I was impressed with how woefully inadequate the baby shower I had thrown Kate had been, but there was no denying I lacked both her artistic talent and her party planning skills. I can plan the heck out of a corporate meeting, a complicated training session or even a whole house move, but introduce any element of the artistic into the fray and I’m hopeless.
I regarded Kate with chagrin. “I’m sorry your baby shower wasn’t more like this.”
She scoffed. “Don’t be silly, Syd. We each have our own unique talents. My baby shower was just as special.”
I smirked. “That’s kind of you to say, but YOUR baby shower couldn’t have been photographed for a magazine spread.” I thought about the bunny piñata with regret. At the time it seemed like it would be cute, but the garish pink head ended up adding a tacky feel to the whole event. You live, you learn. I would definitely do better the next time.
Kate leaned down and hugged me gently. “You flatter me, little sister.”
I rested my head on her shoulder. “You spoil me, as usual.”
“That’s my job.” She brought her forehead to mine. “I have a few things to take care of inside. Be right back.” After a quick kiss on my cheek, she was gone and I was left to chat with Grace and Vivian.
Five minutes later, Kate returned to the backyard. “A vital part of our setup crew is still missing. Has anyone heard from Maya?”
We all pulled out our cell phones, but there were no messages from Maya. I shrugged my shoulders and addressed Kate. “I’m guessing she ran into some kind of wedding emergency.”
With only two weeks until her wedding, Maya had far surpassed any Bridezilla I’d ever seen. (And we know I have watched a lot of WE TV.) It’s a wonder no lives have been lost at this point.
Kate clenched her fists. “Wait until I get my hands on her! She was supposed to help set up.”
I snorted. “Kate, I love you, but you’re nowhere near as scary as you think.” She gave me a dark look, compelling me to backpedal slightly. “At least when, um, it comes to Maya. She’s not afraid of anyone.” I paused. “Unlike me.”
Thirty minutes later, guests began to arrive, filling Kate’s back yard with excitement. The décor brought forth gasps of delight while the food caused Kate to be bombarded with requests for recipes. Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world, I marveled once more at my sister’s incredible talent.
An hour into the shower, Maya finally arrived. Kate was LIVID. I haven’t seen her this angry since Louis accidentally decapitated Sam’s favorite stuffed pig. (The permanent press cycle was too much for the ill-fated porcine.) If not for the spare pig Nick had stowed away, I feared Louis would have met the same fate. When I saw her face, I instantly shuddered, wondering might be in store for my tardy friend.
Maya had almost reached me when she was wrestled into the kitchen by my outraged sister. I strained to hear their raised voices, but my ears were too far out of range to pull their usual auditory miracles. I caught only a few of Maya’s indignant statements, “…freakin’ dress out of customs! No cell service! I’m sorry!”
Uh oh. Please don’t tell me something happened to her wedding dress. Been there, done that. Granted, my ordeal was short-lived (discovering the loss of my dress the MORNING of my wedding and my mother-in-law finding it shortly before the ceremony), but it was severe enough to bring a chill to my spine merely hearing about a possible issue with a wedding dress. No bride should be put through such heart-stopping worry. It was just wrong.
My eavesdropping efforts came to a screeching halt when a group of friends from work came to visit with me. The conclusion of Maya’s tale of woe would most likely have to wait until the festivities were over. Rats. Pregnancy had made my lack of patience even more pronounced. Waiting was going to be excruciating, but I would do my best to fill the void with conversation and scrumptious snacks. Poor me.
Having finished hearing a round of stories of my favorite employees’ latest antics (Paul and Lyndsey had been in rare form for Vivian), I was ready for some sustenance. I placed my order with Simone, thanking her profusely for being my legs once more. (My French isn’t great. I may have told her she has nice legs. Either way, she was happy!)
Suddenly, an unexpected voice called out to me. “Syd! You look amazing!”
Zoe? Where did she come from? She was less than a week away from her due date. She couldn’t fly! Was it finally time for Louis to cart me to the asylum? Because auditory hallucinations meant the jig was up. For reals.
Kate chuckled at my bewildered expression and held up her iPad to reveal Zoe’s smiling face. I can’t believe I fell for the Face Time trick AGAIN! Combine intense gullibility, pregnancy brain and fatigue and you get an unwitting victim for mischief.
I smiled sheepishly. “Hi, Zoe! How are you feeling?”
She grimaced. “Like a heifer. Ugh.”
I gazed at her with empathy. “At least we get cute little babies out of this whole ordeal.”
Zoe giggled. “You said it, sister!”
The screen tilted and I found myself face-to-face with my mother. I beamed and practically shouted, “Mom!”
She returned my beam and sang, “Syd! I’m so happy to see your beautiful face.”
The combination of seeing my mother’s smile and knowing she would be here (fingers crossed) for the birth of my first child brought a lump to my throat. My lip started to quiver and tears sprang from my eyes as I tried to form words to explain my emotions.
My mom quickly became concerned. “Are you alright, sweetheart? Is the party too much excitement for you? Do you need some time alone? I’m sure Kate would be happy to settle you in for a nap in the guest room if it would make you feel better.”
I finally found my voice. “I’m fine, Mom. Really. I …I miss you.”
Her face softened. “I miss you too. I’ll be out there before you know it.”
For the next hour, Kate and I took turns chatting with my mom and Zoe. I introduced them to a few of my work friends while Kate carried them around the party, giving them a tour of her masterpiece. In all honesty, it felt a little strange having my family members partake in conversations via tablet screen, but if attending my baby shower virtually made my mom happy, then so be it.
I was about to say goodbye to the East Coasters, when Maya appeared next to me. “Hey, guys!” She waved at my mom and Zoe.
I turned to her and whispered, “Where have you been?”
She rolled her eyes and whispered back, “Kate forced me into kitchen duty as penance for being so late. I’m truly sorry, Syd.”
I squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry! It’s fine.”
“Is everything OK, girls?” my mom queried.
We responded in unison, “Everything is great!”
My mom regarded us skeptically for a moment. “If you say so.”
Maya recovered quickly. “So, Lyn, how was the big date?”
I snuggled my head into Maya’s shoulder and patted her on the back. Brilliant tactic! Maya is as devious as she is intelligent. My mom fell for it hook, line and sinker, spending the next five minutes gushing all over Maya for her hard work.
Throughout the praise, Maya seemed uncomfortable, finally interjecting, “Well, you know, Lyn, Teddy did plan a lot of the date himself—”
My mother made tutting noises. “Yes, of course, he did, but YOU made it happen.”
Sensing my mother was about to launch into further admiration, Zoe said, “So, Syd, how’s the house hunting going?”
I clapped my hands. “It’s going great!”
My mom jumped in. “Have you found any good prospects?”
Maya snorted. “They can’t agree on anything.”
I glared at her with an unmistakable, “I’m going to hurt you for not only killing my mom’s party buzz, but also making her worry” look. I must be getting better at channeling my emotions into facial expressions, because Maya stayed silent.
I turned back to the screen and smiled. “We were having difficulty agreeing on a few minor things, but that’s all changed.” I paused for effect. “We found a house!”
Maya slapped her palm to her forehead. “It’s a miracle!”
Rather than call her out on her own difficulties of late, I stayed focused on the screen in front of me. “Louis and I had been struggling with finding a house which fulfills both of our…desires.” I couldn’t actually call a fireplace or a two-car garage a need, could I? “But this house made us reassess our priorities.”
Maya tapped me on the shoulder. “Enough with the preliminaries. Tell us about the house!”
Following a final eye roll in her direction, I broke into a huge grin. “It’s gorgeous, you guys! It’s a one story house—white with black shutters—with three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a beautiful kitchen and a big yard with a swing set. Mom! It even has built in window seats and a magnolia tree in the front lawn!”
No, my love of magnolia trees doesn’t stem from my obsession with the movie Steel Magnolias. (Good guess though!) There happens to be a huge magnolia tree in my parents’ front yard, which was the final selling point for my mother. Right before moving in, she and my father were married underneath it, the branches brimming with beautiful blossoms and an enchanting scent permeating the air as they said their vows.