"Anya, aren't you eating?" Naomi asked, looking puzzled, I suppose. My best friend seemed to be helping Dona destroy my kitchen.
Speaking of the two of them, don't forget about Dona, who now ruled my kitchen as if she owned it. They dropped by after work, uninvited. I didn't want to entertain any visitors, but what could I say when they were already in the lobby asking to be picked up.
"Later," I replied lazily. I preferred to sit back as I was still tired. Plus, I suddenly felt annoyed. I quickly opened my bag and took out the paper with Cedric's name on it. That darn guy!
I crumpled the paper and immediately threw it into the trash can near the TV. "Damn it!"
"Why are you upset?" Dona asked, approaching me with a plate of freshly fried potatoes. The hot aroma still wafted, indicating that they had just been taken out of the frying pan. "I'm really hungry. Anya didn't want to get food first. She said she was afraid you'd faint."
I rolled my eyes irritably. "Both of you are so annoying." I grabbed the fries without bothering to wash my hands. As a result, Dona patted my hand's back lightly, giving me a look of disdain. With a hiss like a snake, she told me to wash my hands.
Seriously, I felt too tired to move. Maybe I was just too exhausted, which made me like this.
"You were cursing someone earlier," Naomi said, sitting beside me. She placed a tray with three cups of cold juice that looked refreshing. Before I could even think about grabbing one, Dona was still giving me a cynical look.
"Anya, don't be gross! Wash your hands!"
I pouted afterward.
"How was your day?" Between the two of them, Naomi was the one who cared most about my life. She always acted as an older sister to me, as well as a pal to her jerk friend, Dona. Questions like this sometimes made me feel like I wasn't so alone.
"Just normal, you know how Queen Krystal is."
Naomi nodded in agreement.
"I met Cedric earlier," Dona said while munching on the tomato sauce-covered fries. She was the number one fan of tomato sauce. Since they both often dropped by here, I always had enough stock of that sauce. No matter what kind of food, Dona would always dip it in tomato sauce. I was amazed, a guy who likes tomato sauce?
I slowed down my juice intake.
"We work in the same office, so it's normal to meet. If suddenly you don't meet Cedric, that's what's suspicious. Unless he suddenly resigns because he was told you're pregnant, Anya."
Dona burst into laughter. "I agree with you, Nao."
"It doesn't matter if he resigns. It has nothing to do with me," I retorted. And it was true, right? What did I care? Nothing. All day, I only thought about what was in my belly. Not Cedric. He didn't even have the intention to tell me he was pregnant, let alone anything else. So, what fundamental reason did I have to think about him?
None.
Suddenly, a sofa cushion landed perfectly on my shoulder, almost hitting the side of my head. Oh, my goodness! Naomi!!!
"How long are you going to delay, Anya?"
I sighed softly as I put the cushion back in its place. "I didn't intend to tell him."
Dona choked on the fries, probably because she quickly grabbed her glass and greedily gulped down its contents. "Don't be crazy! Your child needs a clear status, and a clear father, Anya!"
"Dona is right. Don't be selfish," Naomi added.
"What should I hope for? Is he going to take responsibility? If he does, can he balance my life right now? Cedric is just an office boy, you know?"
"Are you crazy!" Dona half-shouted. "You haven't even talked to Cedric yet, and you're already underestimating him."
"Not like that, Don. Well, I'm just being realistic. In terms of salary, I'm clearly different from him, right?"
Dona went silent.
"In terms of position, okay, I'm just an ordinary employee compared to Queen Krystal. But at least my position is decent. And now, my position is threatened because of the pregnancy. If I get fired, is Cedric going to take responsibility for him as an OB? Is that it?" I said with frustration. I didn't care how my words reverberated perfectly in my apartment.
Dona looked at me, not with an emotional gaze but with a look of concern. Maybe she was already thinking, what about me now? The one facing it directly? Okay, this is my fault. But that doesn't mean I'm no longer thinking of finding a way out, right?
Naomi seemed to be stressed as well. The proof was that she kept sighing, rubbing her nose. "So what are you going to do now, Anya?"
***
I didn't know what to do this morning. I woke up too early; I usually wake up at five, but this time, my eyes refused to close even though it was only four. When I sipped the warm tea, it led me straight to the toilet. I sat there silently, trying to calm down my upset stomach.
The feeling? Not good at all! Even the thick and bitter liquid felt uncomfortable in my throat. Oh God! I had no idea why this was happening! I couldn't even manage to get up and wash my face. But I couldn't stay like this, right? With whatever energy was left, I left the toilet. My goal was to reach my phone. At least, I needed to inform Naomi or Dona. Fortunately, they could stop by first, and I could catch a ride with them. There was no way I could drive in this condition. I still valued my life.
My phone's digital clock showed six in the morning. That meant I had spent almost an hour in there, getting rid of everything inside me. No traces remained, I believed. No wonder I felt so weak and powerless.
Anya P: Naomi, can you drop by? I'm vomiting.
After managing to send that message, I decided to close my eyes for a moment. I tried to normalize the uneasy feeling and the urge to vomit again. The vibration of my phone interrupted me.
Naomi: On the way.
At least, among the many things that made me feel alone, I still had Naomi. Maybe Dona too.
***
I forced myself to work, ignoring Naomi's nagging all the way to the office. Well, I felt much better now, even though I hadn't taken a shower. Trust me; I didn't smell bad. I just wiped my body with warm water, no shampoo. It's okay for just today. Usually, I'm diligent in grooming my long hair."If you faint, don't ask for my help!" Naomi said fiercely as we arrived in the basement. Naomi's floor was different from mine, although we still worked for the same company. She was on the 21st floor, while I was on the executive floor, the 22nd floor. On the 21st floor, it was more about the central operations like finance, HR, and finance.I just smiled without guilt. Well, since she arrived, I felt a little better, even though I was showered with suspicious looks. She said I was pretending to be healthy just to work. I shook my head in wonder at her thoughts.As we walked around the lobby, someone patted my shoulder. When I turned, I found an oriental-looking man with maybe his best smil
Every time I stepped into the office; I could always smell the damask rose aroma from a well-known brand's scent diffuser. It's because Krystal loves roses so much. I didn't mind it because it was refreshing and made the whole room smell nice. That's why I also stocked up on many room fresheners for my apartment.The scent I chose was more of spices and woods. It made me feel like I was in a pine forest—peaceful and serene.But this time, despite feeling perfectly fine in the morning—no weird sensations or sudden nausea—right when I opened the office door after lunch, I felt queasy. I rushed to the toilet and ended up vomiting everything I had for lunch. No leftovers. It seemed like the remnants of breakfast had successfully occupied the toilet too.I gasped for breath, feeling like a fish, panting heavily from what I had just expelled without pause or apology. I had no idea how long I had been in the bathroom. Fortunately, no other employees entered. At least no one asked me what was
The mug I held warmed me up perfectly as I stood on the balcony, feeling a bit chilly. I let the night breeze mess up my hair. Occasionally, I took a sip from the mug, jasmine tea, savoring each sweetness that touched my taste buds. I didn't care if I caught a cold later.My thoughts drifted to everything that was happening right now, including my conversation with Naomi on the way home from work. She scolded me harshly, even called me stupid. When Naomi used harsh words, it meant she was very angry."I might just terminate it. It's not big yet," I said lightly, not looking at Naomi who had been silent since she got into the car. She had asked about my condition earlier, and I had only answered that I was feeling better thanks to the eucalyptus oil.She said it was possible that I couldn't handle strong fragrances. She also added that hormones of young pregnant women were indeed weird and unpredictable. I knew for sure she was telling me that from an article she had read. Just like Do
"Damn it!!!" I cursed while hitting the steering wheel. Ignoring the slightly painful and definitely reddening hand, I quickly removed the car freshener as soon as my stomach started acting up. I threw it away in a rush, feeling confused about how I would get to the office now.Should I hang a eucalyptus oil bottle here? Ugh, so inconvenient!!!I massaged the bridge of my nose, trying to regulate my breathing and occasionally inhaling the scent of eucalyptus oil. I desperately tried to keep my stomach from acting up in the basement. I was sure I'd pass out if I vomited again."Miss Anya? Miss... are you okay?"When I turned around, I found one of the building security guards looking at me with concern. Before I could answer his question, my phone rang loudly. I nodded briefly at him, prioritizing the phone call over his question."Yes, ma'am?"I blinked, hearing the familiar voice on the other end."Alright, ma'am. I'm on the way."Now I was in a dilemma about how to get to the office
I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began to smell the scent of eucalyptus oil on the tissue, bit by bit. I did it intentionally because the rose scent in this room was so torturous. When I came back after lunch, my stomach was churning. I felt like vomiting, but I held it in. I chose to rub my nose with my damp fingers that had the eucalyptus oil.I rubbed the back of my hands, my neck, and even my throat with the oil. Also, the tip of my pointed nose. Can I ask Krystal to change the scent? But I wouldn't dare say that to her."Anya, come here for a moment."I flinched. My boss's face disappeared from behind the door of her office. I quickly put my high heels back on and headed to Krystal's room. I thought my boss had gone out for lunch and would take a while to return. Maybe she had a lot of work, so she chose to eat in her office. I didn't ask.During lunch, I just told her that I would be leaving. I asked if she wanted me to buy her some food, but she just smiled. So, I assu
This is already my second day in the hospital. Dona and Naomi take turns taking care of me, even though I don't want to trouble them. I feel guilty if one of them has to stay overnight to look after me. Although my headache is subsiding, the nausea keeps coming and going. The doctor said it's normal for the first trimester of my pregnancy.Talking about being pregnant makes me more determined. I feel a bit tired and I'm being taken care of. I feel a little nauseous, with an endless headache, and everything I eat comes out without exception. My activities are limited, and on top of that, the doctor says I have to do this and that. I feel exhausted."Don't space out, Anya." Naomi breaks my reverie. She came straight to the hospital after work this evening and stayed in my hospital room. She said Cedric wanted to visit, but I refused. Allowing Cedric to visit would be like allowing him to get closer to me. My mind wanders in all directions. What if I let him visit? He might not just leav
Welcome back home, Anya. I screamed with joy inside. Once the doctor gave me the green light to go home, the main thing I'll do is take a bath. Soak in the warm, foamy water in my bathroom's bathtub. And enjoy the friendly aroma therapy. I also haven't had time to find something that won't make me nauseous, so maybe I'll stick to using eucalyptus oil for now. That's fine.My two annoying best friends escorted me all the way to the front door. They were the ones carrying my bags and taking care of everything. I accepted their help gratefully, even though they really tested my patience.Besides the two of them, there's Cedric too. I could protest, but it's pointless. It's a Saturday, so no one is working, and they don't have the excuse of their work schedules being disturbed because of me. Damn it, they're so annoying!I still remember the night when Cedric stayed overnight. Not for a second did he take his attention off me. Whatever I needed, he went to great lengths to fulfill it. He
“Miss,” Cedric called, snapping me out of my daydream. The bottles of aroma therapy were already in front of me. I chose to sniff each one of them. As for the ones with flower images, I set them aside. They would make me nauseous for sure.My choice fell on the ones with a lot of Eucalyptus and Ginger. At least, their scent was relaxing when I inhaled them. Once I made my selection, Cedric smiled again. I couldn't ignore his effort, right? So, as an appreciation, I thanked him."I'm glad I can be of use to you, at least."I was taken aback for a moment. "Why?"I saw Cedric blink and look a bit embarrassed. I sat up straight on the long sofa while he chose to sit on the single one, right across from me."Uh... because you're pregnant, so I feel responsible for you.""So, if I weren't pregnant, you wouldn't be like this?" I don't know why I asked this way. It only made Cedric stare at me intensely. Ugh, why did I say that, Anya?!"Let's forget about that. Just answer my question honestl