"MOM! MOM! MOMMY! MOM!..." Marianne's attention was drawn to her six-year-old daughter, Rose, who needed her urgently. "What's wrong, baby?" Marianne asked, snapping out of her thoughts.
Rose pointed to the overfilled peanut butter on her bread. "You put too much peanut butter on my slice!" Marianne gasped, quickly washing off the excess and drying her hands with a paper towel. "What a waste!" she exclaimed, disappointment etched on her face.Marianne's mind had been preoccupied with the day's news - an unplanned pregnancy, unwanted by her boyfriend, Greg. For ten years, six months, and twelve days, Greg had emphasized the struggles of raising their daughter, Rose. He never seemed ready for the responsibility, making Marianne feel like she had forced him into parenthood. Despite her stability and readiness for another child, Greg's reluctance loomed large.Feeling off for days, Marianne suspected she was pregnant and confirmed it with a home test. The positive result sparked fear about Greg's reaction, overshadowing her excitement. Rose, sensing her mother's distress, placed a tiny hand on hers. "Mom, are you okay?" Marianne, still lost in thought, slowly turned to her daughter. "Yes, baby, I'm just tired."Rose persisted, "Are you sure, Mommy? You're acting weird." Marianne forced a humorous tone, "Are you calling me a liar?" She lifted Rose off the kitchen floor, showering her with kisses as Rose held tight to her neck. The tender moment was disrupted by Greg's entrance into the room, followed by an uncomfortable silence."Good morning, dear," Marianne greeted, trying to sound casual. Greg, oblivious to the tension, asked about breakfast and an early meeting. Marianne pointed to his plate, "That's yours. Would you like some coffee?" Greg declined and headed to the living room to watch the news before his meeting. As he took a bite of his sandwich, Marianne offered him juice, bracing herself to share the unexpected news."Thanks," Greg said, taking the glass of orange juice while his eyes remained fixed on the news. He set it on the stool beside the one-seater sofa, oblivious to Marianne's attempts to get his attention. She tried to casually pass in front of the television, hoping to catch his eye, but he was too engrossed in the news."Can I watch the news first before you start your usual chores, please?" he asked irritably, putting down his sandwich as if he'd had enough. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to get your attention. I—"Greg cut her off before she could finish. "I can't right now, I have to get ready and leave quickly. Maybe later, or text me if you find the time," he suggested as he walked out to take a shower, leaving his plate and glass of juice behind. Marianne felt a surge of frustration and anxiety. She had been trying to tell him something important, but he never seemed to have the time or interest.Marianne felt her anxiety spike with every passing minute, her heart racing as if she'd been running. She had anticipated various reactions from Greg about the baby, none of which were positive. But she was prepared, thanks to her mother's advice to always be prepared for any circumstance. Her mother had always told her to expect the unexpected and to have a plan in place, and Marianne had taken that advice to heart.Throughout her teenage life, Marianne had made poor decisions, one after another. It was how she ended up in a relationship with Greg in the first place – "Five minutes of fun for a lifetime commitment," she often thought. She had been young and naive, and Greg had taken advantage of that. Despite this, she never regretted having Rose, who was always a blessing. The thought of having another child filled her with more joy than fear, except for the fear of possibly doing it alone if Greg refused to accept the situation, which was the most likely outcome.It was puzzling how a woman like Marianne, full-figured and beautiful, with a warm and loving personality, ended up with a self-centered man like Greg. Marianne's curves and Brazilian skin tone complemented her light brown hair and eyes, and her lips were designed for warm, heartfelt kisses. She had a natural beauty that radiated from within, and she had a heart of gold. But low self-esteem can lead people to settle for less; Marianne lost her mother at a young age and her father was always away on business trips, leaving her with a grandmother who did her best but couldn't provide the emotional support Marianne needed.As a result, Marianne had grown up feeling unworthy and unloved. She had sought validation in all the wrong places, including in her relationship with Greg. But now, with another baby on the way, she was determined to break free from her past and create a better future for herself and her children.Marianne quickly cleaned up after Greg and Rose, who was engrossed in her favorite early morning cartoons in the living room. Seeing an opportunity for a brief moment with Greg before Rose started looking for her again, Marianne tiptoed to the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath and began to speak, hoping that this time, Greg would finally listen."Greg, I need to talk to you about something important," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "I've been trying to tell you for days, but you never seem to have the time. I'm pregnant, Greg. We're having another baby."The room fell silent, and Marianne's heart raced as she waited for Greg's response. She had anticipated anger, denial, or even indifference, but she had not expected the silence that followed. It was as if Greg had frozen in time, unable to process the news.As Marianne shut the door behind her, Greg exited the bathroom, drying his light brown short hair with a small towel while another body towel wrapped him from the waist down. Despite their troubled relationship, Marianne couldn't help but notice the attractive man standing before her. "Six feet of a whole hunk, but no brains," she thought to herself, a hint of sarcasm in her mind."I thought you were cleaning the living room?" Greg asked, breaking the silence. Marianne snapped out of her reverie and replied immediately, "I wanted us to talk before you left." But Greg was in a hurry, and his response was curt: "But I told you I needed to leave urgently, can't this wait?"Marianne tried to explain, but Greg cut her off again. "You look tired and sick; have you been to a hospital?" He asked with sudden concern, his tone a mix of worry and annoyance. Marianne's tongue felt heavy, and she struggled to respond. She wished he could read her mind or predict her thoughts like he had during her
Night fell, and Marianne felt elated all day, thanks to Greg's sudden change of heart towards the surprise pregnancy. She had been cleaning all day while Rose played at her friend's house next door. With boundless energy, she vacuumed and mopped every room, washed dishes, and put clothes in the washer. She even dried them outside, remembering her mother's advice: "What better way to kill germs than with the scorching sun?"As she prepared a special meal for supper, her mood leaned towards spaghetti and meatballs, a dish she excelled at. Rose finally came back at four, and Marianne ran a bath for her. After dressing Rose in her nightwear, Marianne started putting the food away in warmers and setting the table. She took Greg's offer to ask for whatever she wanted on his way back, requesting a vanilla milkshake and a burger with extra cheese and mayo.As soon as she finished washing the dishes, Rose called out, "Mommy, I'm done!" Marianne rinsed her hands, dried them, and headed to the ba
Marianne came to and found herself laying on a hospital bed, in a hospital gown and connected to a drip. Greg was seated right next to her dozing off at the edge of the bed while Rose was fast asleep on the sofa right across from her bed, her head was pounding like someone were drumming on it and she felt sick to her stomach.She lay her hand on her tummy and woke Greg from his snooze, "my baby? Is the baby okay?", she asked with tears in her eyes."You're awake! Nurse!", He called out to a nurse immediately.Marianne held his hand tight before he could step away, "Greg, my baby. Please tell me"He put his other hand over hers and finally gave a response,"I'm so sorry my love, we lost it",Marianne put her hand over her mouth as tears started to flow down her cheeks, she gasped and let out a loud sob."Why? How? I was just fine and...." she looked up to him and anger immediately filled her heart."What did you do?", She asked him hitt
The nurse finally let Greg in though not so willingly after she noticed the uncomfortable situation Marianne was having, she stood by the door for a good minute while he walked in and approached the bed Marianne was on. Greg sat back on the stool he had been sitting on before he left and held Marianne’s hand.“It’s going to be okay, I’m here for you”, he assured her.Nothing anyone would say could change Marianne’s mood at that point, the only thing she wanted was to have her baby back, but that was not possible. For the last two days of knowing she was pregnant she had been planning out his or her future, where she would give birth, what kind of clothes the baby would be wearing, what school or food to consider etc.Now what? Does she just continue like nothing ever happened? Must she forget what could have been a second child again? She turned to look over at the sofa where Rose had been sleeping,“my little Ros
Marianne was staring in the direction in which the sad man left and stopped to think about how he could be feeling, he didn’t look that old so his daughter could not have been in her teens yet unless otherwise.Just the thought of losing a child you already have memories with sent chills down her spine and made her feel even worse for the sad man. Greg mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and asked her what she had been thinking of cause it pretty much looked like she had zoned out for a moment.“Nothing, did you get the get the cake?”,Marianne asked him as she started to pick up her belongings and held Rose’s hand to get up.“All out can you believe that honey?”, he looked at Rose trying to show disappointment in his face.When what actually happened was...While Greg was on his way to the counter where he had spotted very attractive and delicious looking chocolate cakes through the glass counter, walking towards the counter he bumped into one o
The garage door closed behind them and Greg turned off the engine and told Rose to head in while he and Marianne took a minute to talk,“Hey sweetie go in and watch some TV, Mummy and I will only be a minute okay?”,He maneuvered his way to the back while still in his seat, helped her out of her seat belt and opened the door for her and she quickly ran to the entrance through the garage into the house and disappeared.Greg got comfortable and turned to Marianne,“I really did not find any cake, they must have-“,“you think I’m worried about that?”, Marianne cut him off with a question.“What was in that milkshake Greg?”, she went straight to the point.“What are you trying to say Marianne, I put nothing in it. How could you think of me like that?”, he answered so offended by her accusation then turned to the wind shield and placed his hands on the wheel to lay his head on them.Unmoved, Marianne’s feelings started changing by the minut
Greg hurriedly picked up his phone and sat back on his seat, Marianne came closer to see what was up with him and he pretended to reach for something in his pocket so he could hide the card.“What was that all about?”, she asked him about burst in laughter because it looked like he was about to sweat his hair off.“Nothing, you just startled me, a whistle would help you know”, he said so agitated yet trying to keep his cool.Marianne couldn’t help but laugh at the scene, he looked like a child trying to hide a piece of meat in his mouth while being interrogated by his mother. It was really amusing for her.“Anyway, sorry”, Marianne apologised as she exited the kitchen still chuckling.Greg let out a breath of relief thinking he had handled that well, most women would be on their man’s neck trying to get the truth out of him.“But she didn’t seem to care”, he thought to himself with eyes squinted and fingers pressed to his chin. He also wondered ho
Marianne still couldn’t believe what just happened, as she drove away she glanced into the side window to see if Greg was waiting for her to leave or running to the car to stop them.He just stood there, motionless, straight faced and blunt. She couldn’t make out what emotions he was showing from that distance but deep down she knew he was waiting for this day, but if she was frank with herself, so was she. 10 years of a lifeless meaningless relationship? What was she doing?Now all she had to think of was how to survive on her own with her little Rose, the first step was to find Nurse Lucy and see what happened from there. Only God knew what lay ahead.“You okay sweetie?”, she checked her mirror to see what Rose had been doing in the back so quiet.Marianne was shocked to see that she was flat asleep holding her favorite stuffed doll, the one she called princess Mickayla. Such a sweet site she could shed a tear, but that was not necessary especially since sh