Jericho ~ Present
“I PICKED UP THIS DRESSER today, and moved all of my stuff to one side of the closet. Plus, I cleared out some drawers and counter space in the bathroom. If you need any more room, or anything else, just let me know and I’ll make it happen.”
We’d wheeled Natasha’s suitcases into the bedroom, and I had her overnight bag slung over my shoulder. In reality, with her clothes, shoes, and toiletries packed, there wasn’t a whole lot more for the movers to bring over.
“Wow, you did all of this today?” Natasha asked, sticking her head in the closet then looking back at me in wonder. “That’s incredibly sweet.”
“I want you to feel at home,” I replied, setting her bag on the bed. “Do you want to put stuff away first, or eat first?”
“Eat, definitely,” she said, patting her flat belly, and as I looked down at her hand, I imagined what she’d look like once a few months had passed and she was starting to show.
I can’t wait.
“Then let’s go get cooking.” I held my elbow out gallantly, and she tucked her hand inside with a smile.
In the kitchen, I had the makings for chicken stir fry and rice, one of the first meals we’d ever made together back in my old apartment. Natasha looked at me, her eyes slightly misty, then tucked into me and gave me a hug.
Then we got to work.
It was just like when we were younger. I put on the rice, while Natasha started chopping, then we worked seamlessly together until the stir fry was plated and we were ready to share our first meal together in our home.
“Do you want water, juice, or maybe some ginger ale?” I asked as I pulled out a water for myself.
“Um, water sounds good,” Natasha said, then looked at the bottle in my hand and added, “You know, you can have a beer, or whatever you want. Just cause I’m not drinking doesn’t mean you can’t.”
“Nah, like I said, I want to experience everything about this pregnancy with you. That means, no drinking until you can.”
“Does that mean you’re going to puke when I puke, too?” she asked with a grin as we sat at the table.
“No, smart ass, but I want to support you and really do this with you.”
“Sweet,” Natasha said again, with a shake of her head then took her first bite of stir fry. “Mmmmm, so good.”
“Yeah?” I asked with a chuckle, pleased that we still had it. As if it were a test that we’d needed to pass and had.
Natasha nodded, and as I joined her in eating, I knew it was time to fill her in on what was going on with my mother.
“You know how I’ve been busy since we got back?”
“Yeah,” Natasha replied, hovering her hand over her mouth when she talked.
“When we were driving back from Maryland, I got a call from my mother.”
Natasha put down her fork and reached for my hand.
“She’s out of jail, has been for a few weeks, and I guess she’s been looking for me. She heard about the money from my grandfather, and is looking for a cut. She threatened to come here, but Mick left this morning for Philly. He’s gonna find her and serve her papers, plus tell her she’s not getting a dime.”
“That’s awful, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it’s the first time she’s talked to you in all this time, and all she’s worried about is money. Why didn’t you tell me?” Natasha asked. Not angrily, just curious.
“At first, I was embarrassed. That she’s my mother and as you said, couldn’t care less about reconnecting with me, just concerned about getting money. I think I’m also not used to coming to you with stuff yet. It’s not that things haven’t been going great, they have . . . And it’s not that I thought you’d get scared and not stand by me. It’s more that I’m used to Hector being my sounding board now, and, although I don’t want that to change, you should be the first person I come to when something is going wrong. Or, right, for that matter.”
Natasha squeezed my hand and nodded.
“I get it, truly I do. I’m so used to my sisters being my first call whenever anything happens, that it almost doesn’t feel real until I’ve talked to them. But I promise the same, you’ll be my first call from now on.”
“It’s a pact,” I agreed, running my thumb over her hand before releasing it so we could both resume eating. “How are you feeling?”
“Great. I mean, I get nauseous sometimes, but when I eat a little something I feel better. I think my body’s telling me to snack more in between meals, rather than getting stuck at my desk and going long stretches of no eating.”
“Maybe keeping some nuts and string cheese or something at your desk will help.”
“Yeah, I’ll grab some stuff tomorrow . . . It still seems so surreal. I know I said we had to wait to hear it from the doctor, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure that I’m pregnant. I can hardly believe it.”
“And, does that make you happy?” I asked, hopeful that she was as ecstatic as I was.
Her smile was gorgeous when she replied, “Yes. Very happy. And, I take it from your reaction earlier, that you’re happy, too?”
“Thrilled,” I assured her. “This baby is going to have two parents that love him or her and will do everything to ensure he has a great childhood. We both learned from our parents’ mistakes, and, I for one, plan to be the best dad possible.”
Part of doing that means, I need to make sure this baby’s grandmother stays far, far away from my family.