“You were stillasleep?” She giggled and shook her head as she used her hip to push the door open and slip past me into the kitchen.
What is happening?
She hesitated by the kitchen table; with all the opened mail, empty Saltines wrappers, takeout receipts, and recycling waiting to be taken down to the bins, there was nowhere for her to set down the bag and flowers. She opted for the counter instead.
“Uh …” I struggled to keep my voice light. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help,” she said brightly, as though it should be obvious.
“Help with … what?”
“Well, I know early pregnancy can be tough—nausea, aches and pains, exhaustion—so I’m here to help make sure our baby has everything it needs.” Before I could move, she reached out and patted my stomach. “Oh! I think you’re starting to fill out!”
My mouth fell open.
“Anyway, I picked you up a few things that should help.” She started unpacking items from the bag. “This is an organic herbal tea created by top obstetricians with all the essential herbs and nutrients for pregnancy.” She held up an ornate tin.
Wow.I had heard of that tea before—that one small tin cost at least seventy-five dollars.
“And these are the best prenatal vitamins on the market, as well as some ginger lozenges you can suck on—oh, and some high-protein bars you can eat for breakfast or a snack. Both should help with the nausea.” She set the items down on the counter.
How much money had she dropped on all this stuff?
“Madison, this is really kind of you, but … totally unnecessary.”
“It’s no trouble. It’s for the baby.” She turned to face me, her eyes sweeping up and down my body. I crossed my arms over my chest. “I also wanted to ask—what’s your usual exercise routine?”
“Uh … why?”
Her forehead creased, as she pursed her lips. “It’s just so important to stay in the best shape possible while pregnant—not just so you can gain the least amount of weight, but also to keep your heart healthy, your oxygen levels up, and your blood flowing optimally.”
So she was here to … educate me?
“Plus, once the baby’s here, you’ll have Max and me to help take care of it, so you can focus on finding yourself a new man!” Her expression brightened suddenly. “I know! I’ll sign us up for a prenatal yoga class! I’ll go with you, so you don’t have to do it alone! Won’t that be fun?”
I rubbed my temples. “I don’t know—I don’t really have a lot of time right now, with work …”
Her cheerful expression melted as she tilted her head. “Savannah,” she chided. “You shouldn’t work too much. Too much stress can have negative effects on the baby.”
“Yeah, totally—it’s just that we’re onboarding a new client right now, and that’s always a lot of extra work, initially … but once they approve my proposal, things should calm down a little.”
“But Savannah—nothing is more important than the health of our child. Right?”
Okay, this was starting to get weird.Did she just sayourchild?
“Well, of course not,” I said, an audible sharpness in my tone, “but it’s my job. Ineedmy job.” I hesitated. “I do walk back and forth to work every day, which is at least twelve blocks round—”
“Well, when you don’t take an Uber, that is,” she teased, swatting playfully at me.
I paused. “How did you know that?”
Madison turned around, her back to me, and started reorganizing her purchases. “Well … I happened to be passing by the other day, and saw you getting into a car with an Uber sign on the windshield. So, you’re not walkingeveryday.”
I let a breath out quickly. “I’m puking my guts out every morning,” I said, hating that I suddenly found myself in a defensive posture. “Sometimes I just don’t have the energy to walk after that.”
She gave me a compassionate frown. “Oh, I know.” Maybe she meant to sound sweet, but I found it more patronizing. “But remember—it’s all about what’s best for the baby. Baby needs that exercise too.” She reached into her bag. “I got you one more present. Here!”
Madison handed me a thick, paperback book,What to Expect When You’re Expecting, as she beamed proudly.
