For once, Ben had actually eaten his large plate of crawfish with her.She had passed on the swamp critters and instead nibbled on the corn and potatoes.No way was she going to eat something that wiggled around in the mud.
After dinner though, Ben did what he always did at these things—even though he had promised to stay with Ella.Of course, he had asked for permission before abandoning her for his golf buddies as they all went outside to look at the scoreboard.He asked if she wanted to join him.She promptly said no and encouraged him to go ahead.The last thing she wanted to do was stand around in the heat watching her feet grow even larger.Instead, she sat at a table with people she did not know and pretended she was interested in the conversation of the lady next to her going on and on about her terrible maid.It was all so cliché Ella fought the urge to say, “Finding good help is a first-world problem.”Ella doubted the lady would even get it, so she said nothing.
Around 8:00, the band began playing.Ella was surprised at how good they were.She was tapping her swollen feet and swaying to the music when she saw her mother’s name pop up on her phone.Answering, she said, “Hey, Mom, it is really loud in here.Hang on a second while I step outside.”
Stepping outside, Ella took the call by the empty pool area.As quickly as she could, she scurried over to one of the deck chairs and plopped down into it.Holding the phone off to one side, she put her mother on speaker to make it easier to talk.
“Okay, are you still there?”she asked, a little out of breath.
“Yes, dear.Where are you?The music is so loud,” said her mom.
“We are at one of Ben’s golf things.”
“Golf at night?”asked her mother, confused.
“They play golf during the day.At night they have dinner and dancing.”
“Sounds like a lot to me.You are eight months pregnant.You should be home resting.”
Ella did not respond to her mother’s critical comment.She knew full well that her mom had worked on her feet all nine months of five of her pregnancies.Why she suddenly was all about pregnant women needing to be treated with kid gloves and spend time resting was comical.Of course, Ella did not say any of that.Truth was, Ella would have much preferred to have been home resting, but she was not going to say that either.Instead she asked, “What’s up?Why did you call?”
“I called because I am worried about you.How are you feeling?”
“I am okay.I feel like a bloated, beached whale most of the time, but I’m making it.”
“That is great, honey.Make sure you keep an eye on the swelling.Remember your cousin Lueann got toxemia.She almost died.Make sure they check you for that if you are swelling too much.”
Ella rolled her eyes.It was only May, but it was already ninety degrees here.Of course, she was swelling.Not wanting to get into a long discussion with her mother about her cousin and all the things that could go wrong with her, Ella said, “Yes, Mother, I will ask the doctor when I see her this week.”
“I wish I were there with you.Don’t worry.I have already booked a flight for the second week of June.I hope that I am able to be there when the baby is born.I hate you are there all by yourself with no one to help you.I wish you had not stayed there so long, working on that project.If you had left in April like your father and I begged you too, you could have had the baby here with your family to help you.Since you can’t come home now, how is the counseling going?I knew when you married so quickly it was not going to end well.You know nothing is set in stone.We are here for you.I mean obviously you two are trying, but maybe this is just not meant to be.”
Again Ella rolled her eyes.She and her mother had been through this a dozen times.She regretted telling her mom about going to counseling.She had taken it as proof that their marriage was not as strong as it should be.While that might be true, Ella did not need her mother constantly reminding her of it.Also, she would never admit it to her mother, but the thought of delivering John in Napa with her family close by to help did sound appealing.However, she knew that would not have been fair to Ben.She had come to Little Rock knowing that she would have to deliver there.She could not see Ben being okay with her picking up and going back to Napa to have the baby.In a way, the soil project had given her the perfect excuse to never have to address the issue.Wanting to divert her mother’s attention to an easier topic, she said, “Well, I have good news.The project is ahead of schedule and will finish this week.Blesson is so impressed by my work, he offered me another project to work on.Of course, I had to turn it down because it was right in the middle of June.But it was nice to be asked.”
“That is fabulous, Ella.Baby, I am so proud of you.You are going to be an incredible conservationist.Speaking of that, have you made any decisions about moving to Michigan?Sophie has been looking at apartments and houses for rent online.If you are going to take your scholarship, you really need to nail down a place to live.As soon as you do, Sophie is going to go ahead and fly out there and get everything set up.”
Ella tried to break into the conversation to tell her mother that she had still not made any decisions, but her mother was talking a mile a minute.Ella let her mother ramble.“Sophie wanted me to tell you that she has picked out her bridesmaids dresses.Has she told you that yet?”
Ella indeed did know that.Sophie and she talked often.Ella had already ordered her dress.She decided to order a dress one size up from her usual size two because the wedding would be a few weeks after John’s due date.She hoped she would have lost enough baby weight to get in it.At least Sophie had chosen a dress with an empire waist, so even if she still had a baby belly, the dress would fit.Again Ella would have told her mom that if she had given her the chance, but she did not.Instead, her mom jumped to the next topic like a squirrel chasing a nut.
“Poor Sophie and Paulo will only have four days together before he ships out for Germany.I hate that for them.I encouraged her to move up her wedding date, but she refused as it might mean you could not be here.That girl idolizes you.I think the only way she will manage being away from Paulo for a year is to be with you and John in Michigan.You will be helping her as much as she is helping you.”
At that point, Ella let out a long, deep sigh.Her mother was relentless.Ella knew her mother’s words and actions came from a place of love, yet they wore her down.Did her mom not think she wanted to go to Michigan with Sophie and John?Of course, she did.But, she also wanted to stay with Ben.The thought of leaving him, even for a year, made her sick to her stomach.Phone calls like these made everything worse.Ella let her mom rattle on for a few more minutes about how great it was going to be for Ella and Sophie in Michigan before she had all she could take.Sighing, she forced a smile on her face and said in a cheery voice she did not feel well.“Hey, Mom, I hate to do this, but I see Ben motioning to me.I have to go.I love you.I will talk to you next week.”
“Oh, okay,” her mother stuttered.Shocked that Ella had to end the call when she was enjoying their conversion, she resigned, “I understand.Call this week after your doctor’s appointment.”
“I will,” said Ella, and as she went to click off, she heard her mom remind, “Don’t forget to ask about the toxemia.”
Ella hated that she had hung up on her mom.Honestly, if she had not ended the call when she did, it would have gone on like that forever with her mother urging her to leave Ben.She had had all she could take.
After Ella hung up, she heard a sound and turned to see the most beautiful woman standing behind her.The lady was about Bennett’s age, and she was as tiny as Ella had once been.Her long, red hair fell in waves, and she was dressed to the nines.She was the most elegant woman at tonight’s events—hands down.Ella gave her a wary look because she had no idea how long the lady had been standing there.Since the call was on speaker, there was no telling how much of it she had heard.
Giving Ella an embarrassed smile, the lady said, “I apologize.I was not trying to eavesdrop.I came out here to take a call too, and in the dark, I did not see you until I was right here.”
Ella shrugged.What did it matter what the lady heard?She did not know her, and she probably did not even know what she and her mother were talking about.“It’s okay.I was just talking with my mother.She gets a bit carried away sometimes, but she means well.”
“You are lucky.Mothers who care are the best.”Extending her hand, the lady said, “I am Joules Parker.I work with your husband.I am a long-time friend of the family and have known him for years.You picked a good one in him.”
Ella recalled that Ben had mentioned that the big-time political news analyst who used to be his dad’s chief of staff had taken a leave of absence from her national television job to help run his dad’s campaign along with another guy from Washington.Worry flooded Ella’s face the minute she made the connection that this Joules person not only knew Ben, but probably understood exactly what her mom was trying to talk her into.Giving Joules a pleading look, Ella said, “I don’t know how much you heard, but I ask that you not repeat any of it.My mom wants all her chickens back with her.She thinks if I go to Michigan that I will return to Napa after I graduate.I think her worst fear is that I will be stuck here in Arkansas forever with no family and no help.Those are her words, not mine.I know that Ben would not take kindly to hearing any of this and would not understand.Ben and my parents did not get off to the best start.I don’t want to do anything that would make that worse.Not sure if any of this makes any sense.”
