Nineteen
‘Youdon’tthinkit’sthe menopause, do you?’ Lucy said as the three of us, namely me, Lucy, and Noelle sat around the dining room table, just as we had the other night, only this time without the men.
We were expecting Adele to join us, as I’d invited her to Far Cottage for drinks, a takeaway, and to discuss her wedding, but she was already five minutes late.
So while we waited, we exchanged ideas on why we thought Adele might be behaving as she was.
‘She’s only in her early forties,’ Noelle said. ‘Isn’t it a bit early for that?’
‘Not necessarily,’ I said. ‘Some women go through it very early. And for some, it’s horrendous, so I suppose it could be that.’
‘Unless she’s keeping something from us,’ Noelle added. ‘Something truly dreadful. Like a serious illness, or …. or worse.’
‘Do you think it could be that?’ Lucy queried. ‘Perhaps she’s having a breakdown or something. Didn’t Marcus say her emotions are constantly up and down?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘But other things can cause that to happen, not just a breakdown. Like the menopause, as you said. Or depression. Or lots of other things. Oh. And I suppose she could be pregnant.’
We all looked at one another.
‘Could it be that?’ Lucy asked after a moment.
‘It could, I suppose,’ said Noelle. ‘But she would’ve said something to me if that was the case. I’m fairly sure of that. Plus she’d be thrilled.’
‘Unless she doesn’t know,’ I said. ‘You do hear of women who have no idea they’re pregnant, until a baby pops out. Not often, I know. But it does happen.’
‘Wait,’ said Lucy. ‘She’s on her way up the path.’
‘Well,’ I said. ‘There’s only one way to find out. Let’s ask her outright.’
‘Let her have a drink and some food first,’ Lucy said.
‘No drink if she’s pregnant,’ said Noelle.
I raised my brows. ‘Are you going to be the one to tell her that?’
Noelle shook her head. ‘You’re the wedding planner. This is down to you.’
‘Hello!’ Adele called out from the hall. ‘It’s only me. Is it okay to come in?’
We all looked at one another and shook our heads.
‘Of course,’ I yelled. ‘It’s your house. Plus we invited you. We’re in the dining room.’
She popped her head around the door and gave us a sheepish smile.
‘I’m so sorry I’m late. I … I couldn’t find a thing to wear.’ Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. ‘Nothing seems to fit these days. Marcus says I should go on a spending spree and buy myself some new clothes. But I can’t do that. Especially not with this … with this … w … wedding.’ The flood gates opened.
Lucy jumped up and got a box of tissues from the kitchen and Noelle sat Adele down and wrapped her arms around her.
‘I’ll make us all a lovely cup of tea,’ I said.
If we all had tea, Adele wouldn’t want wine. I thought that was best, just in case. I didn’t think for a minute that Adele was pregnant. And yet, why not? She and Marcus were only in their early forties and they obviously had sex like everyone else on the planet. Well, not me, lately, But I was hoping that was about to change. Or at least it might in two or three weeks.
But did they even want children? Had they discussed it?
I tried to dismiss it from my mind but for some reason, while I was in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil it got me thinking.
What about me? What did I want? I knew Lucy wanted the whole marriage and kids thing. She always had. But me? It hadn’t been something I’d given much thought.
