The Hard Knock Life

Part 16

"Would you like to know the gender? You've said not yet about four times now." Dr. Matthews said, returning into the room with a folder of documents in his hands.

I thought about it as I pulled my shirt over my now humongous stomach, then looked up at August who had seemed like he wanted to know. On the other side of the bed was Celia. Her face was saying, 'it's your decision'. My heart was saying, 'say yes, say yes', but my mind was saying, 'just wait one more time. You're not ready'.

"I think I'll wait." I decided.

He looked at me questioningly. "Are you sure? This is your last appointment until you're due. You don't want to prepare your nursery or go shopping for clothes?"

"It's the last appointment already?" I said in disbelief.

I had had some false labor episodes, but I didn't expect time to go by so fast.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a tempting smile.

I sighed. "Alright tell me."

"Alright." He opened the folder and scanned the sheet as if he didn't already know. "Abigail Price, you are having a girl."

I smiled. A girl. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes ma'am, a girl."

My smile grew when I looked at Celia and August. I wished I could share this moment with Asia but she was hadn't been around. After I left the room that day, August said she went on a rampage and said how August never stood up for her. She had asked him questions like, 'do you think I'm a brat? Do I get mad over foolishness? Do I have a problem?'. He tried to tell her she was overreacting but that only made it worse. 'Oh, so you're calling me crazy', she said. Long story short, she was just convinced we were all against her and left. Ever since Eli, she'd been thinking out of sorts. Getting mad over nothing and overreacting over everything. Would it be wrong to say I was glad I didn't have to put up with it anymore?

I won't say it.

After the doctor's appointment, the three of us went to the mall. We bought so many things for the baby it was ridiculous; I haven't laughed so much in years when August ran around the stores in excitement grabbing me things and almost tripping over himself. The amount of racks he knocked over and teddy bears falling down, I couldn't help myself. I was almost on the floor in stitches if it wasn't for Celia keeping me on my feet.
Preparing the nursery for the baby was just as fun. Celia let me paint with her and August. She almost said no after I had been distracted, taking so many pictures in my new, cute, maternity overalls. The best part was when August got paint on himself, trying to get a good grip on the can to pour it out. That time I was actually on the floor, holding my stomach and my chest. Celia had bent over laughing and ended up with paint in her hair when her head touched the wall. She was upset but I found it hysterical. That is, until I realized I had gotten paint on the butt of my overalls.
The nursery was all finished at close to one in the morning - so they said, because I had fallen asleep on the floor on the job. 

I got out of my bed and walked over to the room we were working in and when I beheld the beauty of it all, it almost brought tear to my eyes. The walls were a mixture of a soft shade of pink and mango yellow. The crib, just under the picture of a 3-dimensional sign that said Baby Girl on the wall perpendicular to me and the dresser, on the opposite wall. Everything that we needed was there, plus extra. I looked at the wall opposite from the entrance and admired the gigantic brown and beige teddy bear. 

I wanted the best for my baby and this was it. August wasn't kidding when he said we were going to be living large. I looked up at the ceiling and examined the little chandelier they had managed to install. I don't even know how they were able to get someone to install it in such short notice, and at the time they needed one, but I was not complaining. 

"Wow," was all I could muster.

It was all truly amazing.

•••

"August, you should be studying right now. Your last exam is tomorrow." I said, before eating another chip.

"Abby, you should be eating healthier right now, you're baby is due tomorrow." He said mocking my voice, eyes glued to Call of Duty.

"My baby is not due tomorrow." I said.

"Well good for you."

"But your exam is."

"I'm taking a break, relax."

Celia happened to walk in at that moment, with a box of Pop Tarts. "Well, break over; go study." She said, as she sat on the couch beside him.

He kissed his teeth, "one more hour."

"Fine, but if you get anything lower than a 70 I'm taking this game away."

"Ok, ok." He said, trying to hush her.

"Celia, when am I due?" I said, attempting to cross my legs on the one-seater couch.

"You should know that. That ain't my job."

"I have baby brain.." I whined.

"I don't know when it is. Sometime next month."

"Next month, when?"

"The 18th." August mumbled.

"Oh, that's right, the day before Eli's birthday."

"Mhmm." August said.

"Is that supposed to be your game face?" I asked, examining his facial expression.

Eyes narrowed at the tv, nose flared and tongue sticking out, resting on his top lip.
Celia laughed.

"Yo, leave my game face alone." He said, annoyed.

At the same time, Celia and I mocked him, cocking our faces to the side, with a lot more enthusiasm and wide eyes. "Duuuh," we said.

"You know what? Forget this. I'm gonna go study."

We burst out laughing as he slammed down the controller and stomped off. On the coffee table in front of me, my noticed my phone vibrating. Picking it up, I saw that the number was blocked but I decided to open the mysterious text message anyway.

I saw you today ,it read.

Who is this? I replied.

I waited and waited for a reply but after a minute passed, I gave up and locked my phone.

"I just got a text from this random person." I said to Celia.

"Really?" She said, opening another pack of Pop Tarts. "What'd he she say?"

"They said 'I saw you today'."

She looked at me, with squinted eyes. "What?"

"That's what I'm saying, I don't know anyone in Ottawa except you and the kids at night school, so how could anyone see me and know my number? Unless it's someone from America who came to Canada and saw me, but why would they block their number?"

Celia shrugged as she picked up the remote to change the channel on the TV. "Maybe someone is trying to surprise you."

"I don't like surprises."

"Maybe they do?"

"Celia, seriously."

She giggled as I put some more chips in my mouth.

"Who could it be?" I said to myself. "Who could it be?"

"Maybe your parents came back from the dead." She joked.

"That's not funny." I tried to be serious but it sounded weird with chips in my mouth. It sounded more like, "ass yot fu'y". That made her laugh even more. I chuckled at my failure.
"Issot fu'y!"