Expecting The Unexpected

Appointment Gender

Chapter 29

 

I never thought that my mother would be as interested as I wanted her to be in this baby, but surprisingly, she has a couple of tricks up her sleeve. And why do I say that? I am currently sat with her talking, without any drama, any nonsense or anything out of the ordinary. The word ‘pink’ or ‘pageant’ hasn’t even come up once; something had to be going on.

“What’s going on?” I instantly asked her.

“Nothing, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” she wittered on and on.

“You’re talking without a pause, which makes my guard go up... So, what’s going on?” I set my cup of tea down on the coffee table.

“Do you want a baby shower?”

“What? That’s what you were so nervous about?” I replied to her.

“I wasn’t nervous, I was just, cautious,”

“Mother, you could’ve seen your nervousness from space,” I announced.

“Okay, okay... How do you feel about your Aunt Cheryl coming down for a little bit?” she asked.

I was frozen; even the mention of that ungodly woman’s name in my presence was enough to make the hairs on the back of my arms stand on end. You may think that I’m exaggerating, but trust me when I say that I have a good reason to be nervous about this relative coming for a visit.

For a start, mum is the only one who likes her; and even when she’s not here, mum talks behind her back sometimes. But I wouldn’t put it past Cheryl to do the exact same thing to mum. Second, she is the worst person to have around children.

When Drew and I were six years old, she was put in charge to look after us and she left a can of beans out on the side for our lunch and told us to do it ourselves. And that’s not even the beginning of the story; she turned up to babysit us drunk for another part, then she invited her ‘man friend’ for a little ‘party’.

More like party for two in the spare upstairs bedroom. So she is the last person that I want anywhere near my baby, let alone my baby shower.

“No, end of… No,” I stated as if it was state law.

“Why not? She could even be a godmother! Wouldn’t that be amazing!” mum suggested.

It even made my blood boil at the thought of Cheryl even going near my baby, out of womb or not. But I should explain, mum doesn’t exactly know that ‘Aunt’ Cheryl has treated Drew and I like crap as children, she didn’t have the faintest idea. So, suggesting that Cheryl would be godmother is a ‘great’ idea to her.

“No, Hannah is the godmother of my child,” I responded.