"Hey, Hon, my promotion is going to be on 15 November," Tom said as he wrapped his arms around me.
I was really excited for him, but my nausea was only becoming worse. "Are you going to have a promotion party here or do you want to go to a restaurant?" I looked around the house. It was an absolute pit, but surely I'd be able to have it ready by then. I had guests coming in another week and a half. After that, it was just a matter of staying on top of the cleaning.
Except I couldn't even watch movement without getting sick. But I could do it. Ten years of being an Army wife said that I could make it happen.
"I'm really not sure. I'd like to have it here, but I don't know if you'll be up to it."
Tom knew me well.
"If you want it here, I'll make it happen. Your mom and dad will be here so they'll be able to help out. I'm sure that if I plan ahead, I can have everything done ahead of time. I'll need to know numbers, though."
During his last promotion, we had over seventy guests in our home. I made spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, Caesar salad, garlic bread with cheese, and several cakes. We also had several appetizers. I went all out for that meal, and didn't cut corners. I wasn't pregnant then.
This time around, I couldn't even handle the smell of a raw onion, let alone anything else. I was at the point where I couldn't cook dinner without at least four trips to the bathroom. But if a promotion party at home was what Tom wanted, I'd find a way.
* * *
Over the next ten days, I rushed to clean the house, the last two days nearly doing me in as the trips to pray before the porcelain god became more frequent. My mom, sister, and four nieces were a sight for sore eyes when they arrived at about 5:00 AM with donuts in hand. DeAnne and my nieces immediately went to sleep while my mom kept me company in the kitchen. She'd slept for most of the drive and I wasn't going to go back to sleep before I had to wake my girls for school.
"We want to see our cousins," Lesa whined as she ate a chocolate sprinkle donut.
"No, they're sleeping right now. You'll get to see them as soon as you get out of school."
She was hoping I'd let Lyn and her stay home from school, but I wouldn't relent.
When DeAnne and the girls woke, they decided to go to Senoia. It's a cute little town that isn't too far from where I live. There are real-life zombies there. Okay, that's probably an exaggeration. It's actually where The Walking Dead is filmed.
"I don't think I'm up for it today," I said to my sister when she invited me to go with them. My stomach wasn't going to cooperate and I didn't want to be That Lady Puking By the Side of the Road. Or all over television stars if this was the one time that we'd see someone famous there.
I stayed back and spent most of the time in the bathroom. My sister and nieces got to see Daryl. They even have a picture to prove it. Norman Reedus should thank me for not going. I did him a huge favor that day.
The next couple of days, I did what I felt I could handle. We went to Kennesaw National Park, where I sat with my mom while the rest of the family hiked up the mountain. I tried to hike, but after about fifty feet, I turned around. Six weeks earlier, when I was walking forty miles per week, it would have been easy.
We also went to Stone Mountain. I should have stayed home. My stomach was a mess, the bathrooms were crowded, and I pretty much had to wait in line. To puke. No one else was puking. That was just me. Eventually, I sat down on a bench and tried to focus on not getting sick. It didn't work out very well.
