𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

In A Smaller Galaxy.

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞

"I am positively starving. I wonder what the chefs prepared for dinner," I said as Valentino and I walked down the silent hallway on our way to the dining room where dinner was to be held.
"As this is a formal dinner, a six course meal has been prepared, including the aperitif; which we Italians call a pre-dinner beverage," Valentino explained. "Most of the time it's an alcoholic drink such as Campari, Bourbon, Gin or a cocktail."

I nodded understandingly and we continued walking. But then out of nowhere, we heard a woman crying hysterically and stopped dead in our tracks. The sound was clearly coming from Damen and Sabrina's room which was just a few doors down from where we stood. Turning back around, we went back down the hall and I knocked on the door. "Damen? Sabrina? What's going on?"

Almost immediately the door swung open and there stood a flustered Damen. "Thank God you're here Jasmine, I desperately need your help."
"What's the matter? Is Sabrina okay?" I asked in concern.
"Why not judge for yourself?"

He motioned for us to come in and when we stepped into the room, I saw Sabrina standing in front of the mirror, wrapped up in her bathrobe and surrounded by scarves, coats and dresses that laid scattered throughout the room. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

"After her bath, I went to pick out a dress for her to wear. But she's had a problem with everything I took out," Damen groaned. "The first dress was too green, the second was too short, the third made her look like a walking flower. After trying on six or seven dresses, she started to get frustrated and then came the tears."

"It's not your fault, it's the hormones," I said as I pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. "During pregnancy a woman's estrogen and progesterone levels tends to fluctuate which causes her to have unexpected outbursts and emotional episodes. It's perfectly normal, especially since she's approaching her third trimester."
"Stupid hormones, stupid diet, stupid dress!" Sabrina said tearfully as she blew her nose in the tissue. "I..I don't want to go anywhere. I'll just stay in bed all night on my lonesome."

"Sabrina you have to come downstairs. How do you think it'll make me look if I'm down there and my wife isn't?" Damen asked as he bent down to pick up the clothes. "So please stop crying and start getting ready."
"Don't yell at me! I can't help it if I'm too emotional. And what the fuck do you have to complain about? I'm the one who looks like she has a beach ball attached to her abdomen, not you!"
"But I wasn't yelling. I was just saying-"
"Don't say anything! I don't want to talk to you. Just go away!"

"Nice going Damen, you made her cry even more now," Valentino said shaking his head.
"Hey don't try to pin this on me," Damen retorted. "You heard Jasmine just now, it's the hormones."
"Still, you need to learn how to be more sensitive to her feelings."
"Oh what do you know? Do you have any idea how stressed out I am? I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks!"
"Ahh, the joys of parenthood. Good luck with that brother."

"Hey, you guys are not helping, you're worsening the situation," I said in annoyance. Why don't you go on downstairs and we'll be down in a minute?"
"Okay. But try not to be too long, it's almost time for our guests to arrive," Valentino reminded me.
"Yes, yes I know. Now shoo."

He chuckled and turned around to go downstairs with Damen who was still fretting and panicking over his impending fatherhood and all the ups and downs that came with it. As soon as they were gone, I closed the door and went back to Sabrina who had calmed down significantly and was now running her hand along her stomach, worry etched onto her face.

"Sabrina what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" I asked gently.
"I'm scared Jasmine," she whispered. "When I first got pregnant, I was excited at the thought that I was going to be a mother. Damen was happy, Dad was happy, the family was happy. But when I lost the baby, I was so broken up over it. I spent every day for the past couple of weeks locked in my room, depressed out of my mind."