CRAVE

•Zeus & Zuri| 28

"Their hearts sound strong and steady," the doctor said, rubbing the gel over my big belly.
Manii and I looked at each other, confused.

"Hold on, their?" Manii asked, raising an eyebrow.

The doctor just smiled. "Yep, two healthy babies. A boy and a girl."

My eyes got all watery. Manii cupped my face, kissing my forehead. "You did that, mama," she said, grinning.

I playfully shoved her. "Girl, please, we did that."  Her smile got wider, and she kissed my hand.

The doctor chuckled.  "Well, looks like y'all got your hands full," she said, glancing back at the screen. "Y'all wanna hear them heartbeats again?"

"Sho'," I said, my voice all shaky. The rhythmic thump-thump of two little hearts filled the room. Manii squeezed my hand, her thumb rubbing my skin.  We just stared at the screen, feeling a love so big it was almost scary.

After the appointment, we were starving.

"I'm craving everything," I told Manii. "Pickles, ice cream, a big ol' steak… all at once."

Manii laughed. "Baby, you something else. How 'bout we start with something a little more… manageable? I know this little diner downtown with some bomb burgers."

I agreed heartily as we drove off downtown.

Not long after, we reached our destination. Manii parked the car in the parking lot, unbuckling her seatbelt and going out.

By now I was more than used to her openening my door and that's exactly what she did, pecking me on the lips as I got out.
A smile graced my lips as I felt my cheeks went warm.

We entered the diner which wasn't packed but it wasnt too empty either.

We slid into a booth at the diner, the smell of sizzling bacon and freshly brewed coffee filling the air.

A waitress with a warm smile and a notepad approached us. "What can I get for you ladies?"

"Ooh, I'm starving," I said, rubbing my belly. "I'll take the double cheeseburger, extra pickles, with a side of onion rings. And a chocolate milkshake, please!"

Manii chuckled. "You're gonna regret that later. I'll just have the chicken salad sandwich on wheat, and a side of sweet potato fries. And a water for me."

The waitress scribbled down our orders. "Alrighty then, coming right up!"

A few minutes later, our food arrived. My double cheeseburger looked like it could barely fit on the plate. 

"Lord have mercy," I said, eyeing it with anticipation.  Manii's sandwich looked much more… sensible.

"You gonna eat all that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Every single bite," I declared, already taking a massive bite of my burger. "Mmm, this is so good!"

Manii shook her head, smiling.  "You and them babies, I swear.  What are you craving these days, anyway? Besides everything?"

"Pickles, definitely pickles and cucumbes," I said between bites. "And ice cream. And… you know what?  I had a dream about fried chicken last night. Like, really crispy fried chicken."

Manii laughed. "Mama, you need to calm down.  We'll get you some fried chicken later this week."

"Ooh, yes!" I said, my eyes lighting up.

I took another bite, sighing contentedly.  "Okay, maybe I don't need everything right now. But definitely pickles. We need to get a big jar of those dill pickles."

"Deal," Manii said, taking a bite of her sandwich.  "Speaking of which, have you thought about names yet?  I've been looking at some baby name websites, and there are so many."

"Baee~, don't even get me started," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's so hard! I like traditional names, but someone over here wants something… unique."

"Hey, unique is good!" Manii protested. "We don't want them to have the same name as every other kid in their class."

"I know, I know," I conceded. "But like, what's wrong with Mary and Joseph? Classic!" Manii laughed.

"Nothing, but we can do better! I was thinking something like… Zuri for the girl, and maybe…  Zeus for the boy?"

I scrunched up my nose. "Zuri… I kinda like that," I admitted. "Zeus… I'm not so sure about.  It sounds… fancy."

"Fancy is good!" Manii said, grinning. "We're gonna have some fancy babies."

We continued to debate baby names, nursery themes, and everything else baby-related for the rest of our meal, our laughter and chatter filling the little diner booth. 

Even though my belly was getting bigger and my cravings were getting wilder, I knew I wouldn't trade this moment, this life we were building together, for anything in the world.

Full of burgers and baby excitement, we hit up the baby store. Walking down those aisles full of tiny clothes and cute little things felt like a dream.

We spent forever looking at onesies, arguing about elephants versus dinosaurs. I was all about the greens and yellows, while Manii was drawn to the blues and pinks.

"Look at this little outfit!" I yelled, holding up some overalls with a little tractor on them.
Manii grinned.

"And look at this," she said, holding up a tiny t-shirt that said "Double Trouble."

I snickered, "Ouuu, classic!!"

We spent the next few hours lost in a sea of baby blankets, little socks, and just how dang cute everything was.

We even found some matching outfits – a little blue romper for the boy and a pink dress with ruffles for the girl.

By the time we left, our bags were overflowing, and our hearts were even fuller. Tired but happy, we went home, already dreaming of the day we'd finally meet our little "double trouble."

Y'all idk why I can't add an image...it's pissing me off.

Val out!-