Uncomfortable. Irritable. Stressed. Three of the words that described me. I was just a little into my 8th month when my grandmother decided to move in. That's where the stress was coming from. All she did was nag.
After school, since It was spring, and borderline hot as hell, I'd spend my time at a park. Nell would go with me everywhere, if she didn't have to work. Otherwise, I was to have my dad or mother with me at all times. It got Annoying, but I know her what her worries were.
Anyways, at the park, I'd watch other mommies or future mommies do stress yoga. I'd do it too, but in a lazier way.
Last week, a mom was panicking about her baby not sitting up right. It was really stupid to me, but I paid attention.
The yoga instructor, Monica: I could be what, and how you're sitting. Right now you're most influential to your child.
The lady, Phoebe: I sit straight, at least I try. I was taught proper form. It's so hard.
Monica: it gets hard to sit properly, but try to get things to help her sit up. Maybe pillows or her blankets.
Phoebe: Maybe that'll work.
They went back to their session and I sat and tried ways to sit with good posture as well as be comfortable. I failed completely.
Now uncomfortable and irritable, I have been the most of. At night is his kicking schedule and he was even worse if Nell wasn't home. I was literally tortured one whole night when Nell left me home until 3 a.m.
I paced around, tried taking a bath, which only lasted 5 minutes due to extreme uncomfortableness. I sat on my floor, then laid down, I even rolled side to side. The boy thought he was in drum line the way he was kicking.
I got on my bed and whined . I stretched.
I stretched right over to my phone and called Nell.
"No." She said when she picked up.
"Stop leaving me here with this demon." I looked down at my stomach and the kicking stopped.
"Luna Marie, I cannot leave work again." I could hear the movement in her background.
"Fine." I grumbled. I hung up and laid out over the bed.
Then my grandmother stomped up the stairs.
"Luna?" She called knocking before entering.
"Yes." I'd sat up on the bed and patiently waited for this conversation to be over already.
"There's this ball— dance I mean, that's coming up, and I'd like to invite you, and Chanel—"
"Nell." I interrupted, my face deadpanned.
"Of course , Nell, anyways, I'd like you both to come. It's a mayors ball and with the community service I've been doing, I was able to get our names on the list for free." My grandmother shrugged objectively.
"I can't fit into anything nice, I'm like a watermelon with legs." My grandma cackled at that. I stared.
"I have a place for you to go, plus, you aren't big at all to be 8 months. I'll take you tomorrow." She patted my leg.
"When's the ball?" I asked, baby boy started kicking again so I was trying to concentrate on a more comfortable subject.
"This weekend." She told me, and I continued being pregnant in distress.
I was passed out when Nell came in and tapped on me.
"L?" She whispered.
"Whaaaaat Nell? What?" I grumbled, frowning. Nell crawled into the space in front of me, slanging her arm over my waist.
"It was a long day." She told me.
"Clearly, since you decided it was okay to get in my bed with your outside clothes." I shooed her out and she stripped into her sports bra and boxers. Before getting into bed, she put her clothes in a basket and her shoes against the wall neatly.
"There?" She asked. I nodded, back to sleep. I felt her kiss me and run her fingers through my hair.
A sharp pain woke me back up instantly. I accidentally hit Nell when the pain hit. It was paused and I thought that was it but noooo no it wasn't.
I sat up with my nails digging in either side of my hips. I was sobbing.
"What's wrong?" Nell kept asking. She called for my dad to hold my hand cause I almost broke all the bones in hers.
My mother walked up the stairs slowly.
"You're feeling pain?" She asked me nonchalantly.
"Yes!" I yelled.
"Do you feel like you have to poop?" She asked. I frowned, "no."
"It isn't labor then. Take these," she threw a pill bottle onto the bed, "You'll be okay. They're just Braxton Hicks. Preparing you for labor." My mom left soon after.
Then came grandma, "Seems like you've got maybe a week or two left, kid-free."
I took the medicine as grandma left, Nell massaged my lower back.
I fell asleep as soon as the medicine kicked in.
***
In the morning the Braxton Hicks were back and they were better to ignore now. They felt like cramps more than anything.
I had gotten dressed to go dress shopping, soon after my hour shower. I put on my slippers, and my grandma rushed me out the door.
The store was in a clothes mini mart . It was in the middle of all of the stores. When I walked in, the smell of apple cinnamon hit me, it was wonderful.
The dresses were stunning to be maternity clothes.
"Hi, how may I help you?" A lady who was about the exact same size as me asked.
"We're looking for a ball dress, her size, because we're going to the mayor's ball." My grandmother teased.
"I think you're looking for something gown like and shimmery." The lady said, clearly ignoring the show off.
I text Nell my location immediately after.
She showed up after I'd tried on 4 different dresses.
Nell gave me a dress she'd picked up on by the door, it was a mermaid gown with straps that went around the shoulders. It had a deep v cut, in between my breasts and showed my bulging stomach. It was a deep sea blue color. I felt too beautiful in it.
"You look amazing." Nell stated, dazed. I met her eyes.
"That dress is 309 dollars." The employee, Miranda, said.
My eyes widened and I went and stripped of the dress quickly.
"We're buying it, Luna." My grandmother stated and grabbed the dress out of my arms.
The lady shrugged and walked us to the register to ring it up.
"You're all set." Miranda stated and the gown was put into a bag. We left.
"Why did you buy this expensive dress?" I asked my grandmother. She shrugged.
"I want the mayor to look at you as expensive material, other than just some pregnant messy teenager." She shrugged.
"What does it matter what he looks at me like?" I frowned and stopped in the parking lot.
She turned towards me, "You'll need a job, Luna. A good one. And I want him to look at you as good job material." My grandma sighed and turned to her car after handing me the bag.
I followed Nell to her car.
