A Room With A View

Chapter Forty-Nine - Thanksgiving

November 23, Thursday

Elena, Morning

There was a soft knock on the door. Elena rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head.

Please be dreaming, she begged.

The door clicked open. Quiet footsteps padded across the floor.

"Elena," a voice whispered.

Elena didn't move. She kept her breathing regular.

Go away, she thought.

A sharp jab poked her in the shoulder.

"Oh, what the hell?" Elena snapped, sitting upright and rubbing her shoulder.

Sybil stood beside her bed, arms folded. "You weren't waking up."

"No, I was asleep. You should have just let me sleep."

"But we're signed up for yoga this morning," Sybil said.

Elena gave her a dark look. "No. You're signed up for yoga today. I'm going back to bed." She fell back against her pillow and burrowed underneath.

"Elena," Sybil said.

The pillow was ripped from the bed.

"Elena we're going to yoga," Sybil said, holding the pillow aloft.

Elena wasn't sure if Sybil was threatening to hit her with it, or offering it as a reward.

"I'm pregnant. I can't over-exert myself." Elena reached for the pillow, but Sybil stepped back, keeping it out of her reach.

"You're what, like three weeks pregnant? That peanut or Lima bean or whatever shape it is isn't going to stop you from doing yoga. Besides, movement is good for you. Now get up or I'm taking the blanket too." Sybil took hold of the duvet cover and tugged on it.

Elena looked to her left, but Joshua was gone. He'd been making himself scarce since Sybil had decided to visit. Elena wished she'd done the same.

"Fine," she sighed, defeated. "Leave so I can get dressed."

"No."

"What?"

"If I leave you're just going to crawl right back under the covers. That's not going to happen. Now come on. This will be fun." With that, Sybil yanked heartily on the duvet cover, pulling it completely off the bed.

Elena mumbled something under her breath that had a very different ending from "fun", and dragged her feet over to her closet. It was a walk-in, so Elena was able to slide the pocket door shut to give her some semblance of privacy.

At least yoga was an activity that would require minimal preparation. Elena was not a morning person—she never had been—but it wasn't much of a struggle to exchange her pajama pants for a pair of yoga pants. Elena actually had quite the collection of yoga pants, despite never having taken a class. They were stretchy and comfortable, and with two young boys she couldn't bear to wear anything too constricting.

"Are you ready? We only have fifteen minutes to get there," Sybil called from behind the door.

Elena could see Sybil's shadow silhouetted against the frosted glass. If Elena pounded hard enough on the back wall, she wondered if she could break through to the neighbors' apartment and escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Madeline, Morning

Madeline bounded down the wooden steps of her home, smelling her mother's French toast.