Free to Love

Chapter 7

Mallory

I stood outside the door of the house with Grace on my hip. I took a deep breath and knocked after double-checking the address. The playgroup website had connected me with a group within a five kilometer radius of our condo. I'd been given the date and time for the next meeting and an email address for the group leader.

I wasn't sure why I was so nervous. It was just a group of moms. When I'd emailed the leader, Gail, to tell her I'd be joining, she was super welcoming.

The door opened and a smiling face greeted me.

"You must be Mallory! I'm Dina. Come on in."

I followed her through the foyer to a large family room where I saw four other women and their toddlers. With me and Dina, that brought the total to six.

"Everyone, this is Mallory and-" she said as she turned to me.

"Grace," I said with a smile.

Everyone took turns giving their names while pointing to and naming their children.

There was a huge open space between the couch and loveseat which had tons of toys. That's where all the children were. I set Grace down and took a seat near her. She swiveled her head around and looked at me, and for a second I thought she might want to be picked back up. She turned to the toys and started playing with one, which was a relief.

"At this age they tend to parallel play instead of playing together," the woman next to me explained.

I looked and saw that this was true. The toddlers were pretty much doing their own thing.

Gail, who was on my other side, stood up. "We always have coffee and pastries for the moms. There's a snack for the kids which is served an hour in. Come get something, Mallory."

I got up and got a danish and a glass of juice.

"Not a coffee drinker?" Gail asked.

"I love it, but I'm pregnant," I told her. I was wearing a baggy sweater, so my condition was not obvious.

All the other women heard this and erupted in congratulations. I felt myself blush at the attention. I immediately sensed that this was a very kind group based on their warm reaction to my news.

During the first hour, I got to know each woman slightly. Most were stay at home moms, though two worked part-time. They were all in their late 20's to early 30's. I found this out before Dina asked my age.

"I'm 23," I said.

"Wow! And you are having your second already?" a petite redhead asked. I was pretty sure her name was Megan.

"I got pregnant with Gracie in college, so I started young."

"I don't mean to pry, but how young were you when you got married, if you are married?" another woman asked.

"My husband and I got married shortly before I had Grace, which was my senior year, so I was 21."

No one in this group had any idea who I was married to. Only Gail had my last name, and the moms weren't exactly part of the demographic that obsessed about Shawn and would know his wife and daughter's first names.

The playing part of the playgroup paused while the toddlers had a snack. Grace ate some goldfish crackers and apple pieces while sitting on my lap. After the snack, they played for another 45 minutes.

"We meet for two hours every two weeks," Gail explained. "I'll email you the schedule."

"That reminds me," Tricia, who was sitting next to me, said. "I need to swap the next meeting with someone. My kitchen is being remodeled that week."