Thick Carolina heat snuck under the doors and the windows overnight, greeting me in the morning with a sheen of sweat coating my skin. my arms and legs clinging to the bedsheets. The temperature always spiked in June, sparking a chain reaction of short shorts and chopped hair. It's timing however had always been unpredictable The heat of the south was known for it's sneaky nature, catching far too many off guard. Sometimes in life, there are somethings you're never ready for, no matter how prepared you think you are.
I knew that better than anyone.
The weekend passed both quickly and painfully slow. Between stewing over my conversation with Ryan, a lack of conversation with Harry and too much conversation with Mom, my desire to be alone only returned. People had become to complicated and my feelings too fragile.
While it was easy for my to avoid Ryan and Mom for a while, I didn't have those privileges when it came to Harry. Tuesday had arrived too soon and he would be home again ready to give me the cold shoulder or worse, start a new fight between us. Harry's homecoming and the sweltering heat made the day seem dreadful before it had even started.
I slammed my hand against the alarm clock a total of five times. I had no food runs and as tempting as staying in bed seemed, I knew I'd have nothing to do but sit around and wait for Harry. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, the sight of a pair of yoga pants draped over the hamper instantly reminded me of my neglect for pilates. I'd promised myself I wouldn't let pregnancy stop me from my normal fitness routine and it was the perfect motivation for getting out of bed.
The baby and I could both use some exercise.
"River!"
The high pitched southern drawl that usually annoyed me was surprisingly pleasant to hear.
After the kindness she's showed during my fit of morning sickness, I'd completely misjudged Hannah. Maybe she was the type of person I needed in my support group right now: positive and genuine and nonjudgemental. A steady ally in the mixed circle of attitudes towards the new change in my life.
I grin kicking off my sandals and placing my bag in one of the cubbies along the wall.
"I thought you'd quit." Hannah smiles brightly, stretching on the balls of her feet.
"I just needed some extra time to figure things out." I place my mat on the floor next to hers. "I really have to thank you for your talk the last time. You were right."
"No problem." she grins. "So how far along are you? I can already see a bit of a bump."
I glance at my tiny bump that's more visible than usual under the spandex of my tank top. Any other time I'd just throw on one of my sports bras and go but as the bump grew, the more I felt modestly was necessary. I didn't feel completely comfortable exposing my bare bump to random strangers. It felt far too intimate.
"Sixteen going on seventeen weeks," I answer, my eyes widening in the realization that I'm nearly four months pregnant.
" Aww," she squeals. "a few more weeks and you'll get to know what color to paint the nursery. By the way you're carrying, I reckon you're having a boy."
I chew at the corner of my lip, eyebrows furrowing slightly. I'd never thought about what the gender of the baby could be. I had no preference, a baby was a baby to me.
"Why do you say that? "
Hannah grins.
"Have you looked in the mirror, River? You're gorgeous. Not like you've ever not been gorgeous to me but pregnancy has faired you well. Your skin is flawless and your hair looks like it belongs in a Pantene commercial. I would have killed to look like you when I was pregnant with Bristol. A little girl will turn you from hot to not in a second."
