On the Run

Chapter 11: If he passes out I might kill him

I sat silently on the floor, staring at the small figure which would be having a huge impact on my life very soon. Alex had been out with a couple of guys having a pre-graduation guy celebration (cheesy much?) for the last 2 days, and was scheduled to return home in an hour or so. He would be so happy, at least I really hope so; although this did mean a lot of changes...but we've been married for four years now, and we are definitely capable and ready. I wouldn't tell him tonight though, I'd suprise im tomorrow; the perfect graduation present--not to mention he'll probably be exhausted and pass out the minute he enters the door. I threw away the small package and went to sleep, a million thoughts swirling around my head like a hurricane. All the possibilities...

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead. I'm the half-dead, almost-eaten-by-a-bear one in this relationship; we already decided that you wear the pants, and it's not fair of you to take both. Seriously, though, you've got to get up! We're graduating! Again. But this time it's from college, so it's different. Specialer." "A college education and you use the word specialer. They might change their mind about handing you that diploma," I mumbled into the pillow.

 He was already dressed by the time I got up, mentally contemplating what to wear as I danced back and forth across the front of our bedroom. "Go with the green dress," Alex said through a bagel before I even asked. "It makes your eyes pop. Plus, I'm wearing my green tie," he smirked. I rolled my eyes and pulled the green dress out of the very back of the closet, checking the time before disappearing into the bathroom. Goodness knows if I don't keep us on track we'll make it in time to walk with next year's graduating class.

I frowned at the mirror and huffed, disgruntled at how obvious the bulge of my abdomen was. Everyone was going to know, and I just figured it out myself. (I mean I had an idea of what could possibly be going on, but I only now knew for sure. That counts.) I did a quick makeup job, silver to match my earrings and heels (the once huge death traps now extra tight on my swollen feet), then ran a brush through my hair, threw together a small braid pinned across the left side of my head, and walked out. I had started getting keratins regularly once we started college; my schedule was too irregular to deal with my hair all the time, and I didn't feel like having a frizzy, poofy mess on top of my head constantly; days like these, when I got to sleep in because of it, it felt like one of the best decisions I've made in the last few years.

I strode into the living room semi-confidently to where Alex sat, watching tv and eating another bagel, with my arms crossed, and cleared my throat. He spun around looking guilty the second he saw my stance, usually reserved for when he touched my books and cds or made a meal immediately after I finished cleaning the kitchen to a t.

"You didn't want the last bagel did you? I figured you were gonna have a muffin, so I didn't think..." he trailed off once I started laughing, looking quite befuddled. He was so unbelievably sweet to apologize instead of defending himself in a rude and accusatory manner, like most guys you see. Or people in general, really. 

"No it's not that, I'm having a muffin. It's just I, um, I have something to tell you. A sort of...graduation present I guess you could say," I spoke unsurely, beginning to second guess what his reaction might be. What if he decided I wasn't worth all the work, and up and left everything we'd built?

 He tilted his head in confusion, then gave me an imploring look when I didn't say anything. "Tell me! What's goin' on?" He seemed about to burst, so I took a deep breath, then looked him directly in the eye. "Well, I'm...it's..." I gave up, taking a deep breath and placing one hand over my stomach. He gazed at me like I had gone a little weird, so I turned to the side and watched as is eyes squinted, widened, and he gaped, arms flailing a bit.