The Way She Sliced Her Pear

Reese

Reese

"Other than being sick in the beginning I've just really enjoyed this pregnancy." I said "When I was pregnant with Sean I felt like I was always sick and my acid reflux was terrible especially towards the end."

"Do you think I'm hanging more low with this pregnancy or is it a little high?" I asked

"I think its sitting a little high. But that's just what I think. I feel like your belly has really popped out just in the last week." "How many weeks are you now?" Monroe asked

"I'm just shy twenty five weeks, so just over six months along now." I said as I rubbed my belly

"You look so pretty Reese, the sun is just streaming over your belly so beautifully. You make for a beautiful pregnant woman!" Monroe said

Monroe was sitting at our kitchen counter island sipping her hot tea. "It's freezing in here Reese, do you think you can turn the furnace up?" She asked

"I'm stifling." "I'm sorry, I can definitely grab you another sweater or something." I offered

"HA, you're so funny Reese, You know I don't wear a small." Monroe said "it's okay, I'll have another cup of tea." "That usually does the trick." Monroe said

Monroe took another sip of her tea.

"Why don't you both just find out what the gender is?" "Don't you want to know so you can plan?" Monroe asked

"I have some boy clothes still from Sean that are in the basement." I said

I wanted it so badly to be a boy. Not that I would be hurt or upset if it was a girl but my heart wanted another boy. I felt as if it was a girl I would resent her. I knew she would be born a cute little girl and grow up to be a gorgeous woman. I know myself well enough to know that I wasn't willing to share the spotlight with any other female.

I looked over at Monroe as she took another sip from her tea. Her hands wrapped around her mug as if that was the only heat source in the house.

"I'll turn it up a bit, I feel bad you're so cold. I'll just put a short sleeve shirt on. I've been wanting to bust out my third trimester wardrobe anyways." I said with a smile

I came back out from our room to see Monroe still clinging to her mug and starring outside the back sliding door. The February sun was glistening off the most recent snow fall. She looked completely lost. Something had changed in Monroe ever since she and Dex four months back. She became distant from not only Dex but from me.

That next day when Dex came home from his all-nighter she told Dex that she wanted him out and he of course manipulated her into thinking differently. Every time Dex would treat she and the kids that way I was always there to pick up Monroe's broken heart pieces. She never wanted anyone to feel sorry for her or for the way Dex treated her. But I knew differently. The pain over time started to eat away at her. Monroe was the strongest women I knew but she was also frail. She stood up to Dex occasionally and threatened to leave him and take the kids but for some reason she never felt like she could. Her forgiving love she had for Dex doesn't come around enough. I did respect her choices in a way because I knew if it was me or anyone else for that matter that they would just throw in the towel. Dex and Monroe never got married but they seemed more committed to one another then most married couples. That's why I think Dex knew that she would never leave him and why he continued his careless behavior.

"You okay hun?" I asked her

"Monroe" I said with a slightly raised voice

She quickly turns her head towards me