Diamond Pumps

21. Taste of freedom

Misty stepped out of the shower. She dried her body, put on her underwear and then her bathrobe, making her way outside.

She stopped when she caught her reflection on the bathroom door.

She walked toward the sink. She lowered her bathrobe, letting it fall to the ground. She admired her body, its softness. She touched her bare skin. She was a woman. She was naturally a woman.  The fluids were making their ways to her body slowly, gently. They filled her breasts, her abdomen, her hips, her thighs. Misty smiled unconsciously. She closed her eyes. She felt her heart flutter. She was happy. She was happy all the time. All of those dark days...

It was all about this moment, and what's happening to her body right now. With every breath, she felt happier. 

It's what she always wanted.

And everyone will understand, right?

-

Ash looked up from his laptop when he noticed Misty walking toward the door. "Hey beautiful, where are you going?"

Misty smiled at him. "I'm visiting your grandmother."

Ash's grandma fell down the stairs a few weeks ago. "She's okay now."

"I know. I just want to check on her."

"Sure. Call if you need a drive."

-

"Isn't this a great day? We have the lovely Misty at your house!"

"Please don't tire yourself." Misty said, following Eleanor around the kitchen. "Please! Let me make the tea."

"You know what, lovely lady? You get to make the tea." The older woman nodded. "I don't let anyone come near this kitchen including Delia, so it's a privilege!"

"I'm honored." Misty giggled.

Misty was in the living room serving the tea after a few minutes. She and Eleanor were alone.

"How's everything?" Grandma asked. "Ash and his never-ending demands?"

"Oh, he's fine. He can perfectly use the dishwasher now."

"Took him a lifetime!"

Misty giggled. She looked down at her hands. She said, "I have something to tell you."

Ash's grandmother put down her tea. "Okay."

"I didn't know who to talk to first, but..." The redhead sighed. "This is big, and I really hope you understand – or just tell me what to do."

"Is everything alright?" The old woman feared the worst. Everything was going smoothly. They didn't really anything to ruin this.

Misty looked up. She had tears forming in the corner of her eyes, but she looked like she bursting from... joy. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh my God." Eleanor gasped. "Oh my God, sweetie!"

Misty started sobbing uncontrollably as Ash's grandmother hugged her. "I'm so happy about it! You wouldn't believe it! I cried from joy when I got my blood tests! I don't know why it's making me this happy but I just can't! It's making me feel so happy! I've never felt this way before!"

"Oh, sweetie, ooh." Eleanor stroked her hair.

The two women pulled away from each other. Misty had her makeup running down her cheeks. "It's something I've never felt before. I can't explain it. I just can't—it's just so beautiful, I just..."

"You want to be a mother so bad." Ash's grandmother stroked her hand.

Misty smiled. She sniffed. "I always wanted to be the mother my mother never was."

"And Ash?"

"No, no, no one knows anything." Misty grabbed a tissue and tried to wipe off the smeared makeup.

"Well, he deserves to know first." She advised. "After all, he's becoming a father."

"If he wants t-"

"Oh, please, don't." She cut her off. "There is no place for that in our family. And to tell you the truth, you just don't get pregnant with MariGold's next leader and get away with it!"

Misty let a chuckle. "I guess I got myself in a big mess."

"This family has been a big mess for a long time." Eleanor stroked her hand in a comforting manner. "We went through a lot of trouble since my son's death. He left, and everything just crumbled down – and I'm not talking about the company here."

Misty nodded.

"My husband and I were stuck in the middle. We didn't want the company splitting. We love Ash and Delia equally. We didn't know what to do. Then, you came, and a lot of things changed."

"I can say the same."

Ash's grandmother kept staring at her for a moment.

"Oh, you'd make a great mother." She patted Misty's shoulder. "Go with four children—look, you know what? You need six or seven of them! Delia and I will help raising them! All these big houses we have – we need to fill them!"

Misty laughed. "I'm afraid you need Ash's authorization first to fill his house with that many kids."

"And what your job?" Eleanor suddenly remembered... "Will they kick you out?"

"Oh, grandma, do you really think I care?" Misty let a laugh. "I tried with them – I mean, I never heard back from them but do I care? I'm so happy I'm pregnant!"

"Well, we can always make you MariGold's model." Eleanor shrugged. "If Ash and Delia come to an agreement..."

"With all due respect, I don't think Delia would want me to be anywhere the company." Delia didn't even want her own son leading the company, let alone his girlfriend with a contract for main modeling, which implies loads of money. "And honestly, I don't want anything from the company. I really don't." She felt fulfilled, for some reason. This human being growing inside her was making her feel accomplished.

The old woman looked hurt. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but she doesn't trust you..."

"And she'd probably think I got pregnant on purpose."

"You know what?" Eleanor put her finger over her chin. "I know that woman like the back of my hand and I can tell you; you need a face to face with her. You can't run away forever. You and her need to sort things out."

"Like, a cat-fight?" Misty laughed.

"A business cat-fight." The old woman smiled. "Like, a subtle one, like we do in business."

Misty raised her eyebrows.

"You'll learn with time!"