When the morning comes

35 | a place of delight

Sparkling water

It was on a Thursday evening. You had just gotten back from work when I was hysterically flipping through my agenda. You had never understood why I wrote down my monthly, womanly problem in that, especially since we shared the notebook. I'd been too busy to even hear you coming home, so when you had laid your hand upon my shoulder, I slapped you away as you startled me.

"What are you doing?" Your eyebrows had narrowed. "Did we forget one of your great aunts' birthdays?"

"Zev.." I stood up, couldn't contain my hope, my happiness. "I.. I haven't gotten my period in more than nine weeks."

"Is yours regular?"

"I've never had it irregular."

"Are you stressed..?"

I'd rolled my eyes. "Zev, amore, please! Don't push my hopes down! I could be.."

You held up your hands, then took me in your arms. "Okay, okay. Before we get our hopes up again, how about I buy you a test? And then after that, we can make a doctor appointment? How's that sound?"

My arms were wrapped around your neck, I kissed your lips, then your nose. "Il mio amore, you'd do that for me? Do you think you can hear the little heart beating already?" I remember pulling up my shirt, pushing my bare belly against your cheek as you crouched down.

"I think you're craving pizza, la dolcezza." You grinned, I'd punched your shoulder. You kissed me, made your keys rattle as you reached for them and put back on your shoes. "I'll be right back. And don't pee! Or you won't have any left for the test. And don't pull out the wine bottles, because-"

"Who's getting their hopes up, now?" I cursed in Italian, pushed you out of the door with a smile on my face. "Get out. Come back soon!"

You'd never driven so fast. Within ten minutes, you were back, with not one, but five tests. Just to be sure, you had said. I went to the bathroom, not even a minute later you were bouncing on the door. "Amore! Do you have the results?"

"Zev, it doesn't work so quickly. Let me pee in peace."

Another minute later. "Amore? Are the results.."

Positive. Number two. Positive. Number three. Positive. Four. Positive. Five. Negative.

"Zev?" I had opened the door after a moment of proper shock. "We're having a baby."

Looking back, the pregnancy went quite alright. Not perfect, not too bad. Often, I was nauseous in the morning, and would puke until exhaustion would take me back to sleep, but other than that, it was pretty okay. I'm letting my memories take me back to that wonderful time of being pregnant for the first time. Oh, let me think, amore. I'm on cloud nine. Those days were.. besides that we weren't able to get pregnant before, pretty carefree. Don't you think?

Zev, I was, am, so lucky with someone like you.

Every single doctors appointment, if it was about the morning sickness or an ultrasound, you were there. We went through the journey of the pregnancy together, and it meant everything to me. Do you remember the first ultrasound? We were both so nervous.

"Do they really spread jelly over your belly and go over it with a camera or something?"

"Sort of." I couldn't contain my laughter.

"Do you think they could see the gender?"

"Sei impazitto." I cursed, rolling my eyes, but with a smile tugging my lips. "No, Zev. This is the first ultrasound. It's so little."