Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
I t was Monday evening and the day had been long. Nina drove up to the home she shared with Ethan. As she killed the engine she breathed out slowly, remaining in her white SUV. She was due to exchange the car, for it was nearly ten years old, but that would have to wait. It had a sticker with Something Special written in pink on the rear flanks of the car which had peeled away in places. It looked tatty. Is that what I’m doing with the business? Downgrading from classy to tatty? She sat back in the driver’s seat and sighed.
Having shut the shop early, she’d visited the doctors. Her mother had fitted her in at three with Dr Gupta. The woman was great. She’d known her for as long as she could remember, with her being a family friend of her mother’s. Dr Gupta had asked many questions, including whether she’d experienced any common menopause symptoms. And yes, missed periods, hot flushes and mood swings had definitely featured in recent weeks – or was it months? she thought with a sigh. Nina shut her eyes and swallowed. She’d beaten back the tears at the time, even when Dr Gupta passed her a tissue. But it was hard to hold back now she was alone, with the nearest neighbour half a mile away. She opened the car door as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Not only had she lost her position on the council and her dream of being the youngest mayor of Wells, it appeared she’d also lost a huge part of her life plan, to become a mother.
As she stepped out of the car she paused before the house, staring at it. She had so much to be grateful for in a world that could be indiscriminately cruel. A world where some had to fight to put food on the table, battle with their health, live through wars. Before her was a home with land, worth at least a million, probably more, which Ethan had designed. She remembered her friend Holly telling her it looked like two shoe boxes with one stacked on top of the other at an angle. Ethan certainly had an eye for design. There were floor to ceiling windows in the property which was built in an eco-friendly fashion. The sun, low in the sky, cast a pink hue on the shiny wood which clad the property. All she could hear were roosting birds and leaves rustling in the early evening breeze. It was indeed a beautiful place and tranquil. She was loved and far from hard done by.
It’s merely a stumbling block, she said to herself, knowing that one of her problems was that she’d set herself such lofty goals. And she had an amazing man in her life. Whilst they spent a lot of time apart, when they were together, it was always perfect. Ethan was her partner in life, the one she wanted to be with forever and she was so pleased that he would soon be home. He had texted while she was at the doctors to say he’d landed in Bristol and would wait for his luggage and then had a car booked to bring him back. He’d already arranged his transfer thinking that Nina would be tied up at the shop or with her councillor duties.
She opened the front door and stepped over the threshold of the place she’d called home for four years. When she’d first arrived, the house had been sparsely fitted out and was very much a bachelor pad. With it being open plan, it had taken time for her to turn it into what she felt was a homely space. Softening it with large plants and different contrasting pieces of furniture, creating walkways and separate areas. Now it felt like her home, even if it was Ethan who owned it, as these days, she was there an awful lot more than he was. His work had been taking him further afield as his reputation had grown and he’d been commuting to Germany in recent years. She’d been out there at the end of the previous year, for the opening of a huge tower in Berlin.
She took a shower and let the warm water wash away her tension. She felt refreshed as she pulled on her fluffy towelling dressing gown. As she entered the master bedroom she headed for her dressing table set in front of the window with the most beautiful view of the Somerset landscape. Sitting down, she glanced at her jewellery box. It was from India and used to belong to her mother who gave it to her when she was small. Don’t, she told herself but still, her hand shook as she pulled out a note she’d written over thirty years before.
Dear Parvati goddess of love,
Please send me my love at first sight when I am a grown up. He has golden hair. Blue eyes. Rich and strong. I want a little girl just like me. And we will live happy ever after. I’ll be a good girl and do my very best.
Nina xx
A solitary tear ran down her cheek. Ethan was that man with golden hair. Although the highlights were salon created, he had the bluest of eyes and indeed was rich. A millionaire a few times over and an avid gym goer, having lost the weight that had plagued him as a teenager which he wholly blamed on his mother who worked in a bakery. But the words a little girl, just like me brought a lump to her throat. She swallowed it away, fearing that would never happen. She folded the note and returned it to the small compartment of the jewellery box. Snap out of it, she told herself. Her mobile phone rang in the distance. She felt slightly dizzy so did not rush and by the time she was downstairs and had located it, the caller had rung off. She saw it was a missed call from the doctor. Had they found something irregular in her blood or urine? She really couldn’t face any more bad news and considered leaving it, but knew she would worry about all night. She immediately returned the call.
“Dr Gupta.”
“It’s Nina, returning your call.”
“Hello my dear. I know it’s late but I just had to give you the news.”
“Yes?” she asked with a gulp.
“I could tell you were worried about being infertile and the early menopause. So, I wanted to put your mind at rest. And let you know you’re certainly not infertile.”
“You can tell? So soon from my tests?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Completely.”
“Thank goodness for that!” she said with relief. Suddenly the whole councillor issue and her business woes seemed like smaller problems. She was sure the business was within her control, she could turn it around, unlike being in the menopause. That would have been beyond her control. “Thank you for letting me know.”
“Don’t go yet. There is more,” she said with a laugh. “I can tell from the urine sample. I have tested it three times, just to make sure. But I am pleased to extend my congratulations to you, Nina. You are expecting a child.”
Nina remained frozen. “I beg your pardon?”
“You are pregnant, my dear. Your mother will be over the moon. She has said on many occasions how she is jealous of my grandmother status.”
“Oh, don’t tell her,” Nina said immediately as her mind raced.
“Of course not, my dear. Our service is completely confidential, whether or not Sumitra is a friend of mine. All the symptoms you have are due to the pregnancy. I will book you in for an ultrasound as soon as I can, so we can ascertain how pregnant you really are.” Dr Gupta sounded incredibly pleased. “I will call you tomorrow, my dear.”
“Thank you,” Nina said with the phone still to her ear long after Dr Gupta had ended the call.
She placed the phone in the pocket of her towelling robe and took the stairs, holding onto the banister, unable to quite take it in. Once in the bedroom she slumped onto the bed looking out of the window with the view of Glastonbury Tor in front of the pink sky. She began to pant then ran to the ensuite to be sick.
Afterwards, she stood up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Maybe this is everything falling into place? Ethan often talked about focussing on what you want and having faith that everything will come together. Maybe losing the seat on the council was a blessing. How would she have mixed the shop, a pregnancy and maternity leave with her councillor duties? This was a turning point, a new life. She looked upwards, feeling that some higher being may be able to see her life plan. She was not usually a spiritual person but if there was something out there, it seemed that it really did have her best interests at heart. After all, this was not a disruption, it was getting everything in order. This could actually be the best day of my life, she thought.
She left the ensuite feeling energised. She remembered Holly’s wedding and how huge she was walking down the aisle only weeks before she gave birth to the twins. She turned to her side and looked at her small, yet slightly protruding stomach in the mirror, which she had thought was down to overeating and no trips to the gym. The sooner we get married the better, she thought. She brought to mind the dresses she had in the shop. At least she could find use for at least one of them!
She checked the time on her phone. Ethan would be there in roughly fifteen minutes. Butterflies turned over in her stomach, a feeling of excitement spreading over her whole body. She quickly dressed, and plugged in her hairdryer; her thick hair took a long time to dry. She grinned at her reflection in the mirror as she dried it, confident that everything was going to work out great.
She soon heard the car pull up outside and stood up. Ethan would be so surprised and hopefully as excited as she was. This was an amazing alternative to being ‘Councillor Smith’. The title ‘Ma’ would surpass that.
“Babe, I’m home,” Ethan called out to her, in the way he always did.
She walked to the top of the stairs and he looked up at her holding three small bouquets of flowers that she assumed he’d picked up from a petrol station on the way over. She couldn’t wait to hug him, to hold him close.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said.
“You too. And flowers?” Nina walked down the stairs to meet him.
“I’ve got news!” he said. “I’m bursting to tell you.”
“I’ve got exciting news too,” she said as she reached the bottom step.
“I’ve missed you,” he said in a low voice, and reached for her, holding her close against his body.
She wrapped her arms around him as they kissed, having missed the feeling of them being together.
He pulled away. “Well come on then,” he said. “Let’s have champagne, the real stuff.”
“Really?” Nina said looking into his eyes. Ethan rarely drank alcohol.
He pulled her hand and led her towards the kitchen area. “I won’t wait for it to chill, I’ll open it now.” He reached up to the wine rack in the kitchen area and pulled a bottle of Moet down, which would have been a gift from someone at some point or left over from a party.
Nina took two champagne flutes from the cupboard. Although she realised she couldn’t have more than a sip, she wanted to toast their new life. She placed the glasses on the white quartz island and sat on a bar stool grinning at him, bursting to give her news.
Ethan popped the cork and poured the bubbly drink. “Tell me first, what’s your cause for celebration?”
She realised that her news was too big, that it was better to hear his story as once she told him they would be talking wedding and baby names and probably ordering a delivery meal as she would be too excited to cook. Maybe they could go out to celebrate? “No, you go first,” she said. “I’m excited to hear it.” She’d also vowed to take a lot more of an interest in his work.
He handed her a glass. “We’re moving to Qatar!”
“What?” Nina put her glass down without even taking a sip.
“It’s perfect isn’t it?” he said. “When you were talking the other day, about losing your seat, and the shop hadn’t been turning a profit. It’s everything just coming into alignment.”
“Qatar?” Nina said.
“That’s what the meeting was about in Germany. Remember, I told you they were considering my designs and wanted to view the building in Berlin. They want a similar design but twice the size in Qatar and then after that a sister building, as a mirror image. It’s going to take at least four years, maybe five or six if we have to wait for approval. I’m not quite sure on the building regs over there.”
Nina took a deep breath. “Isn’t Qatar a country where there are curbs on women and what they’re allowed to do?”
Ethan gestured at her. “You’ve nothing to worry about. That’s just the culture for locals. Plenty of westerners live there freely.”
Apart from that she was pregnant, and she wanted to bring her child up where her family lived. Ethan’s mother was also local. Their whole support system was in Somerset. “Why do we have to move? You didn’t move to Germany?”
“It’s a long way. Commuting long haul is out of the question. Germany was just a hop across the channel. Come on, babe, see it for the adventure it is. We’ve not seen much of each other these past few months, I don’t want us to drift.” He walked around the island and put his arms around her and kissed her on the lips then moved back staring into her eyes. “I want it to be just you and me.”
Nina said nothing as she stared at him and the words just you and me, echoed in her mind because there was no longer just you and me , it was us three. With that thought, she felt her stomach churn.
He gestured towards the stairs. “I have to unpack and repack. I’ve got a car picking me up at six in the morning. I’m off to Qatar for my first meeting. My flight leaves Heathrow tomorrow at half eleven.”
“Give me a second,” she said realising she was going to be ill.
Ethan took a step away and she jumped down from the stool and ran to the downstairs bathroom.
Ethan followed and held her hair as she was ill, rubbing her back. “I’m sorry, I guess it was a bit too much of a surprise. I assumed you’d be as excited as me. I didn’t consider the rules around women. Let’s talk it out and I’m sure I can look into it more, whether there are specific areas we’d be best to choose to live in, which would not cause those problems.”
Nina flushed the toilet then groaned, leaning against the tiled wall.
“And what was your news?” Ethan asked.
She stared at him for a long moment, then took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”