9. Claudia
I potted around the back room at the grocery store, cleaning shelves, moving product doing anything to stay out of my mother’s way.
Georgina was in a mood, and when she was in a mood I tried to give her a wide berth.
After another ten minutes of shifting things from here to there, I knew there was no avoiding going out to the front of the shop and see exactly what was up my mother’s butt.
Steeling myself for a confrontation probably about Elle’s sudden trip, I walked into the shop and found my mother waiting for me. Hands on her hips and steam coming out of her ears. Lucky for me she had Miracle with her, which meant Georgina wouldn’t get into full crazy lady mode. Not in front of her beloved granddaughter.
Or so I hoped.
The second I came into her view Georgina was on me.
“Claudia Chanel Blessing, why are you hiding from me?” Georgina demanded the second I came out of the back room.
“That’s Blessing-Gallow,” I corrected her, my insolence getting a giggle from Miracle and a heated glare from my mother.
If there was one thing, I enjoyed more than anything it was riling up my mother. She made it too easy, however, she never let me get away with it unscathed.
“Mum, I’m not hiding from you I just don’t want to get into a discussion about why Elle has gone off by herself.” I stated, moving around my mother to go to my niece who was sitting on the ancient counter eating potato chips.
“Hey there chickee, got anything to say to me today?”
We all decided not to push Miracle to keep talking unless she wanted to. She was still communicating with sign language, only using short words like yes or no and a lot of giggling.
I wasn’t concerned about her still using her hands to talk. After eight years of silence, I guess it would be hard to get used to using your vocal cords.
Shaking her head, Miracle gave me a mischievous smile. “Nope.” She croaked.
“Cheeky chickee,” I laughed, her cheeky comeback so typical of a Blessing.
“Claudia are you just going to ignore me?” my mother asked, her voice raised to get my attention.
“Mum,” I sighed, turning to give her what she wanted. “Elle is a big girl. IF she wants to go into the city there is nothing, I can do to stop that.”
“It’s not Elle I’m worried about,” mum replied, making me shudder.
Oh shit.
It must have showed on my face that I guessed she was talking about me, because Georgina gave me her most sinister smile.
“Yes, baby girl, you are correct,” she said reading my mind. “Why haven’t you told me that you are pregnant?” she demanded, her hands of her hips.
My mouth went dry, my heart began racing and my fight or flight instincts kicked in.
“What— what— I’m not— am I?” I stammered, not believing that Georgina could possibly know that I was putting off taking a pregnancy test and I was more than certain Josh had not said anything to her.
“Chickee,” mum clucked coming over to me, her arm around my shoulder and gently lead me through the shop to the medical isle. “Don’t you know by now I know everything. There is nothing you girls can hide from me for long. I can smell out your bullshit a mile away and see through your lies,” she lectured, as she walked me down to the area where we stocked pregnancy tests. “You’re emotional, your appetite has doubled, and you keep touching your belly.” To prove her point mum looked at my hands which made me look down and don’t you know it, my hands were on my belly.
“Shit,” I cursed not aware that I had been doing that. Was I more emotional than normal? Was I eating more than usual? And if I was why had my husband not told me!
Getting my jumbled thoughts in order, I stared at my mother half in awe and half annoyed at her incredible insight.
It has to be a superpower.
“Yes chickee, it is indeed a superpower. One that comes after you give birth, and your hips widen.” Mum answered me, making me realise I said my inner thought out loud.
Shit, shit!
A giggle from the front counter turned into a full out laugh, causing mum and I to turn around and run to the end of the isle to see what we were hearing. Tears of joy filled my eyes as well as mum’s. Miracle’s first real out loud laugh without the croaking sound filled the shop.
“Oh, my clever little chickee,” mum crooned grabbing Miracle off the counter to swing her around, making my niece laugh and giggle even more.
“Gisele!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Get in here!”
My little sister had come by earlier to hang out with mum and dad after Elle and Dani left for their weekend. She said waiting at home for Jamison made her antsy, whatever that meant.
Light footsteps were quickly followed by heavier ones, meaning my dad was on his way as well. My yelling must have sounded more worrying than excited. Oops.
“What the devil— oh my god, my baby girl,” Gisele bursting into happy tears when she saw her daughter’s happy face and the happy laughter filling the room. Racing over to her daughter, Gisele took her from our mother’s embrace and wrapped her up in her arms. Both mother and daughter laughed together, although Gisele was crying more than laughing.
Feeling my own wave of emotion coming, I joined my sister and my niece in a cuddle huddle.
“Can … you, … you believe how beau … beautiful her laugh is, Claude?” Gisele asked in between happy sobs.
“It’s soooo beautiful,” I agreed nodding and sobbing along with my sister.
“Good grief, what the hell is going on?” My father asked loudly. “What’s with all the tears Claudia?” he asked, smiling adoringly at Miracle as he came closer in the shop.
Unable to tell my father to bugger off and leave us alone. I had no explanation for him for my overwhelming reaction to Miracle’s laughter. My mother, however, had no such problem.
“Jock my wonderful oblivious husband, what you are witnessing is pure pregnancy hormones.” Mother explained to him, sounding so smug I had the sudden urge to deck her.
“I am not pregnant!” Gisele cried out, “I’m on birth control now!” she protested but still she looked unsure.
Instantly my tears stopped, and I gapped at my baby sister. “Are you pregnant!” I screeched at a decibel dogs all around the area could hear.
Wide eyed, Gisele visibly paled. I could see her mind doing mental calculations and coming up blank.
“No … maybe … probably not?” she said but it came out more like a question.
“I think we need two of these.” Mother announced, holding up the pregnancy test she grabbed for me, then turned around and headed back down the aisle no doubt to grab a second test for Gisele.
Glaring at me, then at our dad, then back at me, Gisele’s expression said it all.
“Oh, dear God, mum is going to be in her glee if I am,” she muttered looking horrified at the thought.
My father who was watching us, quickly grabbed Miracle away from Gisele. “This is when you and I make a run for it, chickee,” dad declared as he bolted from the shop with a laughing Miracle slung over his shoulder in a fireman hold.
Returning with a second test, mum waved them in my face. As Gisele predicted Georgina looked blissfully happy, that there was a possibility that both her daughters were pregnant at the same time. A dream of hers maybe, but for me it was a nightmare. I didn’t want to take the test now, and I certainly didn’t want to take it with Georgina standing on the other side of a door listening to me pee.
The idea was traumatising.
Rushing to the other side of the counter where I left my bag, I snatched it up.
“Who is going first?” Georgina asked, her eyes dancing with … well glee.
“No way, I’m out!” I shouted then raced out the door, leaving Gisele’s shouts of protest in my wake.
Hitting the footpath, I turned right and bolted for my house. Before today I was happy with my head in the sand but now, I wasn’t so sure.
Could I really be pregnant?
There was only one way to know for sure.