24. Gisele
Something was up with Elle.
Two days ago, she left my house in a hurry which made no sense considering she came over early that morning to spend the whole day with me, Claudia, and mum but after only a few hours she made a lame excuse that she had something to take care of and left. It didn’t escape me that her face was pale and that she looked like she was sick to her stomach.
I knew that it wasn’t anything to do with what happened at the shop, although terrifying at the time, I was okay and so was mum and Claudia. It took a little while but eventually Elle was accepting of the reason why I did what I did keeping her out of the shop. I needed her to be with Miracle … just in case.
So now, I was on my way to Elle’s to find out what the dickens was up her butt. Claudia called me minutes ago to inform me that she was already there and was waiting for me before the interrogation began.
Even the small distance to Elle’s my legs ached with each step. Jamison had been insatiable the last couple of nights since our engagement, he got even more so after the conversation about my favourite tv actor getting married recently, sending me, Claude, and Elle into grieving, hence my black outfit today. It was truly appalling that he was off the market as dad put it, Jamison just couldn’t understand.
Jamison’s reaction amused me, he was so protective and in love with me, just the thought of me having a crush on an actor sent him into caveman mode. Not that I was complaining mind you, no siree Bob. My man had magic hands and he was thorough he also took my sexual pleasure very seriously. The things that man did to my body should be written down in a how-to manual on pleasing a woman. I was also getting my fair share of learning how to make my man moan, groan, and roar. Just this morning I woke him with a blowjob that had him moaning so loud for a second I worried that we were going to need to soundproof the bedroom. I mean seriously, Jamison could get loud.
Crossing the road, I spotted old Mr Hanson coming my way.
Bloody marvellous.
Steeling myself for anything, I raised a hand and waved hello to the excentric old bugger.
“Hi Mr H how are you doing today?”
“I’m not doing anything that concerns you young miss,” he retorted, tapping down the stack of bucket hats on his head. Seriously, did he realise that he looked like a total moron wearing seven hats at the same time? Not that I wanted to know the reason why, but sometimes the question popped into my head, then I did everything to push it away.
Not at all bothered with his gruff response, I kept walking past him leaving him to his business. Whatever it was.
Pushing Elle’s gate opened I rushed up the path eager to get stuck into my sister’s issue.
“I’m here!” I shouted entering the front door and heading straight for the back of the house where I knew my sister’s will be waiting for me.
“About time chickee!” Claudia called back making my eyes roll without me even thinking to do it. Claudia was a real stickler when it came to time, but she didn’t have Miracle to worry about. My child worked on her own timeframe, she moved when she wanted and that was that.
“Sorry, I made the mistake of asking Mr Hanson how he was today,” I laughed entering the kitchen to find Claudia sitting on the kitchen island while Elle was perched on a high stool looking pale and freaked out.
“Okay, spill Ellie,” I said as I walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of sparkling water, then seeing a block of chocolate, I snatched that up too.
“She isn’t ready to say anything yet,” Claudia said mater-of-factly. Reeling around I pointed my bottle at Elle like it was a weapon.
“Don’t pull that shit Elle Naomi Blessing, you have been off kilter since that weekend with Dani. Surely you can’t be carrying on about that one night stand?”
“I have not been off kilter,” Elle argued but I was not about to fall for that line. If anyone was an expert at stalling tactics it was me and Claudia.
“Chickee give up the stalling and tell us what the hell is going on with you?” Claudia said suddenly serious. I couldn’t blame her, I too could feel Elle was about to drop a bomb, something she rarely did. Elle was the sensible one, even through all the shit with Jake, Elle kept a cool head. But the Elle I was staring at now, was far from calm.
Looking down at her fingernails, picking at the nail polish, a dead giveaway of stress for her, Elle finally raised her head and instantly my heart picked up speed when I saw tears welling in them.
“Ellie?”
A beat of silence passed before Elle ignited the bomb.
“I think I’m pregnant,” she whispered, and the tears fell the second she said the P word. The stunned silence enveloped the room like a cloud of thick fog, the disbelief what Elle just said so out of this world I was having trouble comprehending it.
Glancing at Claudia, I saw that she was in the same state as me.
Disbelief.
One thing about Elle, she was an amazing aunty. Her love and devotion towards my daughter was one thousand percent but she was always adamant that she never wanted to have children of her own. Always saying she didn’t have a need to carry a child to love one. I always expected her to come home one day to tell us that she was adopting or fostering. To Elle, being pregnant was never on her radar. So, hearing this piece of information was going to take another minute or two to process.
Jumping off the bench, Claudia rushed to Elle, dropping to her knees in front of her, quickly I did the same.
“Ellie are you sure? You’ve never been on time with your periods,” Claudia said helpfully, “have you taken a test yet?”
“I’m too scared to, but I’m late, too late,” she said miserably. To Elle this was about the worst news possible, she was not long divorced from Jake and his trial was yet to happen. How was Elle going to go to court pregnant and not send Jake into a tailspin?
“Chickee, first thing to do is take a test,” I suggested gently, “you could be worrying for nothing.”
Nodding Claudia stood up and left without saying a word, she didn’t have to, both Elle and I knew where she was going.
“I take it it’s not Jake’s?” I asked already knowing the answer, but it was something to break the emotional tension.
Scoffing at me, Elle shook her head, “Not in this lifetime Gissy, no it was the guy from that weekend.” She confirmed, her voice shaking. Reaching out I took her hand in mine, feeling the tremble.
“Do you know how to contact him?” I asked treading carefully as one had to do when dealing with the oldest Blessing sister. Elle could get pretty temperamental at times, and this bombshell was a doozy, so every precaution needed to be taken.
Her eyes widened almost comically; her mouth opened then closed then she shook her head. “No and I will not be contacting him,” Elle announced stubbornly, “If I am, then what happens next is my business, my choice, and no one else’s.” Using that voice that gave no permission to disagree with her. Not that I would, but I did have an opinion and I was going to voice it come what may.
“Ellie, this is your choice and your body, but if you decided to have the baby, then the man has a right to know he is a father.”
“I don’t even know his last name Gisele, nor do I know where he lives, works or anything about him other than he was a magnificent lover one that I will probably never experience again if I live to be one hundred,” Elle proclaimed dramatically, typical of a Blessing female.
“Okay sweetie, you’re right it is your call,” I quickly backtracked, holding up my other hand in surrender. The last thing I wanted was to add to her stress, but personally I didn’t agree with keeping a man in the dark if he fathered a child.
Dropping her head, Elle let out a frustrated growl, “I’m sorry chickee I didn’t mean to bite your head off, but I don’t even know if I am so questions like that are moot until I do.”
Just then the front door banged open and in came hurricane Claudia, out of puff obviously from running to and from her house.
Josh would not be impressed, but I kept that to myself as well.
“Here you go,” Claudia shouted, tossing the test on the table in front of Elle. “Now go pee on the stick before you have an aneurysm.”
Elle gingerly picked up the small oblong box as if it contained a pipe bomb. Her deer in the head lights expression was not something you ever saw from my big sister, and I had to admit secretly I found it funny as heck.
Another thing to keep to yourself Gisele, I told myself internally.
After another few seconds of stalling, Elle pushed up from the chair with a heavy sigh, “Fine, but neither of you are coming in to watch me pee,” she ordered looking more at me than Claudia. Reminding me of the time when I made her come into the toilet with me when I was sixteen. In my defence I was scared out of my mind at the time, not that Elle would remember that part of the story.
“You watched me pee,” I argued.
“Josh watched me,” Claudia offered too, but Elle ignored both of us instead leaving the room holding the box with just two fingers.
“It’s not going to explode Ellie,” I called out with a little too much glee.
Payback is a bitch dear sister.
“You know,” Claudia began, “If Elle is pregnant, the shit is going to hit the fan, you do realise this don’t you Gissy?”
Sobering, I thought carefully about that and unfortunately came to the same conclusion.
If she was, there was no way the father was going to be included, which meant Georgina was going to hit the roof and indeed the proverbial shit will hit the fan. Our mother was okay with our choices but not if it meant doing the dirty on another person. Keeping a father from his child deliberately in Georgina’s eyes was a dirty low act. Elle was going to have to tread carefully if the stick turns pink.
“Who are you worried about more, mum, Elle or dad?” I asked, absently opening the chocolate, and biting straight into the block. A habit I acquired when I was a kid. I learnt very early on if I wanted something to myself the only way was to lick or bite it before anyone else could get their hands on it.
Immature? Yep.
Proud of it? Again yep.
Claudia didn’t blink an eye at my behaviour, just rolled her eyes and ignored me.
“I love your ring Gissy, it really is you,” she commented, looking at the massive oval stone then down at her own beautiful ring. Hers was a stunning Morganite square cut with diamonds going on either side of the white gold band. Her wedding band was a band of small Morganite’s but rose gold.
Okay then, subject change.
Staring at my ring, I couldn’t help but smile at it, “He did well, didn’t he?”
“That he did,” Claudia agreed readily, “Have you talked about a date yet?”
Shaking my head, “Nope not yet, but he did say he doesn’t want a long engagement. Apparently, he wants me to be his as soon as possible.”
“Bossy,” Claudia smiled she understood because Josh was just as bad with her. And now she was carrying his baby, he had kicked the caveman up into full gear.
Silence ensued as I chewed happily on the yummy treat but in the back of my mind was my sisters possible dilemma.
“It’s Elle I worry about more,” Claudia answered my earlier question breaking the silence, “She is incredibly private, over the top private. Jake’s shit has made her doubly so.” Looking towards the back of the house where the bathroom was situated Claudia worried her lip with her teeth, her tell that she was more worried than she was letting on.
I admitted that a pregnant Elle was a scary thought, but it was still a baby. A Blessing baby and babies were a good thing. Right?
“Oh, good news,” I said suddenly, needing a subject change, “Jamison said the new paramedic is coming a week earlier than first intended so dad is gathering the troops to get the station cleaned up. The working bee starts tomorrow, it was meant to be today but after he fixed the ceiling at the shop Georgina decided it was a perfect time to change the colour of the shop.”
Mum decided that Claudia and I needed some time off after the whole hostage thing, I personally didn’t agree but arguing with Georgina was like trying to tame a red belly black snake, actually that might be easier. I was itching to get back to my shop, but I was also relieved about Georgina’s call to change the paint scheme in the shop. The lime green walls and shelves were outdated, not changed since my grandma ran the grocery. I was not privy to what colour mum chose however, so a disaster could still be in the making.
“Yeah, Josh has been roped in already,” Claudia said interrupting my thought process, “Do you know his name?”
“Jamison calls him Gibbo, that’s all I know other than he is an excellent paramedic and is looking forward to starting a new life in Blessings with his younger brother.”
“Oh, how old?” Claudia asked perking up a little.
“Primary school age, Jamison has already asked Miracle to befriend him to make the transition easier for him.”
“Easier?” Claudia asked all of a sudden intrigued no longer staring where Elle disappeared.
“Apparently he is deaf, but extremely smart,” I relayed the small amount of information Jamison gave me. He really has to get better at gossiping. His cop way of keeping things under his hat just weren’t going to do.
“Miracle will be a perfect buddy for him,” Claudia said happily, then her face dropped, and I knew Elle was back.
Spinning around in my chair, I took one look at my big sister, her face telling me everything I needed to know.
Shit on a stick.