Chapter 4 #2
“Well, when you don’t take an Uber, that is,” she teased, swatting playfully at me.
I paused. “How did you know that?”
Madison turned around, her back to me, and started reorganizing her purchases. “Well … I happened to be passing by the other day, and saw you getting into a car with an Uber sign on the windshield. So, you’re not walking every day.”
I let a breath out quickly. “I’m puking my guts out every morning,” I said, hating that I suddenly found myself in a defensive posture. “Sometimes I just don’t have the energy to walk after that.”
She gave me a compassionate frown. “Oh, I know.” Maybe she meant to sound sweet, but I found it more patronizing. “But remember—it’s all about what’s best for the baby. Baby needs that exercise too.” She reached into her bag. “I got you one more present. Here!”
Madison handed me a thick, paperback book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, as she beamed proudly.
“That’s … so nice of you, Madison. I’ve been meaning to get a copy of this.”
“Of course. It’s my pleasure! And I went ahead and highlighted a few things for you that I thought would be helpful.”
I noticed some brightly colored page markers sticking out between some of the pages.
“I’ll definitely check them out.” I shoved some mail aside and set it down on the kitchen table.
With a deep breath, I smiled at Madison.
She was obviously trying … but this was a lot.
And I was really ready for a shower and some solitude.
“Well, it was very sweet of you to stop by and bring me all these things. I’ll …
see you around?” I held out my arm to try and guide her toward the door, but she didn’t move.
“So, when is the next appointment?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Our next obstetrician appointment. Isn’t it usually at twelve weeks?”
Did she just say our again? “Um … yes, I haven’t scheduled it yet, though. I was planning to send my doctor an email checking in this weekend.” Alarm bells were ringing in the back of my mind. Does she think she’s coming to my checkups? I haven’t even invited Max!
“Oh, that will be exciting! Definitely let us know, okay?”
“Sure, Madison.” Um, we’ll see about that.
She started looking around the apartment. “Well, since I’m here, why don’t you take a shower while I put these things away, and I’ll make you a nice mug of the pregnancy tea.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Madison. But thank you for—”
“Nonsense.” She put her hands on my shoulders, turned me around, and gave me a gentle push toward the bathroom. “You’ve been working so hard lately, and you haven’t been taking proper care of yourself. Let me help.”
“No, I really just—”
“No arguments.” She walked me all the way to the bathroom door and practically shoved me in. “Take your time.”
I didn’t have the energy in me to argue. I shut the door with a sigh.
The hot shower felt heavenly. I took my time, relishing the feeling of the soothing hot water on my skin. Maybe if I stay in here long enough, she’ll leave.
Twenty minutes later I emerged from the steamy bathroom with just a towel wrapped around me. The apartment was silent. Was Madison still here? I tiptoed down the hall and peeked around the corner. Nope, no sign of her—but wow, my apartment was transformed.
The kitchen was spotless. She had taken out my trash, emptied and then loaded my dishwasher, and cleaned off the table. All that remained on it was a mug of tea, still piping hot, and a note.
I hope you feel refreshed after your shower. Enjoy your tea—hope it helps with the nausea. Please call soon and let us know when the next doctor’s appointment is. xoxo, Madison
I picked up the mug and took a gentle sip. I rolled my eyes at how delicious the tea was. So that’s what seventy-five bucks tastes like. A few more sips, and my stomach actually did feel calmer.
As I padded back toward the bedroom to get dressed, I noticed Madison had placed the etched clay vase of flowers on the mantle of my ancient fireplace.
They definitely cheered up my now-spotless home.
In my bedroom, I noticed she’d moved all the dirty clothes that had been strewn around the apartment into my laundry hamper—and my bed was made.
It felt a little weird knowing Madison had had her hands and eyes all over my home, in my private things, especially after the way my ultrasound printout had disappeared a couple of weeks before.
I’d torn apart my kitchen, searched the pockets of every coat and purse I owned, and knelt to peer underneath the fridge in case it had slipped out from under the magnet.
I even dug through my trash in case I’d somehow accidentally tossed it, but it never turned up.
I sat on my bed and sipped the luxurious tea.
Yes, Madison showing up out of the blue had been weird. But, even if she was a little overbearing, shouldn’t I be glad that Max’s girlfriend was being nice and helpful, instead of mean and jealous?
Remember, I admonished myself. It could be so much worse.
The shrill beeping of my alarm jarred me out of the vivid dream I’d been having. My eyes popped open as my heart thundered in my chest.
God, it had been stressful—I was dressed like Little Orphan Annie, driving a tiny clown car full of screaming babies.
When we reached our destination, the babies burst out of the car and ran in different directions, leaving me scrambling after.
I desperately tried to scoop all the babies back up, but every time I caught one, another wriggled out of my arms. It was hard to run too, because my giant pregnant belly kept bouncing up and down, making me nauseous.
Then Madison appeared in the distance, running toward me with a maniacal smile, shouting, “Don’t worry, Savannah! I’m here to help!”
My hand flew to my mouth as I realized the nausea wasn’t only in my dream.
I barely made it to the bathroom before a tsunami of half-digested Thai takeout from the night before came back up.
When my stomach was finally done emptying itself, I made my way into the kitchen, feeling so weak I could barely stand.
Then I remembered the book Madison had given me. Surely the be-all, end-all of pregnancy bibles would have suggestions on calming morning sickness?
I brewed a mug of Madison’s extravagant pregnancy tea. As I settled onto the couch with the book, I noted again the colorful little strips sticking out between the pages, where Madison had said she’d highlighted some things for me to read.
I chose a strip at random and opened to the spot, which was all about safety dos and don’ts, such as exercising (do) and coloring your hair (don’t). On a sticky note, Madison had jotted a little message, with a smiley face at the end: Remember the baby’s health—no more highlights in your hair!
I scoffed in surprise.
I started flipping through the marked spots. They were all reminders of the countless changes I needed to make in my life.
No more sushi! was on one page. Another note in the “sugar and caffeine” section read: Time to cut back on the sweets—like the milkshakes! I frowned. How did she know milkshakes were my new pregnancy vice—or was it just a lucky guess?
Do you know how hot your shower gets? was next, on a page about avoiding certain activities like hot tubs (or anything above a hundred degrees) and rollercoasters.
Make sure whatever brand of vitamin you are taking includes the proper amount of folic acid and iron! she instructed in a section about important nutrients.
Finally, in the physical activity section, she noted, I found a great prenatal yoga class that meets at 7pm three times a week, not far from your apartment! My treat! You and the baby need the exercise! I’ll even come do it with you!
I snapped the book shut, feeling like I’d been punched in the stomach.
I leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
Am I really doing that many things wrong?
Am I screwing up this whole mother thing before my baby is even born?
I covered my face in my hands as emotion rose, tightening my throat.
Why did I ever think I would be any good at this?
Guess I can’t blame Jason for wanting out of this mess.
Another wave of nausea reminded me that I’d never found the section I actually wanted to read, about morning sickness.
When I finally found it—sans helpful notes from Madison, thank God—it recommended Saltines, certain herbs, and more protein.
Apparently during the first trimester, the baby’s brain was forming, and my body needed all the protein it could get.
Poultry, fish, eggs, and beans could all help keep nausea at bay, while also helping to increase my energy. Okay, this was actually helpful.
I made a mental note to go to the grocery store soon and stock up on protein.
In the meantime, I was going to be late to the Monday morning team meeting if I didn’t get moving.
I gulped down the rest of my rapidly cooling tea and headed for the shower, trying to push Madison and all her “helpfulness” out of my mind.