Over The Rainbow (COMPLETED)

Salted Grape Juice

January 2024:

"Papa!" Charmaine shouted from the washroom near the kitchen where Maine was throwing up.

RJ rushed to where they were and saw their little girl holding her Mama's hair up with her little hands as Maine vomited in the toilet bowl. Their little girl looked distraught as she watched her mom worriedly.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Papa's here. I'll take care of Mama now. Can you please get her some water?" RJ said gently and Charm nodded, stepping to one side as her father collected her mother's hair in one hand.

She quietly watched as RJ sat behind Maine and gently rubbed her back as the latter continued to throw up before running to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

When she returned a few minutes later, her parents were on the sink as RJ handed Maine a small towel after she washed her face and brush her teeth.

"Mama?" Charmaine frowned, looking up at her parents with a glass of water in her hands.

Maine who just finished patting her face dry smiled at their little girl. "Is that for me?"

"Yes, Mama." Charm nodded and handed the glass to Maine who happily took it.

"Thank you, my love." She whispered sweetly and kissed their daughter's cheek before taking a sip of the water. "Ready to finish that cake with Mama?" She asked, taking Charm's hand as she went out of the washroom while RJ assisted her with his hand on her waist and elbow.

They were baking a chocolate cake which Charmaine asked to have for snacks while Thirdy was still in his advanced Math classes and Seb was taking a nap.

"No, Mama. It's okay. I'll just ask Yaya to help." Charm said quietly, staring at her feet as she walked with her parents to the kitchen.

Maine stopped walking and so did her husband and daughter. She got down on her knees and faced Charmaine who looked very upset.

"Why? What's wrong, sweetheart?" She asked softly as she cupped the little girl's cheek and lifted her chin.

Charmaine looked at her mother with tear-filled eyes and sobbed as she threw her hands over Maine's shoulders then cried.

Maine hugged their daughter back and looked at RJ in confusion who shrugged as he also got down on his knees to comfort Charmaine.

"Baby, why are you crying?" Maine asked.

Charm let out a few sobs before answering. "I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry."

"Why? You did nothing wrong, my love."

In between her sobs, Charmaine explained. "You... you got sick be-because of me, Mama. You... you got too tired from baking th-the cake with me."

"No, I didn't. That's not why I got sick." Maine said.

Charmaine then pulled away to look at her mom with a tear-streaked face. "It's not?"

"No." Maine smiled and wiped their little girl's cheeks with her hands.

"Why did you get sick, Mama?" Charm asked.

"I'm not really sick, sweetheart. It's just a normal thing I have to go through because of the baby." Maine explained.

"The baby is doing this?" Charmaine glared then looking down on Maine's 10-week old belly, she said. "Bad baby."

Maine laughed. "No. No, sweetheart. The baby is not doing this? It's my body telling me that the baby is growing healthily inside me. I had it with all of you. You were too young to remember when I went through it with Seb but I did too."

"Really, Mama?" Charmaine asked.

"Really." RJ cut in to help his wife explain. "Not just that. There's also some sleepless nights, getting dizzy, getting angry at Papa for absolutely no reason..." He chuckled as Maine glared at him. "And not wanting to eat anything. She was worse when she had you. She hated everything we gave her even water." RJ added.

"Is that true, Mama?" Charmaine asked, looking up at Maine.

Her mom nodded. "It is but it was all worth it because after that, we were given the most precious, most loving and most beautiful little girl." Maine smiled and enclosed Charm in her arms.

"You really didn't eat then?" Charm asked, still worried.

"Oh, she did." RJ answered. "She only wanted two things. Green apples in apple cider vinegar and salted grape juice."

"Salted grape juice? Ack!" Charmaine grimaced, making her parents laugh.

"You seem to really like it back then." Maine chuckled. "You want to try it now?"

Charmaine winced again and shook her head. "No, thank you, Mama."

"Okay then. How about we finish that cake? I'll help decorate." RJ beamed.

"Yes! Papa is really good with the sprinkles." Maine grinned.

"Yey!" Charmaine cheered. "Let's go!"

RJ then helped Maine up and scooped up their little girl in his arms as Charmaine excitedly told them how she wanted to decorate the cake completely forgetting about her worries.

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Unbeta'ed and not proofread.

Happy Sunday! 😊

Thank you for reading.