It was Friday night and Mom, Rory, Emily and I were eating fondue for dessert after our weekly Friday night dinner.
"This feels so decadent. Isn't this decadent?" Emily asked brightly, looking between the three of us using skewers to dip marshmallows in the melted chocolate.
"Very decadent." Rory and I agreed at the same time and I smirked at her in amusement.
"Are there more marshmallows?" Mom asked Emily curiously.
"All you two have been dipping is the marshmallows! You haven't touched the kiwi, or the pineapple, or the tangelo slices." Emily accused Rory and Mom and I bit into a strawberry.
"But it's fruit." Rory said matter-of-factly with a shrug.
"Fruit is good for you." I pointed out to her with a grin.
"We're fondue purists."
"Yeah, we dip old school." Mom agreed with Rory as she dipped another marshmallow.
"The government says you should have nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day." Emily informed them and I snorted because there was no way we ate that much fruit or vegetables a day.
"Imperialist propaganda." I accused playfully as I ate another strawberry.
"I think Noam Chomsky would agree." Rory said to me with a grin.
"I bet Noam doesn't dip fruit." Mom added to our conversation.
"Or laugh. Ever seen that punim on him?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"Easter Island." Mom agreed with a slow nod.
"Luminista, please bring more marshmallows." Emily called out to the maid of the week with an eye roll.
"Bless you."
"So, I'd love to get your opinion on something."
"Sure." Rory said with a shrug.
"I'm very opinionated." I told them all with a smirk as Mom snorted at the understatement.
"The City Ballet is in trouble. We've given so much over the years, but it's never enough to cover everything they need." Emily told us.
"I hate that." Rory said to her.
"So, we're trying something new. Select patrons, such as myself, are sponsoring individual dancers. Help me pick one." Emily requested as she opened up a blue folder that the next to her on the table. I hesitantly took the cards that she handed me and watched as she passed some to Mom and Rory as well.
"Pick what?" I asked her as I looked at the card suspiciously.
"My dancer! I get to take one home. Bios are on the back."
"And this is legal?" Mom asked her, not looking up from the cards in front of her.
"Of course it's legal."
"Do you want a boy or a girl, Grandma?" Rory asked her with a shrug as she looked over the cards of ballet dancers. I shrugged as well and continued to search through the photographs.
"I'm thinking a little girl. Cute and petite."
"They're all petite." Rory argued with her.
"But not all cute. This one should fouetter over to the dermatologist." I said with a laugh as I held up the photo for the three of them to see.
"Oh, yes, I'd rather not look at that." Emily agreed with a grimace as she looked away from the girl on the card and I giggled as I put the photo down.
"Really, Mom, this is a little bit creepy." Mom told her.
"It's not creepy! We're endowing dancers so that they don't have to worry about money. It's nice."
"Well, Gregorio here looks pretty well-endowed already." Mom said with a chuckle as she passed me the card in her hand. I giggled at the guy in the photo and raised an eyebrow at her in agreement.
"Here's a little cutie patootie." Rory said as she passed a card to Emily.
"Oh, she's darling! Look at those little feet!" Emily exclaimed happily as I passed the Gregorio card to Rory for her to look at.
"Whoa, you were right! This Gregorio guy, what's up with that?"
"Rory!" Emily said scandalously.
"Just a little girl talk, Mom. Who are we offending?" Mom said to her, waving her hand dismissively.
"Let's make two piles. One for the maybes, one for the nos."
"Sandpaper face is a no?" I asked her with a small smile.
"Definitely."
"What about Endowment Boy?" Rory asked her with a smirk as she held up the photo for Emily to see. Emily peered at it for a second before nodding her head with a smirk.
"The maybes."
"You go, Grandma." Rory and I said at the same time.
"I bet Gregorio would be good dipped in chocolate." I added to Mom but loud enough that everyone could hear. Rory and Mom started laughing at the comment and Emily looked at me disapprovingly so I bowed my head. "Sorry." I muttered as I pouted and Mom patted my hand silently.
After dinner, Rory, Mom and I were in the driveway of Richard and Emily's house. I watched in amusement as Mom and Rory transferred boxes from the trunk of Rory's car to the back of Mom's Jeep.
"I don't know. Adopting a ballet dancer? The whole thing sounds very shady." Mom said to us as she loaded a box into the Jeep.
"It's good to support the arts any way we can, even the shady-sounding ways. Hey, you took my book bag! I need that!" Rory said as she watched Mom load her book bag into the Jeep.
"Oops, sorry." Mom apologised as she pulled the bag back out of the Jeep.
"So you really think that transferring your stuff bit by bit like this is the way to go, huh? Easier than renting something, doing it all at once?" I asked her in amusement as I leaned against the side of her car.
"Oh, you really want to re-live the U-Haul incident of May 2004?" Rory asked me, giving Mom a pointed look as she talked.
"Ah! You make one iffy U-turn." Mom exclaimed indignantly.
"We were in a tunnel!"
"A wide tunnel."
"Going the wrong way down a one-way street."
"They don't let you forget." Mom said with a sigh.
"Yeah, I've got that elephant's memory when it comes to nearly dying." Rory retorted and I snorted in amusement.
"I'm really glad I wasn't there." I added to the argument.
"Hey, you took my book bag again!" Rory said to Mom with a frown when she saw her book bag in the Jeep again. Mom gasped and got the bag out of the car again and handed it to Rory.
"So, hey. Let's finalize our plans for Thursday." I told them.
"Right. So Jackson says that Sookie has been napping between eleven and twelve-thirty every day. We can count on it." Mom said to us, rubbing her hands together excitedly.
"Must be nice to nap without feeling guilty." Rory said with a dramatic sigh and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Get pregnant and you'll have an excuse." I said to her with a playful smirk.
"No thanks."
"So, meet me at their house at noon. Bring decorations and she'll wake up to a nice, fun, surprise baby shower." Mom concluded and I nodded to her.
"You got it." Rory said to her, giving her a nod.
"I think it's cool we waited this long to throw it. She's totally not going to expect it."
"Plus we forgot." I added.
"But only we know that." Mom said to me with a shrug and I chuckled at her.
"And I'm not telling." Rory told us.
"Good. Bye, hon." Mom said to her as Rory gave her a kiss on the cheek. Rory closed the trunk of her car and then looked around in confusion.
"Mom, my purse!" she exclaimed when she realised that it wasn't anywhere.
"Oh, sorry." Mom said and then gestured hopelessly to the fully packed Jeep. I laughed at the misfortune and sauntered over to my own car.
"Bye, bye!" I called out in amusement as they threw me dirty looks. I climbed into my car with a laugh and drove away from them.
____________________
I grabbed my coffee from the counter and smiled my thanks to the cute guy that had served me. I took a sip as I walked away, wandering around aimless. I had just finished an article for the Yale Daily News and now I really needed something to distract me. I sighed and pulled out my cell phone so that I could call one of my friends to hang out with me. Normally, I would have just called Rory, Colin or Logan but I knew that Colin was in class, Rory was at her internship and I had no idea where Logan was. I scrolled through my contacts trying to choose who to ring first when I saw a familiar looking body walk past. I excitedly stood up and chased after the person. I jumped onto his back and he stumbled under my weight. I giggled as he steadied himself and I heard him sigh as he realised that it was only me attacking him.
"Hello there, Christa." Marty said happily and I grinned as I climbed off his back.
"Hi, Marty." I said brightly as I linked my arm through his. "Where are we heading?" I asked him curiously.
"I'm going to the library. I'm not sure where you're going."
"Hell." I answered him with a shrug and he laughed at me. I had only seen Marty a handful of times since we all went out to a group dinner back when Rory had first started dating Logan. Marty had been in love with Rory since freshman year and seeing her with Logan just about broke his fragile little heart. I didn't think Marty and Rory had spoken since that night because Rory had rejected him in favour of Logan. While I absolutely loved my best friend, Marty was a total sweetheart and he deserved to be happy as well. I made sure to catch up with him at least once every two weeks for coffee because I really need someone to keep my down to earth and Marty was perfect for that. We walked together in companionable silence until Marty stopped suddenly and I was pulled to a stop as well. I stumbled a little at the sudden stop and I looked up at him in confusion. I frowned when I saw him staring ahead of us and I followed his gaze to a table in the courtyard. I smirked when I saw a familiar looking red head sitting alone at one of the tables. The girl was sitting drinking a cup of coffee and reading a novel like she did nearly every day. I had met her when she was working in the library for her scholarship. Ever since we had been friends and hung out every now and then. I looked up at Marty's face and saw him gazing at her, looking love-struck. Getting an idea, I grabbed Marty's hand and started pulling him forward. He didn't even notice at first and just let his feet carry him as I guided him but then he realised what I was doing a stopped in the middle of the path. I turned and frowned up at him.
"No." he said to me, shaking his head violently.
"Why not?" I asked him curiously as I tilted my head and placed a hand on my hip. He looked at me with a panicked expression and I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Because I have no idea what to say. I can't talk to her."
"Yes you can. Just talk to her about yourself." I suggested with a shrug and he frowned at me. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand again. He resisted my urging but I gave him a look and he swallowed sharply but let my pull him along. We got closer to the table and I smiled brightly. "Hey, Kayla!" I called out the red head and her head shot up in surprise. When she saw me approaching her, she smiled brightly and pushed her glasses further up her nose.
"Hey, Christa." She said in greeting and I stopped in front of her table, with Marty in tow.
"Kayla, this is my friend Marty. Marty, this is my friend Kayla." I introduced them to each other and Marty smiled weakly and waved while Kayla blushed and waved back. I smiled to myself and pushed Marty down into one of the spare seats. I sat down on another one of the seats and the three of us started chatting together. At first, Marty and Kayla were both quiet and shy around each other and I was other as a buffer for the two. As the conversation went on though, the two found that they had many common interests and started to become more animated in the conversation until I wasn't needed at all. I made an excuse to leave the two of them alone. Well it wasn't really an excuse since I needed to go shopping for a cocktail dress. I said goodbye to my friends and walked towards the exit of the courtyard. I smiled as I looked back at the two of them and bit my lip as I thought about how perfect they were for each other.
______________________
I was standing in a small boutique looking for the perfect dress to wear to Honor's engagement party when my phone rang from inside my purse. I looked around the store before I pulled it out and check the caller ID. I smiled as I pressed the answer button and held it up to my ear.
"Why is it that no matter how hard I try I can't find the perfect dress?" I asked her in greeting.
"The universe hates you?" my mother suggested playfully.
"Hmm. That may be it." I played along with her as I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear so that I could continue searching the dress selection.
"Guess what I have in my hand? An advanced copy of the magazine that printed the article about the inn!" Mom squealed happily.
"Oh my God!" I exclaimed excitedly with a wide smile. "I'm so proud of you! I've got to get a copy."
"You've got a connection." She told me playfully. "I'll get you one."
"I want to get a bunch, though. Frame one or two of them. How's the article? What's it say?"
"It was then, sadly, that I discovered Christa could not read."
"You know what I mean." I insisted with a giggle as I searched through a rack of cocktail dresses.
"People are going to think I wrote it. I mean, it's big. I nearly cried when I read it." Mom told me giddily.
"Good."
"And the fact that when Emily Gilmore reads it, she's going to hire men to attack me with tire irons, well, that's something else altogether." Mom said to me and I grimaced a little.
"What'd they put in?" I asked cautiously.
"Not every heinous thing I said about her, but enough. I mean, its good stuff, its funny." Mom said a little too brightly and then her voice turned thoughtful. "Maybe if I just told them not the face."
"Who?" I asked in confusion, tilting my head to the side as I studied a blue dress.
"The guys, with the tire irons." Mom explained and I sighed at her.
"I think you should just show it to her and get it over with."
"Mm, maybe. Yeah. You're probably right." She agreed with a sigh. "What are you doing that you need the perfect dress?"
"I'm going to Logan's sister's engagement party. I'm actually really good friends with Honor and she asked me to be a bridesmaid." I explained to her excitedly. "The party's on Friday night."
"Well, if you can't find anything, you have enough time to make something, right?" Mom suggested and I immediately brightened.
"You're right. I do have time to make something. And I already have a design in mind." I said coyly as I thought about the one shouldered cocktail I had sketched earlier in the week.
"Glad I could help." Mom said brightly and I giggled at her. "Okay, well, I just wanted to brag about my article. I'll see you Thursday for the surprise baby shower?"
"Of course. Rory's going to get the decoration and meet us there." I told her.
"Alright. Bye, babe."
"Bye, Mom." I said to her before hanging up and smiling at the dress. I put it back up on its hanger and left the store without it.
______________________
On the Thursday, Mom and I were waiting impatiently for Rory to arrive at Sookie's house with the decorations for the surprise baby shower we were throwing her. We only had a limit amount of time to set up the decoration while Sookie took her nap and Rory was running late. I tapped my foot and looked at my phone to check the time. I bit back a groan as I heard a car pull up in front of the house where Mom and I stood. Rory hurried out of the driver's seat and Mom walked over to stand in front of the car.
"Hi, you're late." Mom said in greeting to my twin sister.
"Sorry. Oh, it's only a little after noon. I'm not that late." Rory argued and I rolled my eyes as I went to stand next to Mom in support.
"Well, we have very limited time during Sookie's nap, here. We just don't want to blow it." I told her pointedly.
"Hold on." Mom said, holding up her hand as if she could physically stop the words. I followed her gaze to the bags that Rory was carrying out of the car and raised an eyebrow at my twin. "You went to Doose's for baby shower decorations?"
"Well, I didn't know where else to go." Rory said to us and Mom and I shared an unbelieving look.
"A decoration store." I said as if it was obvious.
"Is there such a thing?"
"Yes."
"What did you get?" Mom asked, trying to break up the fight that was about to happen if it wasn't squashed. I folded my arms of my chest and waited for Rory to answer her.
"Um, poppers. Taylor had nine left." Rory answered Mom and I chuckled a little at her poor party planning skills. I guessed that all the party planning that I had done in the Life and Death Brigade had help hone my skills.
"Okay, well, there are ten of us, so someone doesn't get to pop."
"Well, I'll pass on the pop. And there's plates, and cups, and –"
"Chicks being hatched? That's Easter." I said as I grabbed the package of paper cups and studied them.
"No, I know, but I figured hatching is birth, so we're right on topic there. Seventy precent off, too."
"What else?" Mom asked her with an amused smile. Now that my anger at her for being late was gone, I found her attempt at baby shower decorations amusing as well.
"Uh, New Year's Eve balloons with Father Time and the New Year's baby on them. We'll blow them up and cheat the old man side to the wall so we can't see it, and then change the word 'year' so it says 'happy new baby'."
"Oh, that's just sad." I stated with a chuckle as I took one of the bags off of her.
"Hey, what's with the attitude?" she asked both me and Mom, looking between us.
"No attitude." Mom huffed.
"You were late." I explained plainly.
"You've been Anne Sexton since I pulled up." Rory said to Mom.
"Sorry. Think I just slept a little funny. All right. Come on, let's get up in there while we still have the chance." Mom said to us and Rory and I both just shrugged and followed her up to the front door. As we approached the front door, it was suddenly thrown open and Jackson and a heavily pregnant Sookie burst through the door. Rory, Mom and I all yelped in surprise as the couple pushed passed us on the way to the car.
"Look out! Coming through!" Jackson yelled frantically.
"It's happening! It's happening!" Sookie screeched as they passed us.
"Oh my God, it's happening?" Mom and I asked at the same time.
"You mean it's happening, happening?" Rory asked them, and I noticed her go a little pale.
"It's coming round the mountain." Sookie confirmed for us.
"Oh, I can't watch this!" Rory exclaimed and grimaced.
"Go get her suitcase! It's by the front door." Jackson ordered no one in particular.
"I'll grab her suitcase!" Rory volunteered quickly and dashed into the house to get Sookie's suitcase for the hospital.
"Oh, I'm freaking out Rory!" Sookie said sadly and I smiled at her reassuringly.
"It's okay. She's a traditionalist. When she has a baby, she's going to be out in the waiting room, pacing and smoking." I joked with her and she laughed a little.
"We should have thrown her the baby shower earlier! Then I wouldn't have had to watch this." Rory said as she came back out of the house with the suitcase and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Oh, you guys were going to throw me a baby shower?" Sookie asked as she got into her and Jackson's car.
"We were going to set it up during your nap." Mom told her friend.
"Want a boost?" Jackson asked his wife.
"I can make it." She assured him.
"Oh, God." Rory muttered as she closed her eyes tightly so that she couldn't see anything.
"Watch it." Mom said to her quietly.
"Sorry, I just really don't want to see what's coming round the mountain."
"See you guys at the hospital?" Jackson asked us as he climbed into the driver's seat of the car.
"Yeah, you'll see me." Mom assured him.
"Yeah, I have to go back to Yale." Rory said, still with her eyes closed.
"Plus she's thoroughly sickened by what's happening to you right now." I added jokingly.
"I'm not sickened, it's finals time. I'm stressed."
"Ooh! Contraction!" Sookie exclaimed.
"Oh, that's pretty sickening."
"I might be at the hospital. It depends on whether or not Rory passes out." I joked as I looked at the shade of green Rory was turning.
"Hang on." Jackson said to his wife as she had another contraction.
"Sorry you didn't get your party." Mom apologised to Sookie.
"Blame little no-name to come." Sookie joked to her best friend with a laugh.
"We'll see you there." Jackson said to me and Mom and then they pulled out of the driveway. Mom and I waved as they left and then turned to Rory. We smiled when we saw that her eyes were still squeezed tightly shut.
"You are going to open your eyes when you drive back to Yale, right?" I asked her with a frown.
"Yes. I'm just giving them a five minute head start. We're taking the same road." Rory told me and I nodded at her.
"Good thinking, honey." Mom said to her and then kissed her forehead. "Bye."
"Bye." Rory said to both of and then opened her eyes slowly to look down the road. I chuckled at her as I shook my head and walked towards my car.
____________________
At the hospital Jackson was walking next to Sookie who was being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse while Mom and I walked behind them to Sookie's private room.
"Are you breathing, honey?" Jackson asked his wife as we entered the room.
"I'm breathing. Hey, was that Andy Dick out in the hallway?" Sookie asked excitedly and I frowned in confusion and looked back over my shoulder into the hallway.
"No, honey. This happened last time. You go into labour, you start thinking you see famous people."
"Right. Suddenly my midwife was Wolf Blitzer."
"Hey, you need me to unpack you?" Mom asked as the nurse and Jackson helped Sookie get onto the hospital bed.
"You probably don't have to. We have everything she needs all set up." The nurse told us and then smiled once at Sookie and left the room.
"You know, we guys always pack a suitcase. Useless. So, have you been thinking about names? I'm leaning toward Ethan for a boy. Or Glenda if it's a girl. Although I like Martha, too. And Rupert for a boy." Jackson rambled as he moved the suitcase to the side of the room.
"They're all good, sweetie." Sookie told him with a smile.
"Hey, whatever we don't use, we just save for the next one, right?"
"Right, right. The next one." Sookie agreed weakly but looked down at the ground.
"Hey, will you stay with her? I've got to go call my most delivery guys and let them know what's happening." Jackson asked Mom and me.
"Yep. We'll be here." I assured him as he smiled at us and then left the room. Mom walked over to Sookie's bedside and I sunk down into one of the vacant chairs.
"Comfortable?" Mom asked Sookie with a smile.
"I am, Penelope Cruz." Sookie assured her and we all laughed out loud.
"Um, hey, Sookie, um, when did you know for sure?" Mom asked her best friend uncertainly and I frowned at her.
"About what?"
"That you were pregnant. How could you tell?"
"Don't you remember? 'Norman Mailer!'" Sookie reminded her and I frowned at Mom in confusion as to why she was asking.
"Mm. Right, right. Norman Mailer." Mom murmured to herself.
"I wonder how Norman is. I had a dream about him the other night, and he was yelling at someone to shut up and read Joyce."
"How long was the Norman Mailer Moment after you and Jackson, uh, conceived?" Mom asked Sookie and I felt my eyes widen at her question.
"Wow. Uh, well, I don't know, a few weeks?" Sookie said but it sounded more like a question.
"It was weeks?"
"I think."
"And you didn't know before? Not a feeling, or anything?"
"I don't know. You've had two before, don't you remember?" Sookie asked and gestured over at me on the seat across from her.
"Yeah. It's been a while."
"Why are you asking?" I asked my mother curiously, tilting my head to the side in question.
"Oh, I don't know. Just being in a maternity ward makes me wonder about these things." Mom deflected but I wasn't convinced. I was about to question her further but a nurse came into the room with a smile.
"I'm going to see how far along she is. We'll be a couple of minutes." The nurse said to us and I stood up.
"Oh, sure." I said as I walked over to Sookie and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "She looks like Marlo Thomas."
"See? It's not just me." Sookie exclaimed loudly, causing Mom and the nurse to look at us strangely.
"We'll be outside." Mom said to Sookie and then she herded me out of the room. I followed Mom down the hallway and we stopped in front of a pair of hard hospital seats. We both sunk down into them and I manoeuvred uncomfortably.
"So, um, she's going be okay now she's in the hospital?" I asked Mom meekly. I really wanted to question her about what the help was going on in the hospital room with Sookie but I needed to do it carefully or she wouldn't answer any of my questions.
"Oh, fine. She's all checked in, breathing normally, contracting painfully. The cursing should start any time now, everything's as it should be." She assured me with a smile, patting my hand.
"Good. I mean, that was weird, wasn't it? She was like, what, a week and a half early?"
"Yeah, those little buggers tend to come when they want to come."
"I still can't get 'coming round the mountain' out of my mind. It's like one of those phrases, like 'drop it like it's hot' that I really wish I'd never heard." I told her with a chuckle.
"Hey, um." Mom started and glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "You're doing everything you need to do in that area, right?"
"What area?" I asked her stupidly.
"Um, protection, to prevent something from coming round the mountain."
"I hope so!" I exclaimed, appalled with the line of questioning. It wasn't the first time we had had this conversation and it didn't get any more comfortable the more times you had it.
"Hope? This is not an area where hope is good enough."
"I think I have it covered, and that wasn't meant to be a euphemism."
"Okay, 'think' is not good enough either. What kind of birth control do you use?" she asked me and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if she was serious.
"Listen, all I'm saying is you cannot leave it up to the guy, okay? They are not reliable." Mom insisted and rolled my eyes at her.
"I don't leave it up to the guy!" I assured her.
"They get into this state, you know? Primordial. It's all very exciting, but so is eating a gallon of pudding, and believe me, you are going to regret that later. I use that as an example because I know you like pudding."
"Okay." I said to her, grabbing to hand to calm her down because she was getting herself worked up.
"You have got to figure, if he shoots, he scores. I mean, look around you." She ordered me and I looked around the hospital waiting room. "There are babies popping out all over the place. So you're caught up on the subject?"
"You've caught me up. Society has caught me up. The health channel on cable has caught me up. Miss Driscoll, the sad spinster gym teacher at Chilton has caught me up –" I reassured her again.
"Miss Driscoll. Right, like she would ever need birth control." Mom commented and I snorted in amusement.
"I'm caught up. Honest."
"Okay. Good." Mom said and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mom. What's going on with you?" I asked her hesitantly.
"Nothing." She lied and I quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Mom." I said sternly and she looked me in the eye to see if I was going to bend. When I didn't back down she sighed and looked at the ground.
"I might be pregnant."
"Oh." I said and then paused. "So, that's where this is coming from."
"I blame Mom. She never sat me down for the talk. And Miss Driscoll. She had her chance too, all those PTA meetings, and all she ever talked about was golf." Mom joked and I giggled as I held her hand in silent support.
"How did this happen? I mean, if it's true?" I asked her softly.
"Luke and I came home from the magazine party the other night. We were a little loopy and it got - primordial. All roadblocks down. I mean, I was always beyond careful. The last time I had my roadblocks down was, I don't know, count how old you are to the day and add nine months."
"But, that doesn't mean –" I started to say.
"I just ate an apple." Mom interrupted me and I froze.
"Uh oh." I uttered to myself.
"Yeah, and I liked it."
"Whoa."
"My body is telling me something."
"Maybe it's not telling you what you think it is. Maybe it's just telling you to better comply with the government's recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake. That's not just propaganda, you know."
"Maybe."
"Maybe you have scurvy. You do look a little yellow." I joked as I dramatically looked her over and she chuckled at me. "And –"
"What?" Mom questioned me when I didn't finish the sentence.
"Well, would it be so horrible? I mean, it's Luke." I finished with a soft smile and then I frowned at her. "It is Luke?"
"Yes, it's Luke!" Mom exclaimed and playfully slapped my arm, making me laugh.
"Well, you guys are so close, it could be headed somewhere."
"I know, but not right now, hon. it's early for us. You know? I mean, my life is going really good, just the inn and this new potential opportunity, and, you know. I just got rid of you and Rory. It's the first time in my life I've gotten to feel like a single, grownup woman. Now is just not the right time."
"Okay. Well, maybe it's not true." I reminded her softly.
"Yeah. Maybe."
"But what are you going to do if it is?"
"I could really use my magic eight ball about now." Mom said with a sigh and I rubbed her back in support as we watched a heavily pregnant woman get wheeled passed in a wheelchair.
______________________
I was in my room on Friday afternoon putting the final touches on my cocktail dress for Honor's engagement party when my cell phone rang. I planned to ignore it but then I remembered that it might be Mom with news about either Sookie or herself. I had left the hospital before Sookie and Jackson's baby had been born because the labour was going on forever and I had classes that I couldn't miss. I made Mom promise to call as soon as she had news. I put down my needle and thread and ran over to where my phone was lying on top of my vanity table.
"Hey you!" I said brightly into the phone when I read that it was Mom calling me. I put the phone to my shoulder and ear and walked back over to the mannequin that wore my green cocktail dress.
"It's a girl." Mom told me happily and I froze with a smile in place.
"A girl? Oh good, we need a girl!"
"Why do we need a girl?" Mom questioned me curiously and I shrugged then though she couldn't see me.
"I don't know. Aren't there enough guys walking around out there?"
"Well, it's a beautiful girl, name to come, and Sookie's fine, Jackson's fine, everyone's fine."
"Good. I'm glad." I said as I picked up the needle again and started sewing.
"Fourteen hours of labour was the downside, but Sookie has the rest of her little girl's life to get back at her for that."
"I love the circle of life." I joked with a chuckle.
"And there's more good news." She told me happily and I couldn't help but smile at her excitement.
"What?"
"It was a false alarm. I'm not pregnant. The crisis has passed."
"Oh, Mom. Good. I'm happy for you."
"You're happy? Huh. As the sight of babies isn't freaking me out anymore, I can enjoy the maternity ward again." Mom joked and I laughed at her.
"So what was with the apple?" I asked her.
"I don't know. But I just had a Moonpie and a Ding-Dong and washed it down with an Orange Crush in the cafeteria, so no desire for anything nutritional."
"Oh, thank God. I'm glad, Mom."
"Yeah. So, listen. How about we reschedule Sookie's baby shower?" Mom suggested to me and paused for a second in my sewing.
"How? It's too late."
"No. We'll throw a 'Welcome to the Earth, Baby Girl Belleville' party. Did you save the decorations that Rory screwed up?" Mom asked me and I smirked to myself.
"Still in my car."
"How about Saturday morning? That's when she gets home. Just come back with me tonight after dinner, we'll set it up at her house."
"Sounds good but I have that engagement party tonight. Hey, um, did you ever mention this pregnancy scare to Luke?" I asked her curiously.
"My God, no. Can you imagine? 'Uh, Luke, you're going to be a daddy.' Suddenly there's nothing left but a puff of smoke and a baseball cap spinning on the floor." Mom joked and I giggled at the visual.
"Yeah. He never seemed much like a family guy. This is for the best. Listen, um, I've got to get back. I have to finish this dress for tonight."
"I'll see you tomorrow, one of my only offspring."
"Bye." I said with a laugh.
"Bye." She said before hanging up and I shook my head at her as I threw my phone of onto the bed. I looked at the dress I had just finished a smiled at my handy work.
________________________
Colin and I arrived at Honor and Josh's engagement party and immediately felt the need to drink. All of the Huntzberger's society friends were in attendance and I grimaced as they greeted us and tried to make small talk. I looked around for Rory before remembering that she had to go to Friday night at Emily and Richard's before meeting Logan here at the marina since the party was on a yacht.
"You look gorgeous." Colin whispered in my ear as we walked outside onto the deck and I smiled slightly at him. We walked out onto the deck and I breathed a sigh of relief that no one else was out there to chat with.
"I hate this parties." I whined to my boyfriend. "Why can't Honor just elope? We could all go to Vegas?" I suggested playfully as I accepted the flute of champagne he handed me.
"You've met Honor. There is no way she would miss out on an extravagant party. And anyway, there's an open bar." Colin countered with a smug smile and I laughed at him as I leaned against the side of the railing. I took a sip of champagne and looked out at the ocean. I smiled as I felt Colin wrap his arms around my waist and I leant back into his chest. I heard the door open out onto the deck and looked over Colin's shoulder and saw Honor stepping out onto the deck. I smiled as my friend approached us with a smile of her own.
"Hello, sweetums." She said in greeting and I laughed at her pet name for me. She came and stood next to us near the railing of the yacht.
"Hey, you having a good time?" I asked her and she smirked at me knowingly.
"It has an open bar."
"Thank god." Colin muttered and we all laughed at the truth behind the words. Honor looked at me and eyed me up and down. I frowned at her in confusion and leaned further into Colin's arms because I didn't like the gleam in her eyes.
"I love your dress." She complimented me and I smiled slightly.
"Thank you. What do you want?" I asked suspiciously but with a smile on my lips. She laughed me and then sighed in defeat.
"You know me to well." She uttered and then gave me a pleading look. She grasped my hands in hers and I frowned at her warily. "Please design my bridesmaid's dresses. Please, you are so talented and all your designs are amazing. Please, please." She begged me and I smiled brightly at my friend.
"Of course." I agreed and she squealed and gave me a tight hug. I laughed with her as she released me. "Just tell me the colour and when I can take measurements, yeah?"
"Of course." She said to me and then I heard the door open up again. I looked over and then looked away when I saw Honor and Logan's dad Mitchum step out on to the deck with us. He walked over to his daughter and pressed a kiss on her forehead.
"There you are, sweetie. I think your mother is looking for you." He told her and she nodded at him and giving me a kiss on the cheek before going back inside. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from lashing out at Mitchum for the way Elias and Shira treated Rory when she went to dinner to their house. I looked back out over the ocean and felt Colin squeeze my hand in support. I had vented my frustration to Colin the night I found out so he knew that I was still really angry at them all. "Hello, Christa, Colin. How are you both?" Mitchum asked us politely and glared back at him.
"We're fine, thank you." Colin answered for both of us. I heard Mitchum sigh and move around to lean against the railing next to me.
"I suppose you're mad at me." he said to me and I frowned before looking up at him. I met his eyes with a glare and I couldn't help speaking the truth.
"Yeah, I am. You want to know why?" I asked but continued talking without waiting for an answer. "Rory is better than me. She is. My sister is an amazing person and she is going to be such an influential person to those around her. I know that because she already is to me. She and Logan have only just started dating but your family would be lucky to have someone as smart and honest and genuine as her. And the fact that she wants to be a journalist and have a career? Who cares? She is going to be an amazing journalist. She already is an extraordinary writer and she's just going to mature with time. So many people are fake and don't have a clue about who they, but Rory? Rory is one of the few honestly good people." I told him angrily and then watched as he raised an eyebrow at my rant. Colin's arms were still wrapped around my waist and he tightened his hold on me.
"I agree that she is an amazing person. But I just don't think she has what it takes to be a journalist." He said to me and I shook my sharply once, scowling at him.
"You have no idea how wrong you are about that!" I told him loudly but then quietened my voice. "Rory is going to be an incredible journalist and you are going to be spitting when she get awarded a Pulitzer. If you can't see that, then you, sir, are an idiot." I told him and then I walked away from him before I could slap him on his smug face. I strutted off, fuming and I heard Colin trying to catch up with me. Colin caught up to me and grabbed my arm to spin my around so that I was facing him. I looked up at him and he rubbed a thumb under my eye, across my cheek and I realised that I was crying silent tears. I chuckled once and he was about to say something when my cell phone from inside my purse. I smiled an apology and pulled my phone out. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me." I heard my mom say.
"What's up?" I asked her warily, trying to make sure that she didn't hear the catch in my throat. I frowned as I listened to her tell me what had happened. "She did what!?"