Chapter 5: Another Baby?
1088 Words
“Mommy!” Ivy called out again when she noticed that her mother’s attention was not present.
“Yes baby, mommy’s here,” Audrey replied forcing a smile on her face.
She had been lost in her thoughts a while back. No one was at the door. It was just her mind playing tricks on her and trying to distract her from reality.
What kind of imagination was that Audrey? She questioned herself.
It was like she couldn’t help it, especially with an unpleasant fact staring her in the face - that her husband’s affection would shift to the new addition to the family.
As she tried to regain herself, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea fall on her. She rushed to the bathroom, barely making it there before throwing up.
But this feeling is familiar. She paused for a minute and wondered when she was done. She knew she had experienced it before. Then her mind journeyed back to when she had just conceived for Ivy’s birth.
“Shiiiiiiiiiit! Am I pregnant again? No, no, no, no, no…” She placed both hands on her face with her back against the wall of the bathroom, trying to process this new piece of information.
The entire memory and trauma of the previous experience started coming to her like a wind – the expectations of Mr. Keen and the unexpected outcome.
Even if she decides to hide this from him or everyone else, how long would she be able to before it starts showing physically? Each passing thought made her more scared.
“Fvck it…Whatever will be, will be!”
“Ma’am, are you okay? You seem to be talking to yourself.”
Maria was passing by and in a rush to throw up, Audrey didn’t close the door of the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to clear my head.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Audrey feigned a smile to get Maria off.
“If you say so, ma’am. I’d just return to my activities.” Maria said as she turned to leave.
“Wait……How long have you been working for this family?”
“About 15 years, why?” Her voice expressed her concern.
Audrey took a deep breath, not knowing where to start her conversation from.
“I think I’m pregnant….again.” she somehow managed to speak. Her eyes turned looking for Maria’s.
Maria immediately understood the look and knew what it meant especially as the last pregnancy for Ivy didn’t go well.
“So are you going to tell him?”
“No, you know I can’t. What if it turns out to be a girl again? How do I face him?”
Tears already filled her eyes, struggling to come down. She didn’t understand why on earth she had been put under so much pressure to birth a boy child like she had a factory somewhere that produced them.
In that moment of confusion for Audrey, Maria took a step further and hugged her.
“None of these is your fault. Everything would be fine. I overheard the conversation earlier about Devon, maybe that would excuse you from the pressure for now.”
“Can you keep this a secret between us?”
“Well, I can but how long do you want to hide it from Mr. Keen?”
“For as long as I can.”
“But you know you can’t hide this for too long. No matter how hard you try to cover it, a few months from now, it’d show.”
“I know Maria. But what if he rejects this baby again like he did Ivy? What if he chooses his adopted son over his flesh and blood?”
“I understand your fear, my dear. But on the brighter side, what if this one is a boy?”
Audrey’s face relaxed a bit. She felt a sense of calmness and relief all of a sudden.
“I hope so, Maria. I do……You know what?”
“What?”
“You’re right! No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to hide it for long before anyone finds out. So, I’m going to tell him.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“Okay, you got this!”
Audrey headed downstairs and found Mr. Keen alone, watching TV which was a rare thing. He was alone so it was a good opportunity for her.
“There’s something important I need to tell you.” She spoke when finally summoned the courage to approach him.
“Go ahead, my ears are open.” He responded with a firm face.
“I...I think I might be pregnant again.”
He scoffed. “So? Why are you telling me? Should I do something about it? You already disappointed me the first time, so why should I care again?”
Audrey stood there lacking words to say. She expected this so it wasn’t a surprise. She knew she was just a means to an end for him.
“What if it’s a boy this time?” She threw the question, her eyes still fixed on him.
He smirked as if he was saying it was impossible.
“What if it’s a boy this time?” he repeated after her when his smirk had faded. “You know, I thought so the first but you already disappointed me. I will not let you raise my hopes and expectations again only just to dash them right on the ground the second time.”
************
“Aaaahhhh!” a scream came from Audrey’s room very early in the morning.
“Is everything o…” Maria questioned rushing to the room after hearing the noise but couldn’t complete it on entering the room.
She found Audrey on the floor, gnashing her teeth in pain.
“Hurry, my water just broke,” Audrey said as she raised her hands.
“Oh my God! We need to get you to the hospital.”
*********
“Are you Maria? The lady in the labor room couldn’t stop mentioning your name.” one of the midwives asked walking towards her.
They had found a way to get to the hospital since Mr. Keen didn’t concern himself with Audrey’s pregnancy.
“Yes, I am. Is she okay? What about the baby?” Maria responded
“Yes, she is. Congratulations, it’s a baby boy.”
“A boy?”
- Writer
