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Sarah had streaked her hair with lavender this time, for a calming effect, she’d said. She even wore lavender essence oil and had smeared my wrists and temples with it, but nothing helped. Even looking at her lavender dress had no effect. I had to face it. This made me more nervous than anything else in the entire history of my life, and that included when my dad came to school to talk to our class about his job as a dentist when I was in third grade. That had always been my reference point of absolute terror… it didn’t compare to the potential of being someone’s mother, and Gianni, with everything he had going on, would now be someone’s father. I didn’t think we could purposely choose a more inconvenient time for a pregnancy.
Oh yeah… completely over-the-top scared.
“That was a silly decision. Why would I want to know anything before the party? What’s the rush? It can wait. Either way, our wedding is still four months away. Getting that date was a problem. I can’t move it up, now. It’s too disruptive. My family already booked their airline tickets.”
“You’re not making any sense. You and Gianni already have your marriage license. You could get married tonight if you wanted to and have a big party later. But whenever you decide to get married, it has no bearing on whether or not you’re pregnant.”
“The whole idea of me being pregnant is preposterous. It’s only been a few weeks since I went off the pill. Plus, we’ve used a condom… most of the time. My doctor said it could take months before I get pregnant, maybe even an entire year. So, my anxiety is for nothing. She also said that it might take my body a couple of cycles to be regular again. I could just be late.”
“Which you probably are… just late. But don’t you want to know for sure?”
“Yes… No… Yes… Fuck! I don’t know what I want. What if I’m pregnant? You and I are just getting our business off the ground. Gianni works six days a week and all hours of the day and sometimes into the night. We’re not even married, yet. It’s all happening way too fast.”
“I agree, but life is like that sometimes. All the good stuff happens at a breakneck speed, and we must hold on tight, or we might miss it. Don’t miss this. Don’t let this moment pass you by. You’re surrounded by everyone who loves you tonight. If you’re pregnant, you can share it with your folks, as well as the love of your life. It’s the perfect moment.”
My heart raced, and my mouth went dry.
“My parents will have a collective coronary. You don’t have children unless you’re married. They’ve been telling us that since we were little kids. And what about Gianni’s parents? They’re Catholic! Isn’t this like the worst possible thing that could happen?”
“From what you told me about his mother, she’ll be dancing a jig on a table. If you’re pregnant, all her dreams will come true. And besides all of that, a child is a blessing, no matter when it happens. You and Gianni will be getting married in a few months, so no worries.”
“Maybe sooner if I’m pregnant.”
“Which you won’t know unless you get in there and pee on that stick. Now go on and get it done. We’re cutting it close to being late for our own party.”
I dropped down on the sofa, mentally exhausted.
“Okay, but no matter what happens, will you promise that we’ll still have our business?”
I had to know that nothing would get in our way… not even a demanding, life-changing, twenty-four-seven baby.
“Oh, sweets, is that what’s holding you back?”
She sat next to me and rubbed my shoulders.
“One of the reasons, yes.”
“I’m not going anywhere. D&S PR is already well on its way. Nothing, not even our babies will stop its success.”
“Our babies?”
I smiled with that idea. We’d never talked about her having kids, or for that matter, either one of us having children. This was all new territory for us.
“What? You think I don’t want my own kiddos someday?”
“I just never…”
“Not this year, but if Gary and I keep going the way we are, I think our babies will be close friends, just like we are.”
We hugged, cried a little, and hugged some more.
“Okay… I’m going in,” I told her, as I grabbed hold of the test and headed to the bathroom.
IT DIDN’T MATTER that our two graduates were late for their own party. The actual dinner wouldn’t start for at least another hour. In the meantime, everyone had a drink of some kind, and there were plenty of appetizers on all the tables. As folks milled around, everyone seemed to be happy, including my mom.
Cooking for Dani’s parents, along with meeting them for the first time, put a strain on everything I did today, and that included cooking for fifty people, maybe more if you counted all the extra relatives that showed up at the last minute.
The party, including the open bar, was a gift to both graduates. Without them, I wouldn’t have my own restaurant, and without Dani, I wouldn’t be the man I am. She made me a better man, and for that, I would be forever grateful.
