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No such luck.
Marvin got up off the lounge, and with a grunt, picked Gina up. ‘Let’s go where it’s more comfortable.’ He had that look in his eye; that look, which when they first got together, shewelcomed, but now dreaded.
There’d be no way out of this tonight. It was his birthday, and she was worried what might happen if she said she didn’t feel like it. He placed her on the bed and she braced herself.This will be the last time.
Gina’s efforton Marvin’s birthday seemed to satisfy him for the next few weeks, though she had to fake a mild migraine a couple of times and pretend it was ‘that time of the month’ another time. But she couldn’t keep doing that forever. It was almost time; she was nearly ready to leave. She’d found a lawyer she trusted, and organised enough money to take care of expenses. Next on the list would be finding somewhere to stay. First though, there was one little thing she had to do now that Marvin had left for work, as pointless as it seemed...
While waiting, she cleaned her teeth with her electric toothbrush until the in-built two-minute timer beeped, ensuring all the plaque and tartar had most certainly been removed. She ran a tube of lip gloss over her lips and pressed them together, then did what she’d done so many times before – picked up the pregnancy test stick and sighed at the negative result, whether from disappointment or relief she wasn’t sure. But this time there were two pink lines. Was her vision just blurry? She blinked, brought the test closer to her eyes, then held it further away. One line was fainter than the other, but it was most certainly there.
She stumbled backwards.
Two lines. Not one, two. Two means positive. Pregnant.
Oh my God.
Her breaths came in short, sharp bursts, and her bottomlip quivered.This couldn’t be happening.She paced around the bathroom as though lost in a maze with no exit, round and round in circles.I thought I couldn’t ...Why did it happen, why now?
She sat on the edge of the bath for a minute. Dazed, her eyes fixed on the test stick which nowreallyblurred under her gaze, she moved slowly out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.
The bedroom door banged open. ‘I forgot my watch...’ Marvin rushed in, then stopped and stared as Gina looked up to face him. ‘Is that what I think it is?’ he asked. ‘Oh, don’t worry if it’s another negative, we’ll get there eventually.’ He came closer and glanced at the stick.
‘It’s positive.’ The words, barely audible, floated out of Gina’s mouth.
He grasped the stick, eyes wide and mouth gaping. ‘You’re pregnant?’ He looked at her then back at the test. ‘You’re pregnant!’ He put the stick on the bedside table, grasped Gina’s arms, and in her numb state she almost toppled over like a rag doll. ‘Oh, honey, I knew you could do it! This was always meant to be. Our own Little Longwood to carry on the family name!’ He enveloped her in his arms, and she adjusted her cheek sideways against his shoulder so she could breathe under his tight embrace.
Meant to be. Is it really?
Is this a sign that I’m meant to stay?
He pulled back and she looked into his eyes beaming with pride.
I have to stay now. I have to.
TWENTY-FIVE
Life Makeover Principle #8:
GIVE often. When you give the gift you wish to receive, you receive the gift you wish.
‘33 Days Until Christmas’, the electronic sign on a skyscraper flashed brightly as Miranda sat in the passenger seat of Cara’s car. The city; alive with festive spirit, busy with anticipation, stores putting out all the stops to secure as many sales as possible in the lead up to the silly season.
Miranda welcomed the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Elizabeth Street, giving her a chance to admire the David Jones Christmas window displays. A soft smile formed as she looked out the window. Automated elves hammered away at wooden toys in Santa’s workshop, while others moved from side to side, appearing to add toys to a conveyer belt gliding across the window. When she first moved toSydney, Miranda and her mother came into the city for late-night shopping one Thursday in December, as a special treat, and since then Miranda always made the effort to visit the windows each Christmas. They always seemed to transport her back in time...
As an eight-year-old, with sparkling eyes she’d gaped at the displays. One had been dedicated to Barbie’s Christmas, and for a few moments, Miranda had felt like she was a part of the scene in the window, away from the empty window of her life left by her father’s death. There, she joined Barbie and friends at the dinner party, chandelier twinkling from above, a feast of glorious food on the table, and dolls dancing on the marble floor. Colourful gifts surrounded the lush Christmas tree, and a Barbie-sized grand piano played festive tunes with the help of Ken. This had been Miranda’s idea of heaven. Her mother had to peel her off the glass so they could shuffle along with the crowd to the next window.
Miranda’s memories dissolved as she and Cara walked through the doors of City Health and Fitness and entered the warm embrace of The Ruby Room. Their mouths dropped open at the sparkling mini Christmas tree taking pride of place on the oval table, and small gift boxes sitting expectantly on each chair.
‘Pressies? Oooh!’ she exclaimed.
Liz stood smiling at the front of the room. ‘Hi ladies, come on in. Miranda, how are you?’
‘Good thanks, Liz, my ribs are mostly healed now, but I still have to take it easy for the next couple of weeks.’
‘Glad to see you back.’
Miranda smiled, then turned as Zoe launched herself through the door, holding up a newspaper. ‘Did you see it? Did you see it?’ she asked.
Miranda read the headline of the full-page newspaper article:
