The morning after their night out, Cecil and Talia slept in a little. When Cecil woke, she went upstairs to do some yoga while Talia made breakfast for the kids. She could feel the weight of work drift away as she moved from pose to pose. As she thought about the evening before, she still felt some butterflies in her stomach. As usual, Talia has taken care of her very well sexually. That, as much as the yoga, took away a lot of her stress.
Cecil finished her routine and then took a shower. She joined Talia in the kitchen with the kids.
“Good morning,” Talia said, kissing her on the cheek.
“Mm, good morning,” Cecil said, giving Talia a deeper kiss.
“Well, feeling better this morning?”
Cecil hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear. “Thank you.”
Talia smiled at her. “I’m going to build a snowman with Kirsten. Alisha is upstairs practicing debate and keeping an eye on Emanuel. The day is yours.”
Cecil decided to work on her fantasy novel for a little while and so sat down at her laptop to work. She could vaguely hear the kids upstairs talking, playing music and practicing dancing. Emanuel was giggling. Cecil smiled to herself and she was grateful.
After a while, she closed up her laptop and headed upstairs to watch a movie with the kids. Talia came towards her from the bedroom.
“Cecil,” she was smiling broadly. “I’m pregnant.”
“What? You are?”
She nodded.
“Oh, Talia, I’m so happy. This is great news.”
“I’d been feeling a little off the last week or so. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure.”
“This will be such a joyful addition to our family.”
“I know. And I’m glad I’m doing this with you.” She hugged her.
Cecil invited both Talia’s family and her family over to celebrate the new baby. She really enjoyed getting to know Talia’s nieces, nephews and siblings. Her own family was so important to her. She wanted to develop that same closeness with Talia’s family.
Cecil was excited about the new baby, but also worried. Money was really tight, and she decided she needed to talk to Talia about it.
“Talia, you know how happy I am that you’re able to stay home and take care of the family, but I’m worried about our finances. We’re scraping to make ends meet and I’ve had to dip into savings.”
“I know. As soon as the baby’s born, I’ll work on finding a job.”
“I know that’s going to be hard for you. You’ve been so dedicated to raising the children.”
“It’s okay. I need to contribute financially right now and that’s okay.”
“I hope it’s only temporary. I love that the kids have someone at home with them. And I want you to have time for your art if you still want to pursue that.”
“I do. I hope I can make a living at that at some point. In the meantime, I’ll figure it out.”
_____
Cecil was struggling a little, but she kept it hidden from Talia. She cried in the bathroom by herself and tried to keep it together when she was with the family. She could tell Talia was beyond happy, glowing from being pregnant and enamoured with her children. Cecil didn’t know what was wrong with her. She just felt off.
“Cecil,” Talia said one day. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m just . . . sad.”
“It’s hard for me to see you this way. You have so much to be happy for. Me, your growing relationship with Alisha and Kirsten, Emanuel, and this.” She rubbed her belly. “Just feel this.”
Cecil reached her hands out and felt Talia’s growing belly. She could make out the head a little and was that an elbow? Definitely a human in there. “It doesn’t feel real. You’re growing a human.”
“It’s our child, one we made together. Don’t forget that.” She kissed her on the cheek, hugged her tight and walked away.
Cecil took a deep breath. It will be okay, she thought. I can do this.
Kirsten, Alisha and Emanuel’s birthdays were all close together. They had two celebrations and had various friends and family over. Cecil was able to catch up with Alycia and Emilia and Talia got to know them better. Cecil felt better after the celebrations. Seeing her sisters felt good and she promised them both the visit soon, especially to get to know her new nephews who were growing fast.
Alisha decided she wanted to go to college, and after a long conversation wit Talia and Cecil, they all agreed she could only go if she got a significant scholarship.
“I’m proud of you, honey, but money is tight right now,” Talia told her.
“I know, mom, and it’s okay if it doesn’t work out.”
