Nicholas has been living life since Mary’s departure. He had even called it good riddance. His days had been filled with enjoyment and living life to the fullest.He would wake up, go to work, order a lot of takeout, come back, and get wasted. For this reason, he scouted for a chef and got himself a private one that would cook healthy meals for him.The chef would come during the weekend with groceries and foodstuffs and prepare different kinds of meals and stock them up in the fridge.There would be sticky notes on the door of the fridge to remind him to take out a certain food item and warm it.And it had been going well for Nicholas.But once in a while, loneliness sets in. Sometimes he even wonders if Mary is still alive; he can feel hot air on his neck whenever he has that thought. But it had been a month since he heard from her, hence the possibility.Nicholas would come back home sometimes, waiting to hear her voice and see her beautiful face that had the ability to strengthen
Mary was entering the second trimester, and she couldn’t be happier. The first trimester came with terrible morning sickness, weird cravings, and fatigue. But Gone were the morning sickness and fatigue. But that didn’t mean it didn’t come with its own flaws; she was like a ravenous wolf, and it felt like her stomach was just an empty hole.Mary had passed in front of the mirror as she was dressing up, and she came closer. To her horror, she discovered her stomach had lines of stretch marks running about it. Same with her buttocks. She released a deep breath, having long accepted it as a sign of pregnancy.Pregnancy 101 has been her regular YouTube channel, and it has been helpful for her as a first-time mom. It had helped her maintain some level headedness during her pregnancy.And there was no more hiding it now, as her stomach was more pronounced. But nevertheless, it had been a blessing; people were soft in terms of pregnant women, especially young ones, so when they saw her stomac
"We should go shopping," Amy suggested as they left the hospital. The sun shone and cast its bright golden rays on them, as it was still summer, although it was coming to an end in a few weeks. "I don’t think so; we need to go back to the house." Mary spoke, her eyes searching for an empty taxi. There were no bus terminals around, hence the taxi. "Yeah, we do." Amy linked her arm with Mary and began to drag her in the opposite direction. "Walmart is just 5 minutes walk from here, and you need exercise. Have you forgotten what the doctors said?" "I haven’t forgotten, but we have no time for that, nor do I have the money. I am on a budget right now." "Don’t worry. It is my treat. Plus, you really need some new clothes. You have already outgrown a lot of your clothes, and they are already bursting at the seams. You need something comfortable. Beside, your son needs clothes too." Mary looked at her friend and sighed. "I know, but it is going to be expensive." "Don’t worry, it is my t
"How do you feel?" Amy asked her friend as they came out of the salon. Gone was the blonde hair that cascaded down her back. In its place was brown hair, the shade of ground coffee. Mary had taken the advice of her hairstylist and had chosen that color. "Like a million bucks." Mary beamed at her friend. They had arrived at the salon a little late, so they were the last customers, and the intensity of the sun had reduced. "Yeah, you do. Although this will take a little time to get used to, I am used to seeing a freaking Barbie, and now you are just plain Jane. But nevertheless, you are still beautiful." Amy smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She felt like a proud mom. "I know, right," Mary said, flinging her hair at her friend. "I feel beautiful." This past month with Amy has boosted her self-esteem, plus the attention she has been getting from people just has a way of making you feel good. Gone were those baggy clothes she had on from the convent; they were replaced with c
Mary stood behind Amy, her arms folded. She didn’t know why her friend had insisted she tag along when all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed, soak her leg in warm water, and sleep.Then her stomach growled. Okay, maybe she would just get something to eat before she went to sleep. But nevertheless, the last place she wanted to be was here.Amy opened the door of the restaurant, and they were met with stark darkness, which was strange. Although today was an off day for the two, Mary could recall that the restaurant had been opened that morning.She was sure she saw the open sign in front, but everywhere was completely dark. She squinted her eyes as she tried to make out Amy in the darkness."Amy?" Mary called, unsure, her hands stretched out and circling the area as she tried to find her way to a nearby switch. And then…"Surprise!" The screams pierced the air, and the lights were turned on. Mary shielded her eyes with her hand as the sudden brightness overwhelmed her senses.She
Everyone had retired to their beds only after cleaning up, of course. If they still wanted to keep their jobs, they were sure to clean up, because that was one thing Jack wasn’t going to stand for.He was fine with them using the restaurant even during working hours, although Lincoln had actually paid him to rent the hall for a few hours.But one thing he wasn't going to stand for was littering. Hence, once they were through, they had both joined hands to arrange the chairs and table in place until the hall looked like its former form. A restaurant.Meanwhile, as they cleaned up, Mary had been taking trips to their room to keep the gifts she had been given. Everyone had brought wonderful gifts that would be useful to her and the baby, and she was truly grateful.She was carrying the last batch of left-overs when Amy ran to meet her. "Let me help." And without warning, she snatched the items from Mary's hands, and together they climbed the stairs.It was fruitless to argue with Amy, so
The next day was Thanksgiving, and the two friends woke up early to prepare for the day. The dinner starts at 4 p.m., and Amy had said she wanted to go a little late or else she would be forced to cook.So they spent the morning in their room, lounging around, and eating a light breakfast. At about 30 minutes to the time of 12, they started getting dressed so they could catch the 12:00 train.Apparently, Amy had seen a nice dress in the mall and bought it for Mary as a gift. But they have been choked by a lot of activities, and she had forgotten to give it to her. But it has come in handy now.The dress was a dark green ribbed knit bodycon maternity dress with long sleeves and a side slit, the length stopping way past her knees. The weather was chilly, so Mary paired it with a brown knit cardigan and a brown boot. She had let her hair down, and it cascaded down to her back.Amy wore a white cardigan with dark blue jeans and knee-high boots. She had completed her look with her dark gla
Mary remained in the living room with Amy’s younger sister and father. Their father had taken the white sofa just as Mary predicted, and he had turned on the television, content with watching football.So Mary was left with the younger sister, who had a knack for asking questions."So how did you meet my sister? She had never talked about you during our talks." Lauren asked, perched on the arm of the sofa."We are colleagues and roommates." Mary curtly answered, praying she wasn’t going to ask any questions again. In order to ensure that, Mary pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her pictures.And it worked because Lauren stopped bothering her; instead, she brought out her own phone and started using it.Mary had never been the social media type, and she didn’t feel the need to create any since her social circle is small. Hence, she was scrolling through her gallery. She continued swiping left until she stopped at a picture Amy had taken of her.Her stomach had been more