Karma Kameleon. Stephanie Haefner

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СКАЧАТЬ So glad I finally got you alone.”

      I turned and Abby stood behind me.

      “I wanted to tell you something before the party got too busy.”

      “Yeah? What?”

      “Well…” Her eyes held a sparkle. “For the first time in my life I can honestly say I’m just like my big sister.”

      Huh? The kitchen timer started its beep beep beep. I didn’t have time for one of Abby’s guessing games. I fidgeted with the timer, trying to figure out how to stop its incessant noise. After pressing every button on it twice, I finally stopped it. “What are you talking about?”

      “Lexi,” she said and rubbed her hand over her stomach. “I’m just like you.”

      “Oh my God!” I threw the timer to the counter and hugged my sister. “Congratulations.”

      “Isn’t this great? We’re pregnant together.”

      “You told her?” Mom said, reappearing in the kitchen.

      “Yes!” I said, tears in my eyes. I couldn’t believe how happy I felt for Abby. Someone close to me was going to experience the joy of motherhood that I had come to cherish.

      As if on cue, Preston began to wail.

      “Let’s go get the birthday boy,” Mom said, and we followed her to the nursery.

      When we walked in, Preston’s cries stopped and his toothy smile beamed. Standing at the crib rail, he looked so damn big. What had happened to my baby?

      Mom put him on the changing table and began tickling his feet. Abby grabbed a diaper and wipes while I got his birthday outfit from the closet. After stripping him down and changing his diaper, we dressed him in his brand new clothes–couldn’t have him wearing something old on his big day.

      As we headed toward the living room, the unmistakable screech of the smoke detector assaulted our ears.

      Shit! The scallops.

      I handed a screaming Preston to my mother and trotted to the kitchen, where Kevin held a baking pan covered with charred lumps. Marcus opened a window and fanned some of the smoke outside.

      “Kevin, I’m so sorry.”

      “I know. It’s okay.”

      The party guests had congregated near the kitchen to see what the drama was and I felt like a monumental ass. Half an hour into the party and I had already ruined my little man’s perfect day. Never in my life had I wanted to be anything like my mother, until that moment. Her parties were always perfect. She never burned a single thing.

      I turned toward the bathroom, needing to escape the questioning eyes before my tear ducts erupted. Two months in and the pregnancy hormones were already working overtime. I blew my nose and re-powdered my face. Might as well pee too, since I was already in there. As I pulled on the toilet paper, I noticed a very bright dot on the center of my very plain underwear.

      So much for not bursting into tears.

      A knock came on the door. “Lex, you okay?”

      “Get in here,” I yelled to Rich through my sobs, not caring if I sounded hysterical.

      “It’s okay,” he said after closing the door behind him. “No one cares about the food.”

      “Look!” I showed him my underwear and the pea-sized spot.

      His eyes widened like flying saucers. “That’s bad, isn’t it?”

      “Yes…no. I don’t know.”

      He knelt in front of me and pulled me to him. “What can I do?”

      Managing to calm myself down and think somewhat rationally, I asked, “Can you get my pregnancy book from the night stand?” I thought I’d read about spotting in the first trimester.

      Rich brought the book to me and I flipped to one of the early chapters. “Pink spotting is common during the first trimester, and is usually caused by the egg implanting in the lining of the uterus.”

      “But this is bright red.” Rich stated the obvious.

      I scanned further down the page. “The most frightening type of spotting or bleeding during the first trimester is fresh blood, or bright red. While this can be serious, it is not always confirmation that a miscarriage is occurring.”

      Rich’s face turned a vampire shade of pale, without the sparkliness.

      “Many things can cause bright red spotting or bleeding. If you are experiencing cramping or clotting, this could signify something serious. Seek medical care immediately.”

      “Are you cramping?”

      “No. I feel fine…normal.”

      “Then, what should we do?”

      “I don’t know. We have a house full of people. And my doctor’s office is closed.”

      “We can go to the hospital.”

      I thought for a minute. “No. It’s okay. It’s probably nothing.”

      “Are you sure?”

      “This is Preston’s big day. I’m not gonna ruin it.” I wiped and looked at the toilet paper. Nothing. I held it up. “See. It’s done. No more blood.”

       Chapter 3

      I freshened up, hoping no one could tell I’d been crying, and rejoined the party like nothing had happened. I sat with Preston on my lap as we opened fun new toys and clothes and the tricycle Rich and I had picked out. Camera flashes sparked from all over the room with wide smiles behind each and every one.

      Cake time, and I sat Preston on the dining room table with a huge sugary confection glowing in front of him. With the smell of butter cream frosting in the air, our family and friends started an off-pitch rendition of Happy Birthday to You, and a small pain jabbed at my stomach. I met Rich’s gaze on the other side of the table. He noticed my panicked expression and his wide smile went flat.

      As the room continued with “Happy birthday dear Preston,” the pain sharpened, like a shard of glass being jammed into my mid-section. I gripped one of the dining room chairs and fought to stay on my feet. Me crippling over in pain would only cause mass hysteria. And I didn’t want that for my boy’s big day.

      Rich made it to my side before the song had ended. “Are you okay?”

      “No,” I answered, cheers erupting.

      I grabbed Marcus’s arm. “I…um…need to run to the store.”

      “Right now?”

      “Yes.”

      Maybe he sensed something was wrong. I’m СКАЧАТЬ