Joe left early to catch the train to work. I made my way to the kitchen to fix my daily cup of coffee. As soon as the smell permeated the room. I was sure I was going to be sick. I ran to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet emptying the contents of my stomach.
Beau ran into the bathroom. "Mom—are you okay?" He asked as he handed me a wet rag to wipe my face.
"Yeah, Beau-y I must have caught that stomach bug that has been going around school. I already feel a little better. Are you and Hunt ready for school? I need you both to catch the bus this morning. I'm going to call in sick today."
Jill stayed home and rested. She wasn't hungry but nibbled on crackers and sipped ginger ale throughout the day. She lounged on the couch, read, and napped. She felt better by early afternoon, but was still exhausted. She pondered whether she could be pregnant but felt it was too soon thinking back to her doctor's warning that it might not happen right away.
***
As the week continued, Jill felt drained. Her appetite still had not returned. And truth be told she had felt nauseous many times during the week. She looked at the calendar. Her period should have started a few days ago. She decided to let the boys in on the secret that she might be pregnant. She threw a scarf and sunglasses in her purse as she headed to pick them up from their afterschool activities.
When Jill picked the boys up, she surprised them by pulling into Sweet Lucy's Ice Cream and Treats. The boys excitedly questioned what they were celebrating. "Mom, why do we get ice cream on a Thursday?" Hunter asked.
"Let's order and I will tell you a secret." The boys ordered their favorite treats and Jill guided them outside to sit at a picnic table. "Boys, I need your help. But it's a top secret mission, so your dad can't know anything about it quite yet. Do you think you can help me?"
The boy's eyes lit up with excitement. "But what is the secret, Mom?"
"I think I might be pregnant, but I don't want to tell Dad yet. I want us to find out together."
Jill explained that first she had to go to Eckerd's to buy a pregnancy test, but she needed a disguise so no one would recognize her since this was top secret.
"Mom, you could wear Hunter's Darth Vader mask from Halloween. No one would recognize you," Beau suggested.
"Beau-y that is a great idea, but I don't want to scare anyone! Plus, we are going to complete this part of the mission as soon as my two favorite boys finish their ice cream."
Jill, Beau, and Hunter parked at the drugstore. Jill dug in her purse for the scarf and sunglasses she threw in earlier. Once she located them she tied her hair back and covered her head with the scarf. She completed the look with her oversized Jackie-O inspired sunglasses. "So boys you think this will work? Would you recognize me?" Jill asked.
"Mom, you look totally different. I don't think Dad would recognize you," Hunter responded.
"Good! Then I will be right back. Don't open the doors for anyone," Jill ordered.
She quickly made her way into the store. Locating the aisle of pregnancy tests, she pondered which one would give the most reliable results. This was all new to her. She had never noticed how many choices there were. She decided to buy three different tests just in case. She made her way to the cash register to make her purchase. As she approached the counter, she noticed the young girl working was a former student. Jill placed the items on the counter and prayed she wouldn't be recognized. The girl looked up and stared at Jill for a moment.
"Mrs. Biden, is that you? Do you remember me?"
Damn it. Jill glanced at the girl's name tag to jog her memory. "Of course, I remember you—Kate. You were one of my star students."
The girl smiled. "I loved your class. You made English so much fun...unlike all my other boring teachers. Remember when we performed that King Lear kabuki style?"
The young girl continued to reminisce as she rang up Jill's items.
Jill paid and wished her former student good luck with her college classes.
As Jill turned to leave, Kate added, "Good luck to you too, Mrs. Biden. I hope you're pregnant."
Jill nodded and smiled as she walked away— so much for keeping things a secret.
"Did you get it mom? When do we get to find out? Can we do it when we get home?" Jill was hit with a thousand questions as she opened the car door.
Jill explained that she could only take the test in the morning, so they would have to wait. She removed the scarf and sunglasses. "Boys, as soon as your Dad leaves in the morning I will take the test. You will be the first to know. But you can't say anything to your Dad tonight, it has to be our secret."
The next morning as soon as Joe left I took the test. Sure enoughthe test was positive. I went downstairs to tell the boys.
"Boys, we are pregnant! You are going to have a little brother or sister." Beau and Hunter were ecstatic. They high-fived and screamed with excitement. They ran over and embraced Jill, being as gentle as they could be.
Jill looked down at her boys, "Tonight I want you both to tell your Dad our special news. He is going to be so surprised!"
That night, when Joe got home from work, Beau and Hunt could barely contain their excitement. "The boys have something to tell you," I said. The boys exclaimed, "Dad! We're having a baby!" Joe's face lit up with pure joy. Standing there in the kitchen, he pulled all three of us into a hug, and as we embraced I breathed a sigh of relief. Our family was complete.
The End
