School ReYOUnion

Chapter Seven

"Decided on what toppings we are having yet?" I ask with an impatient sigh to follow. I'm hungry. Soooooo hungry! But my annoyingly indecisive friend is taking half a lifetime to choose what pizza we are going to order online.

"It's a toss up between ham and pineapple or ham and mushroom." Narrowing her eyes on the menu, Hetty is trying to hurry up with her decision as she knows how grouchy I get when I'm deprived of food. "God, I would give anything to tuck into a spicy beef one, but this little dumpling wouldn't like it all." Lovingly, she is now rubbing her adorable seven month old pregnancy bump before smiling up in my direction, referring to the horrible heartburn she has been getting a lot of just recently.

"Don't worry, H....I'll treat you to a spicy beef one once you've pushed that little form of human torture from out of your vagina." I tease her, chuckling as I do because it's my way of getting back at Hetty for making me wait longer for my food.

"I can assure you, B, I won't be feeling a thing. I have written down every form of pain relief into my birth plan. Dumpling won't be hurting any of its mumma's bits."

"Well, I've heard that giving birth is much like shitting out a really big pineapple, so maybe you should just go for the ham and mushroom pizza, instead?"

Throwing one of my velour cushions at me, Hetty's face is now a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Remind me again why I'm even still your friend?"

"Because you like my dry sense of humour, my opinionated point of views and my faithful disposition?" Is my very playful answer, whilst hugging onto the cushion that she only just threw at me.

"There's that, plus the fact that you're buying this week." Hetty cheekily then grins. "Okay, ham and mushroom it is, then!"

While I'm starting to tap in the order on my phone, Hetty begins to thoughtfully start stroking her belly. "The nearer I'm getting to my due date, the more scared I'm getting."

Looking away from my phone, my eyes are soon looking up at my lovely but worried pregnant friend. We have been joking about her pregnancy ever since she first told me about it when she was twelve weeks gone, but I think the jokes are beginning to wear thin now that the birth date is getting ever closer. "Hetty, both you and Will have totally got this! You are both the most prepared first-time parents that I have ever known!"

"B, we are the only first-time parents that you've ever known?"

Shrugging a little, I concede with a knowing smile. "True, but I still know that you've both totally got this." Then, I happily confirm our pizza order.

"Just you wait until you go through this. You can go to all of the antenatal classes, you can read a whole bunch of books about it, you can talk to loads of different people about their experiences, but ultimately, it's the unknown that you're going into." Hetty is looking very distant, even scared, in her own thoughts of what is yet to come with her pending parenthood.

Gazing over at Hetty, I smile before speaking the truth. "You might not feel like you are ready, but you are, H. You have done everything right to prepare yourself and Will for that little dumpling in there." Now staring down at her swollen stomach, I smile some more. "You've done the birth plan, you've spoken to your midwife, the nursery is nearly finished, your hospital bag has been done about three thousand times and you have nipple and piles cream...you're good to go, hun."

Resting her head against my sofa, Hetty still looks so serious and vulnerable. "Do you really think I can do this...motherhood, I mean?"

Thinking back to conversations that both myself and Hetty have had in the past, they really no longer matter. "I know you can do this, and you'll do it wonderfully well." I smile assuringly her way, wanting my sweet friend to just forget the many discussions that we used to have about marriage and babies.