"Twins?!" My voice cracked, reeking of disbelief.
"Yes, but you're so skinny. Don't you watch your diet? You have to eat more and buff yourself up. Having one kid is already a pain in the butt. Having two will definitely need more fuel in the tank. Where's your husband? Is he here yet? Let the doctor give him the lowdown later." The ultrasound doctor said to me. She was very nice and kind about everything.
I was drowning in that unexpected joy, but when she brought up my husband, my mood changed.
I guessed I was just cut out to be a solo mom. When I walked out on Neil, life threw a baby at me.
"I'm divorced. It's cool; I can handle the kid on my own." I didn't sugarcoat it. I just laid out my situation as it was. I didn't want to answer any future "Where's your husband?" questions.
Some things only need to be spelled out once.
Hearing my answer, the doctor let out a sympathetic sigh, "I see. What a shame. There are folks out there who can't have kids, even if they wanted to. But here you are, hitting the twin jackpot. If you guys were still together, your ex would probably be over the moon."
I didn't need Neil to be over the moon. He had his life, and I had mine.
Walking out of the examination room, I felt like I was still in a dream. My folks were outside, looking all worried, probably thinking that I was shooting blanks.
"Rena, how'd it go? Was there something wrong with the scan?" My mom came over, all concerned and anxious.
"Even if there is, don't sweat it. Medicine's all high-tech now; there's always a fix!" My dad tried to soothe me before even hearing about the scan results.
Under their worried stares, I snapped back to reality. The joy on my face was uncontrollable. "Dad, Mom, you're about to be promoted to grandparents!"
My parents were gobsmacked and frozen for a few seconds. Then they glanced at each other, their faces morphing from disbelief to shock. My mom stuttered with excitement, just like me, "Is... Is this for real? Rena, are you pregnant? Am I going to be a grandma?"
I just nodded; that was my answer.
My dad whipped off his glasses and dabbed at the corners of his eyes, all choked up, "Fantastic, I'm going to be a grandpa too. We'll have a little nugget at home!"
"Not one nugget." I butted in.
"What's that supposed to mean?" My dad was puzzled.
"Two nuggets!" I put up two fingers and grinned.
"Two?!!" Mom practically jumped out of her skin; she rushed over to support me, "Twins? So, I get to have two nuggets at once?"
Seeing how over the moon my parents were, I felt pretty stoked too. The clouds of gloom that had been hanging over me at that time had been swept away, replaced by bright sunshine. I was suddenly brimming with anticipation and motivation for the future.
...
Ever since I confirmed that I was pregnant, I became the apple of my family's eye.
Because of my physical condition and my previous miscarriage, the doctor specifically reminded me to get plenty of rest and avoid too much exercise. I wasn't like everyone else. I couldn't blindly pursue fitness. The best choice was to stay in bed as much as possible; a leisurely stroll would be enough.
Mom prepped a ton of food for me every day, all of it nutritionally balanced. Dad spent his days tinkering with the plants in the yard, trying to make it even prettier so I could enjoy my strolls there.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled