I WADDLE INTO THE RESTAURANT AS FAST AS my swollen belly will allow, heading for our regular table, where I can see Claudia is already waiting. Though we donât have a standing reservation, the staff at Liaisons know us and keep our favorite booth available for us every week. No matter what is going on in our lives, Lishelle, Claudia and I get together every Sunday for brunch here. Itâs our chance to get caught up on whatâs happened with each other during the week, and to bitch without guiltâwhich we do a lot.
Lishelle is not here yet, for which I am glad. I want to talk to Claudia about the latest development first, in case Lishelle hasnât heard.
That might be too much to hope for, though, given the fact that Lishelle is a local news anchor. The news is her business, and when itâs about a famous Atlanta hip-hop artist ⦠well, she probably already knows.
All the more reason for us to be together today, so Claudia and I can support Lishelle as she deals with this shocking development.
Judging by the expression on Claudiaâs faceâand the fact that sheâs staring at a newspaper on the table in front of herâI am certain that she is up-to-date on the bombshell.
âHey,â I say cheerfully as I reach the table. My hand is on my belly, which Iâm amazed has changed so much in a few weeks. I am five months pregnant, and have recently begun to show in a truly visible way. Three weeks ago, I had a small bump that you could only see if you were looking at me from the side.
Now, that belly has grown exponentially, and while itâs not huge, itâs big enough to make it clear to the world that I am definitely with child. Before I was pregnant, I would see women with tiny bellies waddling and holding their stomachs, and think they were simply doing it for effect. Now, I understand. The belly holding is more of a protective gesture, one that begins shortly after you know youâre with child. The waddling, Iâve learned, is what happens when youâre carrying around extra weight in your pelvic area that your body isnât used to.
âAnnelise,â Claudia says and rises. She wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a warm hug. Then she eases back, her gaze going to my belly. âYouâre bigger than you were just last week.â
âI felt the baby for the first time,â I tell her, an ear-to-ear smile breaking out on my face. âOn Friday night.â
Unless youâve been pregnant, itâs difficult to understand how amazing it is to feel a tiny life flutter inside you, and the first time I experienced it, it was the biggest thrill. I was thankful that Dom, my boyfriend, was with me when it happened. It was just a small fluttering sensation, as though a butterfly were trapped inside me. But just like the moment when I saw the ultrasound and the proof of the life growing in my belly, feeling my baby move made my pregnancy very real.
In four months, I am going to become a mother.
âYou felt the baby move?â Claudia asks, her eyes lighting up.
âMmm-hmm.â
Claudia squeals in delight then places her hand gently on my ever-growing stomach, as if hoping to catch the baby in action. âI canât believe it. Before we know it, youâre going to have a baby.â
âI know. Amazing how things can change in a year.â
Last year, I was in the dumps when my marriage ended. My husband, Charles, was having an affair. But worse than that, I found out he was embezzling money from the Wishes Come True charity, where heâd been a member of the board. Dom was an auditor investigating the embezzlement and, long story short, we fell hard for each other. One minute, my life had been at its lowest point being married to a man who didnât love me, and who had become the subject of a huge public scandal. The next, I was on cloud nine, never imagining that I could be this happy.
The happiness of the moment dissipates as my eyes land on the newspaper Claudia has spread on the table. âYou think she knows?â I ask.
Claudia shrugs. âMaybe. Probably. She works in the news. She must have heard something at the station.â
âThen again, maybe not,â I say. âItâs not like she does the entertainment beat. And she doesnât work weekends. So ⦠â I let my statement trail off as I take a seat across from Claudia, figuring my words are wishful thinking at best.
I look at the picture in the Atlanta Journal Constitution sheâs been reading, upside-down from my vantage point. But I can still make out the photo and the headline: One of Atlantaâs Most Eligible Bachelors Is Off the Market.
âThen again,â Claudia begins, âeven if sheâs heard, itâs not like itâs a big deal. Sheâs over Rugged.â