End Month duties

"Oh shit!" Ann shouted looking at her wrist watch.

"What?" I asked a bit shocked.

"It's almost ten. I am almost getting late to a meeting that I had with some of my colleagues. I have to go."

"Okay, you run but make sure we catch up." I said hugging her.

"Yes I will." She said picking her handbag up. "By the way we were to go for a manicure. Can we schedule it for today in the evening?"

"Yes please. I really need that. I am having a hard time scrubbing my feet." I said.

Ann laughed. "Bye girl."

"I sat there waving to her until she disappeared on her way to the reception. Motherhood was really looking doing her well. Although she had regained her body back, she had a glow on her face and one could notice how happy she was.

I stood up slowly. These days even the simplest tasks were really hard for me to do. I picked up my bag, removed my packet of pocket tissues and walked to the washroom. I was feeling a bit pressed. As I waited to do my business, only a drop of urine came out. Have I told you that being pregnant sucks? It does, let no one cheat you! As I was about to leave, my went back to check myself on the mirror. I was leaning a bit on my back. My tummy was really sharp kind of. I touched it and left the washroom.

I got back to my desk and started checking my emails. Just then, a text came through my phone. It was Fred. He was asking where the marmalade was. I re-read the text again not sure if it was a joke. I called him up.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"On what?"

"The marmalade?"

"Yes. Where do we usually keep it?"

I shook my head slowly then told him to look at the kitchen cabinet above the kitchen counter. I could still hear him search for it then finally told me he found it.

Back to my desk, I proceed to start the remuneration process. It was already end month and I had only few hours to complete the duty. I checked for the lowest staff first, then proceeded to the rest of the office. It was a lot of work considering I was alone in the office. I miss my immediate supervisor! Anyway, work had to be done. I was done at around two in the afternoon. I then sent the complied list to the Accounts Department for them to proceed with the payments.

I made a quick call to the hotel downstairs and ordered a glass of fresh juice and some muffins. I received them in about ten minutes. As I continued to eat them, I continued to do my work. I had to finish on my deadline on the preparation of a training for the staff which was to happen mid November. I sent the details to all my contacts and hopefully be able to get enough information by next week.

Life is Mean

"Fred, I am really worried about the future. How can this happen when you are expecting our baby?" I asked. He was holding my hand.

"Everything will work out, just wait and see." He assured me. "Now I have to work harder to send applications to see if I can get myself another place. In the meantime, you still have a well paying job and our parents are always willing to help us. Be positive!"

I thought about what he said and it all made sense. I nodded and together, we went back to the bed.

Since Fred was on an involuntary leave, I drove myself to work the following day. I was grateful since I did not feel nauseated! I was now on my second trimester. At eighteen weeks, my belly was really big! My sitting position on the car seat was heavily compromised. My feet which was previously swollen, had started regaining their shape back, thank God! I was also taking prenatal vitamin with at least 400 micrograms of Folic acid. I was told that it helps prevent neural-tube defects on the baby such as Spina Bifida.

I arrived at the office and found Ann waiting for me at the reception. She was reading the day's newspaper. She was dressed in a while A-line dress with red kitten heels. She looked cute!

"Morning." I said to her while bending forward to try and hug her.

"Hey dear. How are you?" She asked picking her handbag and following me to my office.

"I'm well. Just a bit heavy."

We laughed.

"Sorry for coming to see you this early." She started after having a seat in the office.

"No, its no big issue." I assured her. "What's up?"

"Mike told me that Fred got the big chop. How is he doing?"

"He is doing good considering the circumstances. He is keeping his positive spirits up."

"That's nice." She replied.

"Has he started looking for other places?"

"No, not yet although he promised me that he was going to start today."

"That good. He will find somewhere else soon. His skill is top notch."

"Yes it is. I have been wondering why they had to let him go and leave him..." I said while nodding my head to outside the office. Fred's junior, Michael, was passing by. We could see him through the glass wall.

"He remained?" Ann asked shocked.

"Yes. They preferred him more." I said sounding bit angry. "But maybe it is because of the money issue. Fred's salary was a bit high."

"But he deserved to remain! They are mean."

"Life is mean too!"

2 O'Clock

It's two in the morning and I can't sleep. I just can not find a suitable position to sleep. My tummy, which has now grown immensely, makes sleeping a task for me.  I sit up and look at the other side of the bed. Fred is still sleeping. He is not even covering himself. I pull up the duvet and cover him to his chest.

I walk to the bathroom. I sit on the toilet seat and start urinating. Nothing comes out. What the hell? I was not really pressed after all. I go to the sink and wipe my face with the cold water but all of a sudden, I feel nauseous. I quickly go over to the toilet where I puke. I vomit until I felt my intestines coming out. I slowly gain composure and return to the sink where I rinse my mouth. Damn this pregnancy!

I start crying.

I feel miserable. I am supposed to be strong for Fred but how can I manage this? He has just been fired! Somehow, I feel like its my fault. At least I could have prevented this. But how? I was not even part of the meeting that came up with the list of those guys who were let go by the organisation! Since we came from the office, he has not even said a word. I tried talking to him at least to cheer him up and give him hope that he will find a new job but he wasn't interested.

I walk to the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of milk which I heat it up a little with the microwave. I carry it to the sitting room and turn on the TV. There was a talk show on but all ratchet. I flipped on the channels before settling on CNN to watch the news. Christian Amanpour was on discussing the ISIS war. This depresses me more. I take a gulp of milk and start on thinking about Fred.

Maybe I should ask his dad for help. He is a very well connected guy in the city and could have easily got him work. I'll ask Fred about this when he wakes up. Maybe I should also ask some friends in case they have any vacancies in their organisation to help out.

I was actually scared for us. Although I was earning a little more than him, this situation would lead us to start cutting back on expenses. This would actually be next to impossible since the baby was on its way. We had not even done any shopping for the baby items yet. Although Fred was given a handsome package, it would not last us forever. The bills were too many even though we were not currently paying rent. I could not have imagined how it would be.

"What are you doing in the dark?"

I jump up in fear and look to where the voice came from. I look towards the door and notice Fred leaning on it. I didn't hear him come.

"I am watching TV." I reply returning back to the seat.

"No, you aren't." He said.

I turned my head to the screen only to realize that the scream was blue. I had pressed on the AV button on the remote without realizing.

Developments

Four weeks later, I went to the clinic as I was asked by the doctor. This time around, he did a scan. I wasn't ready to know its gender yet so I told him not to give me the possibilities. He checked my weight and told me I was doing well.

By now at sixteen weeks, I was already showing. The baby had not yet started kicking but I could feel his movements in the belly. My breast, to Fred's delight, were huge! I had to go buy new bra set as the earlier ones could not fit anymore. The sudden breast size gave me a cleavage that I always wanted. I also got myself new maternity dresses. I was not comfortable at all with my other normal clothes. They would fit a bit too tight at my waist line. I went through some online stores and had some tops delivered to me. They were so cute!

I had a hard time concentrating at work. I was so sleepy and just lazy. Moving from one point to the other was a task. Thankful for my colleagues at work who tried to make things a bit easier for me. My boss too, Mrs. Wright, also avoided me to give me deadlines. Clearly, I could not manage to keep them.

I invested in some maternity magazines and books to keep myself a little updated on what goes on during pregnancy. Ann was there for me too alongside my sweet mother and my mother-in-law. Fred's mum made a point of visiting us every Sunday since Fred gave her the good news. She always came with some fresh fruits from her farm, and ready fruit juice.

The bad news from the office came at a rather unexpected time. The retrenchment happened. They were laying off six of us. I knew about this because I overheard Mrs. Wright talking to some directors in her office. The meeting was scheduled on a Friday evening before we left the office.
We all got some memo about the scheduled meeting. I looked at Fred at the other side of the office and I could see the fear in his eyes. This would be a major setback to all of us.

The C.E.O started the meeting. She thanked all of us on our hard work in the office. She then continued saying that the inevitable had happened and the layoff would not have been prevented. The Director said very little when he stood up. He passed on some small enveloped to each of us. We were to pick the ones that were written our names on. He assured us that the company would ensure we get a good send off package and a recommendation letter.

My hands trembled when I received mine. I raised my head to peep at Fred but he was busy staring down to his envelope. I could not tell what was written on his. So I slowly opened mine. There was a white letter addressed to me. Just a few words. I looked at the content of the letter and saw that I was not yet given the kick. Thank God!

I looked at Fred again. He looked at me and shook his head.

"Home Front"

"Have you told your mother yet?" Ann asked.

"I haven't. You are the first person I have told. I'll have to tell her soon." I replied.

"She will be pretty excited."

"Yea I know. She has been asking for a grandson for sometime right now." I added. "Her family is growing so big."

"Yes it is."

We left Jay's restaurant after a few minutes. Ann went back to work while I went directly home. I had taken the day off from work so as to be able to go the the doctor in the morning. I was feeling sleepy. I had to take a nap. As I drove off, I made a mental note to call my mother later to tell her the good news.

I am not sure how long I slept but I was awaken up by Fred. He was home. I picked up my phone then looked at the time. It was six thirty! I dragged myself from the bed and went to the kitchen. Fred was making a salad. I gave him a hug, kissed him on the lips before opening the fridge to figure out what I would cook for dinner. I removed some minced meat from the freezer and decided on pasta to go alongside with it.

"Are you okay?" Fred asked over my shoulder.

"Yes I am. Why?"

"You look a bit pale."

"I'm good. I want to prepare dinner. I am hungry."

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Yes please."

I moved to the kitchen sink to wash some onions. Fred took the meat and defrost it with the microwave. He then took the onion from my hand and finely chopped it before starting to cook the meat.

"Dad and mom were really happy with the news." He started.

"Which news?" I asked.

"That we are expecting."

"You already told them?" I asked a bit shocked.

"Yes I did. I could not wait."

"Oh, that's nice." I replied not so sure.

"My mother said she will be coming to visit us soon." Fred added.

This was one of the things I was avoiding. Fred's parents are really so caring that sometimes it can become a bit too much. His mother would offer to take care of us now that she was going to get the grandkid. Its good but I wanted us to build our home without the In-laws contribution.

"Did she set a date yet?" I asked.

"No, not yet. She will call me tomorrow to confirm."

We continued to prepare the food in silence. Fred served it for both of us and we had it infront of the TV watching the evening news. The news was a bit depressing! War in Syria, recent shooting of young teenagers in the state and politics.

"You know baby, the company is going to make some major changes in a few days." I started.

"How?" He asked.

"The management is thinking of cutting some resources. They might lay off a few people soon." I replied. "It may happen sooner or later."

"Oh my God. Are we safe?" He asked.

"For now I am not so sure. I am scared too especially when since we are planning to expand the family."

"Kate, don't stress yourself. Everything will work out in its time. We will know how will cope when we get there." Fred assured me.

13 Weeks

After about three weeks, I went back to the clinic and saw the gynecologist. She did a check up on me and finally gave me the go ahead. I could now reveal to the world that I was pregnant!

The first person to come to mind was Anne. I had to tell her. I looked at my wrist watch and saw it was about lunch hour. She could be busy in the office, out for lunch or maybe rushed home to see her baby as she usually does. I decided to text her the good news.

"Finally! Baby in the bun!"

I clicked sent and waited for her reply.

Fred on the other hand was in the office. He had not accompanied me to the clinic that day. There was an issue with the server that required immediate service. I called him as soon as I left the hospital and told him what the doctor said. He was delighted!

My phone buzzed. It was a text. I looked at it and it was Anne.

"Girl? Are you serious?"

I laughed. I decided to just call her.

"Anne, its true. I'm pregnant."

"Oh my God! Congratulation dear. You deserve this."

"Yes I do."

"How far along are you?"

"I'm at thirteen weeks."

"Already? But your tummy is still a bit flat."

"Anne, aren't you the one who kept on saying I was adding weight a bit fast?" I asked. "Then that's your answer."

"But.."

"No buts Anne. I'm really three months already."

"This is good news, Kate. We should celebrate."

"We can organize something then." I said.

"No, no. We should meet up right away."

"Right now? Aren't you working?" I asked a bit shocked at her reaction.

"Its lunch hour Kate. Let's meet at Jay's."

Jay's was a joint near the end of the main highway where we used to go and get milkshakes. They had the best ones in town. So I dragged my heavy self to the place and found Ann there already. She had even ordered herself a strawberry milkshake.

I leaned in, gave her a big hug then sat down next to her. I ordered a chocolate flavored milkshake. Ann kept pressing my belly a few times till I hit her hand.

"Stop doing that." I said.

"Sorry." She said apologizing. "I think I'm so excited with the news."

"I am too. I hope the journey will be smooth all the way."

"It will be okay." She assured me.

Shopping

In the office, I managed to get through the day without feeling sick, which was really good. The work load on the other hand was crazy. It is end month and was trying to work out employees file before submitting it to the Account's department for the payroll to be completed. What kept me going was the little chocolate sweets that I got from a shop downstairs. They were so sweet!

At around five, Fred texted me. He was asking if I was done so that we could go together and so some shopping. I replied quickly and said yes. We met downstairs at the main lobby. We walked to the basement where we had packed the car. Fred opened the car door for me and helped me get into the car. Awww!

We drove to one of the biggest supermarkets in the area which was inside a mall. It was really big. We walked alone the walkway until we entered the supermarket. Fred pulled a trolley and we started at the first aisle. We picked a lot of stuff by the time we were done. We swiped our card and left to the car where we packed the stuff to the trunk of the car.

We walked back and had some drinks on one of the restaurant. It was really hot still. I ordered a cocktail juice with a piece of blackforest cake. Fred had coffee.

"Why you having coffee?" I asked.

"Is it wrong?"

"Its hot, aren't you feeling hot?"

"No. Its actually getting a little bit cold!"

"And why am I feeling hot?" I asked.

"Because you are pregnant." Fred said laughing.

I smiled. I really cannot get my head around this. I'm so excited.

"We need to start planning for the baby early. He needs to get the best." Fred said.

"Yes we need to." I added. "By the way, did you pay the bills?"

"Which bills?" He asked.

"For the cable, water and electricity. They were due yesterday."

"Oh shit. I forgot the cable. Man!!"

"Don't stress. You can still pay tomorrow." I assured him.

"No, what if we get disconnected? What will we do?"

We looked at each other.

"Its okay. We can get creative tonight."

"How?"

"We can do a movie night, candle lit dinner at a fancy restaurant or do a walk."

"I'll pass on the candle lit dinner. You may puke in the restaurant and I will be so embarrassed. Let's do the movie tonight and eat junk." He said poking my shoulders with his index finger."

"Yes. I am really in need of junk food."

"Good."