The entire week was nearly draining, but someone made it out alive with barely a smile on his face,lines of exhaustion grown so deep you might mistake them for old age wrinkles.
He look pretentious, but for his unborn child he continues to press on... holding to his few strands of sanity.
The baby shop smelled like powder and soft fabric. Tiny socks. Miniature shoes. Pink blankets folded like delicate secrets. Suzan stood in front of a shelf of baby carriers, calculating prices in her head and futures in her heart.
She wanted something tangible. Something that proved she was moving forward. "Ah, Suzan?" The voice was smooth. Too familiar. Suzan turned. She did see someone she didn't expect to see,a long time friend..now her ex rival..
And there she was. Temidire. Radiant. Glowing. One hand resting gently on her visibly rounded belly. Her maternity gown flowed like she was walking inside a blessing. Suzan's smile stiffened. She didn't expect to see Temidire all round and full "
Bitches and witches don't settle
down!"...she thought with a grin displaying in dusgut. She might be right, but she's planning on settling down with Abel,what does that makes her then?
"Temidire." Temidire's eyes flicked down to the items in Suzan's basket feeding bottles, baby wipes, tiny mittens.
"Oh," she said lightly. "You're shopping too?" Before Suzan could answer, another voice joined.
"Temi?"
Abel. He froze the moment he saw her. For a second just one second something crossed his face.
Shock. Then something else.
Memory. Temidire's smile widened. "Abel," she said warmly. "Long time." Suzan noticed it immediately.
The softness. The history. Abel shifted awkwardly. "You look… well." Temidire laughed gently, rubbing her stomach. "I am. God has been kind." Her fingers lingered there.
A statement without being one. Suzan's jaw tightened slightly. "Congratulations," she said flatly. "Thank you," Temidire replied, her eyes sparkling.
"It's such a blessing when your body responds the way it should." Abel blinked. Something about that sentence landed wrong. Temidire continued, her tone airy but pointed. "You know… when you're with a healthy man. Everything just aligns naturally."
There it was.
A blade wrapped in silk. Suzan felt it she was confused and couldn't drive meaning at what Temidire meant But Abel felt it more yet somewhat confused as well. His mind betrayed him instantly.
Late nights.Closed curtains.
Promises whispered in darkness. Years of intimacy. And not once.
Not a scare.
Not a delay. Nothing. At the time, he had considered it luck.
Now, standing in a baby shop with his ex visibly pregnant and glowing with quiet triumph, doubt crept in like smoke. Temidire tilted her head. "I guess when it's right, it's effortless." Abel swallowed. Suzan watched him closely. Too closely. The nervous shift of his shoulders. The way his fingers fidgeted with his car keys. The way his gaze avoided Temidire's stomach.
"Who's the father?" Abel heard himself ask.Temidire smiled, slow and confident.
"A good man," she said simply. "Healthy. Intentional. Ready." Another pause. She adjusted the strap of her bag "Well, I shouldn't stand too long. Doctor's orders. Pregnancy needs care." She looked at Suzan again.
"I wish you both… progress." And she walked away. Graceful,
Unbothered...Victorious.
Silence stretched between Abel and Suzan. The baby shop suddenly felt too bright, Too exposed.
Suzan turned to him. "You look pale." "I'm fine," he said quickly. But he wasn't. His mind was racing.
Healthy man. The words echoed. He began calculating backward.
Years with Temidire. Regular intimacy. No protection sometimes.
Nothing. Now she's pregnant. Quickly. Easily. With someone else. A seed of insecurity planted itself deep in his chest. What if.... He pushed the thought away.
Suzan crossed her arms. "You're quiet." "I just… didn't expect to see her." Suzan studied him. "You dated her for three years."
"Yes." "And she never got pregnant."
He looked at her sharply. "That's not"
She cut him off. "I'm just stating facts."
Her voice was calm. "She is just a barren field that got lucky. I'm pregnant with your child anyways and that's enough, don't you think?" she asked. The question hung heavy.
Abel laughed nervously. "That's true, you have my baby and I'm going to do everything in my power to make both of you happy" But his laughter lacked conviction.
Suzan stepped closer. "That is spirit...," she said softly, "it's better to invite her to our baby's naming ceremony...that should be shocking to her!" she laughed so pleaded though her eyes were searching.
Measuring. Judging possibilities.
Abel suddenly felt small.
Like a man being weighed