Congratulation, Noreen

"It must have been the best sex ever, even if you forgot to use protection?" Lisbeth's eyebrows rose as high as her parents had hoped, but Noreen saw the smirk at the corners of her lips.

Noreen curled her lip. She had already berated herself all day yesterday for realizing her stupidity the night before, and now Lisbeth was going to tease her to death.

"Oh, come on, Lis, don't make me dig up your yard to bury myself. Now you better go to the pharmacy and buy me some morning-after pills," Noreen said weakly.

"Okay," Lisbeth said. "But I don't think you need to worry. It's not your fertile period, and you've also had sex with Thomas, sometimes without protection, but you've never gotten pregnant."

"Hmm, yeah," Noreen murmured. Somehow, she felt a little reassured. "You're right."

Noreen spent three days at Lisbeth's house, not taking a single call or returning any of her parents' messages.

They called Lisbeth and asked about Noreen's whereabouts, but Lisbeth casually said she was calming down, feeling depressed due to the lack of moral support from those closest to her. This answer managed to silence Noreen's parents.

After returning home on the fourth day, having to work and all her clothes and work files at home, Noreen's relationship with her parents became cold and distant.

Noreen couldn't shake the hurt feelings from what had happened earlier, while her parents also felt regretful afterward.

Furthermore, not long after their marriage, Victoria and Thomas bought a house just two blocks from the family home, so they inevitably crossed paths frequently. It seemed deliberate, and Noreen's parents began to realize the gravity of the situation.

Not only that, like good neighbors, even though their homes weren't that close, Veronica and Thomas always found an excuse to come over to Noreen's house, visiting and showing off their affection.

"My mom made an apple pie. She told us to share it here," Veronika once said.  She held out her jam-stained index finger to Thomas, who affectionately licked it.

Noreen made a gag gesture at the sight. "I don't think I'm going to eat this apple pie. I'm afraid my stomach will rebel from the bacteria you put in the dough."

"Noreen," Maria reprimanded gently.

"What? It's true, just look at the way they act so disgustingly in front of other people," Noreen said defiantly.

"You're still mad at me," Veronica said, her eyes welling up. Thomas hugged her shoulders with fake sweetness.

Noreen grinned. "I can only be mad at humans, not at wild skunks who spread their stench everywhere. Ugh!"

Theodore and Maria could no longer stop Noreen from being mean to the couple and even to Merly, Veronica's mother, who, like her daughter, often tried to provoke them with her sarcastic words and behavior.

Instead of catering to their insanity, Noreen is now more focused on her work and isolating herself from her extended family, especially her mother's side, which is filled with toxic individuals who claim to be relatives and emphasize the importance of maintaining good family relationships despite problems.

"Well, Noreen, you did a great job again," said Daniel Wettish, Noreen's boss, after reviewing the dining room and kitchen set and furniture designs she submitted this morning. "These will definitely be approved by the client. After three projects that have achieved their targets, I'm sure your annual bonus will be the biggest this year."

Noreen was proud of herself.

After graduating from college with a degree in interior design, Noreen applied for a job at the largest real estate firm in the country, The Golden Moonlight Real Estate. It was every engineering graduate's dream company, and she was accepted because her test scores were excellent.

The company not only develops all things about real estate, such as houses, apartments, hotels, villas, and resorts, but also manages all design matters, from home furniture to electronic devices.

It's a full-stack business, and the company has grown significantly year after year. Now, as Noreen sits on the staff as a junior interior designer, the company has over 200 branches, including new ones in Ontario, London, and Melbourne.

"Daniel, if the client approves this, can I have your permission to supervise the work on-site?" Noreen asked sweetly, knowing how difficult it is to get Daniel to send his staff out into the field.

"Tsk, you're just looking for an excuse to get out of the office and play outside," Daniel chuckled. "Just for the finishing touches, okay?"

"Yes!" Noreen said cheerfully.

***

Noreen was supposed to be at the furniture factory this morning to supervise the finishing touches on the kitchen set she designed and the client approved two weeks ago.

But when she woke up this morning, her whole body ached as if someone had been beating her all night, her stomach cramping and her head aching.

Noreen went to the bathroom. She wanted to vomit, but her stomach was empty and there was nothing to vomit except saliva.

"Honey, your face is so pale," Maria said, surprised, as Noreen came into the kitchen and sat at the counter, massaging her head. "Are you sick?"

"I don't know," Noreen said quietly. "I think I'm just tired."

Maria's face showed concern. "You've been driving three hours to and from the factory all week, and of course you're exhausted."

Noreen sighed and took an apple from the fruit tray on the counter.

"You need to go to the hospital," Maria said, when there was no response from her daughter. "I'll take you."

"No need," Noreen replied quietly. "I'll call Lisbeth and have her take me to Dr. Mitha, her aunt who practices at St. Vincent Hospital."

Maria stared at Noreen's back as she exited the kitchen with an apple in her hand. Maria feeling distraught.

She shouldn't have listened to Merly's prodding that, as her only female cousin, Noreen should have been willing to be a bridesmaid at Veronica's wedding.

Even though Veronica had been having an affair with Thomas, Noreen's boyfriend, she hadn't done it on purpose, Merly had said. And as a family, they should have forgiven each other.

Now, because she was giving in to her sister's wishes instead of protecting her own daughter's feelings, Maria felt jealous of Lisbeth. She feels like lost her daughter.

"That's why Daniel doesn't like you going to the factory," Lisbeth said firmly, as they drove to St. Vincent's Hospital. "You're used to sitting in an air-conditioned room, with coffee and snacks readily available, thinking quietly and working with your hands on a computer, rather than being in a noisy, hot, and dusty factory area."

Noreen leaned limply against the car door, turning a deaf ear to Lisbeth's nagging.  She had heard the same grumbling from Daniel when she stopped by the office briefly earlier, before calling Lisbeth, asking to take her to the hospital.

Doctor Mitha is married to Lisbeth's mother's cousin. She is a beautiful, soft-spoken middle-aged woman of Indian descent. She welcomed Noreen and Lisbeth into her comfortable office and, after chatting briefly with Lisbeth, asked Noreen to climb into the bed behind the curtain.

After almost 15 minutes, Noreen returned to the chair in front of Doctor Mitha's desk.

"Noreen, dear, you're fine," Doctor Mitha said. "All your vital signs are good. But from now on, you need to take better care of your condition and health. No alcohol. No vaping or smoking. Eat well and get enough rest, and most importantly, no stress."

"Ugh, if I'm fine, why has my body been feeling so strange all day, Doctor?" Noreen complained. "It's like someone is trying to rewire me."

Doctor Mitha smiled gently and wrote something on a piece of paper with hospital letterhead.

"Those are just normal symptoms, dear. Therefore, I will refer you for further treatment to my colleague, Doctor Lucia Vermint, an obstetrician and gynecologist. She will be practicing this afternoon, and I will make an appointment with her for you."

Lisbeth grabbed Noreen's arm, who was now as pale as a ghost.

"Auntie," Lisbeth said hoarsely. "You mean, Noreen...?"

Doctor Mitha nodded and smiled. "Congratulations, Noreen, you're two weeks pregnant and the fetus grows very healthy."