The next day, dad and Mary come by the house. The boys immediately say something about power tools and building furniture before disappearing, leaving Mary and I in the kitchen. “So, what are we doing with the nursery?” Mary asks, sitting down her large bag and pulling out containers of leftover food. “Do you know what you’re having yet? Also, we should do a baby shower in a few weeks.” She glances up at me, “hungry? I can make you a plate.” I sigh, “honestly, just give me that bowl of coleslaw and a fork.” Mary laughs, “I was the same way with James. Couldn’t get enough of the stuff.” She pops the lid off the bowl and grabs a fork, sticking it in the bowl and sliding it over to me. “Nursery?” She asks again. “There’s a room next to ours that’s connected by a bathroom that we were thinking about using as the nursery,” I tell her as I take a large bite. “But I’m not sure if I want to do a theme or just paint it.” Mary nods, “we can make a trip to the baby store and look a
The next few weeks are full of shopping, painting and furniture building. Mary and dad are truly a godsend. Mary knows everything there is to know about babies and what they need, while dad can build a crib in twenty minutes flat. Before I know it, our house is full of everything we need, and a week before I’m due, our house looks like a home. Especially since Mary insisted that we needed to have a baby shower. So, here I was, just days away from giving birth, sitting in my living room surrounded by paper storks, gifts and people. Most of whom were my parents friends since I didn’t keep in contact with anyone from my school days. I did invite Annie and Georgie but when I called them, it went straight to voicemail, Annie’s chipper voice saying that they were off the grid for the foreseeable future. They must have been checking their messages though, because a small package showed up at the house, postage from Zimbabwe and Annie’s handwriting on the label. While I wouldn’t t
“Drive faster!” James yells at my dad who is already speeding and swerving through traffic. “Why couldn’t we have just called an ambulance?” Mary asks, hanging onto the panic bar for dear life. “In this economy?” James and I both answer. I groan as another contraction hits me, squeezing James’s hand so hard I’m sure I’ll break it. He doesn’t complain, even though I’m sure it hurts. It seems to take an eternity to reach the hospital but we only live twenty minutes away and with my dad speeding, we made it in ten. Dad screeches to a halt at the ambulance doors, honking his horn rapidly as Mary jumps out of the truck and runs inside, coming back out with a nurse and a wheelchair. James lifts me from the truck, setting me into the wheelchair and rushing me inside, nearly leaving the nurse behind. She follows us, a mixture of confusion and amusement on her face. “First time?” She asks when we finally stop at the front desk. “We need Dr Jones!” James all but yells at
One Year Later“Ali!” Annie yells as she walks into my house, her arms loaded down with brightly wrapped packages. Georgie follows close behind, even more packages in his arms. “Annie,” I greet warmly as I go and take the packages from her. “Jesus,” I grunt as the weight of them settles in my arms. “What do you have in here?” Annie laughs, “you’ll see. Just promise you won’t be mad.” Setting them in the gift table I give her a suspicious look, “and why exactly would I be mad at my son’s godmother?” “Well, I may have bought him a few things that aren’t technically suitable for a one year old,” she admits sheepishly. “That’s why these are from me,” Georgie says as he puts his packages on the table. “Someone had to buy gifts the little man could actually play with.” Annie claps her hands, “speaking of! Where is my godson?” “He’s out back with..” I don’t even get to finish before she’s racing out the back door, my sons name being shouted so loudly it echos through the house. Even
Five Years LaterThe park in Paris was exactly as it had been the first time- curly slides, dozens of swings, sandboxes and dozens of kids. The only difference was now our kids join in on the fun. James and I sit on the same bench we did the first time we were here, eating our ice cream as we watch our kids play. JD runs around with a group of boys playing tag, while his sister Cleo plays with another little girl in the sandbox. When we’d first gotten to Paris a week ago, the kids had been curious but shy about the other kids, the language barrier making it hard for them to communicate. We’d tried our best to teach them some phrases before we’d flown over, but it was hard to get a six and five year old to focus on what they call ‘funny talk.’ But after a week of watching French cartoons, they’d started picking it up like a sponge and by the time we leave, I think they’ll know more than we will. We’d decided on Paris as our first international trip as a family because it was where
“I don’t know how the hell you do it,” Annie sighs as she falls onto the couch. “What do you mean?” I ask, handing her a drink and sitting next to her. She takes a large swig and sets it on the table, “all of it. The kids, the husband, making it all look effortless. I’m fucking exhausted and I only have one kid. I don’t know how you do it with two.” “Annie,” I say softly, putting my hand on hers. “I’m fucking exhausted too.” She looks surprised, “really? You hide it well.” “I love my kids,” I tell her. “I love my life and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but being a mom is exhausting. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed, to need some time to yourself.” “I just,” she sighs. “I just feel like I should be better at this. I’m not one to run away from a challenge, but sometimes.. sometimes I feel so trapped. I love Max and Georgie, but I’m not one to sit still. I feel like my body is vibrating with all this pent up energy but I’m too exhausted to use it.” “I know how you feel,” I
“I can’t believe they still have this shower,” I laugh as I strip. James grins from the bed, “it’s a good shower. I personally love it.” “Oh I know you do,” I tease, going and starting it. I secretly loved the shower too, the glass tube giving a perfect 360 view of whoever was in it. I’m under the water when a rush of cold air hits me and then James’s arms are around me, his head nuzzling in my neck. “James,” I groan as he nibbles my skin. “Baby,” he replies, his hands wandering lower and grazing over my pussy. “Not in the shower,” I tell him. “Doctor said.. no more.. water.. activities.” My words come out in gasps as James strokes me and it takes everything I have to pull away from his hands. “I’m serious,” I tell him. “You almost shattered your knee, James. No more shower sex.”“Technically,” James says with a smirk. “The doctor said no more standing shower sex.” He motions to the bench that’s presumably been in the shower since Annie’s aunt was alive, “he didn’t say anythin
A week later and we are back in Kenya at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. Our van bounces along the familiar road, the scenery the same as the last time we were here. The children stare excitedly out the window, calling out all the animals that they see. I’m snuggled into James’s side, his arm around me as I doze. It had been a long flight, made even longer by the two bored kids that had refused to sleep on the flight. How they weren’t passed out right now I’ll never know. I’m almost asleep when the van comes to a sudden stop, letting a herd of elephants walk across the road in front of us. “Look at those!” JD exclaims, moving to get a better look. “Let me see!” Cleo demands, trying to shove her brother out of the way. Our driver smiles at them and points to the largest one at the head of the group, “see that one? How she is watching us? That is the leader. She protects the herd.” He lowers his voice, “she watches us to make sure we aren’t a threat.” “How does she
Fifty Years Later“Mom!” A voice calls from the direction of the living room. “Dad!”James and I freeze, his wrinkled face inches from mine. The washer thrums under me as James strokes slowly into me. Age has done nothing to slow us down when it comes to our love life. Even after two hip replacements, he’s still as virile as he was when he was younger. “Grams?” Another voice calls, closer this time. “Be right there!” I call, trying to keep my voice steady. “Mom?” JD’s voice says right outside the laundry room door. “You alright in there?” James chuckles as he slowly slides out of me and tucks his cock away, “be right out.”“Dad?” JD asks. There’s a pause before he sighs, “don’t break another hip.” James laughs loudly as I scoot off the washing machine, groaning slightly. At seventy-six, my joints weren’t what they used to be but that rarely stopped me. Making sure that we were decent, I open the door and walk into the kitchen, James following close behind. “Grams!” Lila yells
Later that night, once the kids were asleep and the sun had long since set, James holds me in bed, his hand resting lightly on my stomach. “Sunya invited us to stay,” I tell him. “Like, permanently stay.” “Malik told me the same thing today,” he says softly. I wish I could say that I was surprised, but Malik is Sunya’s husband and she probably told him to bring it up. “So? Are we?” I ask. “Do you want to?” He counters. “Yeah, I do,” I answer honestly. “The kids love it here and so do I. I miss our parents and the house but this place, these people, feel more like home than our home did.” James nods, “I feel the same way. But..”“But what?”His hand flattens against my stomach, “I’m just worried about you having a baby here. There’s no hospital or doctor anywhere close by in case something happens.”“I’m worried about that too,” I tell him. “But Sunya and several of the other women are midwives. And we have the truck so we can go into town every few months to see a doctor.” I sc
Over the next few weeks, the kids settled into village life better than I expected. JD and Jason were gone most of the day with the other men, either going on supply runs, fixing fences and even digging new wells. Each night the boys would come back to the house, sun kissed and exhausted but still bubbling to tell us about their day. Cleo and I spent our days with Sunya and Ayla, looking after the baby elephants, cooking and keeping the village running. Cleo and Ayla did their chores together every morning before disappearing, only showing up again when they were hungry. We had originally only planned to spend a few weeks at the sanctuary, but then a few weeks turned into a few months, and before we knew it, we’d been there four months. The kids had shown no desire to leave and neither had James or I. The sanctuary was hard work, but it was the type of hard that made every day worth it. We were doing something that mattered, helping a species that was on the brink of extinction b
Later that night, after the kids and the village were fast asleep, James and I lay on our bed talking quietly. “Cleo doesn’t want another brother,” I tell him. “She doesn’t?” He asks, slightly surprised. “How do you know?” “Sunya made a joke about giving us a house with two rooms this time and how when we leave I might be pregnant again, and Cleo made it known that she doesn’t want another brother,” I explain. “She might not be opposed to a sister though. Her and Ayla seemed to get along rather well.” The girls had spent the rest of the day together, Cleo following Ayla around the entire village as the older girl told her about the elephants and all the different animals. Cleo had even met Old George and much to my surprise, didn’t hesitate to eat the chicken strips that he turned into. When night had fallen and it was time for bed, Cleo had asked if Ayla could stay over, and now the two were nestled together on her bed, snuggled under the small Dora blanket that Cleo insisted on
The village hadn’t change, but the people have. Most of the volunteers from last time were gone, same as the baby elephants who I know aren’t babies anymore, but it’s still sad to see new ones take their places. Sunya was a familiar face in the crowd as she marches towards us, a small girl in tow. “Alison!” Sunya exclaims as she approaches. “You have returned to us!” She pulls me into a tight hug and whispers, “I see things have worked out well.” “They have,” I whisper back before pulling away. “Yours has grown up so much!” I give the little girl a smile, “she’s still as pretty as ever.” “As are yours,” Sunya tells me. “Young man, front and center please.” JD rushes to stand in front of her, a toothy grin on his face. “You look like a strong young man.” JD nods and flexes his small arms, “I am! I can carry two things of milk at once!” He tells her proudly. “Well now, that is strong indeed,” Sunya tells him seriously. “We need strong muscles to help us with the baby elephants
A week later and we are back in Kenya at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. Our van bounces along the familiar road, the scenery the same as the last time we were here. The children stare excitedly out the window, calling out all the animals that they see. I’m snuggled into James’s side, his arm around me as I doze. It had been a long flight, made even longer by the two bored kids that had refused to sleep on the flight. How they weren’t passed out right now I’ll never know. I’m almost asleep when the van comes to a sudden stop, letting a herd of elephants walk across the road in front of us. “Look at those!” JD exclaims, moving to get a better look. “Let me see!” Cleo demands, trying to shove her brother out of the way. Our driver smiles at them and points to the largest one at the head of the group, “see that one? How she is watching us? That is the leader. She protects the herd.” He lowers his voice, “she watches us to make sure we aren’t a threat.” “How does she
“I can’t believe they still have this shower,” I laugh as I strip. James grins from the bed, “it’s a good shower. I personally love it.” “Oh I know you do,” I tease, going and starting it. I secretly loved the shower too, the glass tube giving a perfect 360 view of whoever was in it. I’m under the water when a rush of cold air hits me and then James’s arms are around me, his head nuzzling in my neck. “James,” I groan as he nibbles my skin. “Baby,” he replies, his hands wandering lower and grazing over my pussy. “Not in the shower,” I tell him. “Doctor said.. no more.. water.. activities.” My words come out in gasps as James strokes me and it takes everything I have to pull away from his hands. “I’m serious,” I tell him. “You almost shattered your knee, James. No more shower sex.”“Technically,” James says with a smirk. “The doctor said no more standing shower sex.” He motions to the bench that’s presumably been in the shower since Annie’s aunt was alive, “he didn’t say anythin
“I don’t know how the hell you do it,” Annie sighs as she falls onto the couch. “What do you mean?” I ask, handing her a drink and sitting next to her. She takes a large swig and sets it on the table, “all of it. The kids, the husband, making it all look effortless. I’m fucking exhausted and I only have one kid. I don’t know how you do it with two.” “Annie,” I say softly, putting my hand on hers. “I’m fucking exhausted too.” She looks surprised, “really? You hide it well.” “I love my kids,” I tell her. “I love my life and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but being a mom is exhausting. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed, to need some time to yourself.” “I just,” she sighs. “I just feel like I should be better at this. I’m not one to run away from a challenge, but sometimes.. sometimes I feel so trapped. I love Max and Georgie, but I’m not one to sit still. I feel like my body is vibrating with all this pent up energy but I’m too exhausted to use it.” “I know how you feel,” I
Five Years LaterThe park in Paris was exactly as it had been the first time- curly slides, dozens of swings, sandboxes and dozens of kids. The only difference was now our kids join in on the fun. James and I sit on the same bench we did the first time we were here, eating our ice cream as we watch our kids play. JD runs around with a group of boys playing tag, while his sister Cleo plays with another little girl in the sandbox. When we’d first gotten to Paris a week ago, the kids had been curious but shy about the other kids, the language barrier making it hard for them to communicate. We’d tried our best to teach them some phrases before we’d flown over, but it was hard to get a six and five year old to focus on what they call ‘funny talk.’ But after a week of watching French cartoons, they’d started picking it up like a sponge and by the time we leave, I think they’ll know more than we will. We’d decided on Paris as our first international trip as a family because it was where