Simspiration-Karen Worthington Landgraab
It's a little bit late, so I thought I'd just post it here.
Karen lay awkwardly on her bed, trying to get herself comfortable. The gigantic baby belly, that had succeeded in stretching out all of her favorite shirts, appeared before her eyes like a mountain. As she looked at it, she could see it move in an alarming fashion. She gasped for breath and panted slightly before the baby inside settled down. For the time being.
Johnny was watching her stomach with fascination. “It looks like it’s going to rip right through your stomach like in that movie ‘Aliens,’” he said. Karen gave him a look, which made him grin slightly. “I promise that you’ll have the child in a completely normal manner,” he said. “It was conceived in a completely normal fashion and it will be born in a completely normal fashion. It’s not like you were abducted by aliens, probed, impregnated, and then thrown back down to earth.”
“So you’re saying that the babies tear through men's stomachs after they are impregnated?” She meant it as a joke. Somewhat.
“No, of course not,” came her husband’s reply.
“How are they born then?” she asked, curious.
He widened his eyes. “Mysterious mysteries can’t be revealed. That’s code for ‘I really don’t know, I was conceived and born in a natural fashion just like our child will be’ in case you were wondering.” He gave her a small smile, which she didn’t return.
She closed her eyes and gasped again. “The baby seems to think that my lungs are an awesome place to rest its feet on.” She looked over at Johnny, who looked worried.
“Is that normal?” he asked anxiously.
“I don’t know and I really don’t know who to ask.”
“Eden’s pregnant, she might know.”
“Eden’s barely pregnant and she’s either too sick or too tired to talk for a long time on the phone. Her mother isn‘t exactly friendly towards me for some reason, and it would be strange to ask Rhys seeing as I barely know him.” Then without really thinking about it, she blurted out, “I wish my mom were here. She’d know.” She rested her hands on the mountain in front of her and attempted to push the baby’s feet in a different position. She failed. She tried to hide her irritation when Johnny placed his hand on her belly.
“So you really don’t know where she is then?” he asked her. She detected a note of something, but she couldn’t figure out what.
“I barely remember her. I don’t even know her name.”
“What about your biological father?”
She shrugged awkwardly, her position on the pillows making it difficult to do so. “I have no idea who he is. My dads weren’t exaggerating when they said that they found me on their doorstep.”
“So it wasn’t your mom or dad who left you there?”
“No,” she replied simply. She really didn’t want to get into the entire thing about the man in black who took her on a horse ride. Most of the time she convinced herself that it was her incredibly young memory that skewed her perspective. That man probably was just a figment of her imagination and the horse ride had most likely been a dream.
“Well, our baby will know who its parents are.” There was a note of firm determination in his voice.
She smiled slightly. “I have a distinct feeling that the baby will have green skin. Not too many people running around town with that skin color. I don’t think that the baby would have ever questioned that.”
“Still.”
“Yeah. Still.” She sighed and closed her eyes again.
“Is there anything I can get for you?”
Just leave me alone, she thought. Your awkwardness is making me awkward. She didn’t say that out loud, though. She was trying hard to be a nicer person. “No, I’m good,” is what she did say. “I think the baby is settling down, though. I might be able to catch a nap.”
“Okay,” he said immediately, getting out of the bed. She could hear him walk around to her side of the bed and she felt him lean over her and kiss her on her cheek. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
“I know. Thank you,” she replied. She heard him walk out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him. She opened her eyes and sighed again. She wanted desperately for the baby to be born because she hoped that she and Johnny might be able to settle into a better phase of their relationship. Anything was better than the cordial, polite awkwardness that had become routine for them. She wished again that her mother were there. She wished she could remember her mother better.
Karen lay awkwardly on her bed, trying to get herself comfortable. The gigantic baby belly, that had succeeded in stretching out all of her favorite shirts, appeared before her eyes like a mountain. As she looked at it, she could see it move in an alarming fashion. She gasped for breath and panted slightly before the baby inside settled down. For the time being.
Johnny was watching her stomach with fascination. “It looks like it’s going to rip right through your stomach like in that movie ‘Aliens,’” he said. Karen gave him a look, which made him grin slightly. “I promise that you’ll have the child in a completely normal manner,” he said. “It was conceived in a completely normal fashion and it will be born in a completely normal fashion. It’s not like you were abducted by aliens, probed, impregnated, and then thrown back down to earth.”
“So you’re saying that the babies tear through men's stomachs after they are impregnated?” She meant it as a joke. Somewhat.
“No, of course not,” came her husband’s reply.
“How are they born then?” she asked, curious.
He widened his eyes. “Mysterious mysteries can’t be revealed. That’s code for ‘I really don’t know, I was conceived and born in a natural fashion just like our child will be’ in case you were wondering.” He gave her a small smile, which she didn’t return.
She closed her eyes and gasped again. “The baby seems to think that my lungs are an awesome place to rest its feet on.” She looked over at Johnny, who looked worried.
“Is that normal?” he asked anxiously.
“I don’t know and I really don’t know who to ask.”
“Eden’s pregnant, she might know.”
“Eden’s barely pregnant and she’s either too sick or too tired to talk for a long time on the phone. Her mother isn‘t exactly friendly towards me for some reason, and it would be strange to ask Rhys seeing as I barely know him.” Then without really thinking about it, she blurted out, “I wish my mom were here. She’d know.” She rested her hands on the mountain in front of her and attempted to push the baby’s feet in a different position. She failed. She tried to hide her irritation when Johnny placed his hand on her belly.
“So you really don’t know where she is then?” he asked her. She detected a note of something, but she couldn’t figure out what.
“I barely remember her. I don’t even know her name.”
“What about your biological father?”
She shrugged awkwardly, her position on the pillows making it difficult to do so. “I have no idea who he is. My dads weren’t exaggerating when they said that they found me on their doorstep.”
“So it wasn’t your mom or dad who left you there?”
“No,” she replied simply. She really didn’t want to get into the entire thing about the man in black who took her on a horse ride. Most of the time she convinced herself that it was her incredibly young memory that skewed her perspective. That man probably was just a figment of her imagination and the horse ride had most likely been a dream.
“Well, our baby will know who its parents are.” There was a note of firm determination in his voice.
She smiled slightly. “I have a distinct feeling that the baby will have green skin. Not too many people running around town with that skin color. I don’t think that the baby would have ever questioned that.”
“Still.”
“Yeah. Still.” She sighed and closed her eyes again.
“Is there anything I can get for you?”
Just leave me alone, she thought. Your awkwardness is making me awkward. She didn’t say that out loud, though. She was trying hard to be a nicer person. “No, I’m good,” is what she did say. “I think the baby is settling down, though. I might be able to catch a nap.”
“Okay,” he said immediately, getting out of the bed. She could hear him walk around to her side of the bed and she felt him lean over her and kiss her on her cheek. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
“I know. Thank you,” she replied. She heard him walk out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him. She opened her eyes and sighed again. She wanted desperately for the baby to be born because she hoped that she and Johnny might be able to settle into a better phase of their relationship. Anything was better than the cordial, polite awkwardness that had become routine for them. She wished again that her mother were there. She wished she could remember her mother better.