EVERYONE LIKES A PREGNANT WOMAN
10/09/11 22:38
With only 2 1/2 weeks until our first child arrives, Valerie and I decided we’d better make the most of our last ‘quiet’ days and take a little trip. Not too far in case Bean decided to show up early, but far enough to feel like we were getting away. We decided on Gloucester, MA - 45 minutes north of home.
My wife cleverly packed her snacks and a water in case she got hunger cravings on the journey. It keeps her from turning into Cruella Deville. We even packed our hospital suitcases in case she began her contractions while on our outing. We would simply divert our day out and end up at the hospital. And with those two safety nets in place, off we went.
But it wasn’t hard for the rest of the world to recognize we’re having a baby. After arriving in Gloucester, we parked the car and found an outdoor cafe on the water and had lunch. The service was dismal and the food was about the same but we were outside, it was sunny, we were happily pregnant and away for the day. All who passed us looked at Val’s stretched tummy, shaped very much like a basketball. Okay, exactly like a basketball. They would look at her tummy then up at her as if to say, “shouldn’t you be at the hospital delivery room instead of walking the streets of an artsy beach community?” Little did they know the baby still had more growing to do.
After lunch we decided to take a walk and we heard a band playing in the distance, so we followed the sounds of the rasta beats. We came upon a small crowd of people sitting on the side of the street listening. Val wanted to watch the band so she slowly lowered herself to sit on the curb. Meanwhile, I was watching a 10-year old kid riding his unicycle up and down the street. I went over to ask him how long he had been riding it. I had always wanted to have a unicyle but my parents wouldn’t get me one. He said he had taught himself a year ago. His dad was standing next to his son and enthusiastically told me his son had gotten it for Christmas last year and had woken up early in the morning for three days straight and had gone outside in his pajamas to practice, and within those three days had figured it out. The dad asked me if I were new to the neighborhood and I told him we were just visiting. He said, “Is your wife the pregnant woman?” I proudly proclaimed she is. He then introduced me to his middle aged friends and suddenly I was a new member in a friendly clique. Everyone was asking me questions, laughing, and giving me advice on being a dad. Then Ken, the first guy I met went over to my wife to see if she would rather sit in a chair. My wife said that she was fine but he decided it wasn’t fine. He went home and got a chair for her to sit in which she gladly accepted. Then after about 15 minutes, he asked me if I wanted a cold beer. I declined the offer but when he asked a second time, my weakness showed and he went home to get me one. As he returned with the beer, I noticed he came out of a four-story home on the corner lot. The foundation was made of beautiful stone and the house itself was made of Cape Cod shingles. In other words, this dude was loaded. I also noticed that Richard was coming out of the house behind us and it dawned on me that we had stumbled onto some rich families that didn’t know we drive a Honda Element and buy our furniture at Jordon’s Furniture Outlet.
Then the ladies started coming over to Val and asking her about the baby. One lady asked if she could touch Val’s belly and she gushed about she had not felt a pregnant belly since her own 21 years ago. Then Ken’s dad who was in his 70s came up to us and began to tell us his life story which was an amusing one. The whole event was just so surreal. Two strangers come to town, say a nice word to a ten-year old boy and suddenly the town is welcoming us into its protective community. They offer us to use of the bathroom in their mansion should we need to, they give us beers and they make sure Val is comfortable as we sit outside and get to know each other.
After about 2 hours of sitting in a spot we meant to only sit for 5 minutes, we bid our new friends goodbye. We shook everyone’s hand and Ken’s dad added a nice touch by kissing Val’s hand. They insisted that we come back after the baby is born and be sure to knock on their doors if they’re not out.
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