“I’d like to keep seeing you too, Gavin.”
I needed to make sure she knew it wouldn’t just be the occasional hookup. “On a regular basis?”
“Yes, Gavin,” she replied with a chuckle. “On a regular basis.”
11
Crystal
The free yoga session was going quite well. I stood off to the side, wearing my black yoga pants and a hot pink top, casually observing everyone in case they needed help. Annie thought it’d be a good idea to have a few hours every Monday for students to come in and practice on their own, free of charge, while occasionally getting help from an instructor.
The goal was to get a few of them to sign up for actual classes, and so far, it had been a successful program. Ever since she had started the class, over half of the people attending ended up paying for professional lessons.
As I was keeping an eye on a woman attempting to do a handstand, Annie walked in, eating a bag of pita chips. It wasn’t like her to eat and walk at the same time. She had always been a firm believer that you should sit down and enjoy your meal, but that went out the window once she became pregnant. The other day, I had even caught her eating a fast-food cheeseburger right before teaching her pregnancy yoga class.
Her belly seemed to be getting bigger every time I saw her too, although she still had quite a ways to go before her due date. Still, she loved to put her hand on it from time to time. She also loved to talk to her belly. Annie believed that despite being early in her pregnancy, her son could hear everything that she was saying.
She was going to be an amazing mother.
Annie pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. “I swear to God, Crystal, I am always hungry. My stomach growled so loudly this morning that it woke Richard up. I ate a stack of pancakes, several strips of bacon, toast with butter, and now I can’t stop eating pita chips. This baby is going to make me put on so much weight, but I am starving!”
She had always been on the slender side, though. “You and I both know that you won’t gain any weight. As soon as you push that kid out, you’ll go right back to your perfect body.”
Annie tilted her head back and swallowed all of the crumbs. “I sure hope so, Crystal, but I also hope that I won’t be as hungry. All I think about is food, and the baby does not like any of my protein bars. I had my birthday cake flavored one yesterday morning and had to run to the bathroom before puking all over poor Richard. I’m a little bummed, to be honest with you. I worked so hard on that flavor!”
I found her frustration quite amusing. “You seriously can’t be upset with the baby over a protein bar, Annie! You know they’re an acquired taste.”
“Birthday cake is one of the most popular flavors for anything these days. Ice cream, cookies, donuts, and I’ve even seen it in cereal form. This baby better not grow up to be weird.”
I giggled, “EvenIlove birthday cake. So, I’m sure the baby will love cake too, Annie. Relax.”
Annie smiled and let out a sigh. “Yeah, you are kind of weird.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“You know I’m kidding. Anyway, I’m trying to relax, but I cannot believe how easily I get nauseous. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.”
“You’ve never been pregnant before, either.”
She waved her hand in the air while digging into her purse for another bag of pita chips. “I’m fine. At least I don’t have it all the time like some women who are nauseous throughout their whole pregnancy. It just happens to me all of a sudden. Then, poof it’s gone, and I feel fine…very odd.”
The thought of puking for nine months was enough to make me never want to get pregnant. “I’ve heard about how some women suffer the whole time. No, thank you!”
Annie tore into another bag of pita chips and nodded toward the parking lot. “Anyway, some jerk parked his car in your reserved spot. I don’t understand some of these people. It says ‘RESERVED’ in huge letters, but I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s one of those foreign sports cars. Probably some guy who was going through a mid-life crisis.”
“That’s my new car, Annie! Gavin got it for me. Remember how he said he’d buy me a car because he hit mine?”
Annie crumpled her bag of pita chips. “Shut up! Promise it’s really true. Isn’t that a Lamborghini? Dear God, Crystal, that’s amazing! A Lamborghini, oh, my, God. This is like something out of a fairy tale.” She ran to the window to look at it again. “It’s beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one up close. So tell me, are you going to go out with him?”
I started to open my mouth to answer, but Annie could tell by the look on my face. “You sly dog, you already have! You’ve been holding out. Tell me all about it!”
I pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. “Well, it all started after the baby shower. He drove me back to my place, and I invited him inside for a drink. One thing lead to another, and, well, we had some damn good sex!”
“I knew it! I just knew it! You were acting so bitchy the whole time you were at the shower, then when you got him alone… bingo.” Annie howled with laughter. “Good for you.”
“Was I really that awful at the party?”
“I didn’t exaggerate one bit.”
