Linda hung up the blue chiffon dress in the spare closet in what would soon be the nursery. The dress was the one she’d worn to Meryl and Barry’s intimate Caribbean wedding. Linda had had it dry-cleaned and picked it up that afternoon. As she turned off the light inside the walk-in closet she realized how soon it would be filled with tiny pink dresses, and she smiled.
Larry had painted the walls in butter cream and had an artist friend paint a teddy bear mural on the wall opposite where the crib would soon be. Their taste was eclectic, so the change table, dresser and side table, were antique, while the crib that was on order would be new.
The room was large enough to also function as a play room. As much as they tried to resist, the couple had been unable to prevent themselves from buying various things. Boxes of unopened toddler toys lay against the wall by the door. Linda was sure to have Larry assemble a few before the New Year’s party, which was scheduled for that week.
Larry had gone into the office for a couple of hours, readying himself for a new case that was coming up for trial the day after New Year’s, and Linda was beginning preparations for her annual year end festivities. A box of various un-filed mail, bills, and a mish-mash of Linda and Larry’s work correspondence sat in the guest room. Linda’s project for the day was to clean that room so that if anyone chose to stay over after the party, they had the choice to.
As she rifled through the junk, she came across the calendar that Larry had pulled down from the wall the day they found out they were to become parents. Opening it up, Linda was overwhelmed by how many dates she’d checked off in the past year, and how many notes were made for appointments, reminders, etc. Knowing previous calendars were not much different in appearance, she was relieved that her personal schedule no longer had to be recorded in such a harried manner.
However, as she observed the calendar, Linda realized that she should still be keeping track of things, and pulled it from the box. Walking downstairs, Linda tacked it back up on the wall and attempted to recall the dates she’d failed to record in the last few months. Thankful she kept another calendar at the school for professional appointments, Linda referred to it, thinking perhaps she’d be able to fill in the blanks on a few dates she’d absently recorded in her teacher’s calendar.
But somehow her dates were not synching smoothly. Something was wrong. A rush of anxiety swept through Linda’s body as she winced, trying to remember important things she’d missed.
***
Tables were set, hors d’oeuvres were warming in the oven, wine and other beverages were chilling in the refrigerator. Linda had been slaving in the kitchen all day, chopping vegetables and fruits, slicing cheeses, placing crackers and pickles on platters, as Larry worked from home, preparing for the big case coming his way.
Jill had offered to come over and give Linda a hand after work, and just as she’d placed the last tray of food into the oven to be kept warm, she heard the door knock. “Oh, thank God you’re here,” Linda said, exasperated. “Next year I’m using a caterer.”
“Gosh, Linda, are you losing your touch?” Jill teased, removing her jacket and hanging it in the closet.
Linda rolled her eyes, “I didn’t interrupt any plans, did I?”
Waving, Jill followed her cousin into the kitchen. “No, Peter will be here shortly.”
“How are things going with him?”
Breathing in a hearty sigh, Jill gushed. “Wonderful.”
Jill and Peter had been together nearly a year and Jill had waited all week to see her cousin in person so she could share what the latest development in their relationship was. “He asked me to move in with him.”
Eyes bulging, Linda broke into an ear-to-ear smile. “Oh my Gosh! Are you serious?”
Nodding emphatically, Jill hugged her cousin. “He’s subletting his house for January fifteenth. We decided my place worked best since it’s closest to the highway and it is a bit bigger plus with the double car garage and all.” she explained.
“I’m so happy for you!” Linda said, squeezing her cousin.
Jill let go of Linda. “And what about you two? Have you heard any more from the adoption agency?”
Pulling a set of coasters with matching wine glass markers, Linda nodded. “Yes, she’s nine months old and she’ll be on a flight from China next week.”
“Does she have a name?”
“Wen Di, which means ‘Wendy’ in English.” Linda explained.
“Gosh, this is so exciting!” Jill said, taking the things from her cousin’s hands. “How do you sleep at night…knowing you’re going to be a mom in less than two weeks?”
“It’s tough,” Linda admitted. “And Larry’s been so busy with work he’s so preoccupied, but I’m about to burst.”
“I’ll bet,” Jill agreed. “Where do you want these?”
“Just put them on the table in the living room, and follow me down to the basement. We need to get the spare table.”
As the girls went down the hallway, Larry came from downstairs. “Hi, Jill,” he greeted.
“Hey, Larry.”
Larry addressed Linda. “Hey, hon, I wrote Mitchell’s cell phone number down somewhere…remember I spoke with him back in September when we went golfing together? Do you know where I wrote the number? I can’t seem to find it.”
“On the calendar in the kitchen.” Linda instructed as she led Jill down the basement stairs.
***
Larry heard the girls chattering down in the basement as he perused through the calendar hanging on the wall. He recalled the last time he saw it. It was the night he and Linda found out they were getting baby Wendy from China. Smiling, Larry reminisced about the night of passionate love-making, and how he’d torn the calendar down from the wall and thrown it on the floor as a symbol of a life they no longer had to live.
Scrolling through the months, he saw the various markings, reminders, appointments, and notations, all about their life together. Linda was meticulous for recording birthdays, events, plus projected ovulation dates, days she expected her period, days her period actually arrived. Larry noted how the dates deviated, and frowned. His poor wife was cursed with such an irregular cycle, it was no wonder they could never conceive.
Knowing they’d torn the calendar off the wall in September, Larry expected the dates from September until December to be sparse, but somehow they weren’t. The usual red ‘x’s were haphazardly and illogically placed with strange illegible markings that he couldn’t decipher. Larry heard Linda coming upstairs with Jill and thought about pulling her off to the side to inquire about the haphazard way she’d filled things in, but thought better of it. That would be something he could approach her with later, when they were alone.
***
Linda stood and watched with utter triumph as all her dearest friends gathered under her roof. Recalling last year, she remembered the forced smiles, the phoney laughter, the obligatory greetings, but most of all, she remembered the looks on their faces and knew they did not want to be there, or at least they didn’t want to be there alone. As she scanned the room, the primary teacher saw hands linked with hands, discreet kisses, looks of love, desire, and mutual understanding.
When her eyes met her husband’s she shared a similar look. Larry gave her a wink and raised his glass from the other side of the room, and she knew that they had successfully accomplished their task. Approaching his wife, Larry snaked his arm around her waist and kissed her tenderly. “Are you happy, sweetie?” he asked.
“Blissfully happy,” she answered sincerely, “It’s so nice to see this,” she leaned into her husband’s chest and inhaled his aftershave. Linda couldn’t help but reminisce about what someone had once said to her. At the time, the sentiment seemed like malarkey, but now it struck her as a timely statement, that people who are truly happy don’t get sick or don’t have worries.
“So, did you have one of your students help you fill out your calendar?” Larry joked, trying to hide his worry. “I noticed the red ‘x’s strung about, and some other markings…I couldn’t guess what they were for.” he looked deeply into her eyes. “Is everything okay? Is there anything I need to be concerned about?” the caring and conviction in his voice made Linda’s heart burst.
“Forget about the ‘x’s,” she said simply. “We don’t need to worry about them anymore.”
Larry forced a smile. “Sweetie, I know we’re getting a child, but you still have to pay attention to your health.”
She felt her hands tremble and decided now was the time to do what she’d wanted to do for so long it made her ache. Linda picked up her full glass of wine from the side table and clinked it with the cocktail fork hanging from the platter next to it. “Everyone, everyone. Can I have your attention, please?”
Larry furrowed his brows at her. “What are you doing, honey?”
Ignoring her husband, Linda’s voice rose an octave. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming again this year, and for bringing such wonderful gifts for our little Wendy that we can’t wait for you all to meet.” she said, gesturing to the line of carefully wrapped packages that lay on the floor by the television set.
“And Larry and I are so happy that you are all as happy as we are,” she shot a look at Meryl, who beamed at her and offered her a wink as thanks. “And I can’t help but give a shout out to Larry for making me so happy, even after I drove him crazy for so many years.”
Larry reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Honey,” Linda said. “When I said that we can forget about the ‘x’s, I meant that they were never there.”
Puzzled, Larry furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side. She didn’t wait for him to speak. “I’m pregnant,” she said in a squeak, trying to keep her emotions at bay, “Thirteen weeks.” she added, steepling her hands over her face. Linda sniffled, watching her husband’s face break into a combination of shock and delight. He choked and shook his head. She’d kept it a secret for well over a month, unable to bear the look on his face should she suffer another miscarriage in the first trimester.
Grabbing her, holding her tightly, Larry sobbed, grasping Linda’s hair in his hands from the back of her head. “I knew we could do it.” he said as soft clapping was heard from behind. Suddenly there were whistles and shouts of congratulations as the couple stood, embracing each other, crying tears of joy.
Larry pulled back so he could look at his beloved. “Who knew that Cupid was also friends with Stork?” he said, wiping her tears from her eyes.
“I love you, Linda.” he said sincerely.
“I love you, too, Larry. With all my heart.”