Page 18 of Claiming His Labor Day

I leaned against the bathroom wall and smiled at the memories of that night. He touched me with such passion, a feeling I had never known. He was so tender yet so dominant. I closed my eyes and relived the way he’d made love to me. I had fantasized about that night over and over again, wishing I could have seen him again. I never regretted my night with him, but I wondered how different things would have been if I had been a little smarter about it. I was like a sex-starved maniac only caring about the act itself and how amazing he was. I didn’t bother getting his phone number or last name. I didn’t bother about protection. And there I sat pregnant, single and with no way of contacting him.

I began to laugh.

“Naomi?” Mia knocked on the door again. She rattled the doorknob. “Open the door. Is there a demon in there possessing you or something?”

“No. I’m just realizing how comical my life is right now.”

“Yeah. Really funny in a boring, stay-at-home sort of way,” she replied.

If she only knew.

“You’re going to that beach party with us. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I opened the door with a smile on my face and nodded. “Yes, I am.”

After a full day of shopping for the right swimsuit and cover-up, Camilla, Mia and I went to dinner. We feasted on everything we shouldn’t have, and when I chose water with lemon over their mai tais and Long Island iced teas, that warranted a curious look from Mia.

“I’m still not feeling the best,” I defended. “And you know I rarely drink.”

“Oh, yeah. The way you polished off your dinner I can see that. You’re totally under the weather.”

“I… was hungry. At least I got my appetite back. I guess the ‘flu is over after all.”

“Who puts syrup on steak, anyway?” asked Camilla. “Even the waitress looked at you weird when you asked for it.”

“I’m trying new things. I saw it on Pinterest. It’s actually pretty good. You should try it.”

“I’m good, thanks.”

She glanced at my plate with just a bit of the evidence of my odd cravings and frowned.

I didn’t know how long I could keep my pregnancy from them. I knew I had to tell them sooner or later. More added stress.

I awoke the next morning to a beautiful day — Labor Day — and I still hadn’t told anyone about my situation. I looked in the mirror at my stomach after I put on my new suit. I didn’t look any different, but I sure did feel different. Luckily, the nausea had subsided, and I was finally feeling upbeat. I wanted to have a good time at the beach, and I had decided to make the best of the situation. I was going to have this baby and raise it the best I knew how. I had my best friends by my side, and my mom was only a phone call away. I decided to tell them after the party was over if they weren’t too drunk to comprehend it all.

I was putting the iced tea I was planning on drinking next to my beach bag that was already full of all the necessities of a day at the beach when I hear a knock at my front door. I took a big breath, and walked across the room, opened the door, and smiled. Mia and Camilla waltzed in parading around in their perfect swimsuits with their perfect bodies. All the while, there I was feeling defective. I slid my hand over my stomach and tried to join in on their happiness.

“Looks like you are ready for the day,” Mia said.

“I am. I can’t wait to get to the beach.”

She eyed me curiously before saying, “Let’s get this party started.”

I grabbed my beach bag and followed them out the door.

By the time we had got there, a line of grills were smoking and loaded with every kind of meat one could imagine. A few guys we hung out with were busy flipping burgers with a spatula in one hand and a beer in the other and hitting on every pretty girl who passed them by.

“Hey, ladies,” one of them called out. He held his beer up and smiled. “Lookin’ good.”

“Hey, Jamie,” Camilla cooed.

“God, some things never change,” Mia scoffed.

“Let’s hope not.” Camilla had her eyes glued on him as she slowly turned around walking beside us.

We found a spot near some other friends playing frisbee, and Camilla threw her things down and ran up to them. “I’ll play!” She was never one to hold back from the fun.

I laid my beach blanket down and pulled the sun lotion out of my bag. Mia sat next to me and cracked open a fruity drink from her cooler.

“This is nice,” she said. “I’m glad you decided to come with us.”

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