Ecography

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After our experience last time, I think it’s highly understandable that a deep fear is trying to take over our happiness.

We take an appointment as soon as my third month begins, with the doctor who took care of me months ago, at the Willow Creek Clinic.

She’s got a soft, nice voice, and she walks us through the procedure with the nicest smile.

Still, we only relax when she assures us that everything is fine; and that everything will be fine. Still, knowing our history, she tells us our appointments will have to be more frequent than with more couples.

It’s possible we ask her to make them more frequent.

So throughout the next months, we go back to Willow Creek, again and again, and each time the Clinic becomes less of a place we dread and more a haven for our piece of mind.

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Can confirm the goo they put on your stomach is very cold.

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The first time no smiles or nice words can calm us down.

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And when the Doctor tells us the baby is healthy, it’s a victory.


Ecography pose pack from @inabadromance ! Thank you for these, they’re beautiful.

Peaceful Blue

Pari is out again.

It feels like since I announced my pregnancy, she has made sure to live us some time alone in our house, which we do appreciate. Our favorite activity is becoming to chill on the couch and talking about that growing baby, who’s now, apparently the size of a raspberry (and not the microcontroller kind).

We’re also trying to decide on a place to move to. Thankfully we have been making decent amounts of money over the past few years. Our common project, in particular, has been successful beyond all expectations. It’s amazing timing. We’re thinking Uptown.

I can also do the surprise-kissing.

The Announcement

I tell Hugo as soon as he gets back home. He is also profoundly happy, which makes me even happier.

This means we will need to find a new home, as there is nowhere near enough space here for a child, but we are beyond excited. This step into the unknown? We’re taking it together.

Then I tell Pari, who’s happy for us. Jokingly, she asks if I’ll want a tattoo of his or her name. I’m just excited at the idea of choosing a name for a tiny little human.

Yep, we’re happy.

Pari’s mind seems to be elsewhere, though.

And as we are asleep upstairs, she has an odd meeting in the Spice Market.

Things have changed

It’s amazing how much a handful of years can change.

The first time I had this little bar appear in front of me, I felt anguish, and fear, and absolute confusion.

This time, there is still a fair deal of fear, the fear of a big jump into the unknown, but you know what I feel, above anything else?

Happiness.

The Curry Challenge

The Spice Festival is in town again. Mom, Grandma, Charlotte, and Pari have tagged along this time. Charlotte and Pari interacting is a thing of beauty — it’s pretty clear they are both VERY aware of how VERY different they are. And neither one of them can understand how I am friends with the other.

Charlotte is done with Pari’s cynism and leaves first. IT leaves Hugo and Pari to discuss the food… and dare each other to try the Curry Challenge.

Are you sure you wanna do that, Pari?

Instant regret.

Also instant regret.

Peasants. I ate the whole plate, and earned myself a dope Spice Festival T-shirt.

I told you the Spice Festival was made for me.

Pari’s Friends

Pari’s out in the city when she sees a familiar face.

Her name is Aurélie, and apparently, they’re old friends, though they haven’t seen each other in years.

Aurélie gives Pari a key, promising her she’ll always be welcome at her flat. Pari asks her if she wants to come and see the people she lives with — us.

So Aurélie comes, with the gang of friends Pari used to be a part of. Aurélie, Alexandra, Maxime, and Arthur. They look pretty nice to us. Hugo gets along perfectly with Alexandra.

It’s nice to see Pari socialize with someone else. Up until then, it felt like she had no roots or past. I’m glad she has people she cares about.

But as we hear them speak to each other…

… it becomes clear that this group of friends is not the best place for her either.

Home Routine

With this, we pretty much break all contact with Romain or Marie. We hear from Charlotte and Shanna that their wedding was postponed, but it’s pretty clear that we were un-invited anyways.

We don’t let that get to us, even though for Hugo it does mean he’s lost his best and oldest friend. He tries to convince me that I am his best friend, but we both know he’s trying to make me feel better.

Anyway, we keep on going. Thankfully, Pari is there to bring some joie de vivre. And most importantly she knows nothing about our old group of friends and this distance is just what we need at the moment.

She’s also pretty great at helping with house chores.

The Falling-Out

Hugo comes home as Romain is eating the plate Pari gave him. As the old bros they are, they immediately start chatting, and Pari and I leave them alone for a minute.

Nothing had prepared me for hearing sudden yells from the dinner table.

Hugo and Romain are shouting at each other, a drink gets thrown at somebody’s face, and for the first time since we were kids, they have a fight. A full-blown fight. Pari and I can only watch in confusion — until I finally understand what the problem is.

I’ve never seen Hugo more hungry — including that one time by the swimming pool when we were teens.

Alerted by the noises of a fight that’s beginning, Pari and I go to check out what’s happening.

I’m not getting involved in their fight. I’m just getting ready to tell them whatever they’re fighting about, it was pretty stupid.

And then I hear it. As he’s holding the nose that Hugo probably just broke, Romain shouts ‘You had no right to take her from me!’

So that is when I intervene. And I tell Romain to get out before I make his nose worse.

Neighborly

We’ve been living here for a while now, but never actually tried socializing with our neighbors for some reason.

When she learns that, Pari takes it upon herself to organize a quick dinner with one of them, a young woman named Eden that she met at the mailbox.

I know Eden. Her full name is Eden Stewarts, and her mother and mine are cousins. Her mom is called Nomi, or Kimmy, I don’t remember, it was a family of triplets and I can never tell which cousin had which name. I do remember the name Nomi was intended as a contraction of Naomi, a tribute to Grandma for basically raising Nomi’s mom.

Nomi’s mom, who is Eden’s grandma. And my grandma’s sister.

Still following? Told you my family was old and complicated.

Anyway, Pari does the shopping, and the cooking, and thanks to her I get to catch up with and make a friend out of a cousin I never met.

Pari is amazed at our local fruit and vegetable stalls down in the Spice Market, and the quality of their produce. She’s amazing at haggling, too.

Amazing, I tell you.

inviting Eden to join us.

And then cooking for us with the fresh product she just bought.

And it’s really, really good, too. Pari is Wonderwoman.

She serves her own plate last, so when the doorbell rings, she goes to answer.

It’s Romain. He wasn’t invited, he came alone, and we don’t know why he’s here, but I tell Pari to let him in. Why wouldn’t he be welcome?

Herbal Remedy

I wake up one day feeling absolutely awful. I don’t really know why, but my skin feels odd, I am nauseated, and everything is itchy.

Upon telling Pari that, I see her disappear into the kitchen, where she stays behind the stove for a full hour, dropping a myriad of plants and herbs she seems to be producing out of thin air into the pan.

When she’s done she pours the mixture into a glass and hands it to me with a smile. Her only explanation is “drink this, you’ll get better. Bottoms up.”

I trust her and drink it. It tastes a little like mud, a little like lavender, and I kid you not, I feel better the very second I down the last drop.

Pari’s some kind of magician.