Bottles of wine were spread all around the lounge. An empty pizza box laid on the rug. Three glasses of half-drunken wine were sat on the coffee table. As I looked around the room, I sighed as it reminded me of life before my pregnancy. The smell of cheese just made me want to vomit, let alone the taste. And, much to my annoyance, I wasn’t allowed to drink wine. It was typical. Nobody suggests a girls night whilst I’m allowed to drink alcohol and can eat pizza, but as soon as I announce I’m pregnant, my two best friends and sister suggest a girls night “before the babies come”. To them it seems like a nice idea, but to me it is just a constant reminder of what I’m sacrificing. Not that I mind though as I’ve fallen in love with my unborn babies. But that doesn’t stop me missing wine and pizza. And a girls night sucks so bad without wine or pizza - let alone both.
“I know you said we can drink wine, Sammy, but are you sure?” Kayla asked, picking her glass up off the coffee table before placing it to her red stained lips. “I mean, you’ve been giving my glass evils for the past hour.”
“Yeah,” I lied.
“At least your daughter is giving you the moral support you need right now,” Elle joked.
I looked at Katy, who was sprawled out beside me, sipping at the Ribena in her plastic cup. I then looked at the wine glass in my hand that was filled to the brim with Ribena.
“More than I can say for my best friends and my own sister,” I teased.
“You said..”
I interrupted Kayla before she had chance to blame this on me. “I know,” I groaned.
“So where are the boys tonight?” Kayla asked, leaning over to the coffee table and picking up a handful of popcorn.
“Dublin?” Elle suggested, sounding as unsure as I looked.
“I don’t know,” I paused, trying to rack my memory of where George said they had a gig. “Chloe, do you know?”
“What?” she snapped.
“We’re just wondering where the boys are tonight,” I replied, feeling a little threatened by her attitude that had seemed to be a regular thing these days.
“I don’t know,” she sighed, looking down at her phone. “I’ve just got to make a quick call. I won’t be long.”
“Okay..” I nodded, watching her as she stood up from the sofa and rushed out of the house as quickly as she could.
The minute the front door closed, Kayla and Elle both turned to me with a look of confusion across their faces. “What the hell has got into her?” Elle asked.
Even Kayla looked shocked as they both looked at me, waiting for an answer. Sadly, I didn’t have an answer to give them. I didn’t even know myself. She hadn’t been herself since bonfire night which was nearly a week ago now. I attempted to ask her on a few occasions now but I kept getting the same response - either her shouting “nothing” then storming away or her changing the subject or making out that I was the one who had something wrong as she was “absolutely and completely fine”. I didn’t believe her for one minute though. She was my best friend. I knew something was up.
“I’m not sure,” I paused, trying to think up a valid excuse that would stand for why she was acting in such a weird mood recently. “Probably her time of the month.”
Kayla and Elle both nodded unconvincingly. They knew I didn’t know but they decided to drop the subject in case Chloe came back into the room.
“So what are your plans for Christmas?” Elle asked.
“Christmas? God. I haven’t even thought about Christopher’s birthday yet and that’s at the end of this month,” Kayla laughed. “I’m so unorganised when it comes to things like that. The years go so fast when you get to my age.”
“Your age?” I questioned. “You’re like five years older than me.”
“And you keep saying you’re old,” Kayla scoffed. “If you’re old, I’m old plus five years. How do you think that makes me feel? I feel like an old biddy already, Sam. I don’t need you having three kids and being married. I remember you being the naïve little eight year old when I first met you when you were obsessed with your hair in plaits and bringing your baby doll everywhere.”
“I was eight.. I didn’t have a doll..”
“Yes, you did,” Kayla grinned. “Baby Sugarpuff. Don’t you remember her? She had bright red hair - like an afro, and you carried her everywhere. It was pretty cute. Dad even had to book an extra seat on the plane when we went to Spain just so Baby Sugarpuff had somewhere to sit.”
“I don’t..” I paused. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. I suppose my brain had suppressed that memory for a reason.”
“You wait until Katy is growing up and she has all her dollies that you can tease her about when she grows up,” Kayla giggled.
“And you’ll have another girl to tease about that too,” Elle smiled.
“Two girls and a boy. How will I cope?” I groaned.
“You’ve got George. He’ll help you out so much. He thinks the world of you and the kids so anything you need and he’ll be right there for you,” Kayla beamed. “Just like David is for me and just like Elle is for JJ - and they don’t even have kids.”
“Don’t remind me,” Elle sighed.
“Your time will come. Don’t worry,” Kayla smiled, reassuring Elle as I thought about what she had just said to me.
“Katy, do you want to feel something amazing?” I grinned to Katy as I reached out for her hand and placed it on my bump.
Katy looked at me in pure confusion as her hand moved slightly up and down. “Ouch.”
“It doesn’t hurt, silly,” I beamed, placing my hand beside hers and feeling the babies kick in my stomach. “That’s your brother and sister. Can you feel them?”
Katy’s face of confusion soon turned into a look of excitement as she pressed both her hands firmly onto my bump beside where my hand was. “Yes!” she grinned. “Babies!”
“That’s right.”
“Can I have a feel?” Elle asked in anticipation as she slowly edged forward on her seat.
“Yeah,” I smiled, moving slightly so that Elle could reach her hand.
With both Katy’s hands and Elle hand on my bump, there was hardly room for my hand on my bump but it made it all worthwhile watching Elle and Katy’s faces light up with excitement as I felt another baby kick again. And again. And again.
“Wow. That must be the boy as he has some right good footballer kicks on him,” Elle joked.
“I like to think the girl has the good kicks so she can kick the men in her life into their place when she grows up,” I chuckled.
“Even George?” Kayla asked.
“Especially George.”
“Oh! Oh! It’s time,” Kayla beamed as the starting titles began on the television screen behind me that had been playing away to itself for the past hour.
Kayla, an X Factor addict, had insisted we watched the fifth X Factor live show. I had to admit, I hadn’t really watched any of the following series’ to the X Factor since I was in it. I hadn’t got the time to be committed to watching it each and every week. Kayla, on the other hand, had watched it like a religion since the first audition show that was shown back in 2004. I sort of became addicted to it with mum when Kayla moved into our house when I was ten. We had it on every weekend and soon found ourselves watching the Xtra Factor show straight afterwards and then even had the repeat on the Sunday afternoon playing as we cooked dinner. It was different now I had been through the process. I was struggling a career with a family and pregnancy. I was lucky to be awake by 8pm, let alone planning on watching the X Factor. It was way past my bed time on a weekend.
“Would you do it again?” Elle grinned, returning back to her seat as Katy curled up on my legs and rested her head against my bump.
“Do what?” I asked. “Pregnancy? It’s a bit too late for that.”
“No,” she laughed. “I mean audition. Would you have auditioned the following year if you didn’t get through the first time?”
I shook my head. “I doubt it. I only really auditioned because of Kayla and mum.”