“Well…I’m pregnant.”
The table erupts with congratulations. I get up to embrace Bethany and so do Renni and Gary. I also hug Oliver too. Gary thumps Oliver on the back, his hand thudding hollowly against my brother-in-law’s slight frame.
“Why didn’t you text me?” I say.
She flushes. “I wanted to announce it in person.”
“I’m so happy for you guys,” I say. “So how far along are you?”
“About eight weeks. We didn’t want to tell anyone until we were one hundred percent sure,” Bethany says. Her hand is still linked to her husband’s. “I can’t believe it. We’ve been trying so hard and for so long… It feels like a miracle.”
“It is a miracle.” I smile, eyes prickling with happy tears. “Did you tell Mom and Dad?”
“Not yet.”
“You have to call them now!” Renni says, her voice loud with excitement. “It’s evil to withhold good news.”
“We can call them. I have the technology.” I pull out my phone.
Bethany turns to Renni and Gary. “You guys really don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” Gary says.
It doesn’t take long before Mom picks up the phone. I put her on speaker, so we all can participate in the excitement.
“Hello, Paige,” Mom says. “How are you?”
“Hi, Mom,” I say. “We’re doing great. We have some exciting news.” I look at Bethany. It’s her big announcement.
She leans closer to the phone. “Is Dad around?”
“He’s watching some game on TV. Should I get him?”
“Yes, please,” Bethany says.
“Mom, put your phone on speaker mode. You both need to hear this.”
Mom laughs. “All right, all right. I think you told me how to do that a few months ago. Let me see if I can remember.”
I smile a little. Mom is intelligent and one of the strongest women I know. But she can be terrible with technology. A smart phone and its basic functions are about as far as she can manage.
“Okay, I think I…yes!” Mom’s triumphant voice is followed by background noises. “Here’s your father. Simon, can you mute that TV…?”
Through the phone, I can hear their murmurs. The TV noise vanishes, and Simon’s booming voice comes out.
“How are my favorite girls?”
“We’re doing fine. Oliver, Renni and Gary are here, too,” Bethany says.
“Great,” Simon says. “So, what is going on with my favorite young ones?”
“I just want you to know”—Bethany takes a deep breath—“that I’m pregnant.”
Mom shrieks, and Simon yells out something that sounds suspiciously like “hot damn.”
“This is so exciting,” Mom says, her voice still high-pitched. “Are you coming home for Thanksgiving? We’d love to see you.”
“Of course. It’s still early enough that I should be able to fly without any problem. If not, we can drive.”
“Oh my gosh. I’m going to be a grandmother,” Mom says.
“And I’m gonna be a grandpa,” Simon says.
“Paige, you’re coming too this time, right?” Mom asks.
Bethany and Oliver are looking at me warmly. Even through the phone I feel like Mom and Simon are watching me somehow.
I smile and nod even as I wonder if I’m going to be able to go. I’m pretty sure that I’ll start to show by Thanksgiving. Or even if I’m not, I’ll have other symptoms. If Bethany gets morning sickness, it won’t be a big deal; everyone will know why. But if I do…
And this is my first pregnancy. I honestly have no idea how I’m going to react.
But at the same time I can’t say no. The weight of everyone’s excited expectations bears down on me.
“Of course I’ll be there. How can I miss Thanksgiving again?”
“Just think,” Bethany says. “It’ll be the last time we have an adults-only Thanksgiving.”
“That is so exciting!” Mom says. “I’m going to bake a ham…no, turkey. Or maybe quail would be better. What do you think, Simon?”
“I don’t know why you’re asking me.” Simon’s voice booms out of the tinny speaker. “You should ask Bethany. She might have cravings.”
“Oh my gosh. That’s true. Bethany, you should let me know what you want.”
Bethany laughs. “I’ll be fine with anything you make. This isn’t about the food, it’s about spending time with family.”
I lean closer to the phone. “Turkey,” I say definitively. Even as everyone laughs, something inside me withers. I can’t go, not like this. I would only disappoint Mom and Simon, and turn what’s supposed to be a heartwarming family celebration into a mess.