Your Word Is Law Chapter 3

Your Word Is Law: Chapter 3 A Simon Says...

 

“Hey Blair,” I chirped, answering my phone on its second ring.  

“Grace!” Blair exclaimed. “You’ll never guess who everyone’s talking about!”
I laughed at her overenthusiasm towards the town gossip, “Who?”
“Henry. They’re all saying that the possibility of him being the father of Claire Ursine’s baby is looking better and better.”
“Blair, I’m telling you, there’s no way Henry’s capable of that. The two of us are very much in love.”
“Either way, Grace, the town’s speculating. It’s not like things like this happen all of the time around these parts…”
“No, I know, Blair,” I reassured. The two of us continued with some idle chit chat for a few more minutes before I returned to my motherly duties.  

 

Due to my extensive maternity leave, I’ve been working actively on preparing for my return to work. I’ve been honing in on my necessary skills, making sure my logic is polished and my reaction skills are up to speed. Not to mention I’ve been doing my best to make sure I’m on my boss’s good side… What? Being cautious never killed anyone… That I know of, at least.  

 

Henry and I have been setting aside a nice sum of money each week, part of his decent weekly pay and a mere fraction of my already limited income. Finally, we’ve been able to have an extension built onto our house. Kim and Tauny officially have a proper place to rest their heads, not to mention as does our future little one. We also made sure to purchase a twin sized bed for Kim, as we’ve noted she’s nearing the age where it’s about time for her to make that switch.
They grow up too fast.  

 

The girls aren’t that high maintenance, thankfully, making the task of keeping them entertained all too easy. A plastic shape sorter and an out of tune xylophone work flawlessly, Kim taking to music and Tauny preferring a more logical approach. Hey, whatever works, right?

 

Although Henry and I scarcely see each other during the day, we make the best of the time when we are actually together. Even if that does mean bonding over cleaning the bathroom… Not that I’m complaining, the combination of he’s mopping and my scrubbing makes for a more effective and pristine result.  

 

Time progressed steadily, and Kim’s 6th birthday soon hit us smack in the face. We had a small celebration, as always in our family, and I proudly brought my first born to her store bought cake, assisting her in blowing out her candles.

 

What else can I say besides the fact that she aged up to be undeniably adorable? She was literally the perfect mix of both Henry and I. I could only hope that our next two would turn out just as perfect.  

 

Kim was adjusting nicely to school, Tauny was finally potty trained, and my pregnancy was going smoothly. Things finally seemed to be going according to plan. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Of course, I would’ve preferred later rather than sooner, but I suppose I have close to no control over that.

Henry stopped me in the kitchen one day, grabbing me by the shoulders to make sure he had every ounce of my attention, “Grace, you need to listen to me. I just had a shed built in the backyard. Never, under any circumstances, enter it. No matter what, you understand?” I nodded. “Good. Tell the kids, too.”
What had my husband managed to get himself into this time…?

 

Meanwhile, Kim was enjoying every last bit of freedom that came with entering kindergarten, insisting she experienced an hour of exercise each and every day, no matter the amount of homework. I have her health teacher to thank for that…

 

As always, my pregnancy had me constantly excited, but this time I made sure to appreciate every back ache, trip to the bathroom and backrub, knowing that this was my last time. That factor most definitely had me glum at times, but I remembered to be thankful for being given the opportunity to have my own children when there were women out there who couldn’t even conceive one. 

 

And the saga continues as I overhear a conversation I assumed was meant to be kept private…

“So what if I’m married? That doesn’t mean a thing!” Henry exclaimed with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. I waited in silence, disappointed that I could only hear my husband’s side of the phone call. “It doesn’t change a thing; I can still do what you need me to do…”
Whoa, whoa, whoa! What did he mean by that?!
“All right, I’ll see you, then. Bye.”

 

“Who was that?” I asked casually, stepping into the room.  

“Er, my boss,” Henry answered.
“What’d they want?” I prodded.
“Uh, just to see if I could pick up a few extra hours, no big deal,” he explained, leaving the room in a hurry.
Fine. Two could play at that game.

 

Kim continued to surprise me as her personality began to develop as she was exposed to different types of people. My little girl was quite the social butterfly! Literally, she had the ability to walk straight up to someone, introduce herself, get their phone number and talk to them hours upon no end! That’s one phone bill I’m not looking forward to seeing…

 

A few weeks before my due date, I awoke with sharp, piercing labor pains. I turned to wake up Henry, only to discover his absence, evidently off working late hours yet again. I whipped out my cell phone, called a babysitter, immediately followed by the local taxi service. In the car, I tried to reach Henry on his cell but had no luck whatsoever. Looks like I’m having this one on my own.

 

This time around I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, who I decided to name Michael. The birthing process wasn’t quite as grueling this time around, which was comforting considering no one I knew was in the room coaching words of motivation.  

 

Within the first few weeks of bringing our new addition home, we found an unusual present amongst the normal congratulation gifts. A ratty yet snuggly stuffed animal who was already named Candy was given to Michael by a Mr. Oliver, a man that remained unknown to both me and Henry. Either way, Michael absolutely adored the thing, so we agreed upon letting him keep it.

 

A year passed quickly, and it was soon time for Michael to turn one. Kim couldn’t have been more excited, standing just about as close to the cake as she could without toppling me over. I didn’t mind though, it was probably one of the sweetest sites I’ve ever seen.

 

Michael was a cutie all right, something I had anticipated. He also heavily resembled Henry, inheriting both his hair and eye color. His skin tone was a mix of both Henry and I’s, something which suited Michael well. I will admit, however, that I feel Henry’s genes were slightly more dominant in all of our children. None of our kids managed to inherit my hair color, which did indeed disappoint me. Oh well, like I said before, I’m lucky anyways.