Shalom's Cottage Home Blog

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Rock Island, IL, United States
Hi, I'm Shalom. Artist, crafter, gardener, flea market enthusiast, bargain hunter, and lover of flavor. Welcome to my journey! shalomschultzdesigns@gmail.com

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The 'Joneses' Syndrom

They used to cluster together at social gatherings and discuss husbands, work, shopping and everything else. Rarely a weekend went by that they weren't mingling as couples at someone's house or apartment, admiring new paint colors, swapping recipes and sharing the joys and trials of being newly married. It was the best time of their lives and as the next year and a half passed by, this group of friends grew very close. No topic was off limits. No secrets between them.

Then one day, A noticed B advancing across the foyer in a hurry.

"Hey, girl?" A smiled at B. "What are you doing this aft--"

"Guess what? We're pregnant!" B announced with a flash of perfect white teeth and a little bounce.

"Oh...wow," said A. "That's wonderful! So...have you guys been trying for a while, then?" Wow, she never mentioned anything, thought A.

"Um, well, we just decided that we would go off the pill and see what happened. And something did!"

So soon? "Wow, so how far along are you?" A hoped, this was what she was supposed to ask next.

B glanced up at the ceiling behind A and squinted for a second. "I am 8 and a half weeks!", she declared with a tiny nod of affirmation.

Wait, what? 8 divided by 4 equals 2. So, OK. About 2 months. Why didn't she just say that? "Awww. That's so great. I'm really happy for you," A beamed and stepped forward to give her friend a quick hug.

"Thanks!!!" B squealed before moving on to work the rest of the room, skillfully eliciting exclamations of joy from every female in it.

A watched her friend go with mixed feelings of bewilderment and foreboding. She and her husband hadn't even begun to discuss (or really even think about) the possibility of children yet and there was certainly no room for a "baby" category in the couple's monthly budget at present. But, she had never seen B so happy...maybe they should talk about it. Maybe the right time was sooner rather than later. Maybe all the little nagging details that told her they shouldn't would just dissolve into nothing if she got pregnant too. Maybe nothing else in life really mattered as much as...having a baby!

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