Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 184(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 184(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
“Are you sure?” I ask, voice wobbling with emotion.
The ultrasound tech chuckles. “Hundred percent. Congratulations, Daddy.”
I tear my gaze from the screen to meet Mei’s watery eyes. She’s so beautiful. Even as her body physically changes to accommodate the life growing inside of her.
“I can’t believe this,” I say to Mei. “Incredible.”
Mei smiles at me. “I told you I was way too big to be carrying just one of your babies.”
Mother’s intuition.
She knew and I’d laughed it off.
Twins. My wife is pregnant with twins. Twin girls. Addison is going to shit bricks of happiness.
“You were right,” I say as the tech cleans off the gel from Mei’s swollen stomach. “You’re always right.”
My dad always told me the key to a happy marriage was agreeing with your wife no matter what. Not exactly solid advice, but it comes in handy sometimes. Her gynecologist originally only detected the one heartbeat, but now it’s confirmed. There are two tiny hearts beating in there.
Once Mei redresses and the tech hands us our images of the girls, we walk hand in hand back to the car, matching smiles on our face. It’s hot outside, which makes Mei cranky, so I remote start my car to cool it off by the time we get to it.
“Now we have to buy another crib,” Mei says as she rubs her belly. “I’m excited to decorate now that we know the sex.”
“Addison is going to lose her mind,” I tell her. “You think she’s obsessed with Penny? Just wait until she has two of her own little sisters.”
We make it back to my car and I help Mei inside. Pregnancy has been hard on her. Maybe carrying twins has made it that way. Regardless of the reason, she’s been so sick she had to drop out of her summer courses at the college. She falls asleep before eight every night, can’t hardly eat anything aside from pickles, popsicles, and scrambled eggs. For as many eggs as she eats, we should invest in some chickens. The hardest thing on her is the pain in her abdomen. Her doctor said she’s just small and growing quickly which will do that to a woman. Leah never had that problem, but she also had at least fifty pounds on Mei and several inches. Mei is as petite as they come and now carrying two babies at once.
As we drive, I call Addison and put her on speakerphone. She answers after the first ring.
“If it’s a boy, that’s okay,” Addison blurts out, excitement in her voice. “I’ll live. Plus, you can try again to give me a little sister. Ugh. Enough with the silence, just tell me already.”
I laugh and say, “I’ll let Mei tell you the good news.”
“I’M GETTING A LITTLE SISTER, OH MY GOD!” Addison shrieks, all of her words running together.
The next few seconds are of Addison screaming and telling her brothers. I take hold of Mei’s hand and give it a squeeze. Addison finally stops hollering and demands to know what we’ll name her.
“We have to think of two names,” Mei says. “We’re having twin girls.”
If I thought the screams were loud before, they have nothing on how my daughter loses her ever loving mind over this news. Most of it is incoherent. I’m also pretty sure Cason is in the background telling his older sister to shut the fuck up already.
I’m going to have five children soon.
Holy shit.
“Love you, Adds,” I say, still chuckling at her antics, “but we just got to Carol’s. See you soon.”
“Love you, Dad. Also, I’m using your credit card because I need to buy all the things for my baby sisters.”
She hangs up and I wonder what this is going to cost me. Addison knows how to spend money. And the “emergency” credit card of mine she keeps in her wallet is about to catch fire from all her swiping. The bill I get later, though, will be worth it.
“Ready?” I say to Mei as I shut the car off.
“Yup. But, if Carol is cooking something that makes me sick, I’m out of there.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Mei’s had to run off and puke over food smells. Or, smells in general. Cason farted the other day and Mei got sick. She’s that sensitive.
Thankfully, when we walk into Carol’s house, it smells like cinnamon and Mei doesn’t turn green. Penny calls out for her sister and immediately wants to “pet the baby” in her sister’s stomach. Though Jin’s reaction to the news isn’t as insane as my daughter’s, I know she’s pleased. Her eyes are brighter these days than I’ve ever seen them. Happiness really changes a person.
“Two,” Carol says in awe as Jin inspects the printed photos with narrowed eyes.
“Auntie Penny’s going to have playmates soon,” Christopher chimes in. “Great news, right, Jin?”