Surprise
Loraine rests her head, eyes closed, against the back of the car.
Today she is more tired than the previous days, her pregnancy is really starting to drain her energy. She strokes her slightly bulging belly with a smile on her face. Reminiscing how Lorrich reacted to the news that he is becoming a big brother to two siblings, her heart swells with joy. When Aziel told him the news, he was silent for almost half a minute, then looked at her fearfully before walking over to her. He had lifted his little face worried at her. “Mom, are you okay? Are you feeling alright? Otherwise, daddy and I will go quickly to buy you some fruit, it's no trouble at all”. Loraine had looked at him strangely at first, wondering what he meant by his words.
Lorrich had reminded her that she had often felt unwell while pregnant with him. At those times, his daddy Andre had bought her a lot of fruit so that she could have enough vitamins. Now that Andre doesn't live near them here in New York, he wants to make sure she had fruit within reach. Loraine and Aziel had then looked proudly at their son, it is clear that he already had a sufficient sense of responsibility at such a young age. So, he could still clearly remember everything he had been told before and act correctly.
Loraine is startled back to the present when she hears her phone beeping.
She expects it to be Andre who now responds to the news that she is pregnant again. He will probably invite her to make it a party, she muses with a smile. Too tired to look for her phone in the bag, she postpones it until she gets home and relaxes on the couch with Aziel. Lorrich is with his father tonight, it's a great aunt's birthday and he joins the family. So, she and Aziel have the realm alone tonight. Aziel also has the information from the real estate agents about potential properties that meet their requirements. She can hardly wait for them to go through it together.
The driver turns the vehicle into the garage of the home. The car has hardly come to a stop when Aziel opens her door. “Babe, come in quickly. Freshen up so we can sit down and check the agents' emails. I'm so curious," he says as he helps her out. She smiles at his enthusiasm, he is like a little boy getting a new ball from his parents. Loraine hugs him first before entering the house with her arms around him.
In the bedroom, Aziel helps her undress and prepares a warm bath for her.
“Come on, get in carefully first”, he encourages her. “I add some lavender scent and some bath salts to relax your muscles.” After she has been in the water for fifteen minutes, Aziel drains the water and rinses her with the hand shower. Then he helps her up, dries her and wraps a towel around her body. Loraine lets herself be pampered by her husband and when they are back in the room she sees that he has laid out a wide nightgown for her.
“Hey Aziel, if you continue like this I won't even want to walk myself. I'm starting to get pretty lazy and we’re only three months along. How about when we’re nine months? Are you going to have that much patience?” she laughs as she snuggles her face into his chest. Aziel runs his hand over her stomach for the umpteenth time. “I don't want to think about that now. What I know is that I want you to feel good during this period, to relax. I still wonder why you still go to Fellogan and Archer. Everything is going completely according to plan there. Stay at home with Lorrich, my love," he insists.
They have now arrived at the dining table, Aziel first holds out a plate full of fruit for her and then turns to the stove to place the meal on the plates. It's all tropical fruit that he flies in every day from the Caribbean. “Hmm, this is heavenly. I haven't had this watermelon and mangoes since I left Barbados. And the home-grown apples are amazing, really ripened on the tree,” she says longingly as she takes a bite into a juicy mango.
They have the meal in a cozy atmosphere and then sit down on the couch, eagerly to check out the houses on sale. Aziel has photos of the interiors of various homes and all other specifications. All meet the criteria he has given the agents, only the locations are slightly different.
Loraine hears another beep from her phone. That's when she realizes she really needs to check the messages now. Aziel is still sorting the photos when she looks at the list of unanswered incoming texts. One is from an unknown number, the other from Andre. With a smile on her lips, she reads aloud what her best friend has written. "We'll have a big celebration when I get back. Two is better than one, of course, I can't wait to have them in my arms." Aziel drops himself against the back of the sofa, his eyes dreamily fixed on the ceiling. It is clear that he is also looking forward to the moment when he has his children with him.
Loraine gives him an endearing look, considering how blessed she is that Aziel loves her. She wants to do everything to keep him happy and seems to have succeeded with her pregnancy. The twins bring more joy than they prayed for. She lays silently against him, not wanting to disturb his bubble.
Aziel wraps an arm around her tenderly, protectively.
She turns back to her phone to read the message from the unknown number.
She suspects that one of the employees at Fellogan is asking her for advice. But when she reads what it says, she immediately stiffens, her breath catches in her throat. She keeps going over the text with wide eyes, she imagines herself in a bad dream. “My heart, what is it? You suddenly feel so cold”, Aziel softly asks, turning to her. He notices that all the blood is drained from her face and she is staring at her phone like watching a ghost.
Aziel takes the device from her hand and reads what it says herself.
‘Congratulate Aziel and Clairy on conceiving their first child, Loraine’...