First, though, I had to stop by Kays to get some jewelry cleaned and inspected. An older man with a southern drawl was getting some jewelry inspected to see if any of it was real or not. When he left, it was me and the two employees. They asked me about my pregnancy for a while. The older lady finally finished up the paperwork and came back to talk a bit more. "...well, I've still got a week, so I'm just out walking today." I said in parting.
...but the lady didn't hand me my paper. First, she leaned over the glass showcase and looked into my eyes. "But you might... not have long... to wait!" I was mesmerized by the way her eye make-up matched her green and purple outfit, and also by her weirdness.
I stepped dazed out of the store, and as I got into my car, it hit me! A contraction, and also who she reminded me of. She's one of those seemingly normal middle-aged women from the movies of the 80s/early 90s who end up being magical. I'm surprised she didn't wink at me and then disappear. The only way it would've made a better story, would be if I were in the hospital right now giving birth!
Later, I was in Maurice's (not that I have any need to buy clothing right now). The employee yelled a greeting, and I saw her flash a Knowing Smile. That's when they would smile anyway, but their smile is different because they know something. It reminded me of last May before I looked pregnant and when Tim was getting his haircut. The lady walked him to the cash register, and when I got up, she gave me a Knowing Smile, not just a polite smile. After we left, I said, "You told her I was your wife and that I was pregnant, didn't you?" He did. You see, if she had just assumed I was his girlfriend, she would've given me a polite smile, but she felt like she knew something about me, so it was different. Girls are weird like that.
So I had to do a double-take at this lady at Maurice's. I remembered seeing her there this past summer. She was a beautiful, ready-to-pop pregnant lady at a time I was wishing my belly were more obvious. Although I've never bought anything from that store in my life, I remember going in again with Tim to kill some time once, and she wasn't pregnant anymore. I had wondered whether she had a boy or a girl, and how the birth went. Not wanting to look like a creeper, I didn't say anything. Today, after I recognized her, I was able to translate her smile to mean, "Yeah, you're pregnant, but I really know what that's like! Cool!"
And to prove that I was right, she asked me if she could "rub my belly" and asked about my pregnancy. But not the standard interview that most strangers give me. It was different because she's close to my age, and had just gone through it. Then she told me about her 4 month old son. She said she was so sick of being pregnant that she was ready to get induced, but her baby came before they could. I was really happy to get to hear about how things turned out; I thought I'd never know!
By then I had wandered far from my car, so I made my way back and then went grocery shopping. I stopped at Jack-in-the-Box after for a quick supper on my way home.
The only other customers in the restaurant were a boy and his dad. The boy was probably six or seven, and his dad wasn't too old. They seemed so excited to be eating out together, but not like it was a rare occurrence. It seemed like he was just going to work with his dad for the afternoon. They were genuinely happy to be in each other's company. I don't think I was making all that up; it seemed pretty obvious. All the same, it was nice to sit there by myself and imagine Tim and our son doing the same thing years from now.
