At the club

John didn’t know what to expect when they walked in. But he definitely wasn’t expecting a daycare!

Looking around, he could see children of various ages, from newborns all the way up to kids around 10 or 11. There were several different doors along the far wall, each with a sign that he couldn’t quite read from where he was standing.

Emma saw the look of surprise on John’s face.

“Impressive, right? A full service daycare for all members of the mom club, and at a quarter of the price of a regular daycare.”

“How,” John asked.

Before Emma answered, she waved several women over. The women swiftly took the three new arrivals into their care, leaving John and the two women free for the moment.

“Well, as Rose said, I own the building. And some of the more affluent members pay a little more than cover the cost for the less well off members. And the rest comes from membership fees we all pay for the club,” Emma stated proudly.

“We have everyone from doctors and lawyers, to waitresses and strippers as members,” she added. “Now, follow me through to the club itself.”

Emma led them to a single door on the right side of the room. Producing a keycard, she swiped it and let them all through.

The room resembled a cross between a coffee shop and a bar. A number of women occupied the large space. Some at the bar, others seated at tables. Everyone was engaged in light conversation, with the occasional laugh bursting out.

“May I have everyone’s attention please,” Emma called out. She put her arm around John’s shoulders. “This is Johnni and she is going to be our newest member!”

A chorus of welcomes could be heard from the women. Several women came up and embraced John with quick hugs.

“Settle down ladies! I still need to put her in the system. Then you can get to know her.”

Guiding John to a secluded booth, Emma opened a laptop that was sitting on the table.

Thinking quickly, John asked where the bathroom was. Hoping beyond hope that he could make his way out of this nightmare before it was too late. His hopes were dashed when Rose said, “follow me, I need to go too.”

Making their way into the bathroom, Rose quickly looked around to make sure they were alone. See it was safe for the moment, she turned towards John.

“I’m so sorry about this! Thinks are getting out of control.”

“Ya think?” John said sarcastically.

“Just a little,” Rose laughed. “Look, just go along with everything for now. Once we get back to my house, you get in your car with your daughter and simply drive away. No one ever needs to see Johnni again.”

“It’s not like I have much choice, seeing as I’ve got no vehicle here!”

“True. Now, just keep your answers as close to the truth as possible, this way you won’t contradict yourself. An hour or two and we’ll be on our way.”

While Rose and John were in the bathroom, Emma started filling in as much information about Johnni as she knew. After she had typed Johnni’s name into the first field, she suddenly remembered that 2 of the club members were computer programmers and had revamped the system for her. All she needed to do was scan the back of Johnni’s drivers license and the information would be applied to the appropriate fields. Knowing that members might move, or get married/divorced, the system was designed so that any typed information automatically superseded any scanned information.

Not wanting to take any more of Johnni’s time than was necessary, Emma looked in Johnni’s bag and found her wallet. Seeing a man’s wallet, she was thankful that she looked for it herself just to save Johnni the embarrassment! Quickly scanning the back of it, she replaced it just as Johnni and Rose were leaving the bathroom.

They left the room and Rose led John back to Emma, she was about to take a seat, when one of the women from the daycare called to her. Quietly excusing herself, Rose left.

Once John was seated, Emma began. “Okay Johnni, just a few questions and I’ll have you in the system so you can gain access to the daycare and more importantly, the club!” She smiled as she noted that Johnni’s last name, address and drivers license number were now on the screen. Knowing that only women were members of the club, the programmers didn’t think it necessary to include the gender field, so no warning signs met Emma’s sight.

“Your daughter’s name is Allison?”

“Yes,” John replied.

“How old is she?”

“14 months.”

“Any other children?”

“No,” John answered.

“Ah, the first one is always the hardest. Don’t worry, by the second or third you’ll be a pro!”

Emma skipped over the husband’s information section, since she knew Johnni was single.

“Where do you work?”

John was stunned by the question. Why would they want to know where he worked. But not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to himself he answered truthfully. “I don’t work at the moment. I’m currently living on my savings.”

“Oh, that’s not good sweetie,” Emma said as she entered ‘unemployed’ in the field. “Okay, that was the last question! Now, if you want to fix your face before we take your picture.”

Panicking, John just said, “I didn’t bring anything with me today.”

“Not to worry.” Emma said standing. She scanned the room, looking for someone. “Ah, Sara! Could you bring your supplies over and give Johnni a quick fix so we can take her picture?”

The woman named Sara stood, grabbing a large care. “Easy peasy!”

“Sara is our resident makeup artist. She’ll have you looking like your old self in no time!” Emma said joyful as she walked away.

Taking a moment to study John face, Sara waved at another woman. “Bev, we need hair too!”

“On my way,” Bev said.

Sara, turning John face slightly, said, “Ok girl, what we’re going to do is………”

————————

Meanwhile, Emma made a beeline for the one woman she desperately needed to talk to about Johnni. Reaching the bar, she immediately sat down next to Dr. Jennifer Holcomb, the resident gynecologist.

“Jen, I need a huge favor. See the new girl over there with Sara and Bev?”

Jennifer casually glanced in their direction. “Yes. She looks kinda nervous if you ask me.”

Emma let out a soft laugh. “She’s got reasons to be nervous. A little birdie told me that she’s just like DeeDee. That’s where you come in.”

“Ah, I see. So I’m guessing you haven’t mentioned to her the club policy on feeding yet?”

“No, I haven’t. I was waiting until after you took a look.”

“Sure thing Emma. You know I believe breastfeeding is the best and only way to feed. I’ll see what I can do for her.”

“Shall we play it straight or on the sly,” Emma asked.

“We don’t want to embarrass her. Just tell her a breast exam is a perk of membership. Then send her over to me. I think I’ve got all the necessary supplies in my car.”

“Can do.”