Celebrations

Not surprisingly we spent Christmas at John’s parent's house. My mom kept in touch by text and the occasional phone call. Now that everyone knew it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could finally relax. Marie took me shopping right before Christmas and we found the most gorgeous dress for me to wear on Christmas eve. It was quite expensive though, and I settled for something more in my price range, even though Marie insisted I should get the other one.

When I woke up, on Christmas eve morning John had already gone. He was heading into town for some last-minute shopping. Typical of him, he had not gotten gifts for his family yet. I had breakfast with Marie and Silvia. John senior was working, like always. Being a billionaire kept one busy, and he was always getting or making calls about stuff. “So how is the photography going for you?” Silvia asked. She knew I had always wanted to be a photographer. “So so,” I lied. “There are a lot of photographers, so it makes it harder to stand out in the crowd. Besides, I have other more important things to take care of now.” I smiled and touched my baby bump. “I understand. Being a mother is the most wonderful thing in the world. But it is important to not let go of your hobbies as well. I have my horses, and you should have something that is just for you.” I nodded. She was probably right but I had sold my camera and was not likely to get a new one any time soon. Those things were expensive.

John came back a little later in the afternoon. “Carmen. Come with me, I got you something.” “What?” “I’ll show you upstairs”. I followed him up to the bedroom and watched him dig around in his bags. “I got us new pajamas for Christmas morning.” He pulled out two matching sets of Christmas pajamas. I giggled and picked up mine. “You are so cute,” I smiled. “And I got this one for next year.” He held up a tiny baby body that matched the pajamas. I almost cried when I saw it. “I just hope it fits. I’m not good at estimating baby sizes…” he smiled.

The day passed on quietly, and soon it was time to get ready for dinner. John had changed early, and I went back up to put on the dress I bought and freshen up my makeup. When I came up, there was a big box on our bed, with a ribbon around it and a card. I picked up the card. It said, “To Carmen. Open immediately.” I opened the card and read.

“To my sweet Carmen. Nothing can describe how happy you have made me these past few months. And nothing I can ever do will measure up to what you have done for me. You are without a doubt the love of my life, and only the best is good enough for the mother of my children. - Love John”

I cried and undid the ribbon on the box. Inside was the dress that I and Marie had found the day before, and another card. This one just said “Credit to Marie for showing me what to get you.” I laughed, got changed, did my makeup, and rejoined the family downstairs. “You look stunning,” Marie commented as I came back down. “Thank you,” I smiled. “And thank you,” I said and planted a big passionate kiss on my man. Dinner was lovely, and the conversation flowed naturally. Mostly John and his dad, occasionally broken up by Marie and how she was settling into college. “So John? How will you get on once the baby arrives? From what I remember your place is only two bedrooms.” John senior said. “Oh not to worry dad. We will find something bigger in the new year. Maybe not as close to campus, but still” He glanced sideways at me. I just smiled not knowing what to say. I could barely afford where we lived now. There was no way I could afford to pay for anything larger than what we had. I thought it best not to discuss this at the table. After dinner, we had drinks and dessert. Then we played parlor games, in an actual parlor, before we all retired to our separate bedrooms.

“John?” I asked as he unzipped my dress. “I… We… How do I say this… We never really talked about the financial situation.” “What situation?” “Well you said we might look for a bigger place, and well I can barely afford where we are now, and I know you are paying more than me already.” I turned to him. “Oh well… It might have been presumptuous of me, but I wasn’t expecting you to pay at all.” I didn’t know what to say. I knew he was rich obviously, but I wanted to do my part too… or did I? Did I want to work, and help with expenses? Did I need to work and help with expenses? Probably not. Like he was reading my mind John broke my train of thought. “Babe, It’s entirely up to you. I have no problem paying for everything.” “I’ll have to think about it,” I said, and we went to bed. As we lay there my mind kept racing with thoughts of me and John in a new apartment. A larger place where the baby could have its own room, and maybe a bathroom with a bathtub. That would be nice. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. “John?” I asked checking to see if he was awake. “Mmmhmm,” he answered half asleep. “Am I terrible if I want to be a stay-at-home mom?” “What? No. why would you say that?” “I don’t want you to feel like I'm leaching off you” “No, Never. If you want to be home that’s your choice. I said I will always take care of you and the babies. And besides taking care of the household is a huge job.” The household. That was a big word. And yeah, that would be a big job once the baby was born. “And also..” John said with a tinge of guilt in his voice. “I would really like it if you were my cute little housewife.” “NOT that I expect you to of course” he added quickly. I grabbed his stupid face and kissed him. “I would love to be your cute little housewife” emphasizing the wife part.