1

The Gang

Next day Kuki and Aoi showed up at the school in fresh-pressed white shirts and blue and red skirts eager to see what their friends looked like in their natural state of economic enterprise. They smiled at the receptionist while inquiring about Paul and Sandy’s whereabouts before seating themselves inconspicuously in the corner, chatting amongst themselves, giggling and whispering to each other as they watched students going in and out of doors and rushing down long corridors to classrooms. The activity was exhilarating and reminded them of being back at school which was sadly lacking in their daily lives now. They missed it all.

“Hey!” Paul came outside and welcomed them with a bow, reaching out his hands to lift theirs like an invitation to dance. “So glad you guys came! I was worried you might not as I said to Sandy.”

“Kuki! Aoi! Hey gals! You’re here!” Sandy burst out of her office pumping her arms up and down in celebration of their arrival. “Let us finish up a few things and we’ll be out in a flash. OK?”

The “gals” nodded and sat down with their backs super straight in anticipated excitement and hands folded across their laps. They saw a group of girls leaving one of the classrooms, staring and pointing at them, wondering. Kuki and Aoi smiled back and the girls came over and greeted them with an exuberant, “Hello”.

“Nice to meet you. You look familiar to me,” one of the girls ventured with a great deal of enthusiasm.

“I don’t know where you’ve seen me,” Aoi cocked her head to one side.

“Do you have a sister named Takako? She used to work at the restaurant next to our school. She talked about you all the time because she was so proud of your school achievements.”

“Yes, she’s working in Sapporo now. She graduated before me and she’s working there as a biologist.”

The girl clapped upon hearing this, “That’s wonderful. I hope she’s happy at her job. She was always so nice to us and the food was delicious!”

“Nice to meet a friend of my sister. Would you like to contact her again? I can give you her information.”

“I would indeed! I have family in Sapporo and could go see her on my vacation.”

“Here,” Aoi handed her phone to the girl with her sister’s social media data on display.

“Thank you. See you later. We’re heading to lunch and I wanted to come over and meet you because I’ve heard so much about you.”

“What’s your name?”

“Kasumi,” bowing and reaching out a delicate hand to receive hers, “Will you come to lunch with us?”

“I guess it’s alright if Sandy and Paul don’t mind.”

The teachers in question came out of their offices at exactly the same moment and walked up on the group. “There are more people here now,” Paul observed with a slight smile.

“Yes, this girl knows my sister and they want to join us for lunch,” Aoi explained with her head tilted toward them.

“Great and awesome! She’s one of our best students by the way, in fact this entire group is top-notch and all the teachers love them.”

“That’s not true,” Kasumi lowered her head in defiance of praise, “We’re just regular students like everyone else trying to do our best in class. School’s important to us.”

The other girls nodded their heads, wearing tight, thin smiles and hunching down subtly in a charming gesture of humility. They waited for the others to lead the way as Aoi and Kuki got up and blended in with the girls as a tight-knit little group, preparing to engage in a full-on bonding session now that the big/ little sister relationship had been established among them.

They headed to Paul and Sandy’s favorite noodle shop which wasn’t overly busy as luck would have it and they were able to find an empty table near the back wall. As the only guy in the group Paul became keenly aware of the girls talking fast and furiously about female issues and interests he had no special comment on and, under the circumstances, thought it best to stop and listen. Speaking only when asked his opinion on some particular subject so as not to offend any sensibilities or appear out of his depth.

“Your sister used to tell us lots of funny stories when we went to the restaurant everyday. Cheering us up when we were stressed out from schoolwork or lonely and worried about being away from home,” Kasumi reflected back with her plump cheeks rising.

“She was exactly the same when I was growing up. Whenever bad things would happen to me or I felt sad about life she’d make me feel better immediately. It was nice having a sister I could depend on to lift my spirits anytime I needed it,” Aoi reflected back on a particular image of her sister standing over her with hands on hips and a wildly silly grin.

“We’ll definitely visit her when we go to Sapporo again. It’s a nice city with lots of cool things to do anyway.”

“Yeah, I enjoyed growing up there and my sister returned a year ago to be with my mom and dad,” Aoi explained while looking at the girls with a feeble smile.

“You’re lucky. I’ve only been there once and hope to go back sometime because the people and city always give me good memories.”

They heard a group of people talking in English and turned to see some of the other teachers from the school entering the restaurant. It was Victor, Janet and Matt who mentioned they’d be coming over after finishing their classes. They greeted the group and sat down at a table next to theirs.

“Our favorite place in the area and what a huge group we have today! It’s a party in the middle of the day!” Janet announced with a big grin and relaxed demeanor. “Nice to see the gang’s all here.”

“Hey Janet girl, how were your classes today?” Sandy moved a bit closer and leaned in to her as she spoke. “We’ve already ordered so you can get yours whenever you like.”

“That’s just what I’ll do after a quick rest.”

“Hi Sandy, Paul and everyone,” Victor greeted the group in obvious delight at all the pretty girls around. “Nice to meet you ladies too, I’m Victor.”

“Kasumi…and this is Jane, Mei and Aya.” The girls bowed and smiled with a slight giggle that indicated he’d passed the physical appearance test with flying colors.

“Pleasure…,” bowing and reaching out his hand to shake theirs, “…this is Janet and Matt. We work with Paul and Sandy.”

“Oh! Very nice. They seem like smart and interesting people.”

“They’re super smart and good at managing people too. Best teacher managers on earth in my opinion!” Victor smiled at them. “They’ve helped me become a better teacher and adjust to life in Japan better than I could’ve expected.”

“Where are you from?” Kasumi focused intensely on his gaze.

“California…Los Angeles…”

“Cool! I’ve always wanted to go there but I’ll have to wait till after I graduate.”

Janet spoke up, “Victor and Matt, do you want the same as usual or something different for a change? I can order for all of us.”

“Yep, that’s fine,” Matt moved his chair closer to the table next to Janet’s chair. Victor nodded and glanced back at Kasumi. “What about you? Are you girls at university around here?”

“We just got accepted to Tokyo International and we’ll be attending when the new year begins in the fall.”

“That’s our university!” Aoi belted out in a rare blast of enthusiasm. “We just graduated from there!”

“Really? What did you think of the school? Did you like the teachers there?” Kasumi’s unblinking stare and open mouth, revealing a highly-attuned and intrigued state.

“One of the best experiences of my life and I loved everything about it,” Aoi glanced at Kuki to see if there was anything to add.

“Good! I’m sure we’ll love it too then.”

Their food was delivered to the table and a few minutes later Janet returned with the other teachers’ food. Group diving in and loud slurping began in earnest and everyone smiled at the fact of being together and enjoying an uplifting social moment that started so inauspiciously.

“What have you guys been up to lately?” Paul glanced over the other table. “Sandy’s been telling me we need to hang out more. Seems like we haven’t done enough together in her opinion.”

“I was thinking the same thing myself,” Janet chuckled awkwardly, “Perhaps we’ve been reluctant to cross the work/ leisure barrier up to this point.”

“You’re right about that. People fear others will look at them differently if they do something out of character outside work,” Paul smiled with a glance up in thought. “Funny we all have work personalities and real life personalities, isn’t it?”

“We’re trained that way. At work we have one persona and in our normal lives we have another one.”

“True and it’s certainly strange we divide ourselves that way. Scary actually now that I think about it,” Paul’s mouth stretched across his face, dreading the thought. “So what do you think about us hanging out more frequently?”

“Definitely. I’ve been pretty busy lately which is why I haven’t asked you first but since you’ve beaten me to the punch it’d be great hanging out with you as I always enjoy our conversations at the office and you’re a genuinely likable person as well. Not fake like some others.”

“Likewise but we don’t really have any fake or bad people at the school, do we? It’s a great environment overall, isn’t it?” Paul pointed out while stuffing noodles in his mouth and slurping them vigorously.

“Best environment ever in the best country on earth as far as I’m concerned! Japan is awesome!”

“Yep, what about next weekend? You, me, Sandy, Kuki, Aoi, Matt and Victor can all explore the city and have lunch and even dinner together if you like. We can spend the whole day together! That’s what our group usually does…” Paul was hopeful she’d come along because he felt incredibly at ease in Janet’s presence. The pulse of her manner and graceful movements comforted him and softened hard edges on his mind.

“What do you guys normally get up to?” focusing on him.

“Mostly we make public nuisances of ourselves…walking around parks, shopping malls, drinking beer and spending too much money. Occasionally we head up to the mountains and get lost in the splendor and wonder of nature. Little things like that essentially,” Paul waxed lyrical without intention because recent experience got the better of him.

“You know I haven’t left my apartment much since I’ve been here? It’s going on five months now and I feel I’ve been saving myself for some grand journey or adventure that never transpires. Don’t know what I’m waiting for to be totally honest,” smiling bashfully at her own folly and foible.

“It’ll be fun to hang out with you and the gang. We need to get our own tight little group going is my thought. I told Sandy I was reluctant to hang out with a bunch of people because I thought it might spoil things but now that I think about it the good times might actually be improved by adding a few more members. Could be a new chapter in our social lives so to speak!”

“Pretty dramatic but who knows? It’ll be fun in any case because everyone here is likable, interesting and great to chat with,” looking at the Japanese girls grinning, laughing and touching each other in a familiar way.

Janet, Matt and Victor dug into their food like people who hadn’t eaten anything all day, making Paul laugh at how desperately and mortally they attacked it like wild animals. The food was good but it wasn’t that good! Paul laughed again.

“We must look funny but none of us had breakfast this morning due to early classes and we usually eat together but weren’t able to do so today. That’s why we’re like ravenous wolves now,” dividing her time between eating, slurping and talking.

“Go right ahead and don’t let me stop you. Today’s your busiest day of the week if memory serves me right. I was responsible for making up your schedule so I should know,” laughing at the thought.

“Big lunch group here today. Who are the others?” Janet gazed at Kuki, Aoi and the other girls.

“Kuki and Aoi are close friends of ours. We met them when we first arrived and we’ve been practically inseparable ever since. We hang out all the time and they’re absolutely wonderful people to be honest. The other girls just happen to know Aoi’s sister,” Paul beamed, recanting recent news with enthusiasm as everything in life seemed purposeful and important to him. “You’ll get to know them soon enough if you hang out with us.”

“They’re both so beautiful,” Janet’s eyes rested on Kuki and Aoi for a moment before shifting back to her bowl. “They look like cool girls to hang out with.”

“Kuki…Aoi…I’d like you to meet some of my co-workers. This is Janet, Matt and Victor…” Paul pointed to each one in turn, …and this is Kuki and Aoi,” to the others. Everyone initiated greetings by bowing or shaking hands to signify an instant bond between them.

“Kuki and Aoi just graduated from university and will be heading off to get their master’s degrees soon. They’re very smart girls and loads of laughs to be around,” Sandy squeezed Aoi’s arm who was sitting next to Kasumi, her new friend and confidant from the looks of things.

“I wish you all the luck,” Janet smiled at them, “It’s going to be an incredible experience for both of you since university years are the best social years of your life. It’s all downhill from there so enjoy it now,” laughing in a silly way.

“We love it…,” Aoi looked into her eyes with mouth open, “…and we’re looking forward to our new school wherever that may be.”

“You guys will have no problem getting into a top school. You have nothing at all to worry about,” Sandy put her arm around Aoi and squeezed her shoulder.

Victor seemed particularly interested in Kasumi and the other girls, staring at them as if he couldn’t control the direction of his gaze. They were extremely pretty girls with pinned up hairstyles, ruffled blouses and flawless skin; perfect in every way. No one could doubt that but Victor was struck by the love bug and lost all awareness of his actions.

“It’s interesting listening to you ladies…,” sitting up straight with his back arched; apparently trying to appear more normal and respectable in their eyes. He gaped at them in a sort of trance which was slightly embarrassing but also humorous in another way.

“Thank you, Victor!” Kasumi was tickled by the excited attention.

By contrast, Victor was thrilled she remembered his name, “You have so much knowledge about music and movies and the way you talk about them makes me want to know more.” (Which was true but anything she said made him feel that way).

“What are you studying?”

“Biology,” with a quick nod.

“Interesting, that subject was always very difficult for me so you must be very smart.”

She seemed embarrassed by the compliment and stayed silent but smiled weakly at his look of admiration for being so unusually pretty and intelligent. She turned to her friends as if hoping they’d say something—anything—to clear the air and distract from her own discomfort.

Sandy swooped in to the rescue, “What do you want to do in the future?” with her eyes fixed on Kasumi’s, encouraging her to open up more.

“Study microbiology and work in a lab on cures for diseases,” she confessed with a fresh brightness in her eyes like a flickering TV screen refreshing itself.

“That’s even more interesting,” Victor’s excitement increased about meeting this fresh-faced beauty. “Cures for diseases? You’ll be a hero someday!” he blurted out comically silly without trying to be.

“I sure hope so,” she giggled as her face softened and she relaxed at the same time.

“Me too, Kasumi, but I don’t think you’ll have any trouble succeeding or finding what you’re looking for.”

The others at the tables just looked and listened to Victor and Kasumi forming bonds and nurturing something along the lines of intimacy. Smiling or suppressing smiles while glancing at each other with quickened, knowing expressions.

“Are you Japanese?” Kasumi looked Victor up and down, making a kind of silent assessment of his appearance and dating potential. Though it might not go any further than that, it was to be expected in any encounter between men and women.

“Yes, from Los Angeles but I do speak Japanese.”

“You do? That’s great. Dare ga anata ni nihongo o hanasu yō ni oshiemashita ka?”

“Ryōshin wa watashi ni nihongo o hanasu yō ni oshiete kuremashita.”

She clapped her hands like a seal and grinned widely after hearing this. “Anata wa nihongo o totemo jōzu ni hanashimasu!”

“Thank you,” Victor bowed slightly. “My Japanese skills are good because my parents have been teaching me since I was a child but my accent still throws off some Japanese people. Sounds too American I think.”

“I can understand you very well.”

“Thank you. That makes me feel better because I feel stupid when people say they can’t understand me.”

“Don’t worry, the accent will come. You haven’t been here long enough,” she assured him with firm lips and a direct stare. “A little change here and there in the way you say words and you’ll sound like a native speaker.”

Victor absorbed the way her words came across to him, trying to determine if the reaction was positive or not. “I certainly hope so with your help and others. What do you like to do by the way?”

“Oh, different things…mostly shopping, reading novels and going to the movies with my friends,” she sighed. “What about you?”

“Me? Sports and video games in general…and music?” referring back to what she was discussing earlier.

“I love music and especially girl singing groups with lots of fast, active dancing,” her eyes lit up and her head moved back and forth to a distant beat, mimicking the actions of a dance routine she’d watched recently on TV.

Victor chuckled at how cute it was, “Nice…and I’ll bet you’re a great dancer yourself. You look very slim and strong which means you probably exercise a lot.” Referring to her firm arms and shoulders in addition to the formidable way she sat up straight.

“I’ve done school gymnastics for four straight years so I guess I am. The training puts a lot of strain on my body and gets me in good shape at the same time.”

“Yes, and that’s impressive with everything else you’ve got going on. Gymnastics is one of the toughest sports in the world as far as I know.”

“Maybe only ballet and martials arts are equally as difficult.”

“Well folks…,” Paul announced suddenly, looking at his watch, “…it’s that time again, duty calls back at the office. Been a pleasure meeting you all for lunch,” to Kuki, Aoi and their newly formed friendships. Suddenly realizing he might be crushing Victor’s dream of getting together with Kasumi, he glanced at Sandy with a “knowing look” and got up slowly and quietly so as not to upset the proceedings.

Sandy hugged Aoi and Kuki, “Are you going to stick around for a while after we leave? You can if you want.”

“No, we’re going back to see the office again. You can join us too if you’re heading back there,” to Kasumi and the other girls.

They nodded excitedly at the unexpected invitation and began reaching into the purses to pay the bill which they did without argument from the others. When they arrived back at the office Paul gave the Japanese girls a tour of the conference room and adjacent offices, ending at the lunchroom for coffee and donuts.

“Your office is so beautiful and the conference room is very modern and simply enormous! How many people can fit in here?” Kuki glanced around with her mouth open and eyes wide as possible.

“Fifty people,” Paul grinned proudly.

Kasumi, Jane, Mei and Aya tagged along with Paul and Sandy even though they were 100% familiar with the surroundings already. Wanting to spend as much time as possible with Kuki and Aoi who they became strongly attached to quickly and easily. They seemed to share a common outlook and body of interests so it became practically effortless for all of them.

“I gave a presentation in here last week…,” Aya announced as they stood at the front row looking out over long tables, “…it was about Henry David Thoreau. I discussed how he lived in the forest and attempted to get back to nature and the essentials of life.”

“That was so good. He’s an interesting character,” Kasumi grinned widely, “I really enjoyed that.”

“I think I made a mistake when I said his beliefs were very similar to Hinduism though. Some Hindus studied and adopted his beliefs and I confused the two things. It wasn’t a big mistake but I wasn’t certain about some of the information I read.”

“You did a fabulous job and no one noticed,” Mei, a shorter girl with a wide mouth and large eyes consoled her, standing in front of Kasumi with her hands clasped in front of her in a controlled fashion.

They walked around the perimeter of the conference room before the girls had to return home to study for upcoming exams. Paul and Sandy said their goodbyes to Kuki, Aoi and the other girls in the reception area who planned to accompany each other to the train station. It was a thrilling and sad parting on many levels. Paul, Sandy, Victor, Matt and Janet went back to work after Kasumi slipped Victor her contact information and bowed bashfully to him and the others, glancing at her friends for either support or criticism.

Sandy’s smile faded slowly after they left, relating to her co-workers, “This weekend we’ll get together and do something. Maybe go to Mount Takao again if nature’s the thing that floats your boat. Was an amazing experience last weekend I can assure you.”

“Whatever you want. I’m open for anything,” Janet ran her fingers through her hair, touching it up diligently as she listened closely and glanced at the other teachers to gauge their reactions.

“I don’t normally do much on weekends but definitely feel the need to get out more,” Matt, the older teacher, confirmed his membership in the club and was more than glad someone finally asked him to do something.

“Awesome!” Paul put his arm around him and squeezed him closer.

“We’ll try to get Kasumi to come along too…,” Sandy smirked slyly at Victor with twinkling eyes, “…although it’s not ideal being with a large group when you’d rather be alone but you have to start somewhere.”

Victor laughed uncomfortably, feeling more vulnerable than he wanted in front of his workmates at school. He brushed it off because nothing much seemed to phase him, not at least that anyone could tell from his absolute calm most of the time.

“She’s a very pretty thing, isn’t she? I’m not normally attracted to Japanese girls but she’s close to perfect,” eyes growing wider and reflecting in the light.

“Beauty and brains. A dangerous combination, Vic,” Sandy took him in with special and sharp interest.

“Time for work kiddos,” Paul pointed at the clock, trying to fulfill his managerial duties in a non-authoritative and pleasant way. He gave Sandy a kiss on the cheek and they all parted ways for their respective duties and stations.

After work, Paul and Sandy met at the reception area to catch the train home with Sandy looking a bit wearier than Paul. He was still energized from the last class with stimulating students asking even more stimulating questions and a teenage girl who ogled him with a puppyish crush.

“Why are you looking so chipper this evening?” Sandy frowned with a hanging question on her face.

“My last class was a great one. I was teaching physics to my P4s and they weren’t only interested in the subject but asked very insightful questions. I even got a chance to draw a few well-received diagrams and do a quick demonstration of gravitation forces.”

“Sounds like a real party!” chuckling at his abundant enthusiasm.

“It was, even got a chance to perform some calculations on the board so it was like heaven on earth basically,” laughing at himself. “You know I’m a closet physics geek!”

“Yeah, you’re crazy like that, aren’t you?”

“That I am, milady,” hurrying down the stairs and picking up his steps to catch the next train so as not to wait too long.

When they got home the building owner was downstairs to meet them. “Hello, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there was a water leak and I had to turn it off while they do repairs.”

“How long will it be?” Sandy’s face turned instantly sour because her first act was to take a shower when she got home.

“I don’t know. Not long…one hour, maybe two,” pulling his overcoat firmly over his shoulders and shrugging.

“Thanks for telling us,” Paul put his hand at the small of her back and coaxed her forward slightly because he could see she was upset.

“No problem. They’re working on it now, shouldn’t be long young folks.”

“Thanks again,” Paul pushed her forward with a bit more force because he was worried she might say something unpleasant beyond her control. He knew how much she needed that shower at the end of a day to refresh and renew.

“OK, that’s enough now, stop pushing me!” terribly irritated but trying to control herself and Paul’s attempt to calm her down wasn’t helping.

“It’s not the end of the world, San’.”

“I know, it’s just when you’re counting on something and expecting it to relieve a bit of pressure it irks the hell out of me. I’ll be alright in a few minutes. Means we can’t wash our hands or make anything to eat either,” as it started to sink in for Paul too, getting him incensed.

“Who’s upset now?” she grinned at him.

“I know, now maybe you’ll help me to calm down.”

We should go out to dinner to take our minds off the fact our apartment is handicapped and can’t perform up to snuff now.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea! What’s the point of suffering here and not being able to make anything?” face lighting up and softening a bit.

He grabbed his wallet and keys and they headed to the elevator. Down to their favorite noodle shop and the steaming pots of soup with clouds covering their faces as they wandered inside. Their host was a short, feisty Japanese lady who worked a giant ladle like a conductor’s wand while dancing around cooking implements with the grace of a music box dancer. A special place with lots of fond memories and the food was even better than the spectacle they enjoyed.

“When life gives you lemons, eh?”

“Yep!” she giggled carelessly, “No doubt about that. Makes me wonder why we don’t come here more often just to get out of the house.”

“Pure laziness on our part and not wanting to move after work would be my guess.”

“I’ll go along with that….”

They slurped the salty and tangy soup mixture which slid down their throats with a fluffy soft landing into their bellies. Sandy meanwhile sucked the noodles into her mouth slowly as they slapped against her face which Paul found incredibly funny, smirking and chuckling at her antics. She tore into the boiled pork like a stray cat that hadn’t eaten in weeks, not so much from overwhelming hunger but the simple fact that it tasted so good. Paul glanced around the room as Sandy’s face stuffing slowed down a bit and she began looking queasy with trembling lips.

“Ugh! I don’t feel so good,” she complained to him.

“Maybe you ate too fast.”

“It’s so delicious I couldn’t help myself.”

“Your face is turning red,” watching her cheeks fill with air before she let out a long sigh. “Want to go home and lay down?”

“I’ll be alright in a minute.”

“Sure you don’t wanna lay down?”

“Give me a minute, will ya?”

Paul stared into her eyes and watched them sink to the back of her head in silent surrender to her stomach’s queasiness. Her lids got heavy and covered about half of her lifeless eyes. She leaned back against the chair with her arms resting at her sides and her neck limp under her head.

“Hey! You don’t look so good, San’.”

“I’m OK…it’ll pass. Like you said, must’ve eaten too fast.”

“Take as long as you need to get back to normal. I’ll get a glass of water in the meantime…maybe you need something to get the digestion moving.”

“Thanks…,” after handing her a glass she fumbled to get to her lips.

“Let me help you,” pushing it up from the bottom to prevent it from slipping out of her hand.

“Wonder if it isn’t food poisoning or something?” staring at the woman behind the cooking pot and trying to determine if something was out of whack in her manner or the utensils in the area.

“Doubt it, we’ve never had that problem before.” Paul was aghast! It was sacrilege to even suggest such a thing about their favorite noodle shop! The lady of the shop was a princess among women and it was utterly unthinkable to imagine her doing anything wrong ever. Even in her most challenging moments with full tables in the middle of rush hour she maintained a cool head and perfect cooking etiquette (never spilling a drop at her station or the tables).

“No, we haven’t and even though I’m not feeling any better, thanks for trying to cheer me up and being so understanding. Probably just take my stomach some time to settle after eating way too fast. Nothing too serious when all’s said and done.” Resting her head on his shoulder and gazing down at the yellow tablecloth with moist, sad eyes. There was still no strength in her body and she seemed all too willing to lean on his relative vigor which was unusual being the independent woman she was well-known for being.

“Maybe we should go home so you can lay on the sofa and watch TV while l help you complete your daily work tasks. Sound alright with you?”

“I have to write a presentation on the American Revolution for one of my classes because my students voted in favor of hearing more about it. A 30 minute presentation is what I need with slides and references. If you don’t mind helping me with all the boring details of putting it all together…” tilting her head up from a still vulnerable position to meet his gaze.

He held her around the waist as they left the restaurant with the shop lady frowning and asking what was wrong. Coming out from behind the prep area and looking Sandy up and down as if she were her own daughter and even once touching her forehead and rubbing her cheeks as if performing a medical exam or something.

“She OK? What happened to her?”

“I don’t know,” Paul looked at Sandy and back at the woman. “She must have eaten her food too quickly and now she’s got a stomach ache.”

“Ooooooh!…feel so bad for her. I hope she be OK soon. Feel so bad for her…” the lady frowned even more deeply in profound concern for her welfare. Placing her arm around Sandy’s waist to support her while offering her own brand of womanly care and concern.

“I’ll take her home and lay her down for a while. If she doesn’t feel better in an hour or so we’ll go to a doctor.”

“That’s good idea,” the lady brushed Sandy’s hair out of her face and placed a hand at her back. “She be OK soon I hope!”

Paul helped her out the door and propped her up on the elevator walls on the way to the 17th floor. “You’re worrying me a bit now. I hope it isn’t serious, whatever it is.”

“Don’t say that. You’re gonna jinx me now. I’m holding firm to the belief it’s nothing more than fast eating and I’ll be OK shortly.”

“You will, so don’t worry about that. If it was anything serious I think you’d know it right away. You’re very body aware and I trust your instincts on those matters,” looking into her eyes with unwavering and unblinking conviction.

He pulled her arms off his shoulders and gently laid her on the sofa before collecting a pillow from the bedroom for her head. He also took off her shoes and put them off to the side under the armrests. Stretching out her legs and adjusting her head so she was supremely comfortable in that position which she nestled into in grand style, surrendering to the royal treatment and smiling up at him.

“There you go princess…with all that I’m sure you’ll recover in a jiffy!” chuckling at her feline grin.

“If this doesn’t work, nothing will!” switching on the TV and pointing at the desk drawer where her notes were for the presentation she was giving next week. “Sure you don’t mind helping me out?”

“Of course not. I’ve got nothing to do as far as after work duties tonight and I want to make sure you knock their socks off and get voted teacher of the year this time around,” grinning again at her helpless composure.

“You’re irreplaceable Pauly but I think you already know that,” eyes flickering and twinkling in the overhead lights.

Paul brought over a binder containing a few folders and began laying them out on the table for Sandy to pick and choose what she wanted. Staring at her for cues while trying to decipher if his methodology appealed to her as he thought it should. He wanted to make things as easy as possible on her without triggering her frail sensibilities at the vulnerable state she was in. Sandy glanced things over and began rearranging sheets with one hand as she maintained a relaxed position throughout the endeavor, spotting items that were more important and setting them off to one side.

“This stack is the stuff we need to reference first?” Paul asked with his hand on the pile she’d separated from the others.

“Yes, I’ve highlighted the important stuff I need to start outlining,” she winced, looking down at her stomach which was still bothering her.

“Let me grab the laptop so you can dictate to me while I compose the outline. Sound like a plan?”

“Perfect!” she blurted out excitedly, “This’ll take a lot of pressure off me because I’ve been concerned about finishing on time.”

Once Paul was set up and ready to go, he peered at Sandy and waited for her to sort through the papers for opening topics and introductory passages. Watching as she circled a few key paragraphs and scratched her head in thought while arriving at some definite conclusions about the order she wanted things to occur in the composition.

“I think I’ll lead off with the grievances expressed by the Founding Fathers about the laws they objected to overall. The reasons why they felt they needed to rebel against King George…that’s the one under the one your finger’s on now.”

“Yes, I remember that from history class. The colonies wanted to be self-determining and decide their own fate but were obviously only colonies so it wasn’t permitted by the king…,” Paul lifted his gaze in reflection and peered around the room before resting them back on the paper in Sandy’s hand, “…I also remember the Boston Tea Party obviously and the death of Crispus Attucks who was of mixed descent or something, killed in the Boston Massacre of 1770. I remember my history teacher talking about it at length!”

“The Boston Massacre is actually a good place to start but I need to go into the reasons for it and what led up to it first. I’m still unclear on all the details. Can you run through them with me?” she batted her eyes twice in appeal to his sympathy.

“Of course. I need a refresher on the details of the Revolution anyway. I’m still an American and should know all this stuff by heart, shouldn’t I?”

She laughed at him. “Are we? Seems like we’re turning more Japanese everyday, I really think so.”

“You didn’t just make subtle reference to that old Vapors song, did you?”

“No, it was all in your head,” she giggled evasively, “I was just pointing out that we seem to be becoming less American the longer we stick around. I hardly remember who I was before we came here.”

He smiled and kissed her on the head, “Me too.”

“It’s definitely a good thing since Americans have terrible manners a lot of the time and an even worse attitude toward life in many cases.”

“Sadly true. Anyway…let’s get down to business since bashing America won’t solve anything however justified it might be.”

“It says here the cause of the Boston Massacre was British troops were stationed in Massachusetts Bay to support the authority of the English crown and legislation from the Parliament at a time when neither were popular with colonists. Colonists were insulting and throwing things at the troops which incited the shooting. It all started when a mob collected around one sentry post and started threatening the soldiers but in the end only five colonists were killed. So technically it wasn’t a massacre strictly speaking even though it was certainly tragic,” Paul summarized while grazing over the information quickly.

“It was blown out of proportion by Patriots like Paul Revere and Sam Adams to foment dissent against the British in the colonies, right? That’s why they tried to promote it as a massacre when technically it wasn’t?” Sandy stared at the paper as though straining to read it herself.

“Yes, that looks about right from what it says down here at the bottom. Paul Revere even made an engraving based on the event. Probably the same one most of us have seen in history books,” Paul rubbed his chin in thought.

Paul composed as Sandy took up the pile and jumped from sheet to sheet with expert precision. Remembering parts and pieces of each article she wanted to inject here and there to make it flow and progress the way she envisioned it. After an hour or so, she perked up without being aware of the change and realized she was hungry and ready for a late night snack.

“Are you serious? We’re almost finished but I guess you’re feeling much better now and not only from the fact we’ve completed so much today. Good to see you’ve recovered so quickly though. Guess we can nix the hospital idea at this point.”

“Absolutely!” as she began slapping together a sandwich and pouring a glass of lemonade in simple celebration.

“Wow, looks good, can I order a glass too and a sandie from Sandy? Seems like a genius idea right now.”

She poured lemonade and began making a chicken and cucumber sandwich with mayonnaise for him, same as hers.

“Thanks babe. Hits the spot indeed!”

“Think I’ll be ready for bed after this. It’s been a ridiculously long day and my energy level has dropped to all-time lows even after the short burst post recovering.”

“I hear that and nothing sounds more appealing than bed after a long, boring history lesson. Don’t even think I have energy enough to sleep with you tonight, so don’t ask!” he smirked at her.

“Are you kidding? You always have energy for that! I know you all too well and you can’t fool me,” lips curling up at the sides of her mouth.

“You do and it’s scary but truthfully I don’t think I could even manage it tonight. That’s how done in I am…” eyes softening and meeting hers directly.

“No worries. We don’t have to do it every night, do we?”

“Morning?”

“You know I don’t like morning sex,” sighing and frowning at him.

“Come on! Make an exception just this once…,” he chuckled awkwardly.

“Maybe…we’ll see…depends…”

“On what?”

“How I feel in the morning after sleeping.”

“That’s fair enough but don’t complain when I do my best to woo you into it.”

She smirked as her head fell back on the pillow with her eyes partially closed. Nodding in and out of consciousness with a look of complete serenity and a faint smile stretched across her face. She plowed her face deeper into the pillow and surrendered to exhaustion before Paul kissed her on the forehead and followed her quickly to slumberland.

Next morning Paul woke up first as usual and entered the bathroom to begin his morning routine as quietly as possible. His vision was still blurry in the morning fog and he struggled with the blade in his hand while shaving himself. Fortunately, he only cut himself a little without any major injury before tossing water on his face to remove the shaving cream.

“Ooooooh…,” he heard Sandy groan in the other room and lifted his head up out of the towel with raised eyebrows. Combing his hair and entering the room with a strong sense of worry on his face. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Don’t feel good again.”

“You’re kidding! What is it now?”

“Nausea…my stomach feels queasy and I want to throw up,” getting up slowly and running to the bathroom.

Something suddenly dawned on Paul and his mind froze in fear. He didn’t want to ask the obvious question but felt it necessary under the circumstances: “Babe, have you missed any of your periods lately?”

He heard her retching over the toilet bowl and felt glad she was unable to answer right away as terrified as he was of the truth. Entering the bathroom and watching as she finished puking with a red face and watery bloodshot eyes that made him feel even worse than she did at that point. He helped her to her feet as she placed her hands in front of her stomach with her mouth hanging open and little specks of vomit on her chin. He placed her in front of the sink and helped her wash her face while getting out the toothbrush for her to get rid of the rank breath she’d surely have.

“Take your time, babe. Do you feel like having breakfast or is that out of the question at this point?” Still holding onto her back while waiting for her to be able to hold herself up on her own.

“Don’t know yet…gimme a minute. I don’t want to go to work without eating because my stomach might start growling in the middle of classes. On the other hand, don’t want to be puking all day because something didn’t agree with me. It’s a toss up at this point.” She fixed her hair the best she could before tying it above her head and jumping in the shower.

“I’ll make you something in case you want to eat later. No sense wasting time cooking twice or we’ll be late for work,” Paul suggested and left her on her own with a concerned glance back at her entering the shower.

“I’ll try to hurry so you can shower after me while you cook.”

He chuckled dismissively, “Don’t worry about that. Just try to get yourself back to feeling normal first so you can face the day.”

She smiled at the sentiment even though her face was turned away from him. “Will do, captain! I’m on it!”

When she appeared in the kitchen she looked noticeably refreshed and her face had returned to a natural and appealing color again. Her actions were lively and she sat down with a thud on the chair, peering out the window.

“OK?” Paul ventured lightly. “You look much better now.”

“Thanks, I certainly feel much better and am hungry beyond belief too! My appetite’s returned with a vengeance…” She started by scooping up a couple eggs and toast from the plates Paul laid out and grabbed a banana to complete the ritual morning sustenance.

“Wow! You really have recovered nicely. Nice to see the change of state so soon. Be back in a sec…we’re running a bit behind so it’ll have to be a quick shower for me.”

He rushed off to the bedroom to remove his clothes and select a shirt and slacks for the day, laying them out carefully on the bed beforehand. The water felt good on his back and he washed up quickly without thinking about anything except making every minute count. He really hated being late because making excuses felt silly and it was so easy to prevent generally speaking. Problem with rushing though was he tended to do clumsy things like soaping up so quickly he got soap in his eyes and had to waste time washing it out. Rushing too often causes mistakes and he had to stick to a manageable and productive pace to avoid all that.

When he entered the kitchen again Sandy was already dressed in a white blouse and gray skirt with her hair made up perfectly. Paul’s eyes shot to the top of his head in surprise at how quickly she was able to move and get things done when she needed to. She had already prepared two flasks of coffee and the right amount of sugar and milk, handing him one as they made their way out the door.

“We make quite the efficient little team here in Japan, don’t we? We’d never be able to do this back home, would we? This environment inspires us to be super versions of ourselves,” she grinned proudly while shutting the door.

Paul laughed at this as the elevator reached the ground floor and they shoved through scores of people onto the street and the even more crowded train station. They hurried quickly onto the train and grabbed a pole position next to the automatic doors.

“Whew! Made it! Exhilarating just getting in sync with the flow of people and a place to stand, ain’t it? Sometimes I feel like I’m gonna get crushed,” Sandy frowned with the corners of her mouth turned down.

“Sandy, there’s something I need to ask you but I’m a bit afraid of the answer…have you skipped any of your times of the month?” Paul looked directly into her eyes while swaying back and forth with the train’s movement, stiffening his frame in preparation for the answer.

Sandy was also struck with fear all of sudden. Widening her gaze and startled by the question because it’s something she hadn’t considered before. Was Paul actually asking what she thought he was asking? Couldn’t be…could it?

“Not yet,” she said as confidently as possible but thinking back wondered if that was the case. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Paul didn’t reply but kept his gaze fixed on her like every word out of her mouth was the most important she’d ever utter. He stroked her arm and coaxed her to jog her memory a bit longer to get to the truth.

“Are you suggesting I should get a pregnancy test?” swaying side to side with the train’s motion too and, when they arrived at the station, moved slowly toward the door glancing back at him with a frown. She took hold of his arm after realizing what he was asking might be true and needing something to prop her up.

“What do you think? Does the thought scare you?”

“Not really…it would make me happy but…Wow!…what an absolute change in our lives!” the furrows in her brow grew deeper and her eyes exploded with a look of profound terror.

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, would it? You did say you had nausea this morning and you were sick last night too.” Pointing out the obvious without exactly enjoying the direction of his own thoughts.

“It’s certainly possible and maybe I’ll go get a test after work but only if you go with me. Don’t know if there are any clinics close by but I’ll ask around the other teachers to see if anyone knows anything.”

“Or just check on your phone so as not to arouse any suspicions about the reasons for your going. Don’t want to start the office gossip train rolling just yet, do we? Never know what might happen,” Paul pursed his lips and made a clicking sound as a sort of warning to himself.

“That’s true, but they’re going to find out eventually anyway, right?” she countered with hands on hips.

“What if it’s not true? It’ll get ‘em started speculating unnecessarily.”

The possibility of Sandy’s pregnancy hung over their heads all day and both found it difficult to focus on the myriad mental tasks demanding their attention. Passing each other in the hall, their eyes locked in non-verbal communication which took the form of worrying over the possible and unknown. At lunch, they sat with the other teachers trying to act normal and casual while feeling a giant weight over both of them they attempted to push to the back of their minds.

“My first class was out of control but in a good way,” Janet explained with goofy grin, “The kids started talking about sex and the boys and girls began making comments about who was the hottest in class. It got really intense and embarrassing at one point and I ended up having to yell at them to calm down.”

“Teenagers that like talking about sex? That’s a real shocker!” Paul met her grin with a clownish frown, feigning seriousness on the topic. “That never happens, does it?”

“It shouldn’t happen even though they’ve got hormones in abundance. Gets really out of control quickly,” reflecting back upon the incident. “The girls get offended and ashamed easily and things can escalate from there quickly.”

“Boys are less shy talking about sex? That’s another real shocker!” Paul assessed the situation with a fine-toothed comb in his opinion.

“You guys want some of my noodles and pork? Don’t think I can finish it all because I got a double order this time.” Janet slid the bowl across the table in front of the other teachers who started to poke around the dish tentatively at first.

“It’s good,” Sandy slurped without any concern for ladylike etiquette.

“We’re having the annual party this weekend at school. Did you get the memo? All the kids and parents will be there,” Matt glanced around with a question on his face. “There’s slated to be around 200-250 people at least.”

“What? I didn’t read about this…,” Janet sipped cola with a question on her face, “…I take it it’s mandatory for us to be there. Saturday, right?”

“Yes and yes to mandatory and Saturday, meaning none of us can get out of it unless we’re mortally-wounded and in traction. I’m OK with it since the school hasn’t asked us once to show up on weekends all year long. Other schools have their teachers coming in on Saturdays once or twice a month for one reason or another,” Matt pointed out with a satisfied look and lips locked in conviction.

“What will we be doing?” Sandy stopped with the fork halfway to her face and one eye cocked in attention.

“I think we’re just there to keep the kids company and talk to the parents who want to meet us and assess whether or not we’re good influences on their sons and daughters or something,” Matt focused on Sandy while glancing at the others from time to time.

“Which means they’re going to find out all our darkest secrets, that we’re bad teachers and bad influences on their kids. Maybe we should call in sick,” Janet chuckled at herself.

“We should just shut up and not say anything. That’s the only way we’ll survive the event,” Matt formed a silly child’s face with wide eyes.

“We’ll be alright, we’re all great teachers and we’ll make a great impression I’m sure. There’s a reason the director keeps us around and he’s the top in his field,” Paul pointed out with a frown.

“I’m looking forward to it actually. I like meeting parents because they’re often so grateful and praise you a lot,” Janet relayed unreservedly, glancing off in the distance.

“Cancel our plans for this weekend then folks unless you guys want to get together on Sunday? That’s always a possibility,” Sandy stated with a hopeful tone.

“Hey! That’s not a bad idea,” Janet withdrew in thought.

“Think about it, you don’t have to commit to anything now. Some people like to do nothing on Sunday and lord knows I certainly feel that way sometimes.”

“That’s true but doing nothing all day seems to give me the blues…,” Janet shared openly with a long face, “…especially since I’m all alone in a foreign country and not especially attracted to most of the men around.”

“We definitely need to get you out and about, mingling and fraternizing like a movie star. We all need to be more active socially since we’re in Japan and need to live like there’s no tomorrow!”

Janet laughed at this, “You sound just like a self-help book.” Unable to suppress a wide grin with the corners of her mouth upturned slightly.

“Some of those books have helped me a lot, I have to admit, especially through tough times in life. They’re not all corny and Pollyannic you know,” Sandy rose in defense of all things that inspired her when the chips were down.

“I think the same way, self-help can be very effective if you pick and choose wisely.”

When Sandy finished her lunch she started to feel a bit queasy again and wondered if she shouldn’t go to the doctor immediately because it seemed to be happening so frequently. She gulped the water and tea in front of her in an attempt to dilute the effect and tried to put on a bold face for the others.

“Sandy?” Janet laid her hand on hers. “You alright?” Noticing her slackened face and hunched shoulders.

Paul also noticed the change and placed his hand at her back which he began rubbing gently to bolster her confidence and improve her mood. It got her to sit up straighter and even brightened her features a bit. Sandy grabbed her stomach and stroked her face with a weary expression, looking like she was about to throw up and drank a bit more tea in the hope the feeling would pass. It worked.

“I’ll be alright in a moment. I haven’t been feeling myself lately but I’m already starting to recover after having another cup of tea.” The color of her face actually returned to a normal hue of olive pink and she smiled feebly.

“Well, should we go back? It’s about that time and we have to set a good example for the students by not being late ourselves, right?” Paul supported Sandy as she stood up and went to the counter to pay the bill for all of them. He then placed his hand gently at the low of her back and coaxed her forward slightly.

“Don’t worry about me guys, just been feeling strange lately,” glancing up at Paul with a secret message that she was just as worried as he was about what they’d discussed earlier but needed to be sure. Paul returned the look with a penetrating, “I know exactly what you mean,” back.

After work, Paul escorted Sandy to a clinic two subway stops from the school in the other direction from their home. He cleared his mind of all worries so as not to alarm Sandy or create any more anxiety than necessary and, when they entered the clinic, Sandy was handed some forms to fill out all in Japanese. She struggled with some of it and Paul tried to help her out the best he could. Together they were able to piece everything together along with some visual cues from the boxes and the order of the questions and answers.

When she was finished, she handed the form back to the receptionist and was called in to meet the doctor after ten minutes. Entering an office with pale white walls and blue trim that blended harmoniously with a lot of scientific instruments, an empty table top and freestanding medical equipment all around the office. Paul sheepishly entered the room after Sandy because he wasn’t sure he was allowed in there during the procedure but wanted to offer his support and get the results as quickly as possible. He also didn’t want to sit in the outer office in suspense going crazy. The doctor had his back turned when they entered and didn’t turn around for several minutes as he wrote something down on a clipboard. When he was finished he hung it up on the wall and turned around without smiling, appearing deep in thought about something before crossing the room to check the data on one of his medical devices.

He rubbed his chin in thought, “Hmmmm….” before gradually noticing the nervous and stiff couple in the room awaiting instructions.

“Good evening, I’m Dr. Takahashi, take a seat and I’ll be with you in a moment.” He quickly left the room through a back door and didn’t return for another ten minutes at which point he asked Sandy to take off her clothes to perform the procedure.

“Your name?”

“Hello, I’m Sandy Masters and this is my husband, Paul.”

“What makes you think you’re pregnant? Have any symptoms?”

“I’ve been feeling sick and queasy in the morning and at different times during the day.”

“What about today?“

“Today too…a few hours ago.”

“OK, it’s simple and easy enough to perform a pregnancy test but I won’t get the results for a few hours. Our lab is a little bit backed up right now.” He began performing a routine exam on her first: blood pressure, heart rate, etc. before getting down to the business at hand. Sandy sat down on the bed after taking off her clothes and allowed the doctor to do his duty before standing up and putting them back on. She felt a bit awkward and embarrassed but the male doctor was professional and quite matter of fact about the whole thing which made it seem natural.

“Leave your number with the receptionist and she’ll call you with the results in a few hours, OK?” scribbling notes on the same clipboard and entering her data into the computer. Then he placed his hand on Sandy’s shoulder and led her to the door with Paul following both of them.

“Don’t worry, whatever the result, you’ll be happy. That’s the way I always tell people to look at it,” he smiled widely and warmly and Sandy’s fears were actually alleviated for the time being. She thanked him and Paul nodded as they left through the front door onto the busy street.

“What do you think? He seemed like a really nice guy and it’s all covered under the insurance which is great.” Paul did his best to comfort her.

“Nice having medical insurance for once, isn’t it? We don’t have to worry about being bankrupted whenever we get injured or require routine services,” still holding onto her stomach as though a baby was already kicking in there.

“Exactly…or avoiding going to the doctor in the first place because we know it’s gonna cost too much…at the same time worrying about not getting checked out so things get even worse.” Stretching his lips across his face in fear of the thought and relieved he hadn’t suffered too much under the circumstances.

“What do we do in the meantime to keep our minds off the results? We may not find out till tomorrow or the next day, is what I’m thinking.” Sandy clutched his hand and pierced his gaze like someone hanging onto every subtle response. They walked down a crowded street without noticing anyone or anything before spotting a park nearby and stopping to sit down and think about things. Paul stared into the fountain at the center of a ring of trees and benches, letting his mind drift wherever it wanted to go which tended to thoughts of being old and placid with two or three full-grown children standing in front of him, strong and sharp-minded, successful and happy, calling him dad and making him proud of himself.

“What do you think the chances are?” Sandy watched him staring into the fountain and divined his thoughts about being a future dad. “Are you still frightened?”

“I think you’re pregnant and no it doesn’t frighten me at all. We always knew we were gonna have children and think how exciting the news will be for our parents back home!”

“It’ll keep the office gossip going full steam ahead for weeks to come, that’s for sure! Fuel for the social fire…,” she giggled as the first thought in her head.

“I’m actually looking forward to it. It’s the logical progression in taking our relationship to the next level of intimacy and responsibility. Gives it more meaning and adds a new dimension to our marriage, don’t you think?”

“Don’t know yet. Still haven’t fully digested it as a reality. I’ll have to see how I feel when we actually get the results. We should’ve used protection if we didn’t want this to happen because it’s like playing roulette when you don’t,” she groaned.

“You won’t be happy if it’s positive?”

“Not sure…” looking down at the ground and squeezing his hand as though she were about to fall off a cliff psychologically speaking.

“Sex doesn’t exist in a vacuum and it’s not all about pleasure for pleasure’s sake like most people seem to believe. All you have to do is forget to use protection to be slapped across the face by reality,” Paul pressed his lips together tightly.

“That’s an odd way of looking at it. What do you mean by that? Obviously, I know you like sex from the way you’re always climbing on top of me but now you’re saying there’s a higher purpose for it?” Sandy frowned with a faraway look as though stricken by it.

“What I mean is that the purpose of sex is for people to have children, right? Sex feels good because nature has a plan apart from the way we feel. The pleasure is actually nature’s lure for us to have children.” Paul seemed very satisfied with his wisdom and insight on the subject (as he saw it) and wore a sage-like expression.

“I guess I can see what you mean but people don’t always want children when they have sex,” staring at him full in the face now.

“And in order for us to prevent having children we need to take precautions to prevent nature taking its course, right?”

“Yes, I get that. So, what’s your point?” getting a bit impatient with him now.

“Guess what I’m trying to say is that people shouldn’t separate making babies from the sexual act as people so often do these days. Most people, especially young people, think about sex only for pleasure then when they do it without protection, they’re shocked when a girl gets pregnant.”

“It’s almost like they forget about the pitfalls in pursuit of pleasure, isn’t it?” Sandy followed his reasoning and was fully onboard.

“Nature’s plan is in opposition to man’s plan in this case.”

“You’re right. Strange point you’re trying to make but I get it.”

“The point is just that people need to be aware that children are not to be forgotten in the pursuit of sexual pleasure. Even if you use protection, it can happen to you!” Paul was quick to point out.

“Now that we’ve sorted out the philosophy of sex, what are your thoughts about becoming a father?” Taking both hands in hers and gazing at the same fountain Paul was staring at a few moments earlier.

“I don’t know, ask me after we get the results,” he chuckled without trying to be clever, “It’s all just theory at this point but I believe I’ll enjoy being a father.”

“It’ll make us grow up quickly, that’s for sure! Not that I think we have many bad habits to get rid of to set the right example as parents,” sounding supremely confident they’d be good models for children.

“We cleaned up our acts long before becoming parents so we’ll be ready when and if the time comes. Nice way to look at it, Sandy, you’ve given me confidence to face this with the right attitude!”

“Fabulous, I’ve done my duty as spouse and possible mother then,” grinning and kissing him on the forehead.

“I’m actually looking forward to being a dad and think you’ll be a great mother too. You’ve got a lot to offer children from your perfo