“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Maud asked, looking rather perplexed.
“I know,” sighed Myrtle. “I was going to ask for fried mushrooms as soon as I got back here, but fried food, the smell at least, tends to bring back anything else I ate before. I will have them as soon as I can,” she added.
“Enid said you were pregnant,” said Maud.
“It isn’t really showing yet,” said Myrtle. “If you don’t count me dashing off to the toilet to throw up,” she added, putting a hand over her mouth and dashing off.
“Perhaps eating outside might be a better idea,” suggested Maud to James. “The smell of cooking does tend to hang around in here.”
“I think that might be a good idea,” said James. “I’ll wait till she comes back, she can get confused easily.”
“It is a bit of a side effect with fairies,” said Maud. “I think that is why some of them transfer their babies to others.”
“Myrtle is determined to carry this one all the way,” said James.
“Do you think that is a good idea?” asked Maud.
“If you’d asked me that, even a couple of months ago, I would have said yes, no doubt,” he said glancing at the bathroom door. “Seeing the effect it has had on her, I’m not so sure.”
“It isn’t easy watching someone you love go through this,” said Maud.
“I didn’t think I’d eaten that much carrot,” said Myrtle rejoining them.
“Maud suggested that we eat outside,” said James. “The cooking smells don’t go that far.”
“You find us a table and I’ll be with you shortly,” said Myrtle, putting her hand over her mouth and dashing back to the bathroom.
“So she wants poached egg, chips and chocolate custard?” asked Maud.
“With the little sprinkles on top,” said James.
“And what would you like?” she asked.
“The same, but without the custard,” he smiled.
“Or the sprinkles,” Maud added.
“No sprinkles,” James agreed.
“And to drink?” Maud asked.
“I would like a coffee,” said James. “But the smell will set her off again and I would like some food to stay down long enough to do some good.”
“So what will you have?” asked Maud.
“She tends to like mint tea,” said James. “Better make that two.”
“You go find a table,” said Maud. “We will have this lot brought out to you as soon as it’s ready.”
“Thank-you,” said James, glancing towards the door again.
“Don’t worry, it wont last much longer,” said Maud.
“That’s what my colleagues keep telling me,” said James. “It’s not so easy when it’s someone you love,” he added heading to the door.
“I don’t know who’s having it worst,” said one of the serving girls.
“This could be an only child,” said Maud.
“If Enid turns up,” said James pausing in the doorway. “Tell her where we are.”
“Are you sure?” asked Maud.
“Not entirely, but tell her anyway,” said James. “We can’t keep avoiding the family.”
“That’s brave of you,” Maud smiled.
“I can always throw up on them,” said Myrtle, stepping out of the bathroom, looking slightly brighter.
“Don’t even joke about it,” said James, dashing off to the bathroom.
“I thought I’d done enough for both of us,” said Myrtle.
“There’s a table in the sun, round the side of the building,” said Maud. “Nice view of the river.”
“I could do with a sit down,” said Myrtle.
“I’ll take you round there,” said the girl, taking Myrtle by the hand.
“Thank-you,” said Myrtle, smiling.
“Which do you think is best?” asked the girl. “Going through the pregnancy or giving the baby to someone else to incubate?”
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought it was better for someone else to incubate it, would I?” Myrtle smiled.
“I suppose not,” said the girl. “But so many opt out of all the birth stuff.”
“Probably because there is so little support for those who want to carry their own child, it is so much easier to opt out of the messy stuff and just pick up the baby afterwards,” said Myrtle. “I think it is a bit rough on those who have a baby dumped on them.”
“I thought the surrogate Mothers agreed to it,” said the girl stunned.
“Some people now are beginning to ask permission, but it is a recent idea. Usually the baby is just magicked into place with a baby that is due at about the same time and then they disappeared it off afterwards, pretending that there was only ever one baby,” said Myrtle.
“That is rough,” said the girl moving a seat out for Myrtle.
“Thank-you,” said Myrtle as the girl headed back in to find James and tell him where she was.
“It isn’t showing yet and you look rough,” said Enid.
“Nice to see you as well,” said Myrtle.
“How long have you been back?” asked Enid.
“We got back last night,” said Myrtle.
“That’s not so bad then,” said Enid.
“We’ve just got married,” said Myrtle. “I would have thought you’d know we’d need a bit of time together.”
“Seems to me you spent a bit too much time together before you got married,” said Enid.
“If you are only here to say “I told you so”, or something like that,” said Myrtle.
“No,” said Enid. “I wanted to make sure you were OK. I had terrible morning sickness with you.”
“Looks like that is something we have in common,” Myrtle sighed.
“I had hoped you wouldn’t inherit that,” sighed Enid. “It doesn’t help things.”
“I don’t suppose you have any suggestions on how to keep my food down?” asked Myrtle.
“I was given this lucky charm,” said Enid, taking a necklace off and handing it to Myrtle. “I didn’t think it would work, but I was never sick when I wore that.”
“If that’s the case,” said Myrtle. “Who am I to argue,” she added putting the necklace on.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d take it,” Enid smiled.
“I’m desperate,” said Myrtle. “I’ll try anything to keep my food down,” she added as James and the food arrived.
“Poached egg and chips for sir,” said the girl. Placing them on the table in front of an empty chair. “Poached egg, chips and chocolate custard, with sprinkles, for Madam.”
“I’m not surprised you are feeling sick,” said Enid. “Poached egg and chocolate custard!”
“You forgot the chips,” said Myrtle. “And the sprinkles.”
“How can you eat that!” Enid exclaimed.
“It tastes good to me,” smiled Myrtle.
“Can I get anything for you?” the girl asked Enid.
“No thank-you, I’m not staying,” said Enid, as Myrtle tucked into the chips. “My stomach is a bit off, I’ll talk with you later,” she added, waving her wand and disappearing.
“Are you OK?” asked James.
“Mum gave me her lucky charm to stop me being sick,” said Myrtle.
“Looks like it’s working,” he said watching her tuck in to her meal enthusiastically for the first time in what felt like ages.
By Janice Nye © 2021
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