| A Bubble Bursts | |||
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Plekhanov Residence 18th June, 1800 hours "Lena, sweetheart, please eat some. Just a little. You need your strength." Anastasiya had taken her daughter home after the scan, not wishing to leave her alone. She'd done a few household chores; a little left over washing up, some washing, and cooked some pasta. But Yelena seemed uninterested. "Ok mum." She took a mouthful and murmured her satisfaction. "It's good. But then all your cooking is." She slowly ploughed her way through the food, chewing thoroughly, lost in thought. When she was finished, her mother took the empty plate away, stroking the back of her head lightly as she did so. "What are you thinking Lena?" "Oh� just about the nursery. Colours, themes, that sort of thing." She got up and picked up a tea towel, to help dry up the plates. "Anything to distract yourself from him not being here, hmm?!" Yelena's face said it all. Anastasiya continued. "Well, are you going to share these ideas or keep them to yourself?" "Well, I want it to be relaxing. Neutral colours� not pink or blue. Nothing gender specific. And I was thinking of murals on the walls. Animals maybe. Something stimulating but not too babyish. What do you think?"� A little over two hours later, Yelena was alone again with her thoughts. Images of painted lions had faded from her conscious almost as soon as she'd waved goodbye to her mother. Instead, a crystal clear picture of her fianc�'s face, stricken with disappointment at missing the day's scan, had etched itself vividly onto the canvas of her mind's eye. His imagined dejection mingled with her own sadness, and even the prospect of his pending homecoming failed to alleviate the mood, or untangle the knots that had formed in her shoulders after the phone call from the medical centre that morning. She needed desperately to relax. A hot bath it is then, she concluded. Soon Yelena was surrounded by subtly � scented foam, the gentle flicker of candle flames illuminating the multitude of bubbles on the water's surface. She sighed with quiet satisfaction as the warm water began to draw the tension and tiredness from her muscles. The water also took on the extra weight of her stomach, alleviating the pressure on her back, making her sigh audibly with relief. She sunk lower into the tub, dipping her shoulders under the bubbles and offering up a prayer that she and Nikolai had chosen an extra large tub when they got the bathroom fitted. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on Nikolai's homecoming. With him around, she hoped she wouldn't feel quite so much at a loose end. Since Uni had finished a week ago, Yelena had found it hard to keep occupied. It was hard to plan trips shopping with her girlfriends because of her spontaneous nausea. Whoever called it morning sickness must have been lucky, because Yelena seemed to suffer with it any time of day. Kolya had also insisted that she didn't "exert" herself too much � did he think she was secretly out saving the world every time he went away?! She hated the lack of routine in her life, and the feeling that she was wasting her days away. She longed for something productive and worthwhile to do. The fizz of a candle trying to extinguish itself stirred Yelena into action. She fished around in the water for the sponge and began to wash herself, the soapsuds clinging to her warm, wet skin, moving almost imperceptibly. The myriad of colours trapped inside every bubble had an almost hypnotic effect if gazed at for long enough. Just when it seemed they were indestructible, the film would burst, the bubble would pop and the lather would slip off her body, sliding back to its home in the water. She ran her fingers through the water, feeling the pull as the liquid resisted her disturbance. And then a noise, like the front door being closed. Was he home? She listened intently for the footsteps up the stairs, the creak of the floorboards, her name being called. But none came. He wasn't home, and the excitement seeped from her, leaving a chill. The once warm water was barely tepid now. Yelena resigned herself to another night without her fianc� and blew out the candles. As the last of the water trickled down the plug hole, it seemed to take her energy with it. Time for bed. Plekhanov Residence 18th June, 2200 hours Yelena wrapped the duvet around herself, trying to rid her body of the chill. She hated this part; getting into a cold bed, knowing there'd be no one but her to warm it up. "Just you and me again tonight Bundle" she whispered into the darkness, in the direction of her tummy. The pictures from the scan took pride of place on Nikolai's pillow, and Yelena gazed at them until her eyes burned and she couldn't keep them open any more. "Come home to me soon Kolya, sweetheart. I miss you. Sweet dreams." As blackness overtook her, she hoped that she'd dream she was with him. Return |
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