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Back The House Party
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. April 2008
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. Author’s Note
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. About the Publisher

Then Ted spoke. “I’m so sorry, Maja. I love you. I just wanted to make things right. But I messed everything up. You should probably divorce me. All I wanted to do was give you a good life, and I can’t.”

His voice sounded small and scared, but Maja felt repugnance rather than sympathy. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him. She picked up her purse and keys.

“It’s not the money that I’m angry about,” she said, her voice shaking. How could he not see that? “You lied to me. We should have dealt with this together. I probably should divorce you. But I can’t.” Her voice broke. “I’m pregnant, Ted. We’re going to have a baby.”

Ted’s face, already pale, stared back at her. He seemed unable to speak. A thousand thoughts were going through Maja’s mind, a thousand things she wanted to say. But she felt like she was speaking to a stranger. She took one last look at him, trying to see the man she’d married, and then turned and walked out.

38

Maja felt numb as she made her way uptown to the obstetrician’s office. It was bizarre to be going through the normal motions of swiping her card at the subway turnstile, checking in with the receptionist, and sitting in the waiting room, staring blankly at a magazine, as the realization sank in that her marriage—and her life as she knew it—had fallen apart without her even realizing that it was happening.

The nurse took a urine sample and led Maja into a room where she changed into a cotton gown. Her doctor, an older woman, came in, looked over her chart, and then, for the very first time since Maja had become a patient at the practice, called for the nurse to bring in the ultrasound. After a few minutes that felt much longer to Maja, the doctor turned to her with a smile, delivering the news that she’d longed to hear: “Congratulations, Maja.” She consulted the screen again. “Looks like your due date is the end of January. That’s quite a New Year’s present for Ted!”

Maja opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she burst into tears. The doctor patted her hand. “Happy tears,” she said. “It happens all the time. I’ll have the nurse schedule your follow-up appointments. Bring Ted in next time! We’ll be able to see the heartbeat. Smile, Maja, you’re at the beginning of everything!” Then the doctor followed the nurse out, and Maja was left alone to get dressed.

Back out on the street, Maja stood on the corner, trying to decide what to do. She wanted to go home, but she wasn’t ready to face Ted. She needed time to think things through, for the baby’s sake, if nothing else.