The Surprise
Gusts of wind tugged at the clothes of shoppers and whirled autumn leaves around their feet, but from her seat on the bus, Jenna hardly noticed the worsening weather. A smile tugged at her lips as she scanned the page on her phone. So many. How will we ever choose just two? Jenna felt drawn to names beginning with an E, names like Ellie, Evie, Eben, and Eric. Joe had laughed good-naturedly at her quirkyness. "Just not Ellie," he'd said, "It reminds of a circus elephant." Jenna had pouted for only a moment before admitting that he was right. Of course, the baby could be a boy.
At only twelve weeks pregnant, Jenna was yet to have her first scan, and it would be some weeks before she'd find out the baby's gender. She saved the page to her home screen before turning her gaze to the city streets. Her eyes honed in on the few mothers quickly pushing their blanketed prams along the chilly streets. She wondered whether they had just picked their babies up from day care. Jenna couldn't imagine leaving her sweet little one in some one else's care all day. She and Joe had talked through their options and had come to the same conclusion: Jenna should stay home to take care of the baby. After all, the Bible was clear: it was the right thing to do. Jenna had no doubt in her mind that she should say goodbye to her work colleagues in a few months. The question which went round and round in her mind was, how would they make it on Joe's salary alone?
***
Jenna lay on the bed in the doctor's office with Joe at her side. She was sixteen weeks along, and beyond excited to see their baby. Her eyes were glued to the screen as the doctor pointed out the baby's beating heart. As she became accustomed to the ultrasound image, she could make out their little one's form. "Well, there's no doubt in my mind. You're having a healthy baby boy." The doctor beamed. Joe squeezed Jenna's hand and he grinned. "Well, that's good. No chance he'll be called Ellie then."
Jenna just smiled. "He's perfect."
***
"You look gloomy." Joe brought Jenna a cup of tea once they returned home after the scan. Jenna had been so happy up until now. He wondered what had brought on the sudden change. She accepted the tea gratefully and patted the seat next to her. Joe placed his mug on the coffee table and took her hand in his. "Tell me."
Jenna sighed. "You know, Joe. I just can't help worrying about money. I really want to stay home with the baby, I just don't know if it will work."
Joe pushed down his own fears and irritation at Jenna's lack of faith. "Honey, we need to trust God. Remember how Jesus said that we mustn't worry about clothes and food? That He will provide? I can see how he's already providing, what with my promotion coming up soon." He paused and smiled encouragingly. "Not to mention how much we'll be saving on travel fees and other expenses, right?"
Jenna smiled bravely. "You're right, Joe. It's just that I'm a born worrier. I'll work hard at trusting God with the future."
They sat quietly on the couch for a while, just enjoying each other's company and the short respite from work. The ringing of the doorbell broke the silence. Joe got up to see who it was. Jenna heard some laughter and a vaguely familiar male voice. The door closed once more, and Jenna saw that Joe was lugging something into the lounge. His face was a picture of surprise and joy. "What on earth?" Jenna stared at the large item in his hand.
"That was Paul. He's in the men's group with me. Said he hoped we wouldn't mind, but he and his wife have been doing some decluttering, and they wondered whether we could use this." Joe deposited the large carry bag at Jenna's feet and unzipped it.
"It's a camp cot." He smiled. "A very nice one by the looks of it. What's more, Paul says they have some other things we can have too."
Jenna said nothing at all for such a long time, that Joe worried that she was offended."You don't like second hand stuff, do you?" Joe suddenly looked deflated. "It's Ok, we don't have to accept it."
Jenna shook her head quickly and wiped at sudden tears as she came to him. Joe held her while he waited for her to speak. "No, Joe, I want it more than anything I've ever wanted. It's beautiful, Joe. We're going to be Ok. God is helping me to see."
Joe kissed her tenderly, then laughingly, the two of them tried to assemble a camp cot for the first time.
***
The End
Copyright: Alison Lawrence
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