Cora came back from delivering a painting. When a painting was small, she loved delivering it personally. In this case she had called first if it was alright. It was a painting of a family, but the little girl had recently passed away. Cora didn’t want to confront them with her big belly. She was 7 months pregnant, but she was the size as if she was full-term. Robert had joked she would not be able to walk soon. She had to admit her walking was more a wobble than a walk.
When she walked in their home she was taken back with the mess. Robert had made lunch, but didn’t clean up after himself, on the couch was the paper spread all over and the home needed to see a vacuum. So Cora started to clean the kitchen and living room. She was busy vacuuming when Robert came home.
“Cora, darling! You shouldn’t do that.” Cora was just trying to pick up a sock from the floor.
She managed to get up again, she rested one hand on her belly and the other on her back. Gave Robert a look and picked up the vacuum again.
Robert walked over and gently tried to take over the vacuum, but Cora wasn’t letting go.
“Darling, don’t do this. You are clearly having discomfort. This can’t be good for the baby.”
“This mess isn’t good for me. And if you don’t clean up after yourself, I have to do it!” Cora gave Robert a cold hard look. She swatted away Robert’s hand which rested on her side.
“I hired a cleaner, so you wouldn’t have to do the hard work.” Robert said unsure.
“I didn’t want that cleaner in the first place, but you have sent her home at the beginning of this week because she was having cold symptoms. Who do you think cleans up after you since Monday?” Cora’s voice was full of anger.
“I didn’t want her to bring her germs into our house, what if you get sick?”
“For heaven’s sake, I am pregnant, like thousands, millions of other women. A cold bug won’t kill me and……” she stopped her sentence abruptly when she felt a sharp pain.
Robert stepped towards her and touched her belly. “Are you alright, was that a contraction? That would be very early? I know this is your fourth pregnancy but still.”
Cora had recognized the pain as a kick from the baby. The baby just kicked in a painful spot. She stepped back. “It is nothing, but now you are here. You can finish the vacuuming.” Cora handed Robert the vacuum and walked away.
Robert wanted to follow, but knew not to, Cora was moody today and whatever he would say she would get angry.
+++
Cora had gone to bed, without saying a word to Robert. When Robert came to bed, she was asleep, he thought.
He got in bed and scooted closer, he laid his hand on her belly, but he got an angry reaction.
“Keep your hands of me, don’t touch me!”
Robert removed his hand quickly. “Cora, dear?”
“Don’t!” Cora’s voice was low.
Robert tried again, by moving closer, he rubbed her back. It didn’t had the affect he hoped for. Cora moved away from him, she even got up. She wrapped her bathrobe around her and walked out of the room. Leaving a stunned Robert behind.
Robert contemplated what to do, but he decided to get some sleep. Cora would come back. But when he woke up in the middle of the night, Cora wasn’t in their bed. He got up to look for her. He found her in her atelier on the couch. This couldn’t be comfortable he thought.
“Cora?” he softly touched her hand. He startled Cora, who let out a soft moan from pain. When she opened her eyes and saw Robert, her eyes shot fire.
“You don’t get the hint right?” she bitched.
“I think I do, but can you please sleep in our bed?”
“No.” Cora tried to stretch her body.
“I will sleep on the couch, you can have the bed. I will set up the beds in the guest bedrooms soon. Please, don’t sleep here.”
“Why are you always doing stuff too late. Those beds should be there months ago. If you had just let me do it!”
Robert didn’t say anything, he reached his hand out to Cora to help her up. When she stood, she pulled back her hand and said a quick: “Thank you.” Disappearing in their bedroom.
+++
Cora hadn’t spoken to Robert for two days. He moved around the house very quietly. Anxious to do or say something wrong. He had asked Rosamund for advice, but she just said, ‘Leave her be. She will come around.’
Robert tried to make life easier for Cora, but every time he took over something from her, he saw her fierce blue eyes shooting fire. Cora was wobbling around the house, he heard her sighs of pain, but he couldn’t do anything without getting an angry reaction. He felt useless.
Cora had gone to bed early that evening again. Robert needed clean clothes for the next morning and he stepped inside their bedroom. Trying not to disturb Cora when he heard her sobbing. He quickly got down next to their bed. “Cora? Cora what is wrong? My dear, what can I do.”
With a voice thick of tears Cora said:
“I am tired of my back hurting. I am tired of the swollen feeling in my legs. I am tired of being tired, I am tired of being pregnant.” With difficulty Cora turned around. “I am tired of being moody.” She touched his arm. “I am sorry, I know you mean well.”
Robert laid his hand on hers. “It is alright. I can’t imagine how it is, to carry around all that weight.” He wiped away a tear from her cheek. He saw a quick grimace on her face and she took a deep breath. “Is the baby very active?”
“He or she is. I feel like I am bruised from the inside.” Cora took his hand and laid it on her belly where she felt the last kick.
“There! I felt it.” Robert said with a big smile, but he pulled a straight face when he saw how much it was hurting her. “What can I do to help?”
“There isn’t much, I hope the baby will choose a different position soon, so it will kick on a different place. But what you can do, is ask me if I need help, instead of deciding I need it.”
Robert gave her a guilty look. “I am sorry, I just want to keep you and the baby safe.”
Cora stretched her neck to kiss Robert, he moved closer. “I know you do darling, but you can be a bit much some days.”
When Cora pulled another painful face, Robert got up and started massaging her lower back. He felt her body relax under his touches. He also rubbed her feet and legs and when he went back to her back, he felt she was falling asleep. He kept moving his hands over her back until she was asleep. He picked up the pregnancy pillow and moulded it to her back. She was already laying on the other one. He carefully laid himself down next to her.
+++
Cora was due in a week, she had trouble moving around. She stayed at home most of the time and was working on a painting. She had a lot of new clients and the work piled up. Even painting was getting harder with her big belly being in the way.
The door of her atelier opened and three heads popped around the corner. “Hello” said a voice.
It startled Cora, she had to steady herself to not fall of the stool. When she turned around she stared into three smiling faces. As quickly as she could she got up. “Girls! What are you doing here. What a wonderful surprise.”
Olivia took her arm and guided her to the armchair in the atelier. “Mum, please sit down. Robert called to ask if we wanted to be here when the little one is born.”
“Not during the birth.” Victoria chimed in, when she saw her mother’s scared face. “Just to be here after.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” Cora started. “I am just not comfortable with you girls being there when it is time for this little one.” Her hand caressed her belly.
“Don’t you worry mum, we don’t want to see that.” Tayler said. “But we want to be here to see our little brother or sister on the day it is born.”
“Ah you girls found your mother.” Robert stepped in the room. With his finger he brushed against Cora’s cheek. “Darling, are you up for dinner at a restaurant tonight?”
“As long as I don’t have to dress up, I am.” Cora said with a deep sigh.
“You are not going to ‘The Ritz’ just a local restaurant around the corner. It will be the last dinner with just your three girls as your children”
“You aren’t coming?” Cora said with surprise.
Robert kissed her. “No, I am not. This is your girl’s time.”
Verhalen van Traan 