Connie laughed openly at the mental image Rachyl imparted, because it wasn't far from the truth. Turning back to the redhead, she admitted, "You'd be surprised how close to the mark you are. Back in January she was in this big binge of painting because the Gallery wanted more of her works to sell, and I found her in her studio, sleeping on the floor, three times. Once, one of the brushes was dried to her, but not in her hair. Somehow she'd gotten it under her smock and it had dried to her side." The side of her breast, but Connie figured some things just didn't merit sharing. "It peeled off easily enough but she had a purple splotch there even after the turpentine bath."
Running a hand through her hair as she watched the two women in the other room disappear from immediate view, she turned back to Rachyl. "You really are ready for all this. Motherhood. Raising children. First steps. First words. First bike ride, first scraped knee. First lost tooth. First report card. First school play. First home run. First period. First date. Driving tests. Grandchildren." Tears welled up in Connie's eyes.
She wouldn't admit it to many people, but she did, occasionally, regret not being able to have children of her own.
"You and Meegan are going to make absolutely amazing parents." She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, and sigh-sobbed before clearing her throat gently.
Pictures, Nurseries, and try not to burn the chicken.(private)
Meegan sat curled around Rachyl as the hammock moved in a gentle swing, powered by Rachyl's foot. Rachyl flipped through the seven photos in her hand over and over, while Meegan rubbed circles across her newly expanded belly. Rachyl's baby bump was more and more noticeable each day and Meegan loved the feel of it in her hands. The pictures were a bizarre sepia tint and showed mostly squashed faces. They were the stills from the 3D sonogram they had done earlier in the day.
Their two best friends were coming over for dinner and they planned to announce the amazing findings of that sonogram, as well as finalize some things for Nyra's painting in the nursery now that they knew the most important detail. That brought the dinner menu to her mind, on her counter sat enough salad makings to feed an army battalion, large nearly perfect portabella mushrooms, ready to go into a marinade identical to the one the four breasts of well trimmed free range organic chicken were currently soaking in. Winter squashes sat cut and seeded and covered in plastic until it was time to put them on the grill. All in all it would be a lovely dinner. Plus Meegan had a stash of Jersey cranberries hidden in the crisper drawer for Rachyl's dessert.
Grinning to herself she placed a soft kiss on her lover's cheek, and settled her head to look at the faces of their babies.
"Do you know what time it is?"
Connie
17 years ago
Meegan
16 years ago
Meegan chuckled softly and held a hand out to the artist. "Yes, it seems Rachyl and I have disagreed about what to do in the bathroom, but I think we managed to come to a sort of comprimise."
She lead Nyra into the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom the girls would be sharing until they were well past toddlerhood and into early childhood. At the moment it was stark white, devoid of anything decorative, not even a shower curtain.
"Rachyl wanted to ask if you would paint an ocean in the bathroom. I'm of the opinion that a mural is not needed or necessary. I just wanted to slap some color on the wall and put in a shower curtain, but that wasn't in her plans at all. So we want to know if you'll paint several small pictures of ocean life. And then we're going to have a glass artist come in and etch small sea creatures into the mirror.
We're going to paint the walls in a gradient from deepest darkest blue to the blue-green of the upper waters, and the curtain will have some kind of ocean scene, and each of the fixtures and decorations will be a different creature. We've already found some of it on the internet and we'll keep looking, we have a while before it has to be complete."
She grinned at Nyra and leaned against the sink. "What do you think?"
She lead Nyra into the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom the girls would be sharing until they were well past toddlerhood and into early childhood. At the moment it was stark white, devoid of anything decorative, not even a shower curtain.
"Rachyl wanted to ask if you would paint an ocean in the bathroom. I'm of the opinion that a mural is not needed or necessary. I just wanted to slap some color on the wall and put in a shower curtain, but that wasn't in her plans at all. So we want to know if you'll paint several small pictures of ocean life. And then we're going to have a glass artist come in and etch small sea creatures into the mirror.
We're going to paint the walls in a gradient from deepest darkest blue to the blue-green of the upper waters, and the curtain will have some kind of ocean scene, and each of the fixtures and decorations will be a different creature. We've already found some of it on the internet and we'll keep looking, we have a while before it has to be complete."
She grinned at Nyra and leaned against the sink. "What do you think?"
Nyra
16 years ago
Utilizing the helpful hand up she grinned up at Meegan. "Thank you."
She said dusting the graphite off her fingers and onto her hips, unknowingly darkening her pants in finger smudges. Following along she noted the lovely bath, perfect for busy moms and young girls. The artist listened intently to the different opinions and the final compromise. It sounded reasonable to her but there were a few obvious problems with the request.
"I think it sounds great. But" she winced apologetically before continuing, "I don't think framed or even square paintings would be appropriate. Not only would they discolor quickly but the background would not flow with the wall color."
Putting a finger to her lips she walked around, taking in the current lighting situation and the intent to hire a glass etcher. In her mind she pictured something simple, reversible even, and easy to clean.
"What if we had the pictures painted on glass, the color sandwiched between two clear panes and cut to shape. Perhaps a stained glass company could even do the cutting and edging. That way they would be free floating forms in the ocean of the walls?"
She said dusting the graphite off her fingers and onto her hips, unknowingly darkening her pants in finger smudges. Following along she noted the lovely bath, perfect for busy moms and young girls. The artist listened intently to the different opinions and the final compromise. It sounded reasonable to her but there were a few obvious problems with the request.
"I think it sounds great. But" she winced apologetically before continuing, "I don't think framed or even square paintings would be appropriate. Not only would they discolor quickly but the background would not flow with the wall color."
Putting a finger to her lips she walked around, taking in the current lighting situation and the intent to hire a glass etcher. In her mind she pictured something simple, reversible even, and easy to clean.
"What if we had the pictures painted on glass, the color sandwiched between two clear panes and cut to shape. Perhaps a stained glass company could even do the cutting and edging. That way they would be free floating forms in the ocean of the walls?"
Rachyl
16 years ago
Leaning over, Rachyl plucked a few Kleenex from the box she and Meegan kept in their TV area and standing, moved over in front of Connie. Hugging her friend's knees, she looked up into the watery gray eyes, brows furrowed. "You'll make an absolutely amazing Auntie, Connie. We're very lucky to have friends like you and Nyra, who understand us, put up with our moods, know what to do to make us feel better when we're feeling down. That's what friends are for, right?"
Knowing nothing that she could say would help return the viability of Connie's reproductive organs, Rachyl instead decided to appeal to the heart, the soul, the mind of the mother-type that she knew and had seen buried beneath centuries of mathematical precision.
Knowing nothing that she could say would help return the viability of Connie's reproductive organs, Rachyl instead decided to appeal to the heart, the soul, the mind of the mother-type that she knew and had seen buried beneath centuries of mathematical precision.
Meegan
16 years ago
Meegan closed her eyes and pictured the glass shapes on the multi hued wall and smiled.
"That sounds exactly perfect. We'd just need to be able to attach them securely at the top, bottom and at least two sides."
Grinning she put an arm across Nyra's shoulder. "Thank you so much." She gave the artist a squeeze. "Shall we go see what our wayward spouses are up to?"
"That sounds exactly perfect. We'd just need to be able to attach them securely at the top, bottom and at least two sides."
Grinning she put an arm across Nyra's shoulder. "Thank you so much." She gave the artist a squeeze. "Shall we go see what our wayward spouses are up to?"
Connie
16 years ago
Connie palmed her eyes and breathed deeply, shuddering for a moment before resting her hand on the head of the wonderful mother-to-be before her. "You're right, of course. Bound to happen sooner or later."
Laughing aloud when Rachyl smacked her knee with her open hand, she stood, then assisted the relatively pregnant woman to a standing position as well. "I can't imagine you were very comfortable kneeling on the floor like that with your belly. Sleep on your side a lot? Pillows? I bet you wish we had anti-gravity beds like in that one sci-fi writer's book... Niven? Then you would be able to be comfortable and not mushed."
Laughing aloud when Rachyl smacked her knee with her open hand, she stood, then assisted the relatively pregnant woman to a standing position as well. "I can't imagine you were very comfortable kneeling on the floor like that with your belly. Sleep on your side a lot? Pillows? I bet you wish we had anti-gravity beds like in that one sci-fi writer's book... Niven? Then you would be able to be comfortable and not mushed."
Nyra
16 years ago
Nyra listened to Meegan's hanging concerns and nodded. That made sense, there was no use putting something breakable on the wall when the girls could hurt themselves on it. Suddenly the thought of safety glass or plexiglass sounded a lot better. If it was clear they could keep them in a square shape and edge them with built in loops for hanging. It was difficult for her to switch gears from dragons to sea life because images of a 'Loch Ness Monster' kept trying to come forefront. The artist giggled at the idea and tried to push it aside for starfish, angel fish and colorful schools of fish.
"Sounds like a plan."
Returning the one arm hug with an arm slung across the designer's waist she pondered out loud. "Just where did those two get off to? I hope they didn't start on the cupcakes without us!"
"Sounds like a plan."
Returning the one arm hug with an arm slung across the designer's waist she pondered out loud. "Just where did those two get off to? I hope they didn't start on the cupcakes without us!"
Rachyl
16 years ago
"It's not so bad," Rachyl demurred. "Since it's a gradual sudden change, you can work to adapt to them. It'd be different than if I suddenly had this girth over night, instead of over the planned nine months. Though an anti-gravity bed does sound like fun, for a whole buncha reasons." She felt herself blushing as she remembered the numerous conversations she and Meegan had shared regarding the designer's dislike for mutual oral gratification. "I just don't know what to do with my nose," Meegan lamented repeatedly.
Rachyl stopped her train of thought and instead focused on a sudden craving - those cupcakes Nyra had brought. "I think, though, cravings for cupcakes suddenly come to forefront, and must be answered!" Wrapping her hand around Connie's arm, she gently steered the raven haired accountant out of the master bedroom and into the hall. Her ears twitched as she heard Nyra comment about the cupcakes, and she twitched her head down the hall.
Whispering, she ordered, "Come on, we can at least be there first, if not actually chow down first."
Rachyl stopped her train of thought and instead focused on a sudden craving - those cupcakes Nyra had brought. "I think, though, cravings for cupcakes suddenly come to forefront, and must be answered!" Wrapping her hand around Connie's arm, she gently steered the raven haired accountant out of the master bedroom and into the hall. Her ears twitched as she heard Nyra comment about the cupcakes, and she twitched her head down the hall.
Whispering, she ordered, "Come on, we can at least be there first, if not actually chow down first."
Nyra
16 years ago
The two creative ladies arrived at the kitchen not far behind their partners. Nyra shook her finger at the mommy to be.
"Going to start on the cupcakes without us hhmmm?"
She was unable to hold her pose for more than 45 seconds and broke into laughter. Giving Meegan a final squeeze she moved to the treats on the table. Taking the lead she placed one on each of the small plates they had earlier set aside for just this thing. Once each lady had a plate of vegan cupcake goodness she chewed her lip slightly.
"Can we enjoy these in your lovely 'sun' room?"
"Going to start on the cupcakes without us hhmmm?"
She was unable to hold her pose for more than 45 seconds and broke into laughter. Giving Meegan a final squeeze she moved to the treats on the table. Taking the lead she placed one on each of the small plates they had earlier set aside for just this thing. Once each lady had a plate of vegan cupcake goodness she chewed her lip slightly.
"Can we enjoy these in your lovely 'sun' room?"