PART 10
After almost half an hour of lying in bed awake, I finally roll over to get out. On lazy weekends like this, it's always nice to sleep in. When I open my eyes, I'm greeted by the sight of some old photos Sayori and I had taken at a photo booth. They're sitting on my nightstand, next to my alarm clock. I'm surprised to see that it's almost noon.
I walk to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and head back into the bedroom to fix my sheets. Sayori's side of the bed is neatly made, the covers tucked beneath the mattress. I lift the sheets of my side up to get a better grip on them, but the air caught beneath them blows out and knocks a piece of paper off the opposite nightstand.
I finish making the bed and walk around to fix what I knocked over. On the floor is a piece of paper with a simple poem written on it. It seems like just yesterday when Sayori and I would eat lunch together in the Literature Club every day. Since high school, she's made a habit out of writing, at least a little, every night before she goes to bed.
I take a glance at what she's written.
It's kind of dark, as if it were written from a bad place. Maybe she's anxious about something? Either way, if she is feeling bad, it's good that she's able to express how she's feeling rather than bottling up her emotions like before. Maybe I'll talk to her about it later if she's willing. I place the poem back on the nightstand.
I head downstairs to the sounds of clinking kitchenware. Sayori is there, mixing a bowl of batter underneath an arm. She's already dressed, wearing an apron over a pair of mom-jeans and a pink t-shirt.
"Oh! MC!" she turns to face me "I heard you moving around up there so I started on breakfast, er, lunch?"
I smile, then walk forwards to kiss her on the forehead. "How about brunch?"
"What's brunch?" Sayori asks.
"You'd love it. It's not quite breakfast. It's not quite lunch. But it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end." I start. "You don't get completely what you would at breakfast but you get a good meal."
"I don't think so." She responds.
We both laugh a bit and I kiss her again. "Do you need any help?"
"No thanks, I've got it all under control." She says. "Besides, I want today to be special for you, since I've got a surprise."
"A surprise?" I ask, trying to see if Sayori will tell me anything else about it. But she just smiles and turns back to cooking. I sit down at the dinner table and pick up the newspaper she has ready for me. Today's Sunday, so I flip to the comics page and set those aside. Sayori always loves to read them, and we always do the crossword together. It surprises me how much trivia she knows.
"Ah, MC." Sayori walks over to me. "Do you want a bunch of small pancakes, or one big one?"
"Hmmm..." I ponder. "Just the one. I don't think I can eat a bunch of them."
"Alright!" Sayori turns back to the stove and starts pouring the batter into a pan. "Wait a minute... MC, you clown!"
My giggles are drowned out by the sizzling pan. Sayori scoops out the last bit of batter before sticking the spoon into her mouth. She licks it clean, then starts swirling it around the bowl again.
"Want some?" She sticks the spoon in my face. "It's got cinnamon!"
I lean over and open my mouth. Sayori sticks the spoon inside my mouth and I scrape the batter off with my lips as she pulls it back out. Even raw, it's still delicious. I think back to when we had just started dating. Sayori never had the motivation to cook anything and was pretty bad at it. Fortunately, we had started to cook together at least once a week, and now she's become an expert.
Sayori pours some fruit and whipped cream over the top of the pancake and sets it in front of me. I grab my fork but she stops me.
"Just one more thing!" She says, and she sticks a small candle in the top.
I look at Sayori quizzically. "What's this for?"
"You mean, 'who'." she says. It's for a birthday.
It isn't my birthday today, and I know Sayori's isn't for a while. I try to think if any of our friends or family are having a birthday and if so, why Sayori would celebrate it with me. After staring off into the distance for a while, Sayori answers me.
"Well, I guess it's not actually today, but I thought we'd celebrate anyways." Sayori sits at the table across from me. "His or her birthday is really going to be about 9 months from now!"
"Sayori, you don't mean-" I start.
Sayori hands me a small present. "Go ahead, open it!"
My fingers start to shake as I begin tearing it open. Beneath the paper is a small cardboard box, which opens to reveal a pregnancy test. I pull it out of the box and look carefully at it.
It has two lines.
"Sayori, you're pregnant?"
She nods her head. I stand up and run around the table to take her in my arms.
"Whoa easy there!" She tells me. "You might wanna wash your hands, first. At least before you eat."
"Ah, sorry. I guess I got a little excited." I head towards the sink and turn on the faucet. "Still, this is great news!"
"I'm glad you think so," Sayori's voice gets quiet. "I was worried about what you'd think when you found out. I didn't know if you were really ready to raise a child with me. I thought maybe you'd leave, or you'd want it aborted."
"I am glad." I dry off my hands and walk over to her. "So, what's the plan after brunch? We'll need to get you some pregnancy clothes, plan the baby shower. Oh, do you think we should invite our old literature club friends?"
The two of us talk for hours, discussing baby names, what we want the kid to call us, and all sorts of other bright ideas for the future.
