ch13 Chapter 13: Everyday Life

Selphie and Rinoa had been left with the miserable job of house cleaning at their new farmhouse home while Squall and Irvine went out to attempt to look for jobs. The girls had little faith that the guys would find any decent jobs but they had been careful not to say anything when the two of them had gone out of the house that morning. Besides, Irvine and Squall were SeeDs after all, someone would want to hire them, at least that is what they had insisted. The girls were worried that people would feel that hiring two heroes wasn't a good idea because public reaction might think they'd only gotten because of their roles in Ultimecia's defeat. They had no room to talk, Selphie and Rinoa didn't, with their idea for a daycare center. They'd come up with it over the winter holidays, how parents with children too young to go to Balamb Garden needed a break. Not that Selphie and Rinoa were especially child care experts but they wanted to be and so they'd begun planning anyway. Selphie's illness hadn't stopped them and neither had her pregnancy.
Selphie's pregnancy... Rinoa hadn't been able to say much to her friend since she'd found out. If Selphie's cancer had made Rinoa uncertain about how to act around her friend, it was nothing compared to how Rinoa felt about Selphie's pregnancy. She hated to admit it but she felt jealous. Rinoa knew it was the wrong time and all but she couldn't help thinking that she'd like to have a baby. One that looked like Squall with his beautiful face and eyes but she knew they weren't ready and that Selphie and Irvine really weren't either. Rinoa tried to imagine what she would have done in regards to having an abortion if she'd been in Selphie's position and she didn't think she could have done it either even though Squall had told her countless times that he thought Selphie was being dumb and that he agreed with Irvine completely on the subject. Rinoa wondered momentarily what kind of father Squall would be but the thought actually seemed funny to her. She figured he would probably be terrified of babies. Oh well maybe someday she could change his mind and having the daycare center on their property might give him some exposure to very young children.
Selphie who was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing the baseboard along the kitchen wall. She leaned back on her ankles and smiled. "I think I need to rest for awhile. My back is killing me."
Rinoa felt immediately guilty. Sometimes it was hard for her to remember how ill Selphie really was because of her upbeat attitude. She shouldn't have been working so hard to help Rinoa clean. "Of course Selphie. I should have realized it sooner."
Selphie shrugged and adjusted the strap on her pink tank top which had slipped off her shoulder. "It's ok Rin, I probably could've said something. Why don't we go outside? It's hot in here and we can bring something to eat out with us."
Rinoa nodded at her friend and picked up a bag with groceries they had brought with them earlier that morning when they moved in and followed her out to the wrap around porch. Selphie sat on the edge with her feet dangling and swinging. It struck Rinoa how innocent and childlike she looked then and Rinoa ached for Selphie's lost youth. Selphie would never seem of feel so young again because of her cancer and pregnancy but also because of the battles they had fought to save themselves and the world from the horrors of Ultimecia. War like that takes away from the innocence of youth and none of them could ever recapture that and be normal carefree teenagers again. Rinoa handed Selphie a sandwich and she unwrapped it thoughtfully and began to eat. Rinoa joined her and the two of them chewed in silence.
Rinoa stopped eating a few moments later and stared at Selphie thoughtfully. Selphie noticed her and wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Is something wrong Rin?"
Rinoa shook her head, "I was just wondering what it was like to be pregnant..."
A slow smile crept across Selphie's face, "Surreal, I guess is one way I could describe it. Like I can hardly believe there is a life growing inside of me but I know it's real. I don't think there's anything quite like it."
"Is it growing? I mean can you feel anything?" Rinoa hesitantly queried.
"My stomach is a little swollen. Not much though. I'm only about three and a half months along though. Do you want to feel it? You can feel a little..." Selphie took Rinoa's hand and gently guided it to her stomach.
Rinoa giggled nervously, "I don't feel anything."
"Soon..." Selphie went back to eating in little nibbly bites.
Rinoa started eating again but she wasn't really hungry anymore. She wondered when Squall and Irvine would get back. And as if in answer, she heard the second hand car the guys had picked up in Balamb rumble into the driveway. Rinoa ran out to greet them but Selphie just waved tiredly from the porch.
Rinoa bounded up to them and flung her arms around Squall. "So how'd it go? Did you guys get jobs? Was there mail for me at the post office? Tell me Tell me!"
Squall rolled his eyes, "The dude who owns the Balamb Construction agreed to train us. Sorry Rinnie but you didn't get any mail but Selphie did."
Irvine left the two of them standing by the car. He walked over to where Selphie stood waiting for him on the weathered porch. He handed her a thick envelope. "It's from Trabia Garden."
"I wrote to them for help in finding my family since Edea said I might be from Trabia. Let's take a walk and I'll open it and we can see what they said." Selphie took the envelope from his hands and motioned to him to follow her.
They walked together in the woods behind the house. Irvine caught her free hand with one of his. When they got to a narrow clearing, Selphie dropped to the ground in the soft grass and Irvine sat down next to her.
She tore the envelope open and read it silently while Irvine watched her, "They found something. A book about mining towns in Trabia. They want me to come up there and see some of the things they found about the mining towns. My parents may have been from one of them. Will you take me there?"
He nodded, "Whatever you want... How're you doing today anyway?"
"Ok I guess. I can sort of feel something sometimes in my stomach. Like a butterfly." She leaned back against his chest and sighed.
"Can I feel it?" When he felt her head nod, Irvine slid his hand under her shirt. When this didn't satisfy him, he undid the top snap of her jeans and slipped his hand under the waistband of her underwear. She shivered slightly at his touch. "Sefie are you scared? Of all of this?"
"To tell you the truth? I'm terrified but I can get through it right." Selphie whispered.
"I'll be there for you all the way even though I'm probably more worried then you are. You're my hero as cheesy as that might sound." Irvine blushed thankful she could not see his face.
"I shouldn't be... I'm not the best person to look up to but thank you anyway. I love you for it."