And just like that, I've managed to wrap up all of my final exams and this semester. Today is Thursday, May 16th. Quilene and I are officially out for the summer. We decide to go our separate ways for now, but occasionally meet up in the months leading up to the fall. That way, it doesn't feel like we're drifting apart while we're actually apart. Of course, this means Quilene and I will have to vacate our dorm at this time. Damn do I already miss her. I decide to pack up my things while Quilene packs up hers and then head right back home.
I get into my car and start driving down to Beach City. I turn the radio on and a pop song happens to be playing at that moment. I've missed Mom and Jonah so much, and I've especially been missing Aunt Pearl, Aunt Belinda, Aunt Amy, Aunt Peri, Aunt Nyoko, Uncle Greg and Aunt Margie, and most importantly of all... April. She's gonna be so thrilled to see me when I come home for the summer. Finally, just three whole months of spending time with her and not having to worry about being separated by hundreds of miles. This is just such a good day for me, mostly because of April. It takes me just about an hour and forty-four minutes to get to my destination. Once I've made it to Beach City, I pass by all the familiar spots: Fish Stew Pizza, The Big Donut, Beach Citywalk Fries, The Crab Shack, and even the Funland Arcade. Not too long ago, Quilene and I were meeting up with the whole family during spring break and managed to fit in a double date while we were staying here. Good times...
It takes a while before I finally make it to the beach house, parking my car in the driveway. For once, I don't see Jonah's car there. I go up to the front door and knock. It takes a few seconds before someone opens it up. It's Aunt Pearl.
"Oh, Hope, you finally made it!" Aunt Pearl exclaims in surprise.
"Yep," I reply. "Why are you so surprised?"
"Well..." Aunt Pearl pauses, uncertain of how to tell me what she's about to tell me. "I was worried something held you up. Your mother just left for the hospital."
"She did? Why?"
"She's in labor. Your brother's taking her to the hospital right now."
I can't help but gasp. Great, my first day back here and shit's already hit the fan. Guess I'll have to go right down there to see Mom before my sister is supposed to arrive. I can't believe I'd forgotten that Mom would probably go into labor today. I wasn't even expecting my sister to arrive today. If I recall correctly, the due date was next week. Then again, life doesn't always go as planned. I should know; Jonah and I are living proof of that fact.
"Should we go down there right now?" I ask, still in shock over this news.
"If you want," Aunt Pearl replies. "I need to tell you, though. Labor can last for an awfully long time. Active labor, in particular, can last for hours."
"I don't know..." I scratch the back of my head. "I don't want to have to sit around for hours, but I also really want to be there for Mom and give her the support she needs."
Aunt Pearl sighs. "Alright, I tell you what. Get in your car and follow me to the hospital, okay? I'll show you where we have to go when we get there."
"Okay." I get back into the car and turn the key in the ignition. "You know where the hospital is, right?"
"Of course. It's the same hospital I had Hermione in."
"Alright, cool. Let's go."
It takes a good while before Aunt Pearl and I finally make it to the hospital and find Mom's room. There, we see Mom laying there on the bed, trying her best to ignore the overwhelming pain. Meanwhile, Jonah sits in a chair, trying to distract himself by messing around with a mobile app on his phone. I have no idea what must be running through his mind, but if I had to hazard a guess, it's probably fear and anxiety over what might happen to Mom and our sister. It's exactly what I'm feeling, too.
"H-Hey, Jonah," I call out to him.
Jonah briefly looks up from his phone to face me. "Oh, hey, Hope. I wasn't expecting to see you and Aunt Pearl up here so soon."
"I just wanted to see how Mom was doing, that's all."
"Mom's not looking so hot. She's in labor, you know."
"Yeah, I think that goes without saying. How long will this last?"
"I don't know, hard to say. Might be a while. I'm getting kinda bored waiting for something to happen. You wanna get something from the vending machine?"
"Uh, sure." I get up and follow Jonah to a vending machine outside. "Anything in particular you want to get from there?"
"Nah, I just wanna buy something to distract myself. Besides, I haven't eaten much since I left Delaware State."
So Jonah and I decide to purchase some Twix and Skittles from the vending machine, hoping that our sugary snacks will tide us over until it's time for lunch. I have no idea what's going to happen with Mom or our sister, but we need to stay calm. Mom had assured us that everything would be alright, so we'll have to take her word for it. When it comes to predicting the future, she's almost always got it right.
"So... how did your final exams go?" Jonah asks me.
"They were good," I simply reply. "I managed to get through the Elementary Algebra final thanks to some CBD gummies Quilene loaned me."
"Oh yeah, she told me about those. They relieve anxiety, right?"
"Yeah. I felt pretty calm during that exam, so I'm confident they actually worked. In fact, I'm so confident they worked that I had those for all the other exams."
"Wow. Color me impressed. I hope you passed those exams. It would be some sort of miracle if you didn't."
Jonah and I head down to the hospital cafeteria for lunch. It's a good thing we snacked on those Twix bars and Skittles because the cafeteria food wasn't all that impressive. We basically got shitty chicken sandwiches, peas in a bowl, and some lemon Jello. I think I'd rather be back at Stuff Yer Face and eating strombolis right now. At least there, you can get your stromboli any way you want.
"Well, you asked how final exams went for me, so how did final exams go for you?" I ask Jonah.
"Alright," Jonah answers while forcing peas into his mouth. "Theo was there to help me through them all. Plus, thanks to him, the professors gave me extra time to finish."
"Theo's a great tutor."
"Yeah, he sure is." Jonah's eyes suddenly widen. "Oh, right! I gotta call him and tell him we're down here so he can see Mom."
"Oh yeah, go ahead and do that. While you're at it, also try to call Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear about our sister on the way."
"Oh yeah, definitely, especially Grandma Sapphire. She'll be so happy to hear that we won't be only children anymore."
"Yeah, she'll definitely be happy to hear that."
Just then, Aunt Belinda and Aunt Amy arrive and sit down next to us. Aunt Amy's wearing a backwards cap like always and acting like she's down with the kids when she's part of the same generation as Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire. As much as I like to cringe at this kind of behavior, it's actually kinda putting me at ease right now by distracting me from what's happening with Mom, but not for long.
"What's up, my homies?" Aunt Amy greets us.
"Not much, just waiting for our sister to be born," I reply. "Jeez, it feels like it's taking forever."
"Yeah," Jonah chimes in. "I mean, I know Aunt Pearl told us labor takes a long time, but I didn't imagine it'd take this long."
Aunt Belinda places a hand on both of our shoulders. "I know. Believe me, I know how it feels to wait around for these things and have your mind jump to some dire conclusions, but it'll be okay. Your mom's a strong woman. She can handle anything that goes her way. She was able to raise you guys by herself for the last eighteen years."
"Thanks, Aunt Belinda," I tell her. "You always know what to say during these situations."
"No problem. Your Aunt Amy and I just stopped by and wanted to be there for your mom."
"Yeah," Aunt Amy interjects. "Just want to make sure your mom's still with us. I'd really hate to lose her, you know what I mean?"
I playfully roll my eyes. Of course I know what she means. She's just trying to be positive and keep hope alive for the sake of her friend.
Some more time passes. It's 8:28 PM, and the sun is starting to set. Jonah and I have been hanging out at the hospital for eight hours, waiting for Aunt Pearl to tell us something… anything about our mother. Jonah and I are having dinner, which is the same exact meal we had for lunch, when Hermione and Aunt Pearl come over to where we're sitting.
"Hermione, Aunt Pearl, what's going on?" I ask them.
"Everything okay?" Jonah also asks.
"Everything went great," Aunt Pearl replies. "Your mother and your sister are resting easy now."
"Yeah, the doctor came in and said there were no complications whatsoever," Hermione says. "Though they had to use the forceps 'cause Zoey got stuck."
I can't help but raise my eyebrows at this. Zoey? Is that what Mom named our sister?
"Zoey?" I ask out loud.
"Yep, that's your sister's name," Aunt Pearl replies. "I know, I'm not all that crazy about it, either, but your mother insisted. Apparently, she had a dream about that name."
"When can we see them?" Jonah asks curiously.
"In a little bit," Aunt Pearl replies. "They need to rest up. They've had a long day."
"Understatement of the week," I mutter under my breath.
Afterwards, Jonah and I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Mom and Zoey turned out okay after all.