She awoke early to a startling ache in her stomach, an angry lurching that sent her flying from her bed and into the bathroom immediately. While she had never been one to have a weak stomach, and she had always fought the urge to vomit every chance she got, she was taken aback by how uncontrollable the need was, so extreme and nonstop. It was absolutely relentless. She coughed and gagged, and her stomach lurched until she swore she was blue in the face from lack of oxygen.
Suddenly, just when she thought she could sit back for a moment, she rushed forward again to vomit, even though nothing was left at that point. And then it happened, she vomited so hard that she wet herself, which left her feeling utterly miserable and quite humiliated. She began to cry, feeling completely helpless as her body betrayed her. She began to wonder if it would ever end just before her breaking point, and the nausea began to gently subside.
She lay her face against the cold tile of the bathroom floor as she caught her breath, feeling disgusting in many ways after being so violently ill. If that was what morning sickness would be like, she thought she would certainly die from it. She cringed at the feeling of her wet nightgown, as she gently pried herself from the ground to remove her clothing. All she wanted was to lay her naked body against the tile floor, to cool herself from the exertion that had taken place moments prior, but she resisted the urge and turned on the shower instead. The urge to feel clean outweighed everything.
After her shower, she made some toast for breakfast, which did seem to help a bit, but her stomach was still quite knotted. She had never really been around a pregnant woman, and she had no idea what she needed to expect for the next nine months of her life. She thought perhaps she should purchase a book at the very least. Or perhaps Georg would know some things…or Frau Schmidt? She didn't really have anyone to talk to about such things, the sudden realization making her feel quite vulnerable.
As she arrived to work, her real concern was the looming appointment with Baroness Schraeder. She was expected anytime between noon and five for her completed dress, which Maria had personally altered and left hanging separately to avoid wrinkles. She felt that taking special care of the dress would somehow earn her a reprieve from another tense conversation. Though even she knew that was a stretch. It was quite obvious that the woman only had intentions of toying with her, perhaps hoping to grasp some gossip or weakness she could later use to her advantage.
She tried not to think about the Baroness and simply focused on her work, swallowing hard to stop the occasional nausea that would creep upon her. She felt she had done quite well with it all, even when Ann had told her a story about finding a bug in her food the night before when she and her boyfriend went out for dinner. Somehow, thankfully, she wasn't bothered by that. However, when Ann brought a tuna sandwich back to her station for a quick lunch, Maria knew she was in trouble. The smell was intense.
"You look a bit pale, love." She nodded to her friend, keeping her mind on her work. She couldn't imagine eating lunch, so she had opted to work through it, expecting to be safe from being sick. "Do you want some of my sandwich?"
"No, please no." She bit her lip, tapping her foot a bit to distract herself.
"I thought you liked tuna? Though, I must say, I just bit into something hard. I'm convinced it was a little bone or…" She clasped her hand over her mouth and immediately ran to the bathroom, so thankful she made it in time as she emptied what little contents she had in her stomach. She felt horrible, wanting nothing more than to go back to bed, but she knew she needed to finish her day. There was something especially unnerving about being sick at work, she noted.
"I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a mess today." She apologized when she returned to her seat, thankful that Ann had hurriedly finished her sandwich while she was away. She began fishing about in her purse for a mint.
"Morning sickness is no joke. My sister had it all day, every day, for a solid three months."
"I don't know how it can be called morning sickness if it lasts all day."
"I think that's the joke." She smiled, running a hand over her face before she began to work again. "She did say that trying to eat something helped."
"I can't even imagine."
"I can get you some crackers? I still have a bit of time on my lunch."
"I appreciate that, but I'm fine for now." Ann smiled, looking at her until she met her eyes. "I promise, I'm fine."
"It does get better. Once she stopped being sick, she said carrying a child was the most beautiful feeling." Maria smiled in gratitude, hoping her friend's words were true. She really did need to buy a book though, she thought as she picked up her work once more. It would have been nice to know when to expect such things to occur.
The afternoon felt foggy, though she supposed it had a lot to do with her lack of food. She did go up to her apartment for some more toast on an afternoon break, but it didn't do much for her. She took a moment to brush her teeth again, which at least made her feel a bit better about herself. Part of her hoped that by the time she returned to the shop the Baroness would have arrived and was being helped, but she knew they was a long shot. The woman would have waited for her, she knew.
She was summoned from her sewing machine a mere fifteen minutes before the shop closed for the day, and she nearly groaned aloud at the fact that she had spent the entire day anxious and dreading the moment. And, of course, the Baroness wasn't kind enough to have come a bit more before closing time. She wasn't sure why she thought she would have been so thoughtful, as she stood and took the dress to the fitting area to await her customer. The Baroness entered with a flourish, and she smiled brightly at the sight of Maria holding a dress bag for her.
"I'm impressed you finished it so quickly."
"Good evening, Baroness." She approached Maria, who began to assist her with removing the dress from the bag. Maria smiled in return, but immediately held her breath, as the scent of the Baroness' perfume was incredibly strong. Thankfully, she quickly took the dress into the changing room, closing the curtain behind her.
"Don't run off, I'll need help with the buttons."
"Of course." She rolled her eyes, glad nobody was around to see. She touched her cheeks, which felt warm but clammy at the same time, and she took a deep breath to calm her churning stomach. She struggled with the urge to simply lie down upon the floor where she stood, her body feeling weak and heavy.
"You look unwell, dear." The Baroness opened the curtain quickly, startling Maria from her trance. She stood and began assisting with the buttons on her dress, fighting to hold her breath against the perfume once again. She had always found it to be a bit much, but suddenly it was suffocating.
"No matter." She shook her head, doing her best to hurry with the buttons so she could step away. Her fingers fumbled, and she heard the Baroness sigh impatiently. Unfortunately, holding her breath was no use. Her stomach began to lurch, and she knew she needed to run if she had any chance of making it to the bathroom in time. "Excuse me. "
"I beg your pardon?" She couldn't answer as she rushed past her and through the sewing room to the bathroom, for what felt like the millionth time that day. Ann watched as her friend barreled into the bathroom, and felt sorry that there was nothing she could do to help. She was afraid it would be quite a while before she would find a reprieve.
She waited a moment, knowing Maria's customer was left alone in the fitting room. In an effort to make sure her friend didn't get into trouble with their boss, she took a deep breath for courage and walked to the fitting room to assist the Baroness while Maria was indisposed. She entered the room, holding her head high, just as she'd seen Maria do in situations that required confidence, and she smiled brightly.
"Good evening, Baroness. Maria will be a moment, so I've come to assist. My name is Ann." The Baroness looked frustrated, but nodded her approval.
"Maria was just helping me with these buttons." Ann nodded, stepping forward to do the same, her hands shaking a bit from nerves as she tried to remain calm.
"This is a lovely dress on you. The color especially is quite complimentary to your complexion." The woman smiled, stepping away to look into the mirror. She nodded, tilting her head to the side to observe closer. "Maria did a great job fitting it perfectly to your figure."
"Yes, will she be back soon? I was hoping to chat with her a bit."
"I'm not sure. She's been quite sickly today, unfortunately."
"I certainly hope I don't catch what she has." Ann laughed, crossing her arms over her chest as she met the Baroness's eyes in the mirror.
"Yes, me too! Thank goodness it's not catching."
"Ann, what are you doing?" Maria appeared in the doorway, having regained color in her face and chewing a stick of gum. Ann jumped at her appearance, looking as if she were afraid to be in trouble.
"She finished helping me into this dress. She was just telling me why the illness you have isn't catching." Maria's eyes widened, and Ann winced in apology.
"Food poisoning, I'm afraid." She gave Ann a warning look as she spoke, approaching the Baroness to fluff out the bottom of the dress as she looked into the mirror. "Do you like it?"
"I was quite hoping for you to muck it up so I would have a reason to degrade you." She was glad she had a piece of gum in her mouth, as it gave her something to clinch her teeth upon.
"I'm not sure you've ever needed much of a reason before." She noticed a stray pin left in the hip if the dress, and delicately reached forward to remove it.
"Don't stick me with that."
"You would love it if I did." She was exhausted, and she was not in the mood for pleasantries. All she wanted to do was go home and lie down. She noticed Ann back away from the tension.
"Quite feisty today. Not excited to see me?"
"We're very glad to have you as a customer, Baroness."
"Is your rake of a man upset that I'm here? Has it caused you trouble, made you ill?" The woman smiled, and Maria did her best to return the gesture. She didn't have the energy for the games.
"Just the food poisoning. If you're satisfied, I'll ask them to ring you up." She moved to begin unbuttoning the dress, swallowing hard at the smell of her perfume once again. Ann quickly stepped forward, giving a small smile as she took over the unbuttoning. Maria stepped back, accepting the help as she met the Baroness' prying eyes in the mirror, eyes that cut deep into her own. Her heart fluttered; she was certain that somehow she knew she was pregnant.
Maria bit her lip as she walked away, out to the front counter of the shop to let the ladies know how to ring up her total. She wasn't sure how to feel, wasn't sure why the woman had even come back into her life, but she was glad she would soon be out of it. She was tired, and she was ready to move on from the past once and for all.
"Hello darling, I didn't expect you would be up front." Her eyes widened as she turned to the front door of the shop. She had never really been displeased to see him until that very moment.
"Georg? What are you doing here?" He leaned forward to place a gentle kiss upon her lips in greeting.
"I've come to surprise you. I'd like to take you to supper if you're almost finished?" She smiled, but it didn't quite make it to her eyes. She floundered for a moment, surprised more than any words she could find. "Do you not want to go out?"
"No, I mean, yes…um, I'm nearly finished. Would you like to wait for me in my apartment?"
"That's alright, I don't mind waiting here."
"I'll have to change."
"I really don't mind." He chuckled a bit at her pushiness.
"No, I insist. Please, wait for me upstairs." He wasn't sure where her insistence came from, but he supposed he could feed the cat for her while he waited. He nodded, stepping forward to place another kiss upon her lips, his thumb brushing her cheek gently.
"It does feel a bit like deja vu, I suppose." He pulled away quickly and looked toward the fitting room to see Elsa approaching, Ann walking nervously behind her with a dress bag in her hand. He met Maria's eyes in question, and she merely shrugged in response.
