December 1

Just this morning, Rosemary had turned the calendar to December. A new month full of festivities and cheer was ready to meet with her. And thankfully, she'd meet any challenge head on. Well, just about any challenge. There still was that challenge she wasn't so sure of. But, today was the day for answers. She just had to put someone into her confidence, and that someone would be none other than her dear friend and boss, Dottie Ramsey. Rosemary stood near the widow of Dottie's dress shop and straightened a fashionable lace pinafore hanging in the display as she waited for her boss to make an appearance. Oh, how happy she was that today was the day she would finally share some of her concerns and burdens with someone else. Goodness knows she had tried to share with Lee, on more than one occasion, but either circumstances evaded her or her voice escaped her.

The door bell jingled.

"Rosemary, would you mind giving me a hand?" Dottie struggled with the door, her arms full of bolts of different fabric and her satchel.

"Good morning, Dottie. Oh—I see you have a project brewing." Rosemary grabbed two of the bundles of fabric from her and placed them on the large sewing table.

"It's a project to be sure. This is all the fabric for the costumes for the Christmas play."

"How are you ever going to accomplish all of that? We are already up to our eyeballs in Christmas dresses yet to be sewn."

Dottie's eyes narrowed. "You were the one who told me we could handle this." At Rosemary's blank stare, she continued. "That we couldn't possibly use those last minute stitched together costumes from last year?"

"What? Of course not, you silly goose—" She could see the steam rising from Dottie's face.

"Honestly, Rosemary. I can't do this anymore. It's like you've—gone and lost your head. First, it was accidental ordering of ten additional, and costly, bolts of golden taffeta, then this—" she gestured towards the armloads of fabric that would be used for numerous shepherds, wisemen, and angel costumes. "And on top of it, your continual coming in late, incessant snacking at the sewing table, little catnaps in the back room — yes, I've seen you—and your endless trips to the out— well, out back. It's as if you were—" Dottie clapped a hand over her mouth.

"It's as if I was what?" Rosemary challenged her. Dottie dropped the bolts of fabric onto the large sewing table and came to Rosemary's side.

"Is it true? Are you—" Dottie's voice was now hushed to a soft whisper. "Oh Rosemary, I have been a horrible friend. I have been so worked up, I didn't see it sooner. All the snacking, little catnaps, it all makes sense. Are you with child?"

"To be honest, Dottie, I don't know. One day I convince myself I am, and the next, well, I tell myself I'm just imagining things. It is all horribly confusing."

"Oh, you poor dear. What does Lee think?"

"That's just the thing. I haven't shared my suspicionswith him yet. Oh, I've tried to talk with him about it, but he's being just so distant here recently. He's been working late, working weekends, I never see him. And when I do, I just get tongue tied because I know how much he wants a child, so I don't want to disappoint him. I've been worrying myself sick that something serious or bad is happening to me. Oh, Dottie, I don't know what to do. Say you'll help me." The anguish in Rosemary's voice spilled out in a sob.

"Oh you dear sweet girl. You sound as if you have suffered long enough. Let's put our heads together and figure this out." Dottie thought for a minute, then snapped her fingers and ran to the register. After a minute of scuffling about, she came back with a familiar looking newspaper clipping. Rosemary read the heading, recognized it, and promptly rolled her eyes.

"Dottie, I already went through this little quiz and I can tell you I've passed it."

"You passed it? Does that mean—" her eyes widened.

"I mean I failed it. According to the quiz I'm just stuck in the 'possible' result column."

"Well, do me the favor of sitting through it once again. I have my suspicions. Oh, I sure do…" Dottie sat Rosemary into a chair across from her and proceeded to read through the very exact quiz Rosemary had subjected herself to a week and a half ago. Rosemary answered the same as last time, struggling to hold her patience at this practice. At the end of the quiz, Dottie's eyes shone.

"Rosemary, I completely, undoubtedly believe you are with child!"

"You do?" Rosemary felt the glimmer of hope start to emerge in her mid section. But she'd taken this test before, and it had given her a possible result, how was Dottie now coming up with a positive result? "Oh there must be a mistake, you see, I took this test a couple weeks ago. I just gave me a 'possibility' at being pregnant."

"Rosemary, look at me. A 'possibility' does not effect your monthly cycle, your weight, and your emotions. But something else would…" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"A baby?" Rosemary ventured the foreign words. Shock reverberated through her whole being.

Dottie smiled and nodded. "It's true."

Rosemary found herself repeating the words as if in a trance. "It's true? It's true!"

Both the ladies held onto each other's hands and jumped up and down repeating "It's true, it's true!"

Rosemary stopped jumping, the shock traveling to her thoughts. A mother? A mother! Why, there couldn't be anything more wonderful or horrifying in the whole world. Was she ready? Would she ever be ready?

Dottie must have sensed her change in attitude. "Rosemary?"

"Forgive me, Dottie. I'm just so blasted confused. One moment I wish for it to be true. I want to be a family in the true sense of the word. I want to give Lee what he's always wanted. There is even a part of me that truly wants to be a mother. But then the next minute, I can't imagine that I could ever be capable of such a job. Oh, I'll be a horrible mother!"

"Rosemary, you are a caring, compassionate person. It will just flow out of you, the love you have for this new little one. It will grow as you grow." She motioned to her belly.

"But what about all my goals, dreams, passions? I have to give them all up for a baby? It hardly seems fair."

"Oh Rosemary, no one said anything about giving up your dreams. If that were the case, hardly anyone would brave being a mother. Somehow, a baby becomes a part of your dream, and somehow, someway, your dreams still can happen. They might just modify a bit."

"Or modify a lot."

"Take me for instance. I know there were many years I didn't have my dress shop, but now I do. It has always been my dream. I found a way to make dresses, even before having this little shop, even in the middle of being a mother to Bradley. And look at Abigail. Her dreams are coming true with her cafe and being mayor, all while being a mother to Cody and Becky. Motherhood doesn't diminish your dreams, it just adds to them."

Rosemary wiped at a tear.

"Thank you, Dottie." Rosemary enveloped her dear friend in a genuine hug. "It sure seems I have a new life to navigate."

"Yes, you do. But you aren't in this alone. You have Lee and you have me. And, you'll have the support of the whole town as well when you choose to tell them."

"Oh that reminds me, can I ask you to keep this news our little secret?"

"Of course, Rosemary. This isn't anyone's news but your own."

She fidgeted with her hands. "Um, I also must ask you keep this from, Lee, at this time. You see—"

"You have my word." Dottie smiled.

Rosemary's smile widened. At least she had an absolute answer now. No more guessing game.

The bells on the door jingled, and Florence entered the store, her basket in hand.

"Good morning, Dottie, Rosemary. I'm stopping in to pick up—my don't you two look like the cat that ate the canary. What's going on here?"

Both the ladies giggled.

"Oh, just the start of a superb Christmas surprise." Rosemary sighed.