Mr. and Mrs. Specter: New Ventures
Chapter 7
Dawned shone bright through the windows, Donna squinted and tried to be sure she was not having to head straight to the bathroom and vomit again. Harvey had not noticed but she had hardly eaten anything in the last three days. She chalked it up to partial nerves over the final go ahead to open her yoga studio and partially the little blessing that was being relentless in allowing her to not have a normal pregnancy.
Harvey turned over and looked at his wife with a smile.
"So, are you excited, Mrs. Specter over your Grand Opening today?"
He was so proud of her. She had hired one person for reception but decided that for now she could cover all the other administrative hats as well as teaching the expectant moms yoga class at least two times starting that day and then two times for three times a week. She had luckily found another certified yoga instructor who was a little farther along than she. Together they would tag team and be sure all expectant moms were not neglected.
"Yes, I am excited. However, I'm not to sure our mini me is excited. I'm afraid to turn my head for fear of vomiting all over you."
Harvey half sat up and stared at his wife. "Still? Shouldn't you be feeling better in the mornings by now? I don't remember your morning sickness lasting this long before?"
Donna experimented rising and trying to sit up in bed, so she could get ready for the day. She felt the earth swirl, so she lie back down.
"I haven't told you because I don't want you to have another heart attack..."
"Donna! I'm fine. I have had no chest pains or anything, honey," Harvey said staring at his beautiful flame haired bride. He placed a hand on her little bump.
"Hey, mini-me, this is daddy. Give mommy a rest, will ya? She's has classes to teach, you know. Love ya, kiddo," Harvey said placing a kiss where his hand had rested. He felt Donna reach down and stroke his hair which had severe bed-head.
Donna was finally not too wobbly and decided to get ready in the bathroom while Harvey saw to their other two little ones. Amanda had been seemingly conscious of her mommy not feeling well while Gordon was too preoccupied with his latest Hot Wheel Corvette to notice anything was wrong at all.
As she heard the children and Harvey singing a SpongeBob Squarepants song while Harvey made breakfast for them, Donna looked in the mirror and almost lost the contents in her stomach. Luckily she would have her monthly checkup in a week.
"Well, suck it up, Paulsen. This is the first day of your own business," Donna said to herself in the mirror and brushed her teeth while fighting off constant nausea.
Meanwhile in the kitchen the children had finished their father's pancakes off without a complaint.
"Daddy?" Mandy said looking up with her father with a big quizzical eyes.
"Yes, Mandy," Harvey answered kissing the pancake mix off his daughter's turned up nose. She had helped him and luckily had remembered to double over one of Donna's aprons or she would have had pancake flour all over her school uniform. Donna would have killed him.
"Are we going to give Mommy some pancakes?"
"I don't think Mommy is feeling up to eating them."
"The baby in mommy's tummy making her sick, isn't it?"
"Now what makes you think of that?" Harvey asked. He realized that Amanda was very bright and not a lot could get by her. Just like her mother, Harvey thought with a little smile.
"Because she was not sick like that before," Amanda reasoned as she put the quart of milk in the refrigerator while Harvey cleaned off the kitchen bar.
Harvey crouched down so he could look Amanda in the eye. He kissed her little cheek and said, "You noticed that, too. What do you think we should do about it? You know Mommy she doesn't want us to think she's neglecting us."
Gordon decided at that moment to join his sister and father in the kitchen.
"We could hug mommy?" Gordon said excited.
"Yes, we need to give her lots of hugs and we have to be good so Mommy doesn't get upset, right?"
"What is this little conference going on?" Donna asked as she sneaked up behind her daughter and saw her husband in his thousand dollar plus suit crouching down in front of his children.
Donna was dressed in her work clothes. A lace overlay blue dress with long sleeves. She wore moderate blue heels to match.
Harvey rose and said, "You hardly look like you're teaching Yoga today?"
"I decided to change when I get to my new office in the center. So come clean what are you three contemplating?"
Harvey said to Amanda and Gordon. "Kids, get your coats and backpacks. Mommy and I will be out in one minute."
After the children scampered off, Harvey rose and eyed his wife. He took a step forward and patted her tummy and then kissed her.
"It's no good hiding it from us any longer. This pregnancy is not doing you any good. Amanda knows you've been sick."
"So what are you three going to do about it?"
"Well, I promise to be home more and take some burden off you. Amanda and Gordon will try to give you more hugs."
Donna smiled and said, "That's the best thing they could do for me. Mommies can never get enough hugs."
That's when Harvey hugged Donna and both Amanda and Gordon joined him by putting their little arms around Donna as well.
Donna hurriedly walked up to her new business and proudly unlocked the door. Her admin was not due in for another hour, so Donna decided to walk around the place and be sure that all was in order for the first day. Donna's first order of business was to see what and who was on the schedule for today besides herself.
The first yoga class which was basic was to be given by a young woman who had become certified a couple of years ago and wanted to expand her teaching classes. Noting all the other classes scheduled including her own, Donna went back to her office with the private bathroom/dressing room to change.
After changing into her yoga pants proudly showing the little baby bump, she walked back out to the lobby to welcome her first two instructors and administrator who had reported earlier than expected. Donna liked that the people she had interviewed and chosen were conscientious about their jobs.
The first instructor was the small young woman named Jackie whom Donna hired on the spot. The second woman was a bit taller and blonde with a body that would stop a clock. Donna thought she could not have gotten that body just by doing yoga. Denise was her name, and Donna had been correct. Denise had been a fitness model and aerobics instructor for ten years and decided she wanted to pursue teaching her new passion which was yoga.
Her admin that she had interviewed and chosen was a woman roughly around Donna's age who had been a secretary much like Donna. Her name was Amelia. Donna and she had shared so many similarities right down to the red hair that Donna knew Amelia was the one for the job. Besides physical similarities, Amelia could handle Quickbooks, Excel, and many other applicable business applications that Donna had taken from the law office into her own.
When Donna's entire staff had reported in at 8:00 am, she held a little conference in the large kitchen/cafe area of the center. She had a continental breakfast catered to welcome her staff for the first day.
Donna dressed her new black yoga pants with a striped yoga tank and matching jacket went to the center of the tables to give a little welcoming speech.
"Hello, Ladies: I am Donna Paulsen Specter, the proprietor of the New Life Yoga Center. I welcome you all to a new, hopefully, beneficial experience of working here. You have all been chosen carefully by myself and I chose you as the best of your respective positions. As you can see, I am carrying a new life (turning to the side and cradling her baby bump in both hands). This little person has been an unexpected blessing. For the other expectant moms who are instructors, I am sure I don't have to remind you of the very important part you play as instructors for your students. Yoga has been very beneficial to me during my two previous pregnancies although I had complications with Amanda, my oldest child. If you have any issues either with your health and the health of your baby or that of your expectant moms, please do not hesitate to contact Amelia or me. We have both been certified in CPR and have medical contacts who can be here quickly.
As for my other instructors, the same holds for you as well.
This studio is a dream come true for me. I think I must have wanted this as I watched my husband and his lawyer friends solve case after case while I sat outside and answered the phones. My husband and my coworkers always told me that they knew I ran that firm from my cubicle right outside my husband's office. So after a few years of being jack-of-all trades personally and professionally I finally understood what I had wanted-to have my own business. As you know my husband carries a huge reputation in the corporate law world and it is with his blessing that I have this dream of my own. So I just want to say that this day is very special to me as are all of you.
If you should need anything or find something not quite to your liking, please do not hesitate to let me know or Amelia. Now as it is almost 8:30 and our classes are due to begin, I wish us all good luck and God's blessings on our first day of business."
Donna gave handshakes and personal good wishes to all the instructors as they walked out of the kitchen on the way to their respective spacious studios. As Donna's first class was not scheduled until 10:00 am, she went back to her office to examine a few new pieces of paperwork that had come in the mail. She stepped into her office and saw immediately a huge bouquet of flowers in a curved purple glass vase sitting on her desk. The flowers were all colors of the rainbow and all types of flowers from a lavendar hyacinth to a dark orange zinnia. Donna smiled. She walked to her desk and retrieved the card.
"To my beautiful wife, Donna, on her first day as owner of her own business,
May this first day bring you happiness you deserve. I miss you here, though"
Love from your biggest fan,
Harvey
Donna smiled and kissed the card. She immediately put it in a special place in her desk. She would always keep that as a memento of her first day.
Still smiling from the card and the flowers, she smoothed down her knit top over her baby bump and sat down ready to tackle the day.