Term of Endearment.

We sat in the morning traffic and watched as the clock crept closer and closer to the allotted time of our appointment. We’re going to be late, aren’t we? And indeed we were. Stood at the reception desk twenty minutes after our appointment was supposed to have started. We were told by a unfazed receptionist that the next available appointment was in five hours and that we’d have to come back. It was harmless, the appointment was a routine check-up, everybody is happy and healthy, but it really changed the course of both our days.

We drove back in the direction of home and agreed that a mooch around town, just the two of us, would be the best way of making the most of the situation. And we were right, it was lovely. We got hot drinks and a loaf of bread from the bakery. We popped into a women’s clothing store and picked up some maternity trousers, both of us laughing in disbelief at how she has gone from wearing an XS to an XL in the space of seven months. Went to the theatre to see what films they have coming up, visited the local charity book shop and finally swung by the office to grab my laptop.

We arrived back at the hospital, sat in the waiting room playing the days wordle together. We entered the word birth as our first attempt, to honour our day and our chapter. No letters were fruitful. We laughed it off and pursued playing the game without injecting ourselves into the entries. Until finally, we landed on the correct word, which was, believe it or not mommy. We sat in awe, slack-jawed and somewhat inspired. I looked at her, all beauty and power, world builder, mother (mommy).