“Why not? People don’t have enough different rooms. I might have a Handbag Room too. Just a small one…” I take a sip of raspberry leaf tea, which according to Suze helps speed up labor, and wince at the revolting taste.
“Ooh, what was that?” says Suze, alert. “Did you feel a twinge?”
Honestly. This is the third time she’s asked about twinges since she arrived this morning.
“Suze, it’s not due for another two weeks,” I remind her.
“That doesn’t mean anything!” says Suze. “Those dates are all a conspiracy by doctors.” She studies me closely. “Do you feel like sweeping the floor or cleaning out the fridge?”
“The fridge is clean!” I say, a bit offended.
“No, you dope!” says Suze. “It’s the nesting instinct. When the twins were due I suddenly got this mania for ironing Tarkie’s shirts. And Lulu always starts vacuuming the whole house.”
“Vacuuming?” I look at her dubiously. I can’t imagine having an urge to vacuum.
“Totally! Loads of women scrub the floor—” She breaks off as the buzzer sounds, and picks up the entry phone. “Hello, the Brandon residence!” She listens for a moment, then presses the entry button. “It’s a delivery. Are you expecting something?”
“Ooh, yes!” I put my cup down. “It’ll be my Christmas things!”
“Presents?” Suze brightens. “Is there one for me?”
“Not presents,” I explain. “Gorgeous decorations. It was so weird — I had this sudden urge yesterday, like I had to get Christmas all sorted before I had the baby. So I’ve ordered new angels for the tree, and an Advent candle, and this gorgeous nativity scene….” I take a bite of cookie and munch it. “I’ve got it all planned for the new house. We’ll have a huge Christmas tree in the hall, and garlands everywhere, and gingerbread men which we can put on red ribbons….”
The doorbell sounds and I head to the door. I open it to see two men holding massive cardboard boxes, plus a huge bulky parcel which must be the life-size models of Mary and Joseph.
“Blimey!” says Suze, staring at them. “You’ll need a Christmas Decoration Room too.”
Hey. That’s not a bad idea!
“Hi!” I beam at the men. “Just put them anywhere, thank you so much….” I scribble a signature and turn to Suze as the guys head out again. “I must show you the baby’s Christmas stocking—” I stop. Suze is looking from me to the boxes and back again with a strange, animated expression. “What?”
“Bex, this is it,” she says. “You’re nesting.”
I stare at her. “But…I haven’t cleaned anything.”
“Every woman’s different! Maybe you don’t clean — you order things from catalogs! Was it like…this sudden really strong desire which you couldn’t fight?”
“Yes!” I can’t help a gasp of recognition. “Exactly! The catalog came through the door…and I just had to order from it. I couldn’t stop myself!”
“There you go!” Suze says, satisfied. “It’s all part of nature’s grand plan.”
“Wow,” I breathe, totally awestruck by my own body. I wasn’t shopping, I was nesting! I must tell Luke.
“And you really don’t feel like cleaning anything?” Suze adds curiously. “Or tidying up?”
I prod my feelings experimentally. “I don’t think so….”
“You don’t feel like washing up those plates?” Suze gestures to the breakfast things in the sink.
“No,” I say definitely. “No urge at all.”
“It just shows.” Suze shakes her head in wonderment. “Every pregnancy is different.”
A new thought has suddenly struck me. “Hey, Suze, if I’m nesting, maybe I’ll have the baby soon! Like this afternoon!”
“You can’t!” says Suze in dismay. “Not before your shower!” Immediately she claps her hand over her mouth.
Shower? Does she mean…baby shower?
“Are you throwing me a baby shower!” I can’t help beaming with excitement.
“No!” says Suze at once. “I…that’s not…it wasn’t…I’m not…”
Her face has turned bright pink and she’s twisting one leg around the other. Suze is such a hopeless liar.
“Yes, you are!”
“Well, OK,” she says in a rush. “But it’s a surprise. I’m not going to tell you when it is.”
“Is it today?” I say at once. “I bet it’s today!”
“I’m not telling you!” she says, all flustered. “Stop talking about it. Pretend I never said anything. Come on, let’s go.”
We take a taxi to The Look, and as we draw near I cannot believe my eyes. This is better than I could have hoped for, in a million years.
There are queues of people snaking round the block as far as I can see. There must be hundreds of them, mostly girls in cool-looking outfits, chattering in groups or on mobile phones. Everyone’s holding a helium balloon with THE LOOK — DANNY KOVITZ printed on it, and music is playing from speakers, and one of the girls from PR is giving out bottles of Diet Coke and “Danny Kovitz” lollies.
The whole atmosphere is like a party. A TV crew from London Tonight is filming the scene and a radio presenter is interviewing the girl at the head of the queue, and as we get out I can see a woman introducing herself to a young, rangy girl as a scout from Models One.