first ultrasound she was pregnant with twins, she thought he’d jump up and dance a jig in the doctor’s office.
“My beautiful fecund Suzanne,” he’d exclaimed, hugging her.
Suzie, though, found the idea of twins terrifying. She had no idea how to take care of one baby.
How on earth would she take care of two? But Damian seemed so happy, which made her happy, too, most of the time.
At his urging, Suzie didn’t register at the university for her return in the fall.
“There’ll be plenty of time to finish your degree later. You wouldn’t want the stress of exams to harm the babies, would you? And besides,” he’d said in a masterful stroke of manipulation, “think of the questions that might arise once it’s known you’re pregnant. If you’re a student still and they find out I’m the father, I’ll be out of a job. Then how could I support my favorite girl and our children?”
He played on her guilt like a finely tuned violin. Suzie would have done anything for him. What he asked for wasn’t that bad, and she could always go back to school once the babies were old enough. And at that point in time, he still treated her like a fragile princess, bringing her treats and delicacies for the babies, healthy ones, of course. He put her on a strict, very healthy diet. One with lots of red meat and protein. She didn’t care. It happened to be what she craved. Mmm, medium rare steak, baked potato smothered in sour cream and Caesar salad. When you’re pregnant, food tastes soooo good!
The one thing Damian stopped once she got pregnant was making love to her. When she asked him why, he claimed it might hurt the babies. Her doctor had told her sex was okay, but if it made Damian feel better, then that was fine. Truth be told, she hadn’t enjoyed lovemaking all that much. It tended to be kind of quick and painful. Nor did she feel especially sexy with her rapidly increasing girth. So they stopped being intimate, but even without the lovemaking, he remained solicitous in other ways.
When she hit thirty-four weeks, though, things changed. While he still brought her home things to eat, he stopped being nice to her. Oh, he didn’t start calling her names, or hitting her. No, he just stopped talking to her. Gone were the sweet compliments, the cuddling, the thoughtful flowers. Instead, 40
all of his focus and attention turned to the babies, his babies, as he liked to call them. His legacy. He began to talk about taking the babies home with him.
“Oh, where do you come from?” she’d asked. “I can’t wait to meet your family.”
He never did answer her, just changed the subject, and she forgot about it for a time. She should have paid more attention, as it turned out.
At thirty-seven weeks and a whopping seventy-five pounds gained, her gynecologist booked her for inducement. Damian paced, even more nervous than Suzie, badgering the nurses and doctors on the status of the babies.
Jared and Jessica were born at three o’clock on a chilly autumn afternoon, weighing in at five pound two ounces for Jared, the first born, and four pounds eleven ounces for her baby girl, Jessica.
Exhausted but happy, Suzie held her two little bundles of love and beamed up at Damian, only to be taken aback by the possessive and cold look in his eyes.
“Aren’t they just perfect?” she’d said, nuzzling them one at a time.
“Yes, he is,” said Damian, scooping Jared up and crowing over him. Suzie, who held Jessica, looked at him in askance. Surely, he meant both babies? Right?
It soon became clear once they got home with their bundles of joy which one he cared about most.
Jared was Damian’s pride and joy. He held him and rocked him to sleep. Told him stories. Would have fed him, too, if he’d had boobs of his own, Suzie used to think nastily. Poor Jessica, he ignored. Damian had the son he’d always dreamed of, and he had no room in his heart or mind for his daughter.
Nor for Suzie.
Nope, she became his unpaid
“My beautiful fecund Suzanne,” he’d exclaimed, hugging her.
Suzie, though, found the idea of twins terrifying. She had no idea how to take care of one baby.
How on earth would she take care of two? But Damian seemed so happy, which made her happy, too, most of the time.
At his urging, Suzie didn’t register at the university for her return in the fall.
“There’ll be plenty of time to finish your degree later. You wouldn’t want the stress of exams to harm the babies, would you? And besides,” he’d said in a masterful stroke of manipulation, “think of the questions that might arise once it’s known you’re pregnant. If you’re a student still and they find out I’m the father, I’ll be out of a job. Then how could I support my favorite girl and our children?”
He played on her guilt like a finely tuned violin. Suzie would have done anything for him. What he asked for wasn’t that bad, and she could always go back to school once the babies were old enough. And at that point in time, he still treated her like a fragile princess, bringing her treats and delicacies for the babies, healthy ones, of course. He put her on a strict, very healthy diet. One with lots of red meat and protein. She didn’t care. It happened to be what she craved. Mmm, medium rare steak, baked potato smothered in sour cream and Caesar salad. When you’re pregnant, food tastes soooo good!
The one thing Damian stopped once she got pregnant was making love to her. When she asked him why, he claimed it might hurt the babies. Her doctor had told her sex was okay, but if it made Damian feel better, then that was fine. Truth be told, she hadn’t enjoyed lovemaking all that much. It tended to be kind of quick and painful. Nor did she feel especially sexy with her rapidly increasing girth. So they stopped being intimate, but even without the lovemaking, he remained solicitous in other ways.
When she hit thirty-four weeks, though, things changed. While he still brought her home things to eat, he stopped being nice to her. Oh, he didn’t start calling her names, or hitting her. No, he just stopped talking to her. Gone were the sweet compliments, the cuddling, the thoughtful flowers. Instead, 40
all of his focus and attention turned to the babies, his babies, as he liked to call them. His legacy. He began to talk about taking the babies home with him.
“Oh, where do you come from?” she’d asked. “I can’t wait to meet your family.”
He never did answer her, just changed the subject, and she forgot about it for a time. She should have paid more attention, as it turned out.
At thirty-seven weeks and a whopping seventy-five pounds gained, her gynecologist booked her for inducement. Damian paced, even more nervous than Suzie, badgering the nurses and doctors on the status of the babies.
Jared and Jessica were born at three o’clock on a chilly autumn afternoon, weighing in at five pound two ounces for Jared, the first born, and four pounds eleven ounces for her baby girl, Jessica.
Exhausted but happy, Suzie held her two little bundles of love and beamed up at Damian, only to be taken aback by the possessive and cold look in his eyes.
“Aren’t they just perfect?” she’d said, nuzzling them one at a time.
“Yes, he is,” said Damian, scooping Jared up and crowing over him. Suzie, who held Jessica, looked at him in askance. Surely, he meant both babies? Right?
It soon became clear once they got home with their bundles of joy which one he cared about most.
Jared was Damian’s pride and joy. He held him and rocked him to sleep. Told him stories. Would have fed him, too, if he’d had boobs of his own, Suzie used to think nastily. Poor Jessica, he ignored. Damian had the son he’d always dreamed of, and he had no room in his heart or mind for his daughter.
Nor for Suzie.
Nope, she became his unpaid
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