November Blues (The Jericho Trilogy) by Draper Sharon M

Author:Draper, Sharon M. [Draper, Sharon M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2009-04-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 28

FRIDAY, JULY 2

WHEN NOVEMBER GOT HOME, SHE SAT down and forced herself to eat a tuna salad sandwich, even though she usually avoided fish, and she drank two bottles of water. As she chewed, she thought about all the good stuff her baby was getting. But who was getting her baby? Was she eating well so the Prescotts could buy a healthy kid?

Feeling restless, she flipped through the television channels, stopping at something on the Discovery Network called Critical Delivery. It was all about mothers who had had complications having their babies. I don’t need to be watching this, she thought. Especially today. But once it was on she couldn’t turn it off—it was horrifying and mesmerizing. One mother’s baby died. Another mother was trying, painfully, to deliver two breech babies. She ended up having surgery, but her twins were beautiful when they were shown close-up at the end of the show.

I wonder what this baby will look like, November wondered as the show paused for commercials. Sandy hair and freckles? Skinny legs? Curly dark hair like mine? Strangely, she always visualized Josh rather than herself when she thought about the baby’s looks. Somehow she never pictured a tiny little November in her arms. Only a small Josh.

Finally she forced herself to switch the television off. “I’ve got to get out of here,” she said out loud. She dug in her purse, checked her wallet to make sure she had bus fare and enough to buy a magazine or two, and headed down the street to the bus stop. She figured a trip to the library might help clear her head. She couldn’t remember if Olivia was working today, but she hoped she could hook up with her for a few minutes.

November breathed deeply in the warm summer air—Mrs. Miller’s roses were in full bloom, and the smell was finer than any perfume. The sun on her skin was just warm enough. She almost felt as though she were being bathed in gold. It made her think about one of the best vacations she’d ever had, when her mom had taken her to Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago. She had spent hours lolling on the sand, listening to the rhythm of the surf, and basking in the sun. I love sunshine, November thought happily.

The bus rumbled to her stop and November sat down in the first empty seat. She closed her eyes and thought back to that grainy image on the sonogram. A girl! A baby girl! I wonder how Mom felt when she found out she was pregnant? Did she love me right away? Would she have given me away?

“When are you due?” a young-sounding voice said, interrupting November’s thoughts.

Startled, November looked over. A very pregnant girl was sitting next to her. “Uh, I’ve got about four more months. How about you?”

“The doctor at the clinic says any day now.” The girl wore a very tight hot pink T-shirt stretched over her huge belly and matching pink flip-flops covered with tiny pink daisies.

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