A Planned Occasion (Good Intentions collection) by Angie Kim

Author:Angie Kim [Kim, Angie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Published: 2023-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

A week later, William came into their bedroom and opened the curtains. “It’s a beautiful day out,” he said. “Sunny and blue skies, not too hot.”

“Thanks for the weather report. Can you please close the curtains? My eyes hurt.”

“I have something to show you. Could you get dressed and come down? It’s important.”

The way he started to turn back, stopped, and then strode forward to the door made Mina decide to get out of bed. He seemed so tentative as to be afraid, almost like a child about to confess a misdeed, and she wondered what could have made him so vulnerable.

She found him in the kitchen, standing next to the picnic basket, open with a bottle of wine and containers of food nearby.

“What’s going on?” The kitchen tiles chilled the bottom of her feet.

William startled and turned around. “I didn’t expect you to come down so soon.” His face looked jumbled, like a screwed-up kids’ puzzle with a frowning forehead and a smiling mouth.

“I don’t believe this. That’s the big surprise? Going ahead with the picnic plans?” Their fifth anniversary was in a few days, and before everything, they’d planned on celebrating over a picnic. Extra special, she’d said, because of the baby. Their first family party. He’d said he was glad they waited to use the basket, and they’d kissed.

“You don’t understand,” William said. “It’s not just for our anniversary. I thought we could say goodbye to . . . This could help us get closure, move forward.”

It was as if her fury had been compressed, like a balled-up sponge, and was now expanding and filling the crevices throughout her body. She stepped toward him, feeling the soreness in her thighs, the pain around her vagina, the loose softness of her belly, so taut and ball-round just a week ago. “Great idea. Just fabulous. People will be strolling by with their dogs and kids, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, what a beautiful spread. What’s the special occasion?’ and we’ll say, ‘Oh, our baby died, plus it’s our anniversary, so we thought we’d have a nice picnic. Enjoy the sun!’ I can’t believe I didn’t think of this amazing idea myself. Let me change this blood-soaked diaper I’m wearing, and I’ll be ready in a jiffy, honey!” She felt a sharp tingle of her breasts, building and hardening, then the sweet release of milk letdown. Warm wetness spread over her shirt.

William’s face went saggy then. He looked at her with pity (For her? For himself?) and said quietly, “Mina, calm down.”

She knew she should stop, squash the flirtatious venom, but it was as if she were watching a movie already made, unable to change what was coming. “What’s there to calm down about? It’s just a miscarriage, remember? No big deal. We can make plenty more babies.”

William stared at her, his face contorting in different directions, competing emotions fighting under his skin for dominance. He opened his mouth as if to say something, and then he blinked and turned away.

Watching him return the food to the refrigerator, item by item, Mina felt hollow.

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