Needing More Time

After checking her watch for the second time in five minutes, Ramona grabbed her third breadstick.

“I know we’re eating soon, but I’m starving,” she remarked before snapping off a piece of crispy Grissini. “I don’t know why; I had breakfast this morning. Maybe my period’s coming or something.”

Her best friend, Tanya, giggled from across the table. “It's okay to be hungry. And these breadsticks are amazing, so you may as well enjoy them.”

“Right? Thank you!” Ramona agreed between bites. “I know they tell you—whoever ‘they’ are—not to fill up on bread, but why would you willingly deprive yourself of bread?”

“So true.”

“Also, I never come to this restaurant, so I’m gonna—”

“Honey, you don’t have to justify it to me. I agree with you—bread is delicious and we really should eat more of it. Have as much as you want.”

“But I feel bad, though. You’ve barely eaten two bites of your first breadstick, and here I am shoving down my third.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry. I actually haven’t been super hungry today.”

Ramona wiped the crumbs off her face as she furrowed her brows. “Why did you wanna grab lunch, then? We could always go another day if that would be better.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” Tanya twirled her wedding ring and bit her lip, as if to stifle an incoming smile. 

Ramona popped the last of her breadstick in her mouth before pinching her napkin. Looking up, she couldn't help but grow curious about her friend's reaction.

“Tan, what’s going on?” She leaned in. “Are you and Dan okay?”

“Oh, yeah, we’re great… Really great, actually…”

“Then, what is it?”

Tanya glanced coyly around the room before pressing her fingertips into the table, smiling so wide that her cheeks nearly cramped. 

“I’m pregnant.” She scrunched her shoulders to her ears, releasing her toothy smile to the world. “Oh, man, that feels so good to say out loud! I still can’t believe it. We only just found out about it a few weeks ago and we wanted you to be one of the first to know!”

Meanwhile, Ramona’s eyes widened in slow motion with her mouth agape. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yes! And we couldn’t be more excited about it. I was gonna wait and tell you after we got our food, but ugh, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore!”

As Ramona nodded along with her friend’s excitement, her right hand subtly shifted from her chair cushion to her empty womb. 

“Yeah, I… I don’t blame you…” Ramona’s voice softened. “How far along?”

“Eight weeks, and honestly, I feel great. The food thing is a little tricky, because I’m definitely getting a bit of morning sickness… and afternoon sickness… but who cares?! I have life growing inside of me. I’m gonna have a baby!”

Ramona forced the upper corners of her lips up. She cradled her fingers under her lower belly, gently rubbing her thumb against it. 

“And here I was thinking you just weren’t hungry.”

“Ugh, I know, you’re so sweet that way,” Tanya sympathized, “which actually leads me to the main part of the news.”

Ramona’s feeble eyebrows perked up. “Oh?”

“Yes, well, there’s a reason why I wanted to tell you so early. Dan keeps telling me, ‘Don’t tell people, don’t tell people,’ but he and I agreed that you’re a different case, ‘cause you’ve been my best friend forever and I couldn’t see you all the time without—”

“Tan…” Ramona rested her left hand on the table. “What is it?”

Tanya sandwiched Ramona’s hand between her own, causing Ramona to briefly wince at the chill of Tanya’s gold-adorned fingers. Tanya recentred her gaze to meet Ramona’s before taking a deep breath.

“Dan and I have done some talking,” Tanya said, “and we were wondering if you would be willing to be our baby’s godmother.”

Ramona squeezed her right hand.

“Oh, my goodness…”

“Honestly, there is no woman I trust more with my baby than you. You’ve been my longest and bestest friend, but on top of that, you’re smart, sweet, caring, and so responsible. Sometimes, I feel like you have to be the one to manage me, but now, I guess I’m gonna be the one managing a baby!”

Every time Tanya said the word ‘baby,’ Ramona pressed her womb a little harder. She tried not to blink as she observed her friend’s unfettered delight.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I know this is a lot to ask,” Tanya continued, “and I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about raising a baby, especially since there isn’t… I mean, that you don’t have… but I still trust you as a single parent more than any couple—more than my own parents! And hey, if a man does come along, he’ll have to be the most amazing guy for you to think he’s ‘The One,’ so he’ll have to be good with kids, too.”

Ramona’s eyes trembled as she attempted to take slow, deep breaths. Tanya, who had been looking at her half-eaten breadstick, met her friend’s gaze once again.

“So… Do you have any thoughts? If you want, you can totally—”

“Okay, I have one grilled chicken with veggies…”

Both women glanced up to see their server holding a white porcelain bowl of fresh vegetables, causing Tanya to release Ramona’s hand.

“Oh, that’s mine,” Ramona said as the server planted the dish in front of her.

“Which means that you must have the beet salad,” the server said towards Tanya.

“Indeed I do!” Tanya said as the server lowered her dish. “Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem, ladies,” the server said. “Enjoy.”

As the server walked away, Tanya clanged her silverware. “I’m so glad I could get all that off my chest—I feel like I can actually eat now!”

Now, it was Ramona sitting back in her chair, still holding her womb as she watched her friend devour her salad.

“Oh, so, getting back,” Tanya continued, “did you have any thoughts on… anything?”

Ramona bit her cheek behind sealed lips, smiling and nodding subtly as she looked on to her friend.

“It would be an honour to be your child’s godmother.”

Tanya nearly squealed in delight. “Ahh, that’s so great! I need to hug you.”

Tanya got out of her chair and reached Ramona before she had time to stand up. As Tanya squeezed Ramona’s back, Ramona squeezed her eyes shut, causing one tear to slide down each cheek. Her face grew hotter as she kept blinking repeatedly to clear up her eyes.

When Tanya released her friend and returned to her chair, she noticed Ramona’s eyes had turned slightly pink. “Oh, Mony! Look at you getting so emotional over this! I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have you as a friend.”

The two women sat down as Ramona patted her cheeks dry with her napkin. “Yeah, it’s, uh… it’s definitely been an emotional day.”

When Ramona brought herself to look back in Tanya’s direction, she noticed her friend scooping a mouthful of arugula into her mouth.

“And Tan?”

Tanya looked up. “Hmm?”

Ramona took a deep breath. “I’m so happy you get to be a mom.”

Tanya grinned. “Me too! Thank you for sharing this moment with me. You’re the best friend I could ever ask for.”

Ramona smiled before sliding her right hand onto her chair. “So are you.”