Free PODs by Michelle Pickett Page B

to my bedroom. Tiffany was there, trying to paint moons and stars on the ceiling above the baby’s crib.
    “Tiffany! What are you doing?”
    “Decorating the ceiling. The baby won’t have a mobile. This will at least give it something to look at.”
    I had a good idea, even for me. I went back into the living area and whispered to Katie what I wanted to do. She smiled and nodded.
    I walked over to David, determined to ignore his earlier comment. “Would you help me and Katie?”
    “Sure, Eva.” He smiled.
    Now I just had to get Tiffany out of the bedroom.
    “Tiff? Come on, it’s time for a break.”
    “‘Kay.”
    She meandered into the kitchen, one hand pressed against her back and the other on her belly, and dropped onto a chair. “What’s our MRE lunch for today? Is it spaghetti? Spaghetti? Or… gasp… spaghetti?”
    “Have I told you how much I hate spaghetti?” I pushed my meal away.
    “It’s come up once or twice,” she said with a laugh.
    Tiffany ate her lunch before falling asleep on the couch. She slept most of the afternoon, giving David and Katie enough time to finish the mural around the crib.
    “It’s awesome. She’s going to love it.” I could hardly wait for her to wake up so we could show it to her.
    “It’s not too bad,” David said with a small smile. “It’s the best we could pull off with what we have to work with.”
    “I think it’s beautiful.”
    “Oh, the baby, the baby, we must paint something beautiful for the illegitimate baby,” I heard Josh whine behind me.
    “Stay out of this, Josh,” I said, not turning around.
    “Don’t worry, Evangelina. I don’t want anything to do with the baby or your little surprise party for its mommy.” He stuck his head in the bedroom and looked at the mural. “It’s okay, I guess,” he said, before returning to the dining area to stare at his laptop screen.
    Finally, after what seemed like the longest nap ever, Tiffany woke up. She made her way to the bathroom and we all snuck into the bedroom, giggling like little kids. When she opened the door from the bathroom I called, “Hey, Tiff? Can you come in here a sec?”
    When she walked through the door and saw us all standing there, she looked wary. “Uh, what’s going on?”
    “We got you and the baby a gift. Well, some of us did the work, but the others supervised.” I smiled.
    David chuckled behind me.
    We shuffled to the side, revealing Katie and David’s mural of a summer’s day—the sun shining, birds flying in the sapphire sky, a little stream bubbling over some small stones as it made its way toward the horizon. A large oak tree stood in the center, a swing hanging from one branch. Flowers dotted the lush, green grass, and butterflies danced among them. The ceiling was midnight blue, edged in silver-gray clouds and filled with stars and a crescent moon.
    “Thank you,” Tiffany said between tears. “It’s beautiful.”
    I put an arm around her shoulders. “Well, we aren’t able to give you a baby shower, so we decided to give you and the baby this. Everyone painted something, except Josh. I wasn’t able to paint much, but it was my idea and they did relent and let me paint my own initials in the corner.”
    “Yeah, and even that was pressing her artistic ability to its breaking point.”
    “Very funny, David. Anyway, we thought it would give the baby something to look forward to after the POD is opened. Fresh air, wide open spaces…”
    “Thank you. I don’t know what to say. It really is beautiful.”
    “Here.” David thrust a paintbrush at her. “I thought you might want to paint something on the mural, too.”
    Tiffany looked at the paintbrush and shook her head. “I don’t want to do anything to mess it up.”
    “Then just do a butterfly or flower. Write a message to the baby in a corner. Do anything you want, but do something. It should be from all of us, including you.”
    Holding the paintbrush next to the wall, Tiffany bit her bottom lip.