Normal Life
Chapter 1
By: Bella
"Hey Benj, does this make me look fat?" Tristen asked, examining her 34 weeks pregnant body that was squeezed into one of her new maternity dresses that she had apparently already grown too big for in the mirror.
"Yes," Benji answered, digging around their closet for one of his shoes. He was suddenly interrupted by a small pillow from their bed flying across the room and hitting him square in the back of the head.
"Ouch," he complained, rubbing the back of his head.
"Benji! I can't leave the house, I'm too big for all of my clothes. I've only worn this stupid dress twice and I've already grown out of it!" Tristen whined, laying on the bed and spreading her arms and legs out. She felt like a whale. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy having a baby growing inside of her. She knew what a special time it was, and knew that she and her unborn child already had a most special bond. However, dragging a big belly around wasn't quite as easy as it looked, and she couldn't believe she had to do it for 6 more weeks.
"You're not too big for all of your clothes. You looked nice in that outfit you wore yesterday. And that other one that I said I liked last weekend," Benji said, trying to calm her down. By now she had lost interest though, and was fanning her face with a magazine that she had found near by. Benji watched her, as she lifted her tight dress up and fanned her stomach. He gave her a questioning look.
"The baby is hot, too," Tristen said as she continued fanning her stomach.
"You're crazy," Benji said with a smile, as he gave up looking for his shoe and laid down on their bed beside Tristen with his face near her stomach. He rested his cheek lightly against it. He did this all of the time because he loved to feel close to his unborn baby. This always made Tristen smile because she thought that it was so sweet. He was always resting his head or his hand on her growing belly, and even talking and singing to the baby. She was surprised at how sweet he could be and knew that he would be a wonderful father.
Their sweet little moment was cut short when poor Benji suddenly felt the baby kick his face.
"Ouch! What is it with you people abusing me today?" he said, pretending to be emotionally distraught. He couldn't help but laugh though. "That kid is already strong. Quite the kicker. I was hoping that he would play baseball, but his calling just might be soccer."
"Just like his mommy!" Tristen declared, proudly.
"What do you mean?" Benji asked.
"I played soccer in high school," she replied.
"Oh. I didn't know that," Benji said, feeling weird about not knowing that his wife had played any sports in high school. "I thought you said you were a bookworm."
"Well I was, but I played soccer too. I quit my senior year though, to cram for the SATs," she explained.
"Oh, OK," Benji said. "I sure hope our baby gets your brain."
"That makes two of us," Tristen said with a laugh.
"Hey! First it's physical abuse, now it's emotional abuse, I'm feeling so unloved," Benji pretended to pout.
---
Later that month Benji went into the studio to wrap up Good Charlotte's new album, which was expected to be complete any day now. He was hoping that this day was the day because he was eager to finish it so that he could spend more time at home since Tristen was due in a little under a month now. With the birth not far away, almost everything was ready. The only thing left to be done was to name the baby and for Good Charlotte to finish their album.
Tristen's band had finished their cd a few months previously, and it would be released in six months, which left time for Tristen to have the baby and still live at home for a few months before Pacifica headed out on tour. However, in typical Good Charlotte fashion, Benji and his band had not expected their new album to take quite as long to record as it actually did. However, now that an end was in sight they would see what they could do about touring with Pacifica, so that Benji, Tristen, and their baby wouldn't have to be seperated.
Benji was the last to arrive to the studio that morning, as usual, and saw his bandmates already hard at work without him.
"Morning, bro. Nice of you to show up," Joel said sarcastically. Benji flipped him off and then sat down next to him at the sound board to see what he was doing.
"Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you," he said to his brother. He knew that the bad news would not make Benji happy at all.
"The good news is that the album will be finished today," he began. "The bad news is that you and I have to fly to NY in 2 days."
"What? Why?" Benji began to protest. "I'm not going. Tristen's about to pop!"
"MTV. Some special thing, I forget what, but we have to go. It's OK man, we got it all worked out. Paul and Sandy will be up in Reno visiting Sandy's family, which is only a very short plane ride away if Tristen needs anything. And good lil Billy here is gonna baby-sit Tristen and your unborn spawn while we're gone. We'll only be gone for 3 days, and she's still got a few weeks to go. It'll be fine," Joel tried reassuring him.
"But what if something happens and she needs me? I'll be in New fucking York. Besides, she's not gonna be happy if I leave now," he said. "I can't go."
"She'll be fine. She gets 3 days of quality bonding time with me!" Billy said, trying to convince him that it would be okay.
"I'll read up on it and stuff so that I know exactly what to do if anything happens. And if she pops, I hear those things take hours. You could get back here in time. And I know Lamaze, too. I saw 'Look Who's Talking,'" he added, imitating the popular breathing exercises. "But I know nothing will happen. She'll be fine."
"We have to do it, man. Believe me, I tried to get out of it," Joel added.
"Why????" Benji whined, frustrated.
"Because MTV owns you," Paul said as he looked over to Billy with a sly smirk.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck you," Benji said, glaring at Paul and Billy.
---
"Biiiiiilly Boy!" Tristen called out from her spot on the couch where she had been sitting and watching soap operas all afternoon. "I want some pears and cottage cheese. But not mixed. And the cottage cheese has to have a pinch of sugar. Just a pinch though. Oh, and can you slice the pears thinner this time, please? But make sure they're not all mushy."
"What the hell?" Billy said in disbelief, coming into the family room from the kitchen table where he had been making a grocery list.
"Please? We're so hungry!" Tristen whined and patted her belly.
"No you're not! I just made you popcorn an hour ago and you ate the whole fucking bag," he protested. It was his second day of "baby-sitting" and he was exhausted. He was sure that she was being lazy and acting a little more helpless than she actually was. But, it was obvious that no man stood a chance against a pregnant woman, and especially if that pregnant woman was Tristen.
"Some baby-sitter you are! I'm gonna tell Benji on you!" she said childishly, but began laughing. Billy just smiled and shook his head and headed back to the kitchen to get her some more food.
---
"Holy hell. OUUUUUUUUCH!" Billy said in horror as he and Tristen lay on Tristen and Benji's bed and watched a Discovery Channel special on labor and delivery late that night. Unfortunately for Billy, the special showed a natural birth to its entirety. Tristen had already seen this to prepare herself and was scared to death, but it was Billy's first time and he was suddenly gaining a new found respect for mothers everywhere.
"I knew how it happened and all, but holy shit … when you see it, it's like … holy shit! Vagina's are so underrated. I am so sorry you have to do that," he said, hugging Tristen.
"Gee, don't make me even more scared or anything," Tristen said, rolling her eyes.
"Sorry," Billy laughed. "I can't believe it's gonna happen so soon. I mean, we've only got like a month more to wait."
"3 weeks and 5 days, actually," Tristen said with a smile. "I can't wait to meet my baby. I can't wait to hold it, and smell it, and look at it. I wonder who it will look like?"
"My bet is on Sting," Billy said with a smirk as Tristen shot him a dirty look.
"Do you think it will like me?" Tristen wondered out loud.
"Huh?" Billy asked, confused. "What do you mean do I think it will like you? You're its mother. It will love you. And you'll be a kick ass mother, at that. Of course it will like you."
"Do you really think I'll be a good mother?" Tristen asked, unsure as she placed her hand on her stomach.
"I know you'll be a good mother," Billy said, patting her hand. "And you'll be an even better mother when you name it after me!"