The food is out of a lucid dream: colorful pastries of all shapes and sizes.
Luna is thrilled, and I remind Ted that this is a rare opportunity when I see the look on his face as he stares at the baked goods.
Everything tastes yummy, and I make a mental note to ask for the recipe or something from the chef.
When I didn't think it could get any better, the music and dancing started, and I watched in awe at everything unfolding right before my eyes.
This is the best turn the day could have taken. Considering how everything felt when I woke up, I felt much lighter than expected.
Ted has a sweet look on his face when I steal a glance at him. I suddenly feel a bit shy after my bad mood in the morning. I should have pushed back against him in the kitchen. Then we could have…
The performers clap their hands at the end of their performance, and I join in. That was a marvelous show.
Luna looks around and notices that all the grown-ups are clapping, and she joins in. Ted claps as well and goes a step further to congratulate them.
A mesmerizing mermaid show comes next, and we're all breathtaking, Luna especially, by the artful display of colors and underwater dances. It feels like we entered through the doorway of a completely different universe.
Everything here feels like a breath of discovery, and I'm almost sad to leave, but I promise to revisit the park when I need a serotonin boost.
I quickly reminded Ted about the baby products on the way to the house, and he drove into the nearest mall.
He promises not to waste time as he heads inside the mall. I wind down the window and inhale as the cool breeze ruffles my long brown hair.
I can see my reflection in the rearview mirror, and the happiness in my hazel eyes seems to be disappearing slowly.
In search of something to distract myself, I turn on the radio, and a Backstreet Boys hit is playing.
I sigh happily as I hum the tune, and when I see that Luna is also enjoying it, I start singing out loud and whip my hair.
It's a show in here, and I'm laughing from the bottom of my heart when Ted appears. His countenance is dark, and just like that, all the elation gets sucked out of the car windows.
I'm worried as he sits as if something is weighing him down. "What is it?"
I didn't expect the following words from him. "What episode did you have?" Ted asked me bluntly. The question was so out of the blue.
"Excuse me?" The incredulity is loud in my voice.
"Yeah, I just ran into my mother, and she mentioned something about an episode?"
Oh. Fuck. I thought quickly and opened my mouth wordlessly a few times. He's staring at me with a stony look, and I know right then that the only way out is through the truth.
"I was pregnant for you, Ted." My voice breaks as I make the revelation. I see Ted suck in a sharp breath, and I look away when I feel tears blur my vision.
"What?" He has gone still.
"But the babies were stillborn, or so I was told." I laugh humorlessly and continue. "I had quite a strong reaction to the news. I had been expecting to hold my babies, and instead, after all the pain and exhaustion, I was told that I had lost them. So, yeah, I snapped a little."
Ted's mouth is open halfway, and he blinks quickly as if trying to process the bomb I dropped in his lap. "You said...babies. As in more than one?"
"Mm-hmm," I nod my head and wipe my cheeks. There's a lot more moisture than I expected. "I was put in a mental facility for about fifteen months because I couldn't quite wrap my head around what had happened to me. And I was discharged from the mental health facility just before you returned with your daughter, Luna."
"Why didn't you call me? Why wasn't I even informed about the pregnancy? Ted frowns and clenches his fist.
He seems to want to hit something, which I can relate to. That was how I felt ever since I had the twins.
“I found out that I was pregnant after you left, and trust me, I tried to reach out to you. To tell you."
"Right." Ted doesn't sound convinced.