Page 160 of Lost
“Depending on what they are, yes,” I say.
“Okay, that’s amazing. Thank you so much,” she gushes. “What do you think about Nova’s efforts to bring a birth center and child community care to Minneapolis?”
“I think it’s important,” Caleb grunts. “There are people who need non-invasive services who either can’t afford it or don’t know they exist. Nova is especially passionate about post doula care, and involves helping a new mother take care of her newborn.”
“Aren’t packs or the female’s partner supposed to help with this?” she asks. “Granted, I’m not a parent so I don’t know.”
“Babies mean late nights being up to nurse and change diapers,” Lars says. “I’m not a parent either, but if you were a single parent, you’d better believe you’d feel like a zombie during the day. Not only that, it gives parents the ability to get used to the good parts of being a family with a new child.”
You can tell that Nova has taught them well. We’ve been having a lot of conversations about this up until the event because we wanted to know about her passion.
“Bonding with a baby is done at its best when your serotonin levels are at its highest,” I add. “If you’re happy and content, that bond will happen a lot faster. Postpartum depression can also hit anyone at any time. Having another person there who won’t judge you for your struggles can be incredibly empowering.”
Half way through our conversation, Gwen pulled her phone out to begin recording.
“I’m so sorry for this, but this is fascinating. Do you mind if I record? These are all things I’ve never thought about,” she muses.
The three of us state that we don’t mind and Gwen continues.
“I’m particularly intrigued about the children’s interest classes that she wants to have. Story time, Mommy and me, tummy time, etc. These are all developmental topics that people typically do on their own or they find mom friends along the way, right? Why would people want to go to the Center to do them?” she asks.
“You’re assuming that people have friends with children,” Lars grunts. “Society is becoming full of introverts. It’s harder than ever to make friends. There are a few online groups that meet at my cafe to hang out in person. I can always spot the new people because they are so awkward at first.”
“You also have the working moms who are very busy and don’t have much time to socialize,” I add. “Or those who don’t know the first thing about developmental milestones for a baby and are in over their head. If they don’t have younger siblings, how would they know how to care for a child?”
“All true,” she murmurs. “I grew up with a tight knit group of friends, though they’re not speaking to me since I put their mothers in prison as well.”
Gwen says this with a slight wrinkle in her nose, and in that moment, I do feel bad for her.
“For what it’s worth, I think they deserved it if they were wrapped up in the bullshit that ROWS was involved in,” I say gently.
“It may take time for them to understand as well,” Caleb says.
Gwen visibly shakes herself out of her thoughts before continuing the interview. I think if she’s willing to see the world in a different way than she expects, she’ll be just fine.
NOVA
“Nova, dear,” Mrs. Peenworthy says. I honestly almost choked when Hollis introduced her to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say her name with a straight face. “What made you decide to become a midwife? There are a lot of late nights, aren’t there?”
“That all depends on when a baby decides to be born,” I say honestly. “I will say that babies like to come in the early morning though. There’s something about the calm before dawn. I decided to be a midwife during a really dark time in my life. The only way I could think to turn it around was to celebrate someone else’s.”
It’s a very honest answer, but Mrs. Peenworthy is a widow who has outlived her entire pack. She’s in her eighties and something tells me that she doesn’t respect bullshit.
She gazes at me for a long moment before she pulls out a check and rips it up in front of me. I audibly gasp, shocked, and Hollis leans against me to help calm my nerves.
“I need to add a couple more zeros to the amount I wrote out before I came over here,” the widow says with a small smile.
She pulls out her checkbook, and Hollis steps forward with a notebook in her hands for Mrs. Peenworthy to write over.
“Thank you so much,” she says, her voice sounding weak as she fills it out. I don’t think there’s much else that can be described as anything but strong about her as she rips off the check and hands it to me. “Aerial dancing is one of my favorite things to watch. Speaking to you and watching the dancers will make it worth having to see my grandchildren today.”
“Thank you so much,” I murmur, half glancing at the check. It’s enough to make my heart stop, because it’s a million dollars. Holy fuck.
This alone will more than cover buying the building that Hollis showed me.
“What?” she asks as the widow moves away.
“Can you get in touch with the real estate agent so we can walk through the Tider place? I think I’m ready to buy it in cash,” I squeak out.
