Pregnant Without a Cause

Chapter Eight, Episode 23

Truth comes out, or come out...

Leigh, the makeup woman, gave Michelle a last swipe below the eyes with the blusher. "That should do it," shesmiled. "You want coffee?"

"No." Michelle didn't need coffee. "Just a minute or two."

Leigh left, closing the door softly behind her. Michelle heard the voices and movements of Jock and the crew in her kitchen and dining room, setting up to film The Romantic Dinner. Michelle and Edouard had retreated to her bedroomto prepare themselves.

The Romantic Dinner was a light, bistro-style dinner of oatmeal-crusted chicken, with tomatoes, mushrooms, andlemon sage cream sauce, which Michelle would have made for Edouard as part of their late-night "tete-a-tay," as Jock called it several times. Would have made, but the food came from some local restaurant, and it was two o'clock in theafternoon, so the crew blacked out the windows, then lit the dark room with candles and tiny colored lights.

In the half-light, almost nothing would be seen of the house, which Michelle didn't mind. She did not need the extra worry about how her dining room furnishings looked to strangers. The focus would be on Michelle and Edouard, dressed up, made up, and lit to look their best. They were going to go out and talk about their real feelings, their deepesthopes and fears, in front of the crew and the cameras.

Edouard sat on the bed next to her, and slipped on his shoes. Michelle said. "I'm losthere."

Edouard looked as worried as she felt. "Don't worry."

They had already done some takes in the kitchen, in lighter makeup and casual clothes, sitting on stools, knee to knee, holding big goblets of red wine. Those takes had not gone well. Edouard could be glib and funny in a group, in a room, but close quarters and intimate moments made him shy. And add in the prying cameras, the imperative toperform, and Michelle's own doubt and confusion, and you had paint drying for excruciating minutes at a time.

Edouard took a sip from the wine glass he was still carrying around. He winced as if tasting brake fluid. "We need a script. We need to know where we are at on this night. This is a big night for our relationship."

"Okay."

"Okay?" He laughed. "Come on, work with me. We've had a rough time, but now we are a team again, working out together, watching each other's calories, being body critical and spirit supportive. All that."

"And that's all true." Michelle flexed her arms, still sore from weight training. "So that's bringing ustogether emotionally."

"But it's not." A sob shook her, and she felt tears running down the fresh makeup. She had thought she could play the role of the jilted lover with him. But it wasn't working. Nothing could put Michelle at ease for the camera when she knew that the camera could see the truth. She might fool the people around her, but the camera could

see it. Could see the full breasts, the sagging tummy, the constant worry about Boomer and Callie, the unbearable tension of living a deception so sick she herself could hardly believe it.

"It's okay." Edouard leaned over to the dresser and popped a Kleenex out of its box.

He handed it to her.

She had to make him understand. "I'm confused, angry, and incredibly sad. And needless to say, I'm not feeling very lovely right now." That was all true, but she couldn't tell him the why of it, because the why was the heart of thelie.

"You can lean on me." Edouard pulled her closer and kissed the corner of her mouth tenderly. His arm brushed her breast and Michelle heard a crinkle, and felt him stiffen. His forearm pulled back and there was another crinkle. Michelle could feel it. And obviously he felt it too.

"What is that?"

"Oh, just the bra. It's a new kind. Poly... something." As casually as she could, she squirmed away from him.

"A new kind? Crepe paper?"

"Ha ha." She said those words so slowly, with such sadness, it even startled her. Edouard drew back, a strickenlook on his face. "What is it?"

Michelle took a deep, trembling breath, finally gripped by resolve. The time had come. Unexpected and unbidden, she had arrived at the moment for at least a little bit of truth. She stood up, went to the bedroom door, and pushed the doorknob to make sure it was latched and locked. Turning to face Edouard, Michelle stood up straight and unbuttonedthe lavender rayon blouse they'd chosen for the dinner scene. She let it slip off her shoulders and it dropped to the floor.

Edouard stared at her, his mystified look too precious to bear. A giggle escaped her, which she knew sounded almostinsane.

She unclasped her bra and let it slide off her arms.

***

Edouard stared at her, stunned. He had just dared to try giving Michelle a little physical affection for the first time in months, and she had burst into tears and started taking off her clothes.

Now, as her bra came off, Edouard understood that she was an alien being. Her breasts were encased in horrible-looking green alien... plant matter. Edouard shivered as images from Invasion of the Body Snatchers exploded in his brain.

The aliens had taken over Michelle's body—which at least helped explain her recent behavior. As Edouard stared transfixed at the bizarre sight, Michelle pinched her breast and the alien green matter peeled away to reveal... herbreast. Edouard almost screamed.

"Cabbage leaves." Michelle peeled off the other one and tossed the green abominations on the floor. "They soothe the breasts."

"The breasts?" Edouard heard his voice but did not understand his own words. "Yes. You know!" Shepointed at them.

Edouard flushed, his stupor giving way to anger in an instant. "I know what they are!

Why do they need to be soothed with lettuce?"

"Actually cabbage." Michelle picked up her bra and put it on.

"Cabbage!"

"Because they are tight, and the nipples are inflamed. It's an old wives' remedy." Back to stupor. "Why are they inflamed?"

"It's automatic. Right after birth. I can't feed him or they'll just keep producing. So they fill with milk. Didn't younotice they were like blimps?"

Edouard shook his head. This was more unbelievable than her body being snatched.

She was telling him that...

"I'm Boomer's mother." She was dressed again, and stood very straight, her arms at her sides. "I had the baby."