literature

Suburbitalia Ep. 9: The Baby Shower Brawl Pt. 1

Deviation Actions

iMariposa's avatar
By
Published:
2.8K Views

Literature Text

Monika Beilschmidt was busily bustling around her half-brother’s home, one Saturday afternoon. The house was almost devoid of occupants, but she was anticipating the small crowd of people that would soon arrive for the baby shower that would be held there. She loved organizing things, but she could never seem to avoid a sense of panic that coursed through her nerves during the last few hours before she pulled anything off. She didn’t mean to get stressed out, but the others that she was depending on could be so unreliable. With just about an hour to go until the baby shower was due to begin, neither the food nor drinks had arrived, neither had her brother-in-law returned her call to update her on how he was getting along in picking up their parents. Sighing, she walked into the living room and flopped onto the sofa, while she texted Roderich Edelstein, reminding him to keep his pregnant fiancée busy for another hour.

In the same room, her younger sister, Julchen, was perched on a stepladder, hanging streamers from the ceiling.

“We’re on the last hour, not the last minute,” Julchen said as she glanced at Monika. “Don’t look so worried. They’re all on their way.”

“I told them I wanted everything here by now, so that I could set up. This is the first child of a brand new generation of Beilschmidts, Julchen,” Monika moaned. “I want this shower to be memorable.”

“Well, you’ll have Vati, Mutti, Frederich, and Vivian together in an enclosed space, plus Sebastian and Roderich, and Gilbert and Cecelia. I don’t think you’ll have to worry too much about the shower being memorable.”

Monika groaned in response, as she ran her hands nervously through her blonde boycut hair. “I didn’t want to make it memorable in that way.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like we’re going to avoid it – I mean, you’re the one who showed me that email from Vivian. I’m definitely following Eszter’s advice and keeping my camera at the ready.”

“Let’s not dwell on that now, please. Hey, do you hear that?” The girls froze and cocked their ears towards the front door.

“It sounds like a car pulling into the yard,” Julchen remarked. Monika jumped up from her seat and rushed to the door. She breathed a heavy, relieved sigh, when she recognized the car as belonging to her older sister, Annelise.

“Could you grab the other tray from the back seat?” Annelise asked, toting a large baking tray of cupcakes as she hurried past Monika and into the house. After retrieving them all from the car, the women stood in the kitchen, and Monika inspected the trays.

“These look beautiful, Annelise,” she beamed.

“Thank you,” her sister said, flattered. “These over here aren’t any ordinary cupcakes either – these are cheese-cup-cakes, made specially for Liz,” she added, gesturing towards a particular set of cupcakes.

“She’ll love them,” Monika grinned. “She’s been craving cheesecake a lot since she got pregnant.”

“Go on and taste one,” Annelise encouraged. Monika took a bite out of the nearest cake, and savoured it’s sweet flavour and moist, soft texture. She turned to Annelise to praise her hard work, when she noticed that her sister seemed a little preoccupied while she removed the other cakes from the tins.

“Everything okay?” Monika asked. Annelise nodded. “You look like something’s bothering you,” Monika insisted.

“Monika,” Annelise sighed, “can I share a secret with you?” Monika agreed, nodding silently. “You know how Roderich and I have always competed as children?” Monika nodded again;of all of their siblings, Roderich and Annelise shared the closest resemblance, sharing their mother’s brown hair and violet eyes, but their history was rife with constant squabbles and rivalries. “I thought I’d gotten over all that long ago, but it seems like it never went away. You know, I always felt like Roderich got so much more of our parents’ time and attention, because there was always some dispute going on between his father and our mother. It bothered me, because I wanted more attention from Mutti – I was the oldest girl and I didn’t have an older sister to look up to; I wanted a special bond with my mother, bu I felt like Roderich was always getting it instead.” Monika noted that Annelise was very upset, her eyes becoming glassy as they filled with tears. “I thought that I wouldn’t feel that way anymore after we got older; I thought I was more confident about what I’d achieved, and that Mutti would be proud of me; I didn’t realize at the time that I was still competing with Roderich. After all, he’d shacked up with his girlfriend, and I’d gotten married; he was just a librarian, and I was a college graduate with my own business. I thought that I was better than him. And then Liz got pregnant. Monika, Daniel and I have been trying to have a baby for a while now. I wanted to give Mutti her first grandchild, but Roderich beat me again.” A tear slid down Annelise’s cheek. “I didn’t tell anyone, because I was embarrassed and I thought that it would just go away. But sometimes I get so upset about it. I’m so selfish – Liz is always so nice to me, and I’m married to her own brother. I should be happier for her.” Monika grabbed a paper towel as a few more tears escaped Annelise’s eyes, and handed it to her sister. “I’m sorry. I’ve always been so selfish. I’m a terrible sister.”

Monika embraced her sister tightly. Annelise didn’t often share personal struggles with her, preferring to confide in their mother, so the confession took her by surprise. “Hey, Annechen,” she said, “sometimes I get pretty jealous of you too.”

“What?” Annelise asked. “Why would you be jealous of me?”

“Because you’ve always been the ‘pretty one’ of the family. When we were kids, you were always popular, and all the boys liked you, and Mutti always tried to make me dress up and be girly like you. You always seemed so perfect. Even now, I can never dress up or do my makeup quite like you can.”

“But Monika, you’re so athletic, plus you have a great body and you never get fat. Besides, everyone thinks that blondes are special. You don’t have anything to be jealous about.”

Monika pulled away and smiled at her sister. “You see? Jealousy is stupid, but it happens to everyone. Maybe you should talk to Mutti about it. I’m sure she’d understand. If Mutti ever had a favourite daughter, it would definitely have been you.”

Annelise smiled as she wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Monika. That was very wise of you.”

“Well, I had a wise older sister to teach me,” the younger Beilschmidt winked.

At that moment, Julchen walked into the kitchen, stopping in her tracks when she noticed Annelise’s runny mascara. “What’s going on in here?” she asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” Annelise assured her.

“Okay, well, I’ve gotta go now.”

“Why are you leaving?” Monika asked. “Did you finish the decorations?”

“Yeah. I’ve gotta take care of something in town,” Julchen explained, nonchalantly flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.

“Um, okay. Don’t be too long, please. We want to start in forty-five minutes.”

“Sure,” Julchen replied, turning around and leaving.

“Well, that took enough of our time,” Annelise said, smiling at Monika. “Let’s get these cupcakes out onto the table.”

0o0o0o0o0

Lars Morgens sighed contentedly as he leaned back into his seat in the bus, and gazed out of the window at the scenery speeding past him. It wasn’t his first time returning home from prison, but the awareness of his newly regained freedom was just as invigorating as it had been the first time. The possessions that he carried with him were few, and packed neatly into the backpack that sat at his feet. Finally rid of his tacky prison jumpsuit, he was relieved to be dressed again in his usually style – clean, neat, and fashionable. A woman at the other side of the bus smiled flirtingly at him, and he smirked to himself, realizing that none of the other passengers suspected that he had just left prison. Even if they did, he reasoned, it wasn’t as if he had killed anyone; possession of illegal drugs was no charge for anyone to be alarmed about.

After the long drive from the city, the bus finally pulled up at Hetaburg’s busy bus depot, and Lars exited along with the other passengers. When he had finally cleared the crowd of people, he stood and looked around for his girlfriend. It didn’t take him long to find her, comfortably seated at the end of a bench and glued to the screen of her tablet. Smiling, he sauntered over to her. As if sensing his presence, she looked up suddenly, and spotting him, squealed and ran over to him, where he caught her in his arms, lifted her up and swung her around before setting her down again.

While Lars certainly didn’t look his age, it was clear that he was considerably older than Julchen was. However, any onlookers who might have mistaken him for her father or uncle would have been surprised when, after setting her back on the ground, they embraced each other and kissed tenderly.

“Gosh, I missed you,” Julchen whispered, tiptoeing to bury her face in his shoulder, and inhaling the woody scent of his cologne. “I’m so glad you’re back. How did you get out so soon?”

“Well,” Lars smiled, his green eyes gazing into her crimson ones, “I knew that if I behaved myself I would get out early, so I just kept thinking about you, and remembering that the less trouble I got into, the sooner I could come back home to you –maybe even finally convince you to move in with me.”

“Aww.” Julchen lowered herself onto the soles of her feet and nuzzled into his chest, seemingly forgetting that they were in a very public place. After a few seconds, she looked up at him. “Did you keep your promise?” she asked tentatively.

“How could I do anything else when I knew I had you to come home to?” Lars assured her, massaging a sensitive spot on the back of her neck.

“Did you get any tattoos?”

“Of course not!” Lars was quite vain, and wouldn’t even think of deliberately marking and scarring his flawless skin. “And what about you? Did you take good care of my baby?”

“Absolutely,” Julchen grinned. Lars seemed pleased that she had been running his flower shop well in his absence.

“And what about my other baby?”

“Your rabbit? She’s in perfect condition, apart from the fact that she misses her Daddy.”

“Great. So who’s been taking care of my other baby while I’ve been gone? I’ve at least got to thank him for keeping you in good condition before I beat him up.”

Julchen laughed. “No one – I’ve been taking good care of myself until you got back.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Sounds like everything is in order. Let’s get something to eat, and then we can go home and catch up on everything we missed out on for the last few months,” Lars suggested, leaning down to Julchen’s height to kiss her again.

“Actually, I can’t,” she said reluctantly. “We’re having a baby shower at my brother’s house for his fiancée. I’ve already missed a lot of it.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice.” Lars was understandably not in the best standing with Julchen’s family (at least with those who knew the details of his incarceration) since her brother, Ludwig had aided in his arrest following a drug bust, and Lars’ accomplice had been found guilty of delivering the bullet that had pierced Ludwig’s chest. Despite all of that, he didn’t hold any animosity against them. “I guess I can’t hold you back then. Did you bring the van?”

Julchen nodded. “It’s parked down the street.”

“Let’s go then. I’ll drop you off at the house.” They walked together to where Julchen had parked the blue minivan, the side of which was emblazoned with the words “Morgens’ Flower Shop”. It was originally an eight-seater, but Lars had had the backmost seat removed in order to create more space for transporting large bouquets and wreaths. He was pleased to find that the inside and outside of the van had been kept in immaculate condition. When he got into the drivers seat, he tapped his fuzzy dice lovingly, then turned the key in the ignition, feeling freedom’s rush course through him again. He rolled up the van’s tinted windows, started the air conditioning to a pleasantly chilly temperature, and tuned the radio to his favourite hip-hop station. As he drove his car through his neighbourhood with his girl riding shotgun, he had to conclude that it was truly satisfying to be back at home.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Please make a clear path to the bathroom.

Roderich tapped ‘send’, and prayed that Monika would see the text message before he returned home. He glanced over at his fiancee, Elisaveta Hedervary, who was staring out the window of their car while she bounced her legs furiously. After a long day of baby-shopping, plus a lot of water-drinking to keep the swelling in her feet down, added to the weight of an eight month old fetus on her bladder, Liz seemed only seconds away from losing 70% of her body content in the passenger seat of the car. Roderich regretted that they were stuck in traffic on the highway, or he would have stopped at any place that he could have, in order to relieve her.

“Are you sure I can’t just squat next to the car and get back in?” Liz whined. “The traffic isn’t going anywhere.”

“No, but there are police officers around and they’ll charge you for indecent exposure,” he warned.

“But I’m pregnant,” Liz argued. “Nobody punishes pregnant women.”

“Let’s not risk it,” Roderich replied. He craned his neck through the window, and peered up the road. There appeared to have been an accident ahead of him, but Hetaburg’s archaic street designs, reminiscent of the days of sparse traffic, allowed no opportunity for a detour. “You can handle this,” he assured her. “Just pretend that we’re at Dr. Arlovski’s office – we’re waiting for an ultrasound appointment.”

“Ugh, I hate waiting for an ultrasound. Thank God, only one more until the baby’s born.”

“Right. So let’s pretend it’s that one.”

Roderich patiently leaned back in his seat as Liz groaned beside him, willing the traffic to hurry along.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Liz could barely remain seated by the time she arrived at the house. Before the car had parked properly, she leapt outside, and ran towards the front door, seemingly forgetting that she was quite pregnant.

“Lizzie!” Roderich called, wishing that she wouldn’t run so fast. With her fiance hurrying behind her, Liz flung the front door open, and burst inside.

SURPRISE!” her guests cried, all at once. Liz froze for a moment, then grinned.

“Roderich . . .” She turned to the brunet, who stood behind her, smiling. “What’s all this?”

“Well, Liz, its- ” Before he could finish his sentence, Liz started hopping, and then dashed into the bathroom. Roderich sighed and looked at the others, who all seemed bewildered.

“Sorry, everyone,” he smiled. “Liz is having a ‘pregnant lady’ moment.”

After a few minutes, he rapped on the bathroom door. “Are you alright in there, Liz?”

“Yes dear,” she called cheerfully. She cracked the door and her arm appeared, holding out the jeans that she’d been wearing, which now boasted a large wet area. “Could you bring me some new pants please?”

After changing into clean clothes, Liz rejoined her guests in the living room, the lot of them comprised of hers and Roderich’s families, along with their friends. While she talked with her sisters-in-law, cooing over what a pleasant surprise they had given her, Roderich hung beside her anxiously. As his eyes darted back and forth, he noted silently, that while all of the guests were mingling around the room, the Beilschmidts and Edelsteins, especially the parents of each family, were carefully avoiding each other. He knew that they couldn’t stay separate for long; like a ticking time bomb, the heavy tension between them was waiting for the opportune time to erupt into an ugly confrontation.  He glanced over at his partner who was glowing with delight, and vowed that he would do whatever he could to keep the afternoon peaceful and stress-free, for her sake.

While he was thinking, Liz’s father, a large, loud man with a booming voice, came up beside him suddenly, and threw one muscular arm around his shoulders.

“So, Roderich,” Gabriel Hedervary bellowed, “you turned out to be the one to start the new generation of Beilschmidts and Hedervarys, didn’t you?” Like the rest of his family, Gabriel had a cheerful, rambunctious disposition that Roderich appreciated, himself being more disposed to tension and melancholy. Roderich’s stepfather, Alaric Beilschmidt, stood beside him; Alaric had a much calmer demeanour than Gabriel did, and looked regal as he stood quietly, his golden tresses cascading down his back in a half ponytail. Roderich noted that his Vati always seemed like a large man himself, except when he stood next to Gabriel.

“I suppose I did,” Roderich replied. He hadn’t thought of it that way, and the realization seemed to place a weighty burden on his shoulders.

“I’m glad,” Alaric said. “The new generation will start off well.” Gabriel patted Roderich heartily on the back, then moved away to speak to his daughter. Vati moved closer and surprised Roderich with a warm hug. “I’m proud of you,” he said into Roderich’s ear.

“Thank you, Vati,” Roderich answered. Alaric moved on to extend congratulations to Liz as well, so Roderich excused himself to a corner of the room where his brothers, Gilbert and Ludwig were standing. Gilbert was Alaric’s son, but didn’t share Roderich’s mother, so he was only a stepbrother to Roderich. Ludwig, however, had been born after their parents’ marriage; like the other Beilschmidt siblings, he and Roderich were related only by their mother. Roderich was always painfully aware of these things, but Gabriel and Vati’s comments suddenly made him very conscious of his family’s complex structure. He was beginning to wonder, would his child belong to the Beilschmidt family, or only to the Edelsteins?

As he stepped over, Ludwig handed him a drink in a plastic cup; sipping it, he realized that it was beer. He didn’t like to drink around Liz while she was pregnant, but he was grateful for the drink, if only to help his nerves to relax.

“It’s suddenly occurred to me,” Roderich remarked, “that usually, only women attend baby showers. What are we supposed to do here?”

“I’m not sure, really,” Ludwig replied. “This seems to be just like a wedding – all about the women.”

“Speaking of which,” Gilbert added, “are we going to meet back here soon for a pre-wedding party?”

“Liz and I are going to concentrate on that after we’re settled with the baby – so, within the next year or so.”

“With so many good things lined up, you must be excited,” Ludwig said.

“You can’t imagine,” Roderich smiled. He glanced at his fiancée again, who was beaming with delight. She was currently showing her engagement ring off to her mother, no doubt discussing the same thing. As his eyes swept the room, he noticed the Edelsteins standing together, talking to his best friend, Basch Zwingli. He had spoken to his father, Frederich Edelstein, briefly, while Liz was in the bathroom, but he hadn’t spoken to his stepmother as yet. Apparently, she had been helping Annelise in the kitchen.

“You’ve made me very happy, son,” his father had said, hugging Roderich tightly. “I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be the first to carry on my lineage.”

“Thank you, Papa,” Roderich had beamed.

“I hope you’re still intending to marry Elisaveta,” Frederich had added.

“Absolutely,” Roderich had nodded.

“Very well,” Frederich had replied. “As they say, all’s well that ends well.”

Presently, Roderich felt his insides constricting as he anticipated the imminent conversation with his stepmother. Vivian Edelstein had very high-minded ideals about which she was very outspoken; while Frederich had been subtle in his encouragement to Roderich to marry, Vivian was sure to be much less tactful. Thankfully, she was currently turned away from him. Roderich’s half-siblings Sebastian and Cecelia, were facing his direction and quickly caught sight of him. Sebastian wasn’t fond of Roderich, so he delayed before walking over; Cecelia, however, hurried right over.

“Roddy!” she cried, hugging her elder brother, and kissing his cheek. “What a lovely occasion! I’m so happy for both of you!” Cecelia, like her mother, had curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her personality reminded Roderich of thick jam – sweet, but cloying in large doses.

“Thank you, Cecelia,” Roderich smiled. “Did you get a chance to speak to Liz?”

“Not yet, but I’ll talk to her when there isn’t such a crowd around her.” She turned to Ludwig, who was smiling wryly at her; Cecelia always seemed to amuse him. “Luddy,” she said, grabbing his hand, “you’ve grown up so much! It’s been such a long time since I saw you - Roderich’s graduation, I think.”

“Yes, I believe so,” he replied.

“Goodness, we were just little kids then! You’re looking very well,” she said. She finally turned to Gilbert, who had been avoiding her gaze the entire time.

“Gilbert,” she crooned, “it’s always such a pleasure to see you.” Gilbert finally met her admiring gaze, just in time to catch her batting her eyelashes at him, as she scaled her wide-eyed grin down to a coquettish smile.

“Likewise, Cecelia,” he muttered. Ludwig smirked as he watched Cecelia draw closer to Gilbert.

“You’re looking exponentially better than the last time that we met,” she continued. “What have you been up to?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Gilbert answered, trying to sound as boring as possible. “Just work and . . . work.”

“So you’ve been working hard,” Cecelia replied, undaunted. “That’s admirable. Aren’t babies just adorable, guys?” She took hold of Gilbert’s hand, and massaged his fingers gently. “I’d like to have a few babies someday – after I get married, of course. Wouldn’t you, Gilbert?” Gilbert smiled nervously; he usually prided himself as being a veritable don juan, but Cecelia’s relationship to Roderich made her too close for him to even consider her as a lover.

“I guess,” he mumbled. “Probably . . . wait, are you talking about babies, or marriage?”

“Oh, Gilbert!” she gasped, slapping his wrist as if he’d said something mischievous. “We can’t go putting the cart before the horse, now!” She flashed him a quick, suggestive grin.

“Um . . . okay . . .”

“So what do you think would make a good wife? I would want to marry someone kind and handsome; and of course someone strong enough to father healthy babies.” After another teasing smile, Gilbert decided that he’d had enough of that conversation, and threw a pleading glance to his brothers.

“While we’re on the topic, Cecelia,” Ludwig interjected, “I’ll have to introduce you to my girlfriend before you leave.”

“Oh, is she here? That would be lovely!”

While Roderich chuckled at the scene playing out before him, a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. He turned to find Sebastian standing beside him. Sebastian and Roderich shared their father’s brown hair and height, as well as his stern expression. They looked alike enough to be mistaken for full siblings, but Sebastian didn’t consider Roderich to be a part of his family at all, and quite resented him.

“Congratulations and best wishes to you and Elisaveta, Roderich,” he said stiffly.

“Thank you, Sebastian,” Roderich said. “Please, do extend congratulations to Liz personally as well. I don’t think you two have formally met as yet.”

“I can’t promise that I will,” Sebastian answered, glancing to where the female guests were still flocking around Elisaveta. “My own fiancée is awaiting my company and I may not be able to stay for much longer.”

“Very well,” Roderich relented, while Cecelia begged Sebastian to stay. Sebastian refused to acknowledge either Ludwig or Gilbert; while he thought little of Roderich, he thought even less of the Beilschmidts.

“Cecelia,” Ludwig said, interrupting her while she pleaded with her brother. “Isn’t Flavius coming?” Flavius was the youngest of the Edelstein siblings. Unlike the rest of his family, he held the Beilschmidts in very high regard, especially Ludwig, whom he had taken a liking to after meeting him as a child. Now that he was older, he visited them quite often; however, since he had gone away to university in another city, he hadn’t been able to visit for a while.

“Oh, Flavie was trying to make it here from school. Last I heard from him, he was having some transportation issues, but he promised that he would try very hard to be here.”

Ludwig seemed disappointed. “I sure hope he makes it.”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Monika walked into the kitchen, where Annelise and Feliciano were working on another platter of snacks to be taken the table.

“I need more cupcakes for the mother-to-be,” Monika called from the doorway, not wanting to get in their way.

“I’m so glad that she loves them,” Annelise answered, in a much better mood by now.

“They’re over there on the counter,” Feliciano added.

“It’s like she doesn’t even remember that there’s anything else to eat,” Monika laughed as she picked up the cupcake platter.

“Well, as long as she’s enjoying herself,” Annelise said. She carried her own platter out shortly after Monika had left, leaving Feliciano to warm up some cocktail wings. She had just set it down on the table, and was about to turn back to replenish the drink supply, when a familiar voice called out to her.

“Annie!” Annelise cringed, but forced herself to relax as she turned around to face Cecelia. “Annie, it’s so good to see you! You’re looking so pretty! I’m glad to see that you’re doing well!”

“Um, thank you, Cecelia,” Annelise said warily. “You’re looking well yourself.” After a tense few minutes in the kitchen with Vivian earlier that afternoon, she wasn’t about to let Cecelia’s underhanded insults catch her off-guard, like she’d done at their last meeting, so many years ago. For some reason, while Cecelia was quite sweet with the boys, and treated the other girls civilly, she didn’t seem to be very fond of Annelise.

“How have things been for you? I haven’t seen you since that graduation. You were in high school then, weren’t you?”

“Yes, that was the end of my junior year. A lot has happened since then.”

“I can tell! You were so young then, and much thinner! I can see that you’ve done a lot of . . . growing,” Cecelia said, smiling sweetly.

“I beg your pardon?” Annelise asked.

“Oh, I only meant that there’s a little more of you now than there was then – but all increase is good, isn’t it?” Cecelia answered, cheerfully.

Annelise glanced down at herself quickly. Was Cecelia implying that she’d grown fat?

“It would be silly to expect me to be the same size that I was ten years ago, Cecelia,” she retorted.

“Oh, absolutely,” Cecelia said, becoming serious again, “especially considering the work that you do. Tell me about how your confectionary is doing.”

“It’s going well. I wouldn’t really call it a confectionary, though. We mostly sell cakes.”

“Of course, of course! Please forgive me, Roddy told me that you made sweets, so I assumed it was only candy. That would certainly explain the lovely cupcakes here. They do look delicious, but I’m afraid I won’t be eating any today – I’m already hovering too close to my calorie limit,” Cecelia said wistfully. While she spoke, she ran her hand down her side casually, as if making reference to her thin physique. Annelise took note of the gesture, secretly wishing an eating disorder on the conceited blonde. “Well, it’s alright, dear,” Cecelia added. “It’s one of the trade-offs of the glamorous food industry – an occupational hazard, if you will. No one is blaming you.” She patted Annelise’s arm condescendingly, then picked a whole-wheat sandwich off the platter, and returned to her brother. While Annelise stood fuming, Monika stopped near her on her way to the kitchen.

No one is blaming me?” Annelise repeated.

“She got you, didn’t she?” Monika asked. Annelise only frowned and shook her head in disbelief. “I swear, if she calls me Nikki one more time, I’ll knock that blonde mop off her skinny shoulders.”

“It’s disgusting,” Annelise muttered, as she skulked into the kitchen. “You can see all her bones sticking out.” Monika smiled sympathetically. Annelise wasn’t fat any more than Cecelia’s bones were protruding, but she would allow her sister to vent, if it would make her feel better.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

At Roderich’s suggestion, Annelise and Monika had planned the baby shower differently to the usual way, which would have required them to fill the time with games and other activities. He had suggested that Liz was feeling nervous about being the first of their generation to have a baby, and would much prefer a time of bonding with both sides of the family, especially with the women.

With that in mind, after some time had elapsed, Monika gathered the guests in one area of the spacious living room. Liz and Roderich were seated side-by-side on the plush couch, and the mothers were encouraged to sit closest to them, followed by the fathers and other family members, and then their friends. While everyone was taking their seats around the couple, Julchen slipped back into the baby shower, and seated herself among her siblings.

After everyone was seated, Monika stood up and addressed everyone. “First of all, I’d like to say thanks to all of you for coming. The primary reason that we’re here today is to celebrate with Liz and Roderich while we wait for the birth of their new baby. One of the ways that we’d like to do that is to share the wealth of knowledge that we’ve accumulated between our three families. I want to challenge the mothers to give Liz the most important piece of advice that they’ve learned from each of their children.” The women all giggled in anticipation. “After that, the fathers can say as much as they like.”

“I think Jolanda should go first,” Liz’s mother, Ezster said. Roderich’s birth mother blushed and shook her head vigorously. “I have always admired you, raising those six children,” Ezster went on. “I’m anxious to hear what you have to say.”

“Oh, well,” Vivian said, sitting on Liz and Roderich’s other side, across from the two ladies, “with raising children, as with so many other things, the effectiveness of the mother should be measured by the quality, and not necessarily the quantity of the children that she brings forth.” Roderich turned to his stepmother dubiously. “I’m just offering something to think about,” she shrugged.

“Why don’t you go first, Vivian?” Jolanda suggested, after an awkward pause.

“Well, if you insist,” Vivian replied, smiling and sitting straighter in her seat. Her short hair bounced around her rouged cheekbones while she shifted. “I’ll include Roderich, if you don’t mind. For Roderich, I would say that it is of upmost importance to keep a child close to his roots. A child without a secure knowledge of where he comes from will find difficulty in knowing where he ought to be going. For Sebastian, I would say that it is important to make sure that each child is loved equally, and that none of them feel left out.” Roderich’s ears perked at that statement, and he peered around his stepmother, to where his younger brother was sitting staunchly. “For Cecelia, I would say that you should enjoy all of the special moments with your children. They are so precious, and those times are oh, so fleeting. And for young Flavius, I would caution that the youngest child tends to be born when the parents have a bit less energy to devote to nurturing – therefore, it is imperative to watch them closely and ensure that they don’t stray away from good counsel. May those words serve you well, dear Elizabeth.”

“Oh, well done, Mummy!” Cecelia cheered, clapping excitedly. Sebastian nodded silently.

Liz looked up from the cupcake she had been munching. “Thank you,” she smiled. “My name is Elisaveta, though.” She turned to her mother, and smiled at her adoringly. “I’d love to hear from you next, Mama.”

“Okay, let’s see . . . well, Daniel taught me not to worry too much about the crazy phases that children go through. It’s all a part of how they discover who they are; once you train them well, maturity will catch up to them, and they’ll be alright.” Nearby, Annelise nudged her husband.

“Mostly alright, anyway,” she whispered, while Daniel snickered.

“You, my baby,” Ezster continued, taking hold of her daughter’s plump hand. “You taught me how beautiful it is when a bond forms between siblings. A sibling is a friend for life, and I would advise you both, if you find it at all possible, to have more than one child.”

“Thank you, Mama,” Liz said, squeezing her mother’s hand. “We’ll definitely consider it.”

After Ezster had finished speaking, all eyes in the room turned to Jolanda.

“Oh, don’t you all look at me like I’m some sort of child-rearing guru,” she chuckled.

“Don’t deny us of that gold mine of information any longer, Jolanda,” Ezster pleaded. Behind them, the Beilschmidt siblings had started a low, steady chant of “Mutti, Mutti, Mutti!”

“Okay, okay,” Jolanda consented. “Let’s start at the top then.” She reached around behind her, to take her stepson’s hand. “Gilbert taught me that family is about so much more than blood. Family is about love and mutual concern for each other. Once you have those things between you, you can have as strong a bond as any blood-related family.” She then turned to Roderich. “Roderich, my firstborn, you taught me how to be an adult. Being an adult means that you understand that every move that you make affects your child – if not today, then certainly tomorrow. It is impossible to be a good parent, if you aren’t really an adult.  Annelise ,” Jolanda smiled at her eldest daughter, “you were a very high-maintenance child.” The Beilschmidts all chuckled in confirmation. “You taught me that children want to be validated, and made to feel important. They don’t want to disappear behind anyone that they perceive to be more important to their parents. Children want to be assured, every day, that they are the most important thing in the world to their mother and father.” Annelise glanced at Monika, who smiled at her knowingly. “Ludwig, darling, you were always Mutti’s little boy. You taught me that there is no truth in the belief that boys shouldn’t be treated gently. I’m glad that I gave you all my love and attention; you’ve grown up to be such an impressive young man.”

“You know that it’s only because you had me to teach you how to be a man,” Gilbert whispered, playfully punching his little brother in the shoulder.

“Monika,” Jolanda said, pausing to chuckle, “you taught me that a parent should do their best to teach a child how to fly, but it is not for a parent to force that child to fly in any one direction.” Monika smiled, and she and Annelise exchanged another glance. “And Julchen . . .” Jolanda craned her neck around to where Julchen was seated on Gilbert’s lap. “Julchen has taught me that sometimes children need to be allowed to do what they want to do. They’ll either learn that what you taught them was best, or they’ll figure out a better way for themselves. After you’ve taught them, all that you can do is pray for them. You children have made parenting so much fun. I really can’t wait to try grandparenting.” When she finished speaking, Jolanda eyes met Ezster’s, which were misting over with nostalgic tears.

“That was so deep,” Ezster said. “You almost make me want to have another child.”

From the corner of his eye, Roderich watched for Vivian’s response; for once, she seemed to have been struck silent.

“Dads’ turn!” Liz cried, grinning at her father.

“Alright," Gabriel began. "Roderich and Liz, here is my advice to you: let boys be boys, and let girls be girls, and let boys be girls, and let girls be boys. Don’t get caught up in rigid conventional parenting; sometimes, an unconventional approach might be better suited to the child’s needs.”

“I’m not sure what that means,” Roderich said.

“Don’t worry – Liz will explain,” Gabriel said, winking at his grinning daughter.

Frederich offered his advice next. “Whatever you do,” he said, “try as much as possible to keep your family together. When families scatter, the consequences can be far-reaching, and nearly impossible to remedy.” Roderich noticed a look passing between his mother and father, but he couldn’t quite decipher it. Vivian, shifting discontentedly beside him, seemed to have noticed it as well.

Finally, it was Alaric’s turn. Though Roderich’s stepfather had a strong presence, he was a man of few words, often allowing his wife to speak for them both. With the spotlight presently turned on him, he had no chance of escape. “Well,” he began, “I don’t want to repeat what everyone else has already said; they’ve pretty much said everything that I would want to say with regards to children. I will say this, though.” He paused, and his face took on a very sentimental expression. “Before Gilbert was born, his mother and I had a baby shower very much like this one. We had a wonderful time, but I could have never guessed then, that I would have lost her in a matter of months. Raising children is a noble and rewarding endeavour, but you must never forget to cherish your partner. As a matter of fact, always cherish your whole family. You never know how long you have with them, and not everyone finds a second wife as lovely as Jolanda,” he added, exchanging loving glances with his wife. They were solemn words, but it was sage advice.

“Thank you so much, Vati,” Roderich said.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a racket at the front door.

“I’m here, I’m here!” a man’s voice called out, in a heavy Italian accent.

Alaric narrowed his eyes in the doorway’s direction, recognizing the voice as that of his neighbor, Romulus Vargas. Although he behaved as though he disliked the burly Italian, they were actually very good friends.

“Oh, my gosh,” Romulus wailed, rushing into the room with a large gift under his arm. “I must be the worst honorary grandpa ever.” Vivian instantly recognized Romulus as well, and her facial expression transformed into a much more malicious version of Alaric’s frown. Romulus was quite hirsute,covered in curly brown hair, and although he usually smelled of either one or a combination of musky cologne or good cooking, she greatly doubted his proficiency at personal hygiene. “I’m so sorry, bambini,” he apologized to the honourable couple.

Liz smiled, wondering at his constant insistence on calling them children, while Roderich graciously dismissed any need to apologise.

“It’s alright. I understood that you couldn’t all leave the restaurant at once,” he said.

“Yeah, well, you’d think that your own son would go a little easier on you when it came to getting some time off. So, what did I miss?”

“Everyone was giving us advice for the new baby,” Liz explained.

“Oh, well . . .” Romulus paused for a moment to think. “There are three things you must never run out of as long as you have children in the house: Food, Friends, and Patience. Food, to keep them fed; patience to keep from knocking them over; and friends to leave them with when you run out of patience – and you will run out of patience, won't they, Alaric?” It was no wonder that Roderich had asked Romulus to act as an extra grandfather to his child; the Beilschmidt and Vargas children had spent their childhoods alternating at each others’ homes, as their parents’ patience had allowed. Romulus, being a single father, usually didn’t hold out as long as Jolanda and Alaric did.

“Profound words, Romulus,” Alaric said drily. “As profound as can be expected from you, anyway.” Unaffected by Alaric’s harsh words, Romulus hurried to join him around the couch, when the door opened a second time. This visitor was much quieter, and their footfall was slow and uncertain.

“Hello?” they called, not meeting anyone at the front of the house. Recognising the voice, Roderich jumped up and hurried out to the door. Standing there, with his suitcase at his side, stood Flavius Edelstein.

“Flavius!” Roderich cried, and rushed to greet his baby brother. After a long afternoon of tiptoeing around his volatile minefield of a family, the sight of his carefree brother was like a breath of fresh air.

“Wow, you really missed me!” Flavius laughed as he hugged his brother. “Sorry if I smell, I came straight here from school.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. Ludwig will be so glad to see you as well.”

“That’s great! I can’t wait to meet Liz.”

Roderich walked Flavius into the living room. As soon as he stepped in, Liz could tell that he was markedly different from the rest of his family. While they were all dressed semi-formally, with perfect hair and immaculate shoes, Flavius was dressed in a graphic tee and wrinkled jeans, and his blond hair was cut in a trendy style. He had left his shoes at the door, not wanting to get their dirt all over Roderich’s carpet, but his grungy white socks were exposed. Immediately, she understood Vivian’s comment about the youngest child “straying” from his parents’ counsel.

Still, she reasoned, if Roderich likes him so much, he must not be a bad kid.

She walked over to meet him, as quickly as her large belly would allow.

“Wow, what a beautiful belly!” Flavius exclaimed, rubbing her bump excitedly. The child inside kicked against his touch. “I am so sorry, but I have a thing about pregnant women. You’re just glowing! You look beautiful, Liz!”

Liz laughed at his excitement, and patted her stomach gently. The poor baby inside had been rubbed and spoken too all day, and it seemed to be growing irritable.

“Liz, this is my youngest brother, Flavius,” Roderich said. “Flavius, this is my fiancée, Liz.”

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you,” Liz said.

“I’m charmed,” Flavius replied.

“If you gentlemen will excuse me for a second,” Liz said, “I’m going to get some more snacks, and then I’d like to open my presents.” She waddled away to the table, and the guests began to mingle again.

Flavius was standing and talking to Roderich when Ludwig suddenly came up and grabbed him from behind. The two men were ecstatic to meet again, and bro-hugged before catching up with each other.

“What have you been up to, man?” Flavius asked. “You look ripped! I’m so jealous!”

“Oh, nothing,” Ludwig smiled, casually flexing his muscular arm. “I’ve been lifting some beer cans, that’s all.”

“No, seriously, you have to let me in on your exercise regimen! Chicks just don’t go for skinny guys anymore - no offense, Gilbert,” he said, grinning at the eldest Beilschmidt.

“Allow me to educate you otherwise, Flav,” Gilbert replied, smirking. The Beilschmidt sisters walked over just then, along with Cecelia.

“Guten Tag meine Damen,” Flavius greeted them.

“Flavie!” Cecelia exclaimed, “I didn’t know you were learning Dutch at school!”

“What? That was German, Cecelia,” Flavius replied.

“Silly,” Cecelia shook her head at him. “There are German people; there’s no German language. German people speak Dutch – it’s Dutchland, remember?”

“Actually, it’s Deutschland,” Ludwig corrected her. Cecelia gave him a disappointed look.

“Dutch is what people speak in Holland,” Flavius continued.

“Flavius, really,” Cecelia said, sounding exasperated. “In Germany, people speak Dutch, and in Holland, people speak Hollandaise. That’s basic Geography.”

The others all fell quiet, and Gilbert excused himself to the verandah to laugh loudly.

“She makes me ashamed to be blond,” Flavius whispered, when his sister finally excused herself.

“I know what you mean,” Ludwig replied. “Tell me about school, though. How’s that forensics course going?”

“Well, it’s only been my first year, so I’m not really learning much about forensics just yet. I’m excited to start, though. I admire your line of work so much, but I’m a little too much of a coward to deal with live criminals. I’ll deal with the dead people, and what the baddies leave behind instead.” Ludwig chuckled as Romulus walked over.

“Flavius, it’s been so long, bambino!” He pulled the slim young man into a tight bear hug. “Have you been putting that Roman name to good use? Started hitting the sororities yet?”

“Shhh,” Flavius whispered. “My father isn’t supposed to know!” The three men chuckled. “Nah, I need some lessons from Ludwig, first. This guy has ‘chick-magnet’ written all over him. I want to just sit and learn at his feet.”

“Oh, stop, you flatter me,” Ludwig said. “But I never introduced you to my girlfriend. Hold on, let me get her.” Ludwig disappeared for a second, and returned with Heidi.

“This is Heidi Zwingli,” Ludwig said to Flavius. Heidi smiled at Flavius warmly. “Heidi, this is Roderich’s little brother, Flavius.”

“Nice to meet you, Heidi,” Flavius said. “You two are beautiful together. Are you German as well?”

“I’m Swiss,” Heidi corrected him. “You and Ludwig seem to have quite a history.”

“Oh, well, we’ve known each other for a while, and I honestly think he’s the greatest guy ever. Seriously, if I could emulate him, I think I would have achieved something noteworthy.”

“Aww, Flav,” Ludwig said, surprised by his heartfelt comment. “You’ve always been like the little brother I never had.”

“Do you two need some tissues?” Heidi laughed. At that moment, Vivian called for Flavius from across the room.

“I’ll be right back,” Flavius promised as he hurried off to join his mother and siblings.

“He’s seems like quite a personality,” Heidi commented, smiling.

“He’s just excitable,” Ludwig said. “He’s really a lot of fun.”

“Sure seems that way,” Heidi replied. “Everyone was so tense before he came, but you all seem much more relaxed now. It’s like he lights up the room – maybe he should have been named ‘Lucius’ instead.”

CONTINUED IN PART TWO

Huzzah! Episode 9 of Suburbitalia is finally here! This chapter was very exciting for me to write, since it allows me to express the relationships between the Beilschmidt, Edelstein, and Hedervary families in greater depth than I have before. I hope that you enjoyed reading this first chapter.

Have any of you ever had an ultrasound? Whenever you have a pelvic ultrasound done, you have to drink two or three bottles of water without going to the bathroom at all. The idea is for your bladder to become swollen so that the technician can differentiate it from your other organs. I've had a few done before, so I definitely know what Liz was going through! Lovely Shoujo Emoji (Whew Sigh) [V3] 

Isn't it great to have Lars back? If you'd forgotten the promise that he made to Julchen before leaving for prison, you can refresh your memory in Suburbitalia Ep.6: Valentine's Day 

Previous episode: Suburbitalia Ep.8-Boyfriends,Babies n'Battle Scars

Hurry on now to Suburbitalia Ep 9: The Baby Shower Brawl Pt. 2, where the drama continues! If you missed the preview to this episode, you can find it here: Suburbitalia Ep. 9 - Prologue! 

Germany: Ludwig Beilschmidt
Nyo! Germany: Monika Beilschmidt
Prussia: Gilbert Beilschmidt
Nyo! Prussia: Julchen Beilschmidt
Austria: Roderich Edelstein
Nyo! Austria: Annelise Hedervary
Hungary: Elisaveta "Liz" Hedervary
Nyo! Hungary: Daniel Hedervary
Italy: Feliciano Vargas
Ancient Rome: Romulus Vargas
Germania: Alaric Beilschmidt
Germania's wife: Jolanda Beilschmidt
Roderich's father: Frederich Edelstein
Roderich's stepmother: Vivian Edelstein
Roderich's brothers: Sebastian Edelstein, Flavius Edelstein
Roderich's sister: Cecelia Edelstein
Liz & Daniel's father (Magyar): Gabriel Hedervary
Liz & Daniel's mother: Ezster Hedervary
Switzerland: Basch Zwingli
Nyo! Switzerland: Heidi Zwingli
Netherlands: Lars Morgens
© 2014 - 2024 iMariposa
Comments7
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
kreatyvkamz17's avatar
Oh gilbert. . .you cant go putting the cart before the horse

Lol best line ever!