Little Women and Me

Twenty-Eight


“Where’s everyone going?” I shouted.

First Jo had raced by me, followed by Amy, Marmee, Papa, Hannah, and finally Beth.

Beth turned, already half out of breath, and stopped long enough to answer.

“Didn’t you hear Lotty?” She paused to breathe again and then gasped out with, “Meg’s had her baby!”

“Her baby? When was Meg even pregnant?”

“Silly Emily. Always playing fun games with me. Everyone knew Meg was pregnant.” She laughed. “Where have you been the last nine months?”

Here we go again …

Yes, theoretically, I knew at least a few more months had passed since Meg got married, what with the contest, Beth and Marmee going away to the seaside, and Jo selling and publishing a book and all. But nine of them?

And it had to be at least nine, since Meg and John would never have done anything, er, baby-producing before they got married.

But how had this happened to me again? First I’d lost three years between their engagement and wedding, and now I’d gone and basically lost another nine months?

I shook my fist at the ceiling.

Darn you, book!

“Emily, why did you just do that?” Beth wondered.

“Hmm …?”

“Shake your hand at the ceiling like that.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Suddenly I had to know how much time I’d lost. “How old am I, Beth?”

“Silly Emily.” She laughed what had become my favorite laugh in the world; she was so sweet. “Once again you pay me the favor of asking me a question to which I know the answer. You are eighteen. You have been eighteen since the day before Meg and John’s wedding, it is now ten months later, so you will be nineteen in a few more months.”

Nineteen in a few more months? At this rate, I’d be old and dead in another few chapters!

“Excuse me,” Beth said, visibly struggling to control her impatience, “but do you think we might join the others at Dovecote now? You know, to see the babies?”

“Babies? But you said ‘baby’ before. I would swear on my life that you did.”

Babies? Had another nine months or more already passed just in the time I’d been speaking with Beth, and Meg had already had a second child?

Oh dear. If that was the case I was going to need some smelling salts and a fainting couch over here.

Beth laughed again. “I’m sorry if I confused you. Meg had twins. But I was so surprised at that news myself, I keep saying ‘baby’ when I mean to say ‘babies.’ “

Thank God for that, I thought, feeling some small relief as I rose to join her on the walk to Dovecote. At least I wasn’t totally losing my mind. Or sense of time.

“Meg had a boy and a girl,” Beth chattered happily as we strolled together. “Lotty said they are to be called John and Margaret, after their parents, which I do think might get awfully confusing.”

There were three words I hadn’t spoken aloud together in years, not since before I came to this strange new world. In fact, the last time I said them, it had probably been to my parents back home, but I felt moved for some reason to say them now.

“I love you, Beth,” I said impulsively.

Beth stopped in her tracks, turned to look at me in surprise.

“Why, what a lovely thing to say, Emily! I’m sure it’s something we all feel for one another and yet, oddly, we never speak the words out loud.” She paused before adding shyly, “And I love you, too.”

It felt good to hear that. I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I’d missed hearing someone, anyone, say those words to me.



Upon arriving at Dovecote and meeting the new additions to the family, I learned that baby Margaret was to be nicknamed Daisy, while baby John, at Laurie’s suggestion, was to be named Demijohn. Or Demi for short.

Demijohn?

Were these people for real?