Dani

“Hey, I’m so sorry,” Dani, being the motherly one in the bunch, hugged her bestie so lovingly, sympathizing her so much and fantasized of stabbing a kitchen knife through James’s head. “You alright babe?” 

Matilda sniffed and shook her head tiringly. She came to her bestfriend’s house trying to seek some marriage advice. It was one of her desperate moments that she had to come to Dani’s and seek beside some probable marriage advice and also love and comfort from someone who actually cares about her. 

Dani, whom Matilda idolized so much, happened to be married and had three beautiful children. Two adorable girls and a boy. Two of them girls, Lilith and Anastasia—Dani loved Russian names. The youngest was Matilda’s favorite, Gabriel, it was because James have always wanted a boy. Matilda called out to Gabriel who was somehow flustered slicing on his mother’s ipad in the living room, sitting snuggly in the middle of Dani’s large beige sofa with the TV on unwatched. 

“Gabrielle~” Matilda called softly as she slowly slid onto the sofa and took Gabriel into her arms and obviously Gabriel, who never liked being disturbed when he was playing, started whining and pushing Matilda away trying to get off of her. Matilda sighed and put him down letting Gabriel continued with the ipad. 

“It’s Gabriel Tilly, not Gabrielle,” said Dani pronouncing the name Gabrielle in a French accent as she was picking up little tutu dress on the floor and a little crown into a laundry basket. Matilda sighed deeply again.

“Oh Dani, I wish I have your life,” she sighed and was about to break into tears when Gabriel squealed ‘Yay’ probably won something in the game. Dani quickly walked to the sofa and sat beside her. 

“Tilly, it’s gonna be alright, he’s probably stressed out as always,” said Dani lovingly as she brought Tilly to lean her head on her shoulder. 

“No Dani, this is different,” said Matilda quickly as she suddenly stood up and started to briskly move to and fro in front of Dani. “He was really mad Dani and—I don’t know but I can see from his eyes—he’s giving up!” she finally broke into tears and fell back onto the sofa that Dani quickly put her in her arms patting her back soothingly.

“Oh Tilly,” Dani, who had been trying to make her bestie to always think positive in every situation she’s in was lost of words. Matilda had been having problems with James ever since she found out that she couldn’t produce a child. The doctor had finalized the result after she had her first miscarriage that she could never give birth. After that, things were fine between her and James. James even told her that he was okay with it and they have to be positive about it and he knows that if they put faith in it, she might be able to give birth. Then three years after that, Matilda told her that she was pregnant again but sadly, the baby didn’t last for a week, she had another miscarriage. Then the next year, she got another miscarriage that gradually, James started acting weird. He tend to get drunk after work and he was always angry with Matilda about little thing. 

James always wanted a baby and they all know why he was acting in such a way. Every time they went out, James would always pass the nearby playground and slowly drove the car so that he could watch the children play. It was fine for Matilda until his brother and his wife came to their house for a dinner last two years that they brought such gorgeous little son, Ashton, that James fell in love with. The whole night James was hugging and carrying Ashton everywhere in the house that it really pained Matilda. What was worse was that apparently his brother just moved into the neighborhood. James started to visit his brother so often just to see Ashton. He would buy him toys or ice cream or clothes that Matilda felt that she was ignored. Sometimes James spent most of his time at his brother’s house that he hardly spent time with her that made her seems—unwanted and because of that, they soon got into an argument and it had become a routine. 

This one was one of their latest arguments and probably the biggest Matilda ever had. Dani just don’t know what to say but just to comfort her bestie as possible as she could. “What do you mean he’s giving up?” she asked curiously. Matilda paused for a minute, obviously tired of all the crying and sobbing, still snuggling in Dani’s arms.

“I don’t know anymore Dani,” she answered obviously too tired to answer her question.