28 Blind Dates: After the Costumes (Part 12)

The Final Countdown

Jalisa is in the 3rd trimester of her pregnancy. She and Merlin both take family leave from their jobs to prepare for the arrival of their babies. Jalisa uses this time to catch up on work and even decides to self-publish one of her books. After finishing up her tasks, she decides to take a break and see what Merlin is doing. She finds him upstairs trying out paints for the babies’ room.

Merlin’s been working on the room for a while but hasn’t made much progress.

Jalisa: Are you sure this room will be done on time?

Merlin: Yes, even if I have to stay up all night.

Merlin pauses to walk over and place his hands on the sizeable overripe watermelon that was once Jalisa’s belly.

Merlin: *to the babies* Daddy’s got this. Don’t worry. *to Jalisa* You just need to pick a color. Do you like any of these?

Jalisa: *unapproving* It looks like the Champs Les Sims flag.

Merlin:  Well, we wouldn’t be using all three together.

Jalisa: Maybe we should do wallpaper.

Merlin: *joking* …or hire a professional.

Jalisa: Oh! I vote for that idea.

Merlin: But, I was just kidding.

Jalisa: But, it’s a good idea, Merlin. And it takes the pressure off of you.

Merlin immediately regrets even suggesting hiring a designer when he considers what it would cost.

Merlin: No, seriously, Jalisa. I was just playing around. I’ll get the room done on time. I promise.

Jalisa blows Merlin a kiss.

Jalisa: You’re so cute! I’ll look for online recommendations for designers now. *turns to leave* We may have to pay a little extra since it’s short notice, but I’m more than willing to do that for our babies.

Merlin: But, Jalisa –

It’s too late. Jalisa is already leaving the bedroom, intent on finding an interior designer to finish the babies’ bedroom.

Merlin sighs deeply as Simolean signs seem to circle around inside his head. If he wants to stop Jalisa from spending a bunch of unnecessary money on hiring someone, he knows he’d better make some real progress on the room. He walks over to a set of boxes in the corner, hoping that putting the furniture together will help Jalisa feel more secure about the bedroom being completed before the babies make their debut.

Meanwhile, Jalisa gets back to work on increasing her writing skill. Now that she’s called Merlin’s bluff by threatening to hire someone, she knows he’s going to work double-time to get everything done. Her babies will definitely have the bedroom that they deserve.

BDC: After the Costumes Summaries | read from the beginning

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