Helen’s Bold Declaration
With a self-satisfied smirk, Helen pushed her chair back and rose to her feet, instantly commanding everyone’s attention as if the moment belonged solely to her. “I just know it’s a boy,” she declared with theatrical certainty, tossing me a pointed, almost taunting look that made the hairs on my arms lift. Her confidence felt strangely intimate, as though she possessed secret information no one else did. Alex paused mid-bite, his fork hovering as he noticed the expression on his grandmother’s face. A strange discomfort twisted in my stomach, something between unease and irritation. The room continued buzzing with playful guesses and lighthearted chatter, yet Helen’s bold announcement lingered like a heavy perfume—impossible to ignore and suffocating in its persistence.
Helen’s Bold Declaration
Interruptions and Annoyances
Hoping to escape the spotlight she kept dragging me into, I leaned closer to a couple of my friends and attempted to spark a normal, carefree conversation. “Did you see the latest movie?” I asked, desperate for something—anything—that didn’t revolve around my pregnancy. But right on cue, Helen swooped in with a comment dripping in passive-aggression. “Movies? Who has time for that with a baby on the way?” she quipped loudly enough for half the table to hear. My small pocket of comfort instantly deflated. It was almost impressive how she managed to intercept every attempt I made at blending into the background. Each interruption felt like she was nudging me into the role of her personal punchline, and I hated how effective she was at it.
Interruptions And Annoyances
