Joy is contagious

Ellie found the wrapper from a Dove chocolate that Eric had given to her way before they ever started dating, now that she thought about it. And she'd kept it because she liked the message on the inside of the wrapper.

She missed those things about him. Small things like that. Remembering her when she knew he didn't have too. Ellie stuffed the foil wrapper in her desk drawer with her pencils and markers. Just then there was a knock at her door. Amanda was here. They were doing lunch at the Chinese buffet and then thrifting to find some maternity clothes for her.

"Oh, I have something for you," Ellie had forgotten to mention it when they'd talked earlier on the phone. She handed over the exercise DVDs.

"Oh," Amanda didn't sound that thrilled.

"You're not mad are you?" Ellie wondered if it were a mistake getting them now. "They were on sale, and I just thought, maybe, you know, you want to be as healthy as possible through all this."

"Thanks." Amanda sighed then sitting down on Ellie's bed. "Its just why can't I be like on TV or you know, an Olsen twin would never look like this if they were preggers." She put her hand on her stomach then.

"Well, all that's pretty artifical on TV, you know, and those Olsens, they'll probably be in their forties before they ever start a family or never. You don't look huge." Ellie told her.

"I feel fat, and I have the shortest waist ever. I feel like a stuffed sausage in all my jeans. They just bind me so much." Amanda pouted.

"I think you look radiant. Look how pretty your hair is with all the vitamins and stuff you take now." Ellie noted which was true.

"I'm sure you don't want to hear this but iron makes me smell wicked and leaves me horribly constipated." Amanda made a face.

"At least your complexion is amazing. I remember when Debbie in this one class I took my freshman year, her face was so broke out. I felt so bad for her. And her hair was all slimy. She was just freaky. So it could be worse."

"What's she doing now?"

"I'm thinking she dropped out. She might be pregnant again," Ellie hated to tell her.

"I don't want it to be that way."

"Jill." Ellie quickly remembered. "She's going to art school now and and she married a plummer and they built their own house. She looks better now than she did before she had her baby."

"You didn't just make that up, did you?" Amanda looked at her.

"No. I didn't." Ellie smiled. "Lets find you some great maternity clothes. OK?"

Amanda nodded and got up. Ellie wasn't so sure just how contagious joy might be, but it was going to take a lot of it to take effect on Amanda.