C17 Good News
Sam was walking home from school, her bag hanging loosely over one shoulder as she made her way down the familiar street toward the house.
The afternoon was warm, and the street was fairly quiet. She had spent most of the day in class, and all she wanted was to get home, take off her shoes, and relax for the rest of the evening.
Her phone started ringing.
She glanced at the screen.
Elizabeth.
Sam smiled and answered.
“Hello.”
“Hey, what do I owe the—”
She didn't get to finish.
Elizabeth immediately started talking.
Sam stopped walking.
Her expression changed.
“Wait. What?”
She listened carefully, her eyes widening as Elizabeth continued.
Then her mouth fell open.
“Oh my gosh.”
She smiled.
“Wait, this is great news!”
She started walking again, this time much faster.
“No, seriously? You're sure?”
Elizabeth said something that made Sam laugh.
“Oh my gosh!”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“You're actually serious?”
Another pause.
Sam covered her mouth, trying not to laugh too loudly.
“Okay, okay. I'm coming. I'm telling Sierra right now.”
She ended the call and stood there for a second, still processing what she'd just heard.
Then she ran.
She hurried down the street, her school bag bouncing against her back as she made her way home.
By the time she reached the door, she was already breathing heavily.
She pushed it open.
“Sierra!”
There was no answer.
“Sierra!”
She hurried inside.
“What?”
Sam appeared in the room, barely able to contain herself.
“Sierra, Elizabeth's pregnant!”
Sierra froze.
“What?”
“Elizabeth is pregnant!”
For a moment, Sierra simply stared at her.
Then her face lit up.
“Oh my gosh!”
“I know!”
“Oh my gosh!”
Sierra stood up.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
“Elizabeth?”
“Yes!”
“She actually called you and told you?”
“Yes!”
Sierra covered her mouth, laughing in disbelief.
“When did she find out?”
“I don't know. She just called me and told me.”
“Chris knows?”
“Of course.”
“And she's okay?”
“She sounded amazing. She was so happy.”
Sierra pulled Sam into a quick hug.
“This is amazing.”
“I know.”
“We're going to be aunts.”
Sam laughed.
“You're acting like you've never been one before.”
“That's not the point.”
“I know.”
They both laughed again.
Sierra immediately picked up her phone.
“We have to call her.”
“Definitely.”
They called Elizabeth, and she answered after a few rings.
Her face appeared on the screen, and Sierra immediately smiled.
“Congratulations!”
Elizabeth laughed.
“Thank you.”
“Oh my gosh, I still can't believe it.”
“I know. It still feels strange saying it.”
Sam leaned closer.
“You really surprised me.”
“That was the plan.”
“You almost made me run home without telling me what happened.”
Elizabeth laughed.
Chris appeared beside her.
“You should have seen how excited she was.”
“I can imagine,” Sierra said.
They continued talking for a while, asking Elizabeth how she was feeling and listening as she told them more about the news.
Sierra kept smiling throughout the conversation.
Sam was just as excited, occasionally interrupting with another question or reacting dramatically to something Elizabeth said.
They talked about what it would be like having a baby around, what Elizabeth and Chris might be like as parents, and all the things that would probably change once the baby arrived.
At one point, Sam laughed.
“This is actually happening.”
Elizabeth smiled.
“It is.”
Sierra leaned back against the couch.
“I think this is the best news we've had in a long time.”
“It really is,” Sam said.
They stayed on the call for a while longer before eventually saying goodbye.
When the call ended, neither Sam nor Sierra immediately moved.
They simply sat there smiling.
Then Sam started talking again.
“I still can't believe it.”
“Me neither.”
“And I already know you're going to spoil that child.”
Sierra looked at her.
“You're going to do exactly the same thing.”
“Obviously.”
They laughed.
The rest of the evening passed with them talking about Elizabeth and Chris, wondering what the baby would be like, and imagining how different family gatherings might become.
There was no need for anything complicated.
They were simply happy.
For once, the apartment was filled with the kind of excitement that made everything else seem less important.
---
Alex had just finished the last bit of work for one of his clients.
He saved everything, closed his laptop, and sat back in his chair.
He had been working for most of the afternoon, and after staring at the screen for so long, he didn't feel like staying inside anymore.
He stood and stretched.
After a moment, he walked out of his room.
Joan was already around, and when Alex mentioned going outside for a while, she decided to come along.
They left the apartment and started walking down the street.
The evening air was cooler than it had been earlier.
For a while, neither of them said much.
They simply walked.
They passed a few shops, people heading home, and a couple of cars moving slowly along the road.
Joan eventually looked over at him.
“You really needed to get out, didn't you?”
Alex smiled slightly.
“Yeah.”
“You've been working too much.”
“I know.”
They continued walking.
Their conversation moved between ordinary things—work, school, food, and small things they'd noticed during the week.
Nothing particularly serious.
Alex seemed more relaxed than he had been earlier.
After some time, they reached a quieter part of the street and slowed down.
Alex looked ahead, thinking.
Joan noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She waited.
Alex was quiet for another few seconds.
Then he said, “We should go to the beach this weekend.”
Joan looked at him.
“The beach?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded.
“Just for a while. We could chill, get something to eat, walk around.”
Joan smiled.
“That actually sounds nice.”
“I thought so.”
“You're finally making plans.”
“Don't make it a big deal.”
She laughed.
“I won't.”
They kept walking, now casually talking about what day would work and what they might do when they got there.
It wasn't a complicated plan.
Just something simple to look forward to.
And for the rest of their walk, they left it at that.
