Once upon a time, Mother’s Day wasn’t much of a boon for Mrs. Maya Halkavich. She would call her mother and grandmother to wish them a lovely day, but she wasn’t quite fortunate enough to have the title of mother herself. The truth is, she’d wanted to start a family for a long, long time. However, standing in her way was, well…herself. Far too arrogant and jaded to give most men a chance, she progressively dug herself deeper and deeper into a lonely hole. A hole that she didn’t know how to get herself out of. A top-class supermodel and the CEO of her own modeling agency, she put herself on a pedestal above most others. But she didn’t always want to be that way, no. It was a secret she carried ever since childhood. Bullied unfairly by her younger peers led to her spiteful attitude much later in life. And now that she was regularly on the cover of fashion magazines and a highly sought-after model, why stoop to their level? In her eyes, she had won at life, but only superficially. It was a bad cycle of pushing people away yet desperately yearning for someone’s company. It wasn’t until she met *him* that it all started to change.

Laurence was his name, a businessman hailing from Scotland of all places. Maya wasn’t quite sure what he and his entourage were looking for in her modeling agency, but it would later begin to make sense. Immediately, she was starstruck by him, a composed, soft-spoken, and very handsome lion with the smoothest of accents. In the heat of the moment, she made an impulse decision to ask him out for coffee. One thing led to another…and that night was simply unforgettable. The truth was that he wasn’t some shady businessman looking at bolstering his connections for his own gain, but a similarly starstruck fellow hoping to gain a long-distance crush’s attention, so to speak. He’d seen her on magazines and could never keep his eyes off of her. Whether through public TV appearances or interviews, Maya quickly became the apple of his eye. Most men would stop it there, a parasocial relationship between a celebrity and a fan. But Laurence thought a bit more, realizing that he may be able to meet her under a more professional guise. A business trip is how he framed it, but it was really anything but. Although, once he had actually met her in person and spoke to her, he admitted it was an incredibly foolish and selfish move to waste company time and resources on his little crush. He was prepared to end the meeting there and leave with his head held low, but Maya pulled him back in. It was an embarrassingly public display, leading them to take their conversation elsewhere. It was at Maya’s suburban mansion where the lion formally asked her out on a date, all expenses paid. They had only just met, but the spark between them quickly grew into a burning, passionate wildfire. They had quite a lot in common, and more importantly, Laurence was an excellent listener and mediator of sorts. She could talk to him freely about her loneliness and overall unhappiness with life. In time, Laurence would help her mellow out and reinvigorate herself. But alas, he had business to attend to back in his home country and it would be some time before they met again. But that’s in the now-distant past. Things have changed since then. Maya has changed, Laurence has changed, and their outlook on life has never been brighter. As they’re now married and awaiting their first child, it turns out that Maya too can even bear the moniker of mother. Just a few more months now.

“You sure you don’t want any of these? They’re absolutely delissshhhh.” Maya casually munches on her third pack of matcha green tea Pockies, offering her husband some to try. “No no, have as many as you like. They’re errm, not quite to my taste.” Respectfully declining her kind offer, Laurence lets her enjoy as many Pockies as she wants, “Aw well, more for me!” After all, he’s the one that keeps buying them for her to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. The married couple chose to take this Mother’s Day off to enjoy each other’s company, staying home and watching a myriad of romcoms, ranging from so-bad-it’s-good quality to cult classic masterpieces. Commenting on the laughably poorly written main character of their current movie, Laurence questions how this ever made it past the early stages of production, “Are we meant to be rooting for this bumbling moron? In what world would that line work on any self-respecting woman?” Maya chuckles, agreeing to disagree, “Hah, well it’s kinda cute I think. Like imagine if you hit me with, ‘Are you a phonebook? Because I’m trying to get that number’. I probably would’ve laughed my ass off if that was your first line.” While endearing, he couldn’t ignore that there was already some preconceived bias, being married and all, “Well I can guarantee you this ring wouldn’t be on my finger nor my arm around you if I ever pulled that.” Continuing to talk with her mouth full, the red husky hesitates to agree, “Mm, don’t say that babe. I’m sure I would’ve been willing to give you a chance regardless of how crappy your pickup lines were.” As the movie trundles awkwardly along, they reach a point where the main character is madly in love with his crush and already thinking ahead about things like marriage and parenthood. “Dang, a little early for all that isn’t it?” While the overall pacing of the movie was all over the place, Maya thought they were rushing things a tad too much rather than letting it simmer and build naturally. Unable to ignore the similarities with their own relationship, Laurence noted, “Well I won you over rather quickly, so perhaps it’s not the most unrealistic part of this movie.” Maya put a finger on Laurence’s nose, correcting him, “Oh so you won ME over eh? Didn’t you see me for the first time in an old magazine? Hm?” Realizing he’d already lost, the lion blushed profusely before attempting to get himself a bit of vindication, “Ahem, well the feeling WAS mutual in the end, so no harm, no foul. Besides, look at where it got us.”

Laurence places a strong, manly hand on top of his wife’s pregnant belly, the ultimate sign of their unbreakable bond. Following suit, Maya puts her much smaller hand over her husband’s, “Lauriieee…don’t make me cry.” Turning the volume down on their movie for a moment, Laurence asks her a serious question, “Maya, I don’t think I ever formally asked you but…are you…ready?” Without actually saying what she was ready for, it was blatantly implied. “…I am. I have been for a long time.” Indeed, Maya’s desire for motherhood was a longstanding one, and it was now closer than ever to becoming a reality. “I’m so excited to be a mom! Just thinking about it gets me so giddy!” Seeing the joy in his wife’s face brought Laurence a similar level of happiness, “I thought so. I can’t say I’m not a bit nervous though. ‘Tis a big change coming, you know?” Dialing her excitement back a bit, Maya lumps him in as well, “Yeah, but that’s kinda the point right? We’re gonna be parents babe! And I just know you’re gonna make the world’s best daddy.~” The golden-yellow lion felt flattered to hear that, after somewhat doubting whether he’d be a good fit for the role of father, “I…certainly hope so. I vow to do everything in my power to give our son the best life possible. It’s no longer just about us.” Yes, you heard that right, a son! With Maya having her ultrasound done recently, they learned that it was going to be a boy! Accepting that she now had a much, much bigger responsibility as a mother, Maya pecked a kiss on Laurence’s cheek, showing how grateful she was to have him at her side, “See now, that’s the man I married. But still…I haven’t really decided on a name yet.” Just as Laurence hadn’t finished putting together the baby’s room, Maya hadn’t officially chosen their boy’s name. They still have a few months’ time, but it’s an immensely important decision to make. That name, whatever it is, should be something meaningful, something that makes him, *him*. “Oh! Do you think he’ll have your accent? All ‘G’day govna’!’ and stuff? That would be the sweetest little thing!” A random offshoot out of nowhere, she theorizes on whether their baby will adopt her American accent or Laurence’s British accent. “I…don’t think that’s how it works Maya. Also, I don’t sound like that at all thank you very much.” Having his accent joked about in such a stereotypical way was quite amusing, if a bit curious. Perhaps he may develop a mix of the two, adopting both traditional American and occasional British sayings. Such is the interesting union between a Japanese-American woman and a British born and Scottish raised man. “Tch, c’moonnnnn he’d be so adorable if he talked like you!” Despite his objections, Maya doubles down on her idea. Scooting a little closer to the love of his life, Laurence comfortably lies his head on her big belly. “Mmm, perhaps it would. It’s…so special. Our son, soon to be born into our lives. I’m sorry if it sounded as though I were hesitant to the idea.” Continuing his trend of constantly apologizing for little things, Maya pats his fluffy, orange mane, accepting that he was still a little nervous, “It’s okay to be uncertain Laurence. But we got this. I wanna be the best mama ever, and I know you wanna be the best papa ever.” Hearing that word, papa, was something truly meaningful to Laurence. It’s how he always referred to his own father and still does to this very day. Finally, it had sank in that he too would be “papa”. Brimming with unimaginable happiness, Laurence pulled his wife closer, wrapping his arms around their baby boy still developing inside of her. “I-I really do want that. And I’m so, so glad that you, Maya, get to be the mother of our firstborn. I love you unconditionally, my princess.” While her husband poured his entire heart out for her, Maya patted him on the head once more, gently running her fingers through his mane, Yeeahhhh, I love you too, kitty.” While not quite a mother yet herself, she too is celebrating Mother’s Day, sharing a very tender, heartfelt moment with her husband. Before they go back to watching their movie, Maya has one more comment, “Regardless of what we end up naming him, it’s up to us to give him the best life. A life where he can chase his dreams, ambitions, and desires. Like we did, in a way. But you were right babe, it’s not just about us two anymore. Bringing new life into the world is…heavy, literally and figuratively. But we’ve gotta give it our best shot. Only a few more months, Laurie.” With that closing statement being made, the couple finished their last movie and soon went to bed, wrapped in each other’s arms. As they slept, they dreamt about the future and what joys it would bring. Maya, once a lost and lonely soul, now beaming with a clear outlook on life, hyping herself up to upgrade from “wife” to “mom”. And Laurence, a brave, lovesick man who selfishly yet courageously made his move, found his new calling in life as his princess’s knight in shining armor, and soon, a father. That, dear reader, is the story of a mother-to-be.Happy Mother's Day everyone!

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