The convertible sped at breakneck speed along winding roads wreathed with green. Nicole closed her eyes against a wave of vertigo as the car listed dangerously around a tight curve. She inhaled the smell of sunshine and dirt and vines, fixed her attention on Joel’s hand resting warm atop hers. The car straightened out, and she glanced over at the man sitting beside her, brown hair ruffling and whipping in the wind. She was running out of time to do what she’d flown halfway across the world to do.
“Joel,” she began, at the same moment he said, “You want some music?” He left her hand chilly in the sunlight and flipped on the radio.
“You’re havin’ my baby,” crooned the male voice.
Joel laughed. “I haven’t heard this song in forever.” He reached for her hand again, caught it against his heart. “You’re havin’ my baby! You’re the woman I love, and I love what it’s doin’ to ya…”
Hot and cold flashed over her as he sang, his face rapt with the joy of performing one of the weirdest songs ever written. He frowned slightly, breaking off mid-phrase. “What’s wrong, love?”
“I have something to tell you.”
Joel’s phone rang. “Hold that thought,” he said.
The conversation lasted all the way to the small local airport. Joel made an apologetic face but he kept talking sales strategy as he hauled her suitcase out of the trunk and handed it to the staff member for loading into the private jet. Nicole waited, feeling increasingly frantic.
“Mrs. Summerhill, we need to close the doors,” the uniformed man said.
She turned to Joel, who addressed his phone: “Hang on a minute.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Sorry, love. Have a safe trip. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
“Joel,” she said firmly, but he was already turning away. She grabbed his elbow. “Joel, I’m pregnant.”
*
This week’s Red Writing Hood prompt was to take the #1 song the day you were born and write a piece inspired by it. The song is “You’re Havin’ My Baby” by Paul Anka, and my first thought was that this is the creepiest song ever written. I’ve stepped back from that a bit, because some of the sentiments are really nice…but I can’t help feeling they’re just really, really weird in song format.
This is a scene I’m working out for a novel-in-progress.
Kathleen M. Basi 
Love this scene…. I can see a great story brewing
Whew! Glad she got it in there 😉 I love how you used the song to bring an ironic edge and foreshadowing to your piece.
Nicely developed tension throughout the scene!
I like that you got over the creepiness of the song (and yes, I think it’s a little creepy, too!) to find a way to work it into your WIP!
This is nitpicky, but you might want to rethink the use of “vertigo”. Vertigo generally means the sensation of feeling movement when you’re still, so it doesn’t really fit when you’re talking about her being dizzy in a moving car.
I like that he notices something is on her mind when he’s singing, but he’s still distracted by the phone call. The private jet implies a lot of money, and I do think that sometimes people get to the point where work takes over their lives. Great job!
Picked nits welcome. If that’s all you found in this hastily-scrawled vignette, I have no complaints! 🙂
Ooh fun! I’d reword the first line. “The car sped” and “breakneck speed” are redundant. Love the foreshadowing and the uncreepy use of an extremely odd song. Great use of the prompt and extremely well done!
Thanks for the concrit!
Well done! I agree iwth the others… you got over the creepiness of the song quite well.
Now I would love to see how he reacts to her statement!
I love that you added the words into the story.
I wish also that i could see his reaction.
As usual gripping story line
Oh, I really like this. You build tension nicely. I can feel her getting more and more tightly wound as the scene progresses, so that I want to shout out whatever her news is with her before the plane door closes.
In the first paragraph I’d take out “breakneck speed”–you don’t need it with your next sentence. It conveys the same thing in a more eloquent way.
Men regard the Pregnancy Thing as an incredible mystery, and are deep down in awe that women grow everyone inside themselves. I suppose the song is peculiar, but I think it’s a good expression of most men’s sense of wonder.
Yes, that’s sort of the conclusion I came to, as well.
I love that image – “he left her hand chilly in the sunlight and flipped on the radio.” really well done. And yeah, that is a really strange song.