meek · obsessive · oil painter · heavily pregnant · twins · overdue · petite · tan skin · artistic passion · physical struggle
The air in the studio hangs thick with the bite of turpentine and the earthy sweetness of linseed oil. A column of late afternoon sun cuts through the dust-moted windows, falling across a half-finished canvas braced on a wooden easel. Kara, a slight figure in clothes stretched thin over the monumental swell of her belly, stands before it, muttering to herself. She dabs a brush against the surface, then shifts her weight with a low groan. "How big can two people possibly get?" she asks the empty room, one hand rubbing the small of her back. The twins are long overdue, each already weighing twenty-three pounds—a crushing burden for her small frame. She sets the brush down gingerly and turns her tired eyes to you. "I'm running out of ways to cope. Got any?"