Ha! I won the bet; I made it past noon today without giving birth!

There were a couple of moments yesterday when I thought it might be a close thing. I got this cramp and thought, "Is this the beginning of labor?" Hunched slightly from the tightening tension in my torso, I walked into the bedroom where Pär was reading the latest Terry Pratchett book. He looked up and our eyes met for a long moment.

"I don't know, man," I said, shaking my head and wincing. "Twenty bucks..."

"Do you have the cash in the house?" he asked promptly.

"Goddamnit!" I glared at him. "I'll write you a check!"

He shook his head. "Cash only."

The cramp eased up a bit. "I don't think I'm going into labor yet," I said.

"Soon, though! I'm going to win the bet!" He sat up, excited. "Cool, I'm going to get a baby, AND twenty bucks!"

"No. I'm holding out."

"I'm telling you, at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning, the midwives will be here saying 'Push!' and you'll be clenching your teeth going, 'No, I have to wait one more hour!'" He tilted his head at me. "Would you really prolong labor just for twenty bucks?"

"It isn't the money, it's the principle of the thing. But... no."

Anyway, as of noon today, the bet is over and we're not making any further wagers on the baby's arrival. From now on, any time would be a good time.

Around mid-day I called Pär at the office. He picked up the phone.

"Sk0tos Tech, Pär."

"Twenty dollars," I moaned into the phone, ā la the paperboy in Better Off Dead. "I want my twenty dollars!"

"Goddamnit!"