<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBye, honey, I\u2019ll see you tonight!\u201d I shout out to my wife, Jelinja, as she opens the front door to leave. \u201cBe home in time for dinner.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She grins back at me. \u201cWell, of course, babe, I would never miss your meals, you\u2019re the best cook ever. Just be sure and leave me some. You know how hungry you\u2019ve been lately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I stammer in mock surprise. \u201cYou’re saying I\u2019m getting fat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNever,\u201d she giggles as she glances at my tummy. \u201cSee ya babe.\u201d I blow her a kiss, then she\u2019s out the door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\u2019s a good provider. A bit of a free spirit sometimes, but marriage seems to suit her well. I trust her with my life and know she has the best interests of our soon-to-be family in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m what you would call a house-husband. I stay home, make sure the house is clean and tidy, and cook all the meals when she is away. Nothing says \u201cI love you\u201d better than having a hot, steaming meal ready for your wife when she comes in after a hard day\u2019s work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sure our lifestyle looks unusual to our very straight-laced neighbors, who give us shifty side-eye glances and shakes of their heads when we come and go. It\u2019s mostly her going, as I stay home most of the time. Our families\u2026well, they understand, of course, but we don\u2019t see much of them ever since we set out on our own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our friends \u2014 or former friends I should say \u2014 they\u2019re the biggest disappointment for us. They don\u2019t approve of our arrangement; they\u2019re judgmental and preachy, and have pretty much unfriended us both. But no worries, we have something better than people\u2019s approval. We have a bond that grows stronger every day, a bond called love. And love triumphs over hate every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I feel a stir in my tummy, which has developed a little bump lately. No, it\u2019s not my stomach constricting with hunger pangs, or gastric distress from my breakfast this morning. It\u2019s not a beer-belly bulge, although I do love a good IPA now and then. It\u2019s not a physical ailment or disease, like cancer or anything, at least not that I know of. There\u2019s actually nothing wrong with my tummy at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I place my hand on the bump and rub gently. The movement increases, and a stab of pain causes me to wince. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, I\u2019m pregnant, sort of. And yes, I\u2019m a male, 100%. I know what they say: you can\u2019t be \u201csort of pregnant\u201d you either are pregnant or you\u2019re not. But \u200cthat\u2019s the way it is; there\u2019s no denying it. I\u2019m pregnant, in a way that\u2019s hard to understand because males aren\u2019t supposed to be the ones who get pregnant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the next few hours I busy myself about, cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, getting everything ready for the big surprise I\u2019m going to spring on Jelinja tonight. If it happens, which I think it will. I glance at the clock. She\u2019ll be home soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saute the shrimp with garlic butter and put together a big seaweed salad. Every once in a while, the movement in my belly causes me to pause; it\u2019s getting more frequent and intense as the clock ticks, to the point of considerable discomfort. I suck on a mint to distract my mind from the intermittent pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 6:15 pm, and right on time, Jelinja arrives home, rushes over to me and plants a wet, sloppy kiss on my lips. \u201cOh, babe, that smells so good!\u201d she gushes. \u201cMy favorite!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYep,\u201d I grin, \u201cand seaweed salad too. Just the way you like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, yum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We eat in the kitchen. My stomach lurches, but not from the food, although I am hungry. I glare at my belly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jelinja frowns with a look of concern. \u201cAre you okay, babe?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine, honey, just a little hungry. I didn\u2019t eat all day.\u201d Well, that\u2019s true, I haven\u2019t felt like eating since breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I take a bite of my food. Oh wow. I gotta say, that scampi is pretty darned good. \u201cHow is it?\u201d I ask. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMmmm\u2026\u201d she moans, her mouth stuffed too full to speak. She chews a bit, swallows and says, \u201cheavenly, just pure heaven. I didn\u2019t expect this tonight. I thought you were cooking calamari.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnything for you, love,\u201d I manage to mumble through my mouthful of food. I swallow the delicious crustacean goodness and clear my throat. \u201cI have another surprise for you after dinner, too. Right after we clean up.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll do the dishes,\u201d Jelinja offers. She looks at my bulging tummy and smirks. \u201cYou sit back and relax, okay hon? You must be exhausted.\u201d I nod, and we continue to eat without another word. When I\u2019ve had my fill, I go to the living room and wait for her to join me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My just-completed meal must have set something off because my stomach is really protesting now as it churns like the swell of the ocean tide. I touch my tummy and feel the movement inside. Yes, it\u2019s almost time. Tonight, a new chapter begins that will change our lives forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moments later, Jelinja joins me in the living room. \u201cOkay, what\u2019s your surprise?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUmm\u2026\u201d Suddenly, I can\u2019t speak as I\u2019m seized with a jolt of pain. This is sooner than I expected. Jelinja watches me, her eyes wide as saucers as I anchor my tail to a nearby tuft of seagrass. My stomach contracts in muscular rhythmic motions, and I groan, \u201cOhhhh!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wonder if my father felt the same way when I was born. It\u2019s wonderful, and terrifying, and I think I’m going to die.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I push instinctively, as a woman does when she gives birth. Tiny forms erupt from the brood pouch on my belly into the water, each one a new life I\u2019ve been incubating \u2014 our offspring, tiny and delicate, swimming freely, their eyes open and bright. I pump out more and more until there are dozens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jelinja gasps. \u201cOh my,\u201d she whispers, and she starts to cry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAww, babe, I love you,\u201d I say, as I choke up with emotion myself. The contractions have stopped, and no more little ones emerge from my pouch. I must be done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCongratulations, Mommy, meet your children,\u201d I say. My eyes tear up as I watch my newborn kids swim around us in a dazzling display of new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCongratulations to you, Daddy,\u201d she sniffles. \u201cThat was the most beautiful thing I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d She comes over to me, and we hug and cry and celebrate this moment that I wish could last forever, and I know our love could never be stronger than right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so it is, nature’s way of things in our world \u2014 where the male gives birth to the next generation. A world where roles reverse, and love, life, and biology intertwine into one of natures\u2019 greatest surprises, and the proud parent is a male seahorse, just like me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cBye, honey, I\u2019ll see you tonight!\u201d I shout out to my wife, Jelinja, as she opens the front door to leave. \u201cBe home in time for dinner.\u201d She grins back at me. \u201cWell, of course, babe, I would never miss your meals, you\u2019re the best cook ever. Just be sure and leave me some. You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,20],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-3100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama-literary","category-humor","tag-flash-fiction"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Male-Mom.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3100"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3995,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3100\/revisions\/3995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twistytales.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}