Book of my short stories, which include
Cruisin', Kwelanga of Days, Arguments,
Three Weeks Into an Era, 24 Hours, Finger Rings, Baby Fever, On the Hotline, Can You Handle It, Strawberry Shortcake, Open Auditions, Mirror Mirror, Crowning Glory, Catf...
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You hastily pull the plastic from the First Response box, ripping it open and pulling out the pee stick. You take your shower and wait the minutes with it dipped in the urine, not really knowing what result you want. One the one hand, it is a hot girl summer. Do you really need a baby on your hip? No drinks? No smokes? A baby would be an unexpected surprise for you. You haven’t even talked children with Erik. Does he like children? He did say he enjoyed having you to himself, just the two of you. He doesn’t seem ready to settle down and make the major changes that a baby would require.
But he adores you. And if he adores you, he has to adore the pieces of you. It’s simple, he has no choice. If the test is positive, he has to GET ready because although unexpected, the baby will be just as much his responsibility. Maybe it’s good thing.. Maybe, this baby will bring the two of you even closer. Maybe it’s time.
Peaking at the pee stick indicator, it feels a lot like tossing a coin. Heads or tails. Not pregnant. Pregnant.
It’s two lines. Unmistakenly, that pink line is there.
You sigh full of nervous energy. It feels like a big step, one that makes you take deep breaths while absorbing the fact that things might change. You don’t quite know how, but that’s where the anxiety comes in.
Who should you tell first, Erik or your mother? Your mother of course, she’ll help you and give you some good advice. She’s going to freak out. She’ll be so excited, she said she wanted grandchildren.. you just didn’t think she’d be getting one so soon…
You hope Erik’s happy like the fathers that you’ve seen in the videos. You never know though. News this big can be shocking, you’ve seen men freeze as well. If he isn’t initially excited, but is instead stunned and unable to process, you’ll try to be patient and help it to sink in. Either way, you two have got to talk. In less than one year, you’ll be parents.
It sounds so weird to say, you’re gonna be a mommy to a little newborn baby who hopefully looks like the both of you. You’re gonna give birth and bring a life, no, a SOUL into this earth. How beautiful is that? You’re gonna get to feed them and teach them and cuddle. You’ll dress them and style their hair. You’ll have so many firsts with them that you’ll get to laugh about. It’ll be a whole new world filled with pure love from a pure being who will look at you like you’re absolutely perfect as you are. The thought has you falling in love with your baby already. And in nine months, you’ll get to meet them face to face and say the words: I love you.
What’s gonna happen with the three of you as a family unit? Erik has said over and over that he loves you and wants to be with you. Only you. You hope he means it as much as he says it.
“Babygirl! Baby, where you at,” you hear him call from the kitchen of your studio apartment. His voice moves around getting closer and farther at the same time. “I wanna see you.”
“You’re early! Give me 20 minutes, I’m in the bathroom.”
“No rush,” he knocks on the door backing away. He’s an hour early, you haven’t even had time to get dressed for dinner, it’s 5pm. Reservations are for 7pm. Hurriedly, you dispose of the trash but keep the indicator stick for future use. You won’t tell him the news tonight. You’ll wait until the time is right.. after you’ve told your mother and when you’re ready to discuss it all properly. The knowledge of it is too fresh right now, you need to sit with it.
