Man Overboard

14. Please Let Me Know That My One Bad Day Will End

After the appointment, Tom and I sat in his truck for what seemed like hours. We just waited in the parking lot, Tom comforting me as I sobbed into his chest. I had already known I was probably pregnant, but I had still had one glimmer of hope that the tests had been a fluke. And the appointment had just made the situation all too real, not just confirming the pregnancy but also giving me an approximate due date and telling me that everything looked healthy so far.

Hearing all of that made it harder for me to think about getting an abortion. But I knew I had to. I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared to give birth, and there was no telling what kind of birth defects the baby might have as a result of incest. No, abortion was my only option.

But I was still terrified. It felt like I was counting down the days until my abortion rather than my actual birthday. Granted I had scheduled the surgery for the tenth, so it was only a difference of one day. But I had forgotten the significance of the date when I woke up Sunday morning, and was completely thrown off by Tom's text asking me if I wanted to spend the entire day with him.

I quickly got dressed, eager to get out of this house. I stared at myself in the mirror, eyeing the hand-shaped bruise on my cheek from last night. My dad had been upset that dinner had been five minutes late. It was only a faint bruise, so I just put some makeup on it to hide it.

Once I looked presentable, I headed over to Tom's. The sun beat down on me on my journey. Winter could not come soon enough, even if it only brought sixty degree weather.

I knocked on the apartment door. I could hear frantic running before the door opened. Tom grinned at me, looking slightly out of breath.

"Hey! Come in!" Tom greeted. He placed his hand on my shoulder and ushered me inside. He slammed the front door shut and guided me to the kitchen table.

I giggled at his eagerness. "Are you okay?" I asked. Tom nodded before pushing me gently down onto a chair.

"Yep, just wait here for one second," he replied, turning into the kitchen. The sound of cabinets opening and closing, plates clattering, and a lighter being flicked echoed in the small apartment.

"Is everything alright in there?" I laughed.

"Just dandy!" Tom called back, making me laugh even harder at his word choice. A few minutes later he emerged, carrying a small plate with a cupcake on it. It was topped with blue icing and a single, white lit candle.

"Happy Birthday, Willow," Tom said softly, placing the plate in front of me.

"Tom..." I trailed off, overwhelmed with gratitude. I had forgotten that today was my birthday, completely distracted by what was to come tomorrow. The fact that Tom had remembered and had even wanted to celebrate it with me, made tears start to form in my eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Tom smiled. "Make a wish!"

There were so many things I could've wished for: people to ignore me at school, my dad to stop hurting me, to not be pregnant. But right then, with Tom, I had never been happier. I just wanted to repay him somehow for all that he's done for me. I wanted him to be as happy as he had made me.

I blew out the candle. I stared at the cupcake, watching the smoke rise from the candle.

"You can eat it now," Tom chuckled. I looked at him, coming out of my daze.

"Do you want some?" I asked. "We can share it."

Tom shook his head and sat down across from me at the table. "No, it's yours."