Best of Women

Pippa

My period was late. Not by a long amount of time, but it made me wonder. I was on the pill, so I could easily tell when it was due based on what pill I was on. I was four days late. Today wasn't a busy day, so I grabbed a cup of coffee down at Starbucks, then did a few errands. I picked up a pregnancy test at the grocery store just in case.

When I got home, Rio was working on his computer as he watched cartoons. "Rio, turn that off," I told him. We had a rule that his work had to be done without distractions. He sighed but turned it off right away. Rio was such an easy kid.

I put away the few groceries I'd gotten, then took a few toiletries back to the bathroom. I had to pee anyway, so I took the pregnancy test. I held it upside down for three minutes, nervously tidying up around the bathroom as I waited. Finally, I gathered up the nerve to look. Negative.

I was surprised that I felt disappointed. Lin and I weren't even trying to have a baby. We weren't even married yet. Not that we had to be married, but I'd prefer to do it the old-fashioned way. I sighed as I tossed the test into the trash. I went on with my day, cleaning and working on the computer alongside Rio.

The twins came home later, and Mia was exuberant, but sore. They were talking about practice, laughing.

"Need some ice?" I asked them as they got a snack.

"Probably," Mia said. We had several large ice packs in the freezer just for this. Since Mia had been out of practice, her muscles weren't used to the intense beating they took at practice. Her shoulders were bothering her the worst. Mia laid down on the floor and I placed the long ice pack over her shoulders. She gasped then relaxed. I put a blanket over the rest of her body.

"Thanks, Pippa," she told me.

"You're welcome, kiddo," I told her. Eva took a shower as Mia iced her back. I started dinner, and soon Lin was home. He gave me a kiss, then disappeared to our room to go change. He came back a couple minutes later with a quizzical look on his face. He stood beside me, tracing a couple fingers up and down my spine.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he said. "Was that a...a pregnancy test in the trash?"

I stopped and looked at him. "Yeah, I was a few days late so I took one to be safe. Negative."

"Oh," he said, then was silent. He scratched at the back of his head as I continued with dinner.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I checked.

"Mmmhmm," he said. "Obviously, we're not ready for a baby. I mean, we just moved and we have Paco to help with."

"Plus, we're not even married," I reminded him. Lin leaned backwards against the counter, his arms crossed. He stared off, and I could tell he was thinking. "What are you thinking about?"

"I don't know," he told me, stroking at his goatee. "It's just...when I saw the test in the trash I got a little excited."

I studied his face. "Excited?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I mean...I think we both want a baby eventually. Having Paco around is reminding me how cool it is."

I set the spoon down and walked over to him, placing both hands on his chest. "Lin, are you trying to say you want a baby?"

He looked at me, hopeful, then gently stroked my hip with his hand. "I do," he said softly. "But I want it to be the right time. For both of us."

I smiled. Lin was an amazing father, and I'd love to see him with our own baby. How were you supposed to know when the right time was? It always seemed there would be a reason not to. Busy with the other kids, work being crazy, not being married.