Best of Both Worlds

Chapter Two

I stared holes into the pregnancy sticks. Two clear blue test packets sat pretty atop my toilet seat cover and I couldn't bring myself to take them. My heart thumped against my chest and my legs felt weak. I leaned against the bathroom door to keep myself upright and steady.

God, I've never been this scared in my life.

"What happening? What does it say?" Whitney's voice rang through the toilet walls.

Jerking with a hitch in my breath, I placed a hand across my chest. Now, reminded that I had Whitney on the speakerphone. She was still on her shift at the hospital she worked at and couldn't be here in person.

I pushed myself off the door and moved towards the sink where the phone wedged against the wall. "I've not taken it yet"

She smacked her lips in frustration. "Girl, take the damn test and get this over with"

"I will" I muttered and rolled my eyes. Then I turned towards the test packets, released a shaky breath and picked up one of the packets. I glossed over the instructions and took out both sticks.

"Here we go" I mumbled under my breath as I cleared the top of the toilet seat. There wasn't much to manoeuvre, I was in an old plain blue t-shirt and panties.

It took me a few seconds to pee over them and clean up myself. I placed the test atop the cover of the toilet's water tank and backed away from it. The instructions stated to wait 2-5 agonizing minutes before the results came up.

Please, God. I kept repeating in my head as I waited.

"Have you taken it now?" Whitney piped up, again.

"Yes. I'm just waiting now" I retorted

"Okay"

I was the third child out of five children; three girls, and two boys. The first two boys were already married; one with a child and the other was expecting. For boys, they were quite decent and respectable men. I didn't want to be the one to tarnish my family's name by having a child out of wedlock.

My parents had sent me abroad to study medicine and get a good life. I had always dreamt of going abroad to study medicine. Get a good job in one of the best hospitals and gain financial stability. Then, return to Nigeria, build a hospital and help millions of people. My parents wanted to bring my dreams to life so they sent me to the US to study, New York, to be precise.

In the past few days, I'd been feeling weird. I was vomiting and having specific food aversions. Large appetite, tender breast, and tiredness. As a doctor, I knew the signs of pregnancy and with desperation, I hoped it wasn't.

I had a clear memory of taking a post-pill but, I also knew they weren't a hundred per cent effective. These pregnancy tests were to make sure I wasn't among the small percentage it defected on.

"Okay, go check now. The results should be out" Whitney said

I braced myself as I walked over to the test sticks and picked one up. With the stick held at arm's length, I peeped through small slits at the result. One line.

That's a negative right?

I referred back to the box and re-read the instructions. Then I picked up the second test and got the same result. Relief flooded my body and washed away my worries.

"It's negative!"

"What?"

"Oh my God, it's negative" I cried out with joy

She released a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God"

"Ah! Jesus, I love you" I sank to the floor and chuckled with excitement.