The Test
Trying to Remain Positive
Callie looked down at the test. That was definitely a pink plus sign. Inside, she felt a small flutter of joy, but it was tamped down by the realization that this was not the plan.
How would she tell her fiancé, Matt? It was supposed to be one year of engagement (they were a month in), then one year where they bought and got used to a house, and then try for a kid. That plan was gone now.
She looked up from where she sat on the toilet seat. Mando and Motron, her two tabbies, were staring at her. “Well, I guess you’re getting a sibling.” It was all she could think to say. Then she laughed. This was the most absurd thing.
Her mother had warned her. Don’t end up unwed and pregnant. That advice still rang in her head at 22. She knew people had babies at this age. She knew they had them out of wedlock, but this would be scandal.
What would her mother say? What would her pastor say? Callie was about to be the talk of Bridgeport. It wasn’t a large town. The most exciting thing was the annual bake-off.
She realized she was no longer laughing, but crying. She took a deep breath and then threw the test away, burying it deep so Matt wouldn’t find it before she came up with a way to tell him. She started to walk out of the bathroom, but thinking better of it, she gathered the trash up and walked it out to the curb.
When she came back inside, she leaned back against the door. How far along was she? Her hand lay on her stomach. Again, she felt that small amount of joy. “This is a good thing,” she said out loud to both her cats and herself, almost in a convincing voice.
“You’ll support me when I tell him, right, Mando?” she asked, petting him behind the ears. “And I know I can always count on her, Motron.” Callie ran her hand down his back.
Looking at the clock, she realized she had an hour till he’d be home. “Well, all we can do now is wait… and hope.”
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