Chapter 5: Laura

Dinner with my parents went horribly wrong. They did and said all the wrong things. I couldn’t blame Percy for his reaction. I would have done the same if I were in his position, probably sooner than he did.

One day I woke up and couldn’t hold down my breakfast. I moved to the sink to splash water on my face. I paused to take a breath, and calm the sickening sensation of panic that rose from my belly to my chest.

If this wasn’t a flu bug or food poisoning, it meant I was actually pregnant. I had missed my period. Sometimes that happens. Different foods, even a change in water might cause the body to get out of its normal rhythm.

I went straight to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.

My knees buckled. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the fuzzy blue bathmat, staring dazed and wide eyed at that plastic white stick. Two lines. Great! I was pregnant and fucked.

No. It couldn’t be true. There had to be some mistake. I couldn’t possibly be pregnant. Not me.

Panic struck me, my heart hammering. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to feel? Thoughts clamored in my head, swirling around, trying to make themselves heard. I’d never been against having kids, but at the same time, the thought of having one right now terrified me.

Have you ever done something you wish you could undo? What am I saying? Of course, you have. Everyone has regrets.

By the time I collected myself and emerged from the bathroom, I knew that I had to tell Percy. I had to tell my parents too. I knew they would want to meet my baby’s father so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and asked Percy to meet me at my parents’ house. I wanted to show them my baby had a father, and he was a good man.

How stupid of me! I should have known my family better to anticipate how they would react to the news. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I had been avoiding my parents for so long, that I let my guard down.

I know I should have told Percy about my pregnancy, before asking him to meet me at my parents’ place. I know I should have warned him about my snob parents. However, at the moment, the idea of dropping the news at the same time sounded really appealing.

Why did I ambush Percy? You know why. I do too. I was afraid. Terrified actually. Because I knew what was going to happen when my parents knew I was pregnant and not married.

“I beg your pardon?” Percy’s eyebrows lifted and he leaned back in his chair. He was momentarily speechless, and his jaw dropped open in shock.

“I’m pregnant,” I repeated. I gave him a few seconds to digest my words before I continued. “I took a test.”

He stared at me with those spellbinding blue eyes. “I thought you were on the pill.”

“I was,” I explained. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t forget to take any.”

He frowned at me. “You must have. You were careless and forgot.”

“It doesn’t matter if I forgot to take the pill,” I said, “even when I didn’t. All we can do is face the music. We have to decide how we’re going to handle this.”

Percy sank back into his chair. “Are you sure? Could the test be wrong?” he asked me. “Maybe you should go to the doctor to get it confirmed.”

I shook my head. “A positive test result is over ninety-five percent accurate. I’m pregnant, Percy.”

“Maybe you wanted this,” he said.

“Of course not!” I argued. Rage, hot and brisk, flooded my bloodstream. “How can you think I got pregnant on purpose? I’m not that kind of woman! We were just getting to know each other. I like you, but not that much.”