Smoking and drinking during pregnancy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s a beautiful fall day in 1973, sunshine pouring through the campus medical office window where Lara sits with her back straight, hands folded primly in her lap, waiting for her examination results.
“You are definitely pregnant”, the doctor tells her. “Four or five weeks along. Do you know what you want to do about this?”
Do? Lara tries to clear her head and imagine what exactly people are expected to do in this kind of situation. Cry? Throw a party? Why does the doctor care what she’s going to do?
“Was this pregnancy planned? Is your husband going to be okay with it?”
No, not planned, Lara tells her. Not discussed, not anticipated. Big surprise, really. So much for the diaphragm as birth control. Throwing that out now I guess. Stupid thing. They stare at each other for a moment in silence.
“If you decide to terminate this pregnancy, it’s best to do it now. You will need to let me know as soon as possible so we can make the arrangements”
Lara’s heart thuds and she moves her clasped hands up across her belly. An abortion, that’s the option Lara is supposed to be considering, and immediately she knows that for her it isn’t an option at all.
“Oh God, no, I’m really happy about this!” She supposes the doctor can be forgiven for not figuring out that her shell-shocked expression is an indication of joy. And if Stan isn’t thrilled with the news that he’s going to be a parent before his university semester is over, oh well. Lara decides she won’t dwell on that.
Because it doesn’t matter. She is going to have this baby. The doctor gives her a huge smile, as if to say she’s made the right decision, and tells her to come back and see her in a month.
When Stan picks her up ten minutes later he doesn’t even ask. Laras beaming face tells him everything he needs to know.
(This is in response to this weeks Trifecta Challenge)
ParentingIsFunny
February 11, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Awh.
Bee (@LivingOffScript)
February 11, 2013 at 6:40 pm
Oohh! I wonder whether or not Stan was “thrilled with the news”!
kz
February 12, 2013 at 12:41 am
i hope Stan does right by her
but more than that, i admire her courage when she told herself that it doesn’t matter if she’s in it alone ^^
atrm61
February 12, 2013 at 1:22 am
Nice & sweet:-)
tedstrutz
February 12, 2013 at 2:53 am
Was sounding like the Doc was put up to recommend abortion. I liked the line… ‘Cry or throw a party”. I guess back in ’73 you smoked and drank during pregnancy… I’m trying to remember.
grandmalin
February 12, 2013 at 9:27 am
It certainly wasn’t taken as seriously as it should have been, especially smoking. We have pictures of babies with smouldering ashtrays close by. Yuck.
annabelle2013
February 12, 2013 at 11:56 am
I too liked the cry/throw a party bit. What on earth are you supposed to say in response to a question like that?
joetwo
February 12, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Good story. Nice heart to it!
jannatwrites
February 12, 2013 at 10:04 pm
I liked the emotions in this story. Even if you’re trying for pregnancy, it’s still a shock when it happens! Very clever of you leaving Stan’s reaction open to reader interpretation. I’d like to think that despite the poor timing, he would be happy because he loved Lara enough to marry her, and the baby is an extension of them.
grandmalin
February 13, 2013 at 10:10 am
It wasn’t so much clever as getting up to the 333 word count and having to stop…lol Don’t worry, Stan rose to the challenge.
Draug419
February 13, 2013 at 10:41 am
heh, well this is a happy ending for an unexpected surprise. I like this sort of change (:
bsoist
February 13, 2013 at 2:21 pm
Very well done.
deanabo
February 13, 2013 at 3:07 pm
What a wonderful story about unexpected news.
kymminbarcelona
February 14, 2013 at 6:35 am
I really liked the unexpected reversal of assumptions. So refreshing (even after all this time).