Blur
A short story about a teenage girl finding out that she's pregnant.
She couldn't believe it. Two pink lines. She hoped that she was dreaming, but she knew that she wasn't. Sat on the toilet seat, staring at the little white stick, she suddenly felt sick.
"How has this happened?" she whispered to herself.
She took her pill every night. As far as she could remember, she hadn't missed one. Not one. She must have been one of the 2% that still manage to fall pregnant whilst taking it. And here she was, staring at those two pink lines. Positive.
Her head rushing, feeling dizzy, she placed the test on the toilet seat and washed her hands. In denial, she replied to a text from her boyfriend. He was asking if everything was okay- he knew she'd been worrying for the past few days. She told him everything was fine. How could she tell him that they were going to be potential parents? She was only sixteen. He was a year older, but no where near emotionally prepared to be a father.
Frantic thoughts filled her mind as she read the reply: "Phew! Thank god for that. As if we could be parents at our age!!!" She sat down on the toilet seat again. She was going to be sick. "I have to tell him" she thought. But she couldn't.
A few hours later, the reality of the situation kicked in. On her way over to his house, she threw up. Morning sickness. She'd already missed one period, and her second one was a couple of days late. That's why she'd taken the test. The instructions said to wait 3 minutes, but the second pink line showed up in a matter of seconds. 2 months. She'd been pregnant for about two months and not even known it. Only in the past few days had she started feeling about under the weather, but she'd put it down to PMS. How she wished that it was.
When she got to his house, she paused on the doorstep before she knocked. She hadn't even bothered practising what to say or when to say it because she knew it'd all come out wrong anyway. Looking at her feet, she closed her eyes, sighed, and knocked three times on his door.
They were in his bedroom now. He could sense something was up; brought her upstairs so they could talk privately without interruption from his parents. He sat on his bed and took her hand.
"Look at me," he said.
She couldn't.
"Look at me," he said again.
She still couldn't. She was going numb. It was all about to come out. He pulled her towards him and turned her around- sat her down next to him on the bed. "Sweetheart, tell me what's wrong," he soothed.
"I... I can't."
"Babe, you can tell me anything. You know that. We've been together nearly a year now- I know you inside out. Literally," he joked.
"Don't mess," she said as a tear rolled down her face.
"I was only joking swee- why are you crying? Oh god, what's wrong? Is it your mum?"
Another reason that she was terrified to break the news. Her mum had been given the all clear 6 months ago. She was recovering from breast cancer, but had been told it could come back. How on earth could she tell her mother she was going to have a child, when she had that to cope with?
"No... no, it's not... it's not mum, it's..." she trailed off.
"Don't leave me hanging," he said anxiously.
"I'm..."
"Ill?"
"No. I'm..."
"Grounded?"
"No, don't be stupid."
"Well then tell me!"
"Pregnant," she blurted out.
Silence.
"There, I said it," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You... you told me that everything was okay..."
He seemed hurt.
"I, I didn't... I couldn't, couldn't tell you... I was in denial."
"Are you sure?"
"About being in denial?"
"No. Pregnant. Are you sure you're pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Right."
"Right? How can you just say 'right'?"
"What am I meant to say? 'Oh yay, congratulations to us! Another teen pregnancy!'?"
"Don't be like that. I don't want this any more than you do."
"Who said I don't want it?"
They shared a confused stare for a few seconds.
"You, what? You, do...?"
"I never said I didn't want a child with you. Of course I want your children, you're beautiful and you'd be a wonderful mother. I just, I just didn't want it to be now. Not when we're so young-"
"So we're what? Keeping it?"
"Well... yeah. We always agreed that if this happened, we'd be the best parents we could be. We always agreed we wouldn't throw our own child's life away; not when there are so many people in the world who can't have children. It's a blessing."
"We're going to be parents..." she said slowly, as if she couldn't believe it. Then... "We're... We're going to be parents!!" she exclaimed.
Around 7 months later, a beautiful baby girl was born. After breaking the news to their parents, they discussed their options and decided that they definitely wanted the child. They couldn't just get rid of it as if it was a pair of shoes, and they didn't want to throw away what could possibly end up being their only chance at having a child. They named the baby "Ella", she's now 4 years old. Her mother is 21 and is living happily in a 2-bed apartment, still with the father- her husband. She couldn't wish for a more pleasant child, or a happy relationship.
"It was all a bit of a blur when we first discovered that we were expecting. But it's the best thing that's ever happened to us. I love Ella, and I love my husband. I'm incredibly happy."
"How has this happened?" she whispered to herself.
She took her pill every night. As far as she could remember, she hadn't missed one. Not one. She must have been one of the 2% that still manage to fall pregnant whilst taking it. And here she was, staring at those two pink lines. Positive.
Her head rushing, feeling dizzy, she placed the test on the toilet seat and washed her hands. In denial, she replied to a text from her boyfriend. He was asking if everything was okay- he knew she'd been worrying for the past few days. She told him everything was fine. How could she tell him that they were going to be potential parents? She was only sixteen. He was a year older, but no where near emotionally prepared to be a father.
Frantic thoughts filled her mind as she read the reply: "Phew! Thank god for that. As if we could be parents at our age!!!" She sat down on the toilet seat again. She was going to be sick. "I have to tell him" she thought. But she couldn't.
A few hours later, the reality of the situation kicked in. On her way over to his house, she threw up. Morning sickness. She'd already missed one period, and her second one was a couple of days late. That's why she'd taken the test. The instructions said to wait 3 minutes, but the second pink line showed up in a matter of seconds. 2 months. She'd been pregnant for about two months and not even known it. Only in the past few days had she started feeling about under the weather, but she'd put it down to PMS. How she wished that it was.
When she got to his house, she paused on the doorstep before she knocked. She hadn't even bothered practising what to say or when to say it because she knew it'd all come out wrong anyway. Looking at her feet, she closed her eyes, sighed, and knocked three times on his door.
They were in his bedroom now. He could sense something was up; brought her upstairs so they could talk privately without interruption from his parents. He sat on his bed and took her hand.
"Look at me," he said.
She couldn't.
"Look at me," he said again.
She still couldn't. She was going numb. It was all about to come out. He pulled her towards him and turned her around- sat her down next to him on the bed. "Sweetheart, tell me what's wrong," he soothed.
"I... I can't."
"Babe, you can tell me anything. You know that. We've been together nearly a year now- I know you inside out. Literally," he joked.
"Don't mess," she said as a tear rolled down her face.
"I was only joking swee- why are you crying? Oh god, what's wrong? Is it your mum?"
Another reason that she was terrified to break the news. Her mum had been given the all clear 6 months ago. She was recovering from breast cancer, but had been told it could come back. How on earth could she tell her mother she was going to have a child, when she had that to cope with?
"No... no, it's not... it's not mum, it's..." she trailed off.
"Don't leave me hanging," he said anxiously.
"I'm..."
"Ill?"
"No. I'm..."
"Grounded?"
"No, don't be stupid."
"Well then tell me!"
"Pregnant," she blurted out.
Silence.
"There, I said it," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You... you told me that everything was okay..."
He seemed hurt.
"I, I didn't... I couldn't, couldn't tell you... I was in denial."
"Are you sure?"
"About being in denial?"
"No. Pregnant. Are you sure you're pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Right."
"Right? How can you just say 'right'?"
"What am I meant to say? 'Oh yay, congratulations to us! Another teen pregnancy!'?"
"Don't be like that. I don't want this any more than you do."
"Who said I don't want it?"
They shared a confused stare for a few seconds.
"You, what? You, do...?"
"I never said I didn't want a child with you. Of course I want your children, you're beautiful and you'd be a wonderful mother. I just, I just didn't want it to be now. Not when we're so young-"
"So we're what? Keeping it?"
"Well... yeah. We always agreed that if this happened, we'd be the best parents we could be. We always agreed we wouldn't throw our own child's life away; not when there are so many people in the world who can't have children. It's a blessing."
"We're going to be parents..." she said slowly, as if she couldn't believe it. Then... "We're... We're going to be parents!!" she exclaimed.
Around 7 months later, a beautiful baby girl was born. After breaking the news to their parents, they discussed their options and decided that they definitely wanted the child. They couldn't just get rid of it as if it was a pair of shoes, and they didn't want to throw away what could possibly end up being their only chance at having a child. They named the baby "Ella", she's now 4 years old. Her mother is 21 and is living happily in a 2-bed apartment, still with the father- her husband. She couldn't wish for a more pleasant child, or a happy relationship.
"It was all a bit of a blur when we first discovered that we were expecting. But it's the best thing that's ever happened to us. I love Ella, and I love my husband. I'm incredibly happy."
1 Comment
I love this! Please, make more like this!