We keep on waiting [Waiting on the world to change]
[Truth: Discuss something you hate participating in]
The instructions are in Spanish (something to do with having been bought in the airport in Rio) but even if she weren’t fluent in Spanish the illustrations made everything clear enough. Jacob is out running the island with the other wolves and Nessie is sitting in the bathroom with her back against the door. She’s got her cell phone in one hand, the stopwatch counting down seconds and there’s an inexplicable thirst burning hot in her throat.
She knows it’s too early to expect anything. They’ve only been married a month and sleeping together less than that. She’s knows the odds are against it, regardless of how they’ve tried to stack them in their favor. She knows all of this and yet she can’t stop herself from hoping. Her chest squeezes tight as the time ticks down and she closes her eyes, the back of her head pressing against the door. Her heart is hammering in protest of either the vice on her chest or the anxiety that waiting produces. Finally the timer goes off, the beep echoing in the tiled room.
One line. One line. She can’t remember what one line means. Her eyes skim over the directions on the box, the Spanish not making any sense at all right now. After a deep breath, held until she’s a bit afraid she’s turning blue, the illustrations offer some hope.
One line. No embarazadas. No embarazadas. Not pregnant.
She exhales slowly, almost a sigh as she gets up and tosses the test in the trashcan. She’s not going to cry because it’s too soon to expect anything. She’s not going to cry because this is what happens. When she opens the bathroom door, Alice is sitting on the edge of the bed. She doesn’t say anything, just pats the bed beside her. Nessie gives her a tight smile, tears that she wasn’t going to cry well in her eyes as she sits down next to her aunt. Alice wraps her arm around her and kisses the top of her head. Her fingers trail through Nessie’s hair, stroking her back .
Her tears are silent, never a flood, just a trickle. Finally she speaks, words sound clogged up.
“Don’t tell Jacob? I don’t want him to know I was upset.”
“Never,” Alice promises, making a locking motion against her lips with her thumb and index finger. She tosses the imaginary key over her shoulder. The action makes Nessie smile a little and she swipes at the tears on her cheeks.
“Its gonna happen, right?”
“Oh, Nessie. Baby girl,” Alice coos. “It’s going to happen.”
The instructions are in Spanish (something to do with having been bought in the airport in Rio) but even if she weren’t fluent in Spanish the illustrations made everything clear enough. Jacob is out running the island with the other wolves and Nessie is sitting in the bathroom with her back against the door. She’s got her cell phone in one hand, the stopwatch counting down seconds and there’s an inexplicable thirst burning hot in her throat.
She knows it’s too early to expect anything. They’ve only been married a month and sleeping together less than that. She’s knows the odds are against it, regardless of how they’ve tried to stack them in their favor. She knows all of this and yet she can’t stop herself from hoping. Her chest squeezes tight as the time ticks down and she closes her eyes, the back of her head pressing against the door. Her heart is hammering in protest of either the vice on her chest or the anxiety that waiting produces. Finally the timer goes off, the beep echoing in the tiled room.
One line. One line. She can’t remember what one line means. Her eyes skim over the directions on the box, the Spanish not making any sense at all right now. After a deep breath, held until she’s a bit afraid she’s turning blue, the illustrations offer some hope.
One line. No embarazadas. No embarazadas. Not pregnant.
She exhales slowly, almost a sigh as she gets up and tosses the test in the trashcan. She’s not going to cry because it’s too soon to expect anything. She’s not going to cry because this is what happens. When she opens the bathroom door, Alice is sitting on the edge of the bed. She doesn’t say anything, just pats the bed beside her. Nessie gives her a tight smile, tears that she wasn’t going to cry well in her eyes as she sits down next to her aunt. Alice wraps her arm around her and kisses the top of her head. Her fingers trail through Nessie’s hair, stroking her back .
Her tears are silent, never a flood, just a trickle. Finally she speaks, words sound clogged up.
“Don’t tell Jacob? I don’t want him to know I was upset.”
“Never,” Alice promises, making a locking motion against her lips with her thumb and index finger. She tosses the imaginary key over her shoulder. The action makes Nessie smile a little and she swipes at the tears on her cheeks.
“Its gonna happen, right?”
“Oh, Nessie. Baby girl,” Alice coos. “It’s going to happen.”