Page 78 of Memories By the Shore
“You don’t mind keeping all this furniture and things in here until I move?” I glance around the once-clean space, now littered with household items, boxes, and storage containers.
“Don’t be silly.” She rubs my arm comfortingly. “I’m so grateful I get to be here with you. It brings me so much joy.”
We share a sweet moment in silence before she seemingly wipes a tear that I was unaware had fallen.
“You have been such a gift to me,” I tell her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“Oh, Avery.” She sniffs. “It’s you who’s brought light into my life.”
I smile with a heart full of love for her.
She wipes her nose again, then palms down on her yellow sundress, flattening the fabric. “What do you want to do for dinner?”
Being consumed by another human can be draining. I haven’t seen Jasper all day, and my heart aches to be with him.
I should spend the evening with Helen. I’ve appreciated everything she’s done for me and what she continues to do for me.Maybe Jasper can come over after dinner?
“Whatever you want. How about takeout?” I suggest heading across the hall into the bathroom.
“Fabulous.” Her voice is distant as she passes my bedroom door toward the kitchen. “And then we can see if there’s a fun rom-com to stream.”
“That sounds great,” I reply, but my thoughts halt. A basket of yellow tampons underneath my bathroom cupboard catches my eye.Shouldn’t my period have been here by now?
I grab my phone and swipe up to the calendar. Counting backto the first day of my last period, I go back five and a half weeks. That means I’m almost two weeks late. My period is always on time because I’m on the birth control pill.
Wait.My heart skips a beat, forcing a breath.
I never refilled my prescription!
Oh my god.Oh my god! It’s fine. My body is probably off its normal cycle because I’m not on the pill.Everything is fine. It will come.But what if it doesn’t?Jasper and I have had a lot of sex.
Gripping the edge of the counter with clammy palms, my mind races.
“Should I pick up Joe’s?” Helen’s voice startles me from the other room.
I push off the countertop, pace a few times, and then rest my back against the cold bathroom wall. I squeeze my eyes shut. “That sounds great!”
“Okay, be right back!” she shouts. The sound of clinking keys tells me a moment alone is close. “The usual?”
“Yeah, two chicken tacos and a salad,” I rush out. My lungs gulp in deep breaths.
“You got it,” she says.
A simple latch of the door is all I need to release. My knees go weak, and I sink to the floor.This can’t be happening.Burying my face in my hands, I take a few heavy breaths to calm down.It doesn’t help. I rise to my feet, turn on the sink, and splash cold water on my face. My head hangs low while I attempt to rein in my spiraling anxiety.This happens to girls all the time. Periods fluctuate. It will be here, it’s just a little late.
If that were true, why do I not feel like it is?My boobs aren’tsore, and I don’t have those annoying dull cramps I get a few days before.
Fuck.I need a pregnancy test.Maybe Helen has one?She and Duke always sleep together, and she’s not nearly old enough for menopause.
I yank open the bathroom door and hurry down the hallway to her bedroom. With my lungs constricted, I head for her bathroom and straight to the cabinet under the sink. It makes sense why it would be here. I have to push through containers of cotton balls and Q-tips before I find a pink and white box toward the back.
Blowing a sigh of relief, I snatch the box and leave the room. When I return to my bathroom, I notice a text from Jasper. I set the box down and swipe my phone off the counter.
Jasper: Hey, Arizona. I missed you today. What are you up to?
Well, Jasper, I’m taking a pregnancy test.
Me: Missed you too. I’m waiting for Helen to bring back tacos for dinner.
