Always be prepared

Jane Spencer was nothing if not prepared.

When she was thinking about having sex with Brad, she made a list of pros and cons, and considered the list for weeks. When they finally went all the way, she made sure that she was on the pill and that he was using condoms with spermicidal lubricants. She was prepared.

Even now, she was prepared. On the bathroom counter, lined up in an orderly fashion, were four different pregnancy tests. Beside them, a stopwatch waited. Jane straightened the tests once more, then gave a satisfied sniff. It was time.

One by one, Jane used all four tests. It was awkward, to be honest, but there was something about the methodical use and replacement of each test on the counter that made Jane feel better. It was orderly. It made sense. And the repetition decreased the chances of a false reading.

The stopwatch continued merrily on its way, counting the seconds that passed. Jane busied herself with arranging her makeup on the bathroom counter, ignoring the tests that waited. Once the stopwatch reached the appropriate time, she reached for the first test with an inexplicably shaking hand.

Two purple lines. Two pink lines. A blue plus sign. A digital readout of 'Pregnant.'

Jane's hand shook more violently with each test.

Somehow, she wasn't prepared for this.

I write like
James Joyce

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