The Things We Do for Love

Planned

Parenthood

What a joke. When you broke it down, she had no business being here at all. It should be called unplanned non-parenthood.

She let out a deep breath, realizing a second too late that shed started to cry.

Stop it.

Youre not pregnant. Youre just making sure.

She walked briskly up the flagstone path to the buildings front door. Without daring to pause, she opened the door, went through security, and entered the waiting room.

First, she saw the women--and the girls--who had arrived before her. Not one of them looked pleased to be here. There were no men. Next she saw the dullness of it--gray walls, gray plastic chairs, industrial gray carpeting.

Lauren strode up to the front desk, where a receptionist smiled up at her.

"May I help you?" the woman asked, pulling a pen out of her bouffant hairdo.

Lauren leaned closer and whispered, "Ribido. I called about seeing a doctor. "

The woman consulted paperwork. "Oh, yes. Pregnancy test. "

Lauren flinched. The woman had practically screamed the word pregnancy. "Yes. Thats right. "

"Take a seat. "

Lauren carefully avoided eye contact with anyone as she hurried to a chair and sat down. She bowed her head, let her hair fall across her face, and stared down at the backpack in her lap.

An endless wait later, a woman came into the room and called out Laurens name.

She popped up and hurried forward. "Im Lauren. "

"Come with me," the woman said. "Im Judy. " They went into a small examining room. Judy directed Lauren to sit on the paper-covered exam table, then sat in a chair opposite her, clipboard in hand. "So, Lauren," Judy said, "you want a pregnancy test?"

"Im sure I dont need it, but . . . " She tried to smile. "Better safe than sorry. " Her smile faded. She waited for Judy to point out that if Lauren had been more safe, she wouldnt be worrying about being sorry now.

"Are you sexually active?"

She felt small and much too young to be here, answering these adult questions. "Yes. "

"Do you practice safe sex?"

"Yes. Absolutely. I was with David for three years before I let him . . . you know . . . and weve only done it without a condom once. "

Judys face was filled with a sad understanding. "It only takes once, Lauren. "

"I know. " Now she felt miserable and stupid as well as small. "The thing is that one time was in the first week in October. I remember because it was after the Longview game. And my period that month was right on time. "

"So why are you here today?"

"My period this month is late, and . . . " She couldnt say it out loud.

"And?"

"I did one of those home pregnancy tests. It showed positive. But theyre wrong all the time, right?"

"They can be wrong, certainly. How heavy was last months period?"