unthinkable

"It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore."

She had been avoiding mirrors lately. The only mirror that Rhea allowed herself to was the medicine cabinet mirror in the bathroom. Her view of herself was limited to the shoulders and above. So every morning she would check her hair and make-up only before heading to the bus stop. No primping in front of the full body mirror in the hallway. Rhea wondered if her mom was becoming suspicious, but she couldn't bear to look in that mirror.

The signs were obvious to her. The ten pound weight gain, the fuller boobs, the glowing skin, the slightly protruding belly that could not be sucked in. And of course Rhea knew it had been three months since Noah's condom broke, three months since her last period.

Noah. He might be slightly more panicked than her, which she found oddly comforting. Rhea was no fool. She watched the shows on TV about teen pregnancies. She knew the chances of Noah sticking around and really being there for this baby were minute. But right now there was hope that he would, so Rhea held onto that.

Soon everyone would know. Rhea was running out of loose clothes she could wear and get away with without question. And even those "loose" clothes were becoming snug. In a month there would be no denying. Rhea was a skinny girl so any weight gain stood out.

So today she took the first step and told her two best friends. Rhea knew she would need them by her side when she finally worked up the nerve to tell her parents.

save the best for last

"It's not the way I hoped or how I planned, but somehow its enough."

Her decision had been made. Janet had sat on the bed, staring into the bathroom for hours. She could see the test stick on the counter and knew what it indicated. She was pregnant.

It wasn't the right time. Janet was in her first year of an MBA program. It had been such a struggle to decide what she wanted to do with her life. Once she had realized she wanted to work in business and hopefully start her own, she had worked diligently to get into one of the best MBA programs in the country. And these first three months had been challenging and time consuming.

It wasn't the right guy. Walker was a classmate that she had been paired up with the first day of one of her classes. Their task had been to create a fake business from the ground up. After only two weeks working together, they became intimate. Walker wasn't even her type. It seemed more a hook-up of convenience and duress from all the stress than some irresistible love connection.

Janet had always dreamed of having children. She could imagine herself in a beautiful house. With a husband, two kids and a dog. But she wanted those things first. A husband, a house, a career, some financial security. Still she had made a decision. And once made, there was no room for regret or doubt.