I walked to the washroom and saw Michael sitting on toilet, scrolling through his phone.
I folded my arms, waiting for him to notice me. He looked up and our eyes met.
“The test came out negative again, ” I said.
He got up, flushed the toilet, washed his hands and came over to give me a hug.
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” he said.
I don’t remember the number of times I had heard that statement. This is our eleventh year of marriage and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hoped, tried and taken those stupid pregnancy tests. They always managed to come out negative.
I wanted to scream at Michael but I couldn’t. I knew what he’d say,
“Let’s keep trusting God. He’s the one who gives children,”
I don’t blame him. Society never bothers men when married couples do not bear children. It’s always the woman’s fault.
I thought this month’s attempt at conceiving was going to yield positive results. I took the medication and the doctor reiterated that Michael and I were perfectly normal and there’ll be good news this month.
“We’ll keep trying,” Michael repeated.
I nodded just to please him. I walked to the room to call Sandra, my best friend.
“The test came out negative. Again.”
“Let’s meet at my place,” she offered.
I quickly dressed up and told Michael I needed to clear my head.
He walked over to me, gave me another hug and said,
“Take all the time you need,”
“I will,” I said with a smile.
I drove straight to Sandra’s and parked my car. The door flew opened and with wide arms, Sandra welcomed me.
I started narrating my ordeal. This isn’t the first time Sandra is hearing my trying-to-conceive story. She knew about it but her facial expression showed she wasn’t tired of hearing it.
“I have an idea,” Sandra interjected. “Do you remember Denise? She had been trying for 15 years too and she has twins now. She showed me something that worked for her,”
Sandra walked to her room and came back with a bottle.
“This is her magic potion. She testifies it had helped several women like her. Go ahead. Try it,”
I took the bottle with some level of doubt. What do I have to lose anyway? I knew Denise’s story. Who doesn’t? She keeps flaunting the twins on her Instagram page.
“Denise tells me you may feel a little drowsy an hour later after you take it. You may want to drink it while you’re at home,”
Thinking of Michael, who’ll definitely not approve of this, I drank the concoction and picked my car keys.
“I should be at home before I feel the effects of that. Thank you for everything, Sandra,” I gave my childhood best friend a quick hug and rushed to my car.
The journey was smooth till about 400 metres to my home. I started feeling the discomfort. It was in my tummy and I was sweating profusely. I stepped on the accelerator and made the journey in less than a minute.
As I turned the ignition off, I felt the most excruciating pain in my stomach. I tried to make it to the door but that was impossible. I laid on the ground and tried to shout for Michael. He was probably taking a nap. I clenched my teeth and held my stomach tightly as if that was going to make the situation better but, nothing happened. It was as if my breath was being taken out of me. My life flashed before my eyes.
This is the worst feeling I’ve ever felt. I said a prayer and my world was whirling so fast that I had to keep my eyes shut. Michael wouldn’t know the real story. By the time he woke up, I was dying…
***This is 18/22 of the #WinterABC2020. The prompt is “By the time he woke up, I was dying…Share a creative story with this line.***
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