She sat in class. The professor stood at the front of the room and spoke in a monotone voice. He droned on and on about the qualities of ellipses. Nothing he said was heard by her. Her attention was focused on drawing circles at the top of her notebook. A free hand rested upon her stomach that had begun to bulge out in the last few months. As if on cue, the child inside her kicked against her stomach and made her grimace. The child kicked with a passion and brought only memories she wished to forget. There was no forgetting with this child. It kicked day and night as if a constant reminder.
The professor must of released the class for the day as people stood up and picked up their belongings with little chatter between them. She stood and did the same with the few notebooks that had barely any notes in them. She shifted the bag on her shoulder and waddled down the few steps carefully before exiting the room. Her classes were hard enough that she didn't need a baby on top of it all, yet she was not given a choice. She didn't know the guy whose choice it was.
The thought made her stomach flop, or perhaps it was the child moving inside her. Yet every time the memory came to mind, her stomach did that flop. She walked out of the large university building with a sigh. The warm May air greeted her and she stepped onto the thin sidewalk and began walking towards the small apartment she owned. As she walked she passed a young mother fighting with the stubborn toddler that followed her closely. She grimaced as she watched the kid cry and scream at his mother who continued pulling him along. She walked past the two and shook her head.
The apartment she lived in was not far from the university she was studying at. She skipped up the steps carefully, unlocked the door, and stepping inside to set her books on the close table. The boxes were still there, still stacked neatly in a corner of the small apartment. They hadn't moved in completely, even though she asked them to finish up the few boxes, her father and his girlfriend claimed they were still getting used to the area. They offered to move up with her for the pregnancy and the birth. She remembered sobbing to her father on the phone when the diagnosis of the mysterious disease turned out to be pregnancy. She thought she could keep the memories of that night a secret to all and denied her father's claims that she had done it on purpose. She never gave him the real reason, which the thought still made her upset, because she wanted it hidden and forgotten from her memories so desperately. She was grateful that they offered to move up with her and happily accepted. Then again, her father's girlfriend was unable to have children, and the woman's heart went out to the pregnant nineteen year old. The woman brought boxes and boxes of clothes and bottles when they moved in. She was the only person whose bright smile and enthusiasm about the pregnancy could reach the girl.
She stepped inside and grabbed the little piece of paper that was taped to the wall in such a way it was impossible for her to miss. She peeled it off and read the list. It was a short list of things they needed and it was possible for her to get the few items at the store just a few streets down. She stuffed the list in her pocket and made her way back outside. She followed the sidewalk with a hum until she reached the store quicker than she expected.
The store was simple with customers walking this way and that with their carts full of food. She shifted around and put an arm instinctively around her stomach as she walked towards the produce section.
He strolled inside with his hands in his pockets. His head was held high as he whistled a quiet tune. He took his time as he paced down the aisle slowly and he waited for her to begin her hunt for whatever she needed. He had been sitting on the bench on the other corner of her apartment and watched as she caressed her bulging stomach and carefully stepped up the stairs on her way home from school. He always wore the same sly smirk when he saw her walking with her growing belly visible. The idea excited him but he had been quickly roused from his thoughts as she exited her apartment just as quick as she had left. It wasn't every day he waited to see her, but today she must of had errands to run. He stood, stretched, and waited a casual moment before falling into step with her on the opposite side of the road.
She turned into the store and he followed moments later. That brought him to now. He picked up a small box and acted as if he was examining it quite seriously when in the corner of his eye, the girl moved to his aisle and stood staring at the cans in front of her. It took her a few moments and a few different attempts at finding the right can before she decided on one she had already picked up. He laughed silently to himself and turned to put the box back on the shelf. She turned in the direction of him and began walking back down the aisle towards him. He paused, half taken aback by this, and turned to offer a kind smile as she brushed by him.
"Congratulations, Miss," he said with a coy look.
She stared up at the guy in front of her. He was taller than she with dark hair and dark eyes. His skin was a light bronze and he had a faint smirk or smile playing on his lips. She faltered a moment in her thoughts. She hadn't been paying much attention to the customers in the aisle and slowed her pace considerably when she stood in front of him. Months ago, a congratulating comment from an individual would have made her glare or sick to the thought, but now she just accepted the statement with a forced smile or nod. She learned all too quick that it took too much energy to explain the situation and decided against any protesting. Yet this time her response came automatically.
"Thank you," she whispered up to the man before offering a smile a second too late and stepping past him. He smelled of musky cologne, which she had to admit smelled quite nice. She walked hastily down the aisle with the apples, crackers, and canned peaches in her arms to the cashier. She paid automatically and grabbed the small sack and headed out the doors without a second thought.