Chapter 23
Nora woke up the next morning feeling sick. She ran to the bathroom and threw up, till she stood up unsteadily on her feet and washed her face and mouth. Peering into the mirror, she stared at her face. She looked exhausted. Her blue eyes had lost their luster and she looked more tired than she actually felt.
With her brows crossed, she tried to think about what could have been making her feel this way. Was it something she ate? Did she catch a bug? She didn’t want to fall sick while her dad was still recovering. He had got out of bed now and was slowly beginning to walk around the house, but he was still not back to his usual form.
Patting her face dry with a towel, she went back to her bedroom and looked around. It wasn’t like she was actually sick. She placed a hand on her belly to feel for aches, but there weren’t any. Then the thought struck her and in a panic, she rummaged around on the bed for her cell phone. She had an app for keeping track of her monthlies and she scrolled through it, realizing that she was late by a few days already. Usually, she was perfectly on time if not early.
Nora’s heart was beating fast as she ran down the stairs. Her father was sitting on the couch watching TV.
“Breakfast?” he asked her, as she walked past him to the front door.
“No, thanks, dad. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said, slipping on shoes.
“Where are you going, honey? You’re still in your pajamas!” she heard him say as she shut the door behind her.
Wrapping her arms around her torso, she walked down the streets in a hurry towards the local chemist’s shop. She kept looking over her shoulders as she strolled through the aisles of the store as she picked up five pregnancy tests. She avoided the chemist’s eyes as she paid for them, aware that this could potentially lead to another rumor but she was panicking now. This wasn’t the time to think about gossip.
Wrapping the boxes in a paper bag, she tucked it under her arm and jogged back to the house. Her dad was still sitting on the couch, with his feet up on the coffee table when she came in.
“What’s that?” he asked, looking pointedly at the bag under her arms.
“It’s nothing dad. I’ll be down in some time,” she said, kicking off her shoes.
“Nora!” she heard his firm voice when she turned to walk away from him. She pressed her eyes close, tried not to curse under her breath and then turned slowly to face him. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t hide anything under her father’s watchful eye.
“Where did you go?” he asked, muting the TV. He was glaring at her, with impatient eyes and Nora got the feeling that there was no escaping this.
“Sam Macaulay’s,” she said and he arched his eyebrows.
“And why did you need to go to the chemist at nine in the morning?” he asked and she took in a deep breath, trying not to appear too cagey.
“Are you sick?” he asked and she shook her head.
“It’s nothing, I’m sure. I just wanted to stock up on some medication for my hay fever. You know how it gets,” she said and a nervous laugh escaped her lips.
“And if I ask you to show me what’s in the bag, will I find hay fever medication?” he asked in a serious voice and Nora licked her lips nervously. “But because you’re an adult, I’m not going to ask you to do that and just expect the truth from you,” he added.
“Dad…” she said his name in a whimper.
“Is it his?” he asked in a somber voice and Nora’s breath caught in her throat.
“I haven’t taken the tests yet,” she said and he gritted his teeth. “Daddy please, you need to keep calm,” she pleaded with him.
“I am as calm as I could possibly be,” he said.
Nora tucked a few stray strands of her blond hair behind her ears.
“Okay, then I’m going to go upstairs and get this thing over with. You shouldn’t worry,” she said, forcing a smile on her lips.
“Nora, he has a wife,” he said and she nodded her head.
“Yes, I know dad,” she replied and Andy shook his head and took in a deep breath. “I thought he was a friend,” he added.
“And he is. What happened…what happens between us shouldn’t change what you have with him. I’ll leave for New York tonight, dad,” she said and Andy threw her a harsh look.
“Is that wise?” he said and she nodded her head.
“I need some distance, and I’m sorry dad, I want to stay with you but I can’t be here anymore,” she said and her hand instinctively travelled to her belly.
Her father’s face was firmly set and he turned to look back at the TV screen again. She could sense that he agreed. Even though he didn’t really want her to go, he knew that it would be for the best.
“I know you can take care of yourself, Nora,” he said, still looking away from her and Nora pursed her lips.
“Thanks dad, that means a lot to me,” she said and then turned and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. This time he didn’t stop her.
Nora drank two glasses of water from the jug on her bedside table, and sat at the edge of the bed and waited. She didn’t feel anything; she couldn’t capture her own emotions…other than that she knew instinctually that she was pregnant. She didn’t need to take a test anymore to prove it.