Two weeks later, I was just finishing my last exam, and then going out for a drink to celebrate with Lisa, Kathy and another good friend, Lee. The nausea I’d had was past its worst point, but from time to time I still felt a little bit like I was going to puke. This damned stomach bug just wasn’t going away.
And there was no way I was going to let some badly cooked takeout ruin my celebration. I was done.
In two weeks I was going to get my diploma.
I had graduated from college with a bachelor of economics, I had the summer off, and then in September I was going to start my accounting studies. I’d even gotten a job offer from one of the biggest accounting firms in the country in the mail the other day.
Things were starting to look up for me.
That’s why, when I slid into the booth where the other girls were already waiting, a martini already sitting in front of my seat, I let out a big, huge sigh of relief.
“Welcome to the land of the finished,” Lea told me, holding up her own glass.
“Speak for yourselves,” Lisa replied as we all clinked.
“Just because you choose to torture yourself for a few more years doesn’t mean the rest of us have to miss out on our celebrations.” Lisa laughed at Kathy’s retort.
“Well don’t come begging me for money when I’m a neurosurgeon making like a million dollars a year then.”
“With the student loans you’re gonna have by then I figure you’ll be begging us for money long before we do,” I replied, and the whole table burst into laughter.
This was nice. It was really nice. I was going to miss it.
I took a sip of my drink as the waitress came by. I just sat there and took in the atmosphere as I looked at my friends. Lisa ordering nachos – with extra cheese – for everyone. Lee was downing what looked like her second martini. The girl could go hard.
Kathy was trying to order more drinks on top of Lisa, who insisted on extra, extra cheese for the nachos.
“Like seriously, dripping, please,” Lisa insisted while the waitress told her she’d make sure the cook would know.
Music blasted from the speakers, some 80s rock of some kind, but not so loud that we couldn’t have a conversation.
“So has the food poisoning from hell passed yet?” Lee asked when the waitress was finally allowed to leave.
I shook my head. “No, it’s weird. Sometimes I think it’s gone, then next minute, it’s back.”
“Maybe you’re pregnant,” Lisa joked.
“Pregnant? That would involve little miss perfect having sex with someone she wasn’t in a relationship with!” Kathy hollered out in reply.
“I will have you know, Katherine,” I replied with mock outrage, “that I had sex just a few weeks ago.”
My friends did that big fake gasp thing, and I stuck my tongue out at them.
“It’s true. And I wasn’t even in a relationship with him,” I added in a conspiratorial whisper.
Lee’s giggles totally ruined the drama of the moment.
“Seriously though,” Kathy continued. “I don’t remember you ever mentioning sleeping with anyone since that dickbag Tom, if this actually happened, I want details.”
“You’re doubting that this happened? Baby, I’m a smart, sexy single woman. Of course it happened!”
“Well, who with?”
Ok. So maybe I’d gotten a little bit ahead of myself in my sudden desire to defend my honour and tell my friends I’d actually gotten laid sometime in the last few months. I hadn’t exactly thought this through all the way.
“Just… some guy. It’s not important. It was just a one night stand, none of you would know him anyway.”
“Was he hot?” Lisa was definitely just as intent as Kathy in getting all the details. This time, I didn’t have to skirt my way around the issue. Not at all.
“Oh god, he was gorgeous. Like, Channing Tatum gorgeous. Like captain of the lacrosse team, can have anyone he wants, panty melting gorgeous. But he’s definitely not boyfriend material. At all.”
“So do you think you’re pregnant with his kid?”
“What?” I turned to Lee, forgetting the comment that had sparked this whole conversation in the first place.
“Well, you’ve been feeling sick for a couple weeks, do you think you might be pregnant?”
“Not a chance. I’ve been on the pill since I was like, sixteen. I get really bad cramps otherwise.”
“That’s not a guarantee, I was only born because my mom was on the pill and it failed, even though she was really good about taking it at the right time every day,” Lee replied.
“Well, whatever. I’m not pregnant, ok? That was back in the 90s, I’m sure technology’s gotten better by now. It’s just a bug, or something.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Anyway, tonight’s about celebrating!” Lisa called out, lifting up her drink once more, and I finished off my first martini of the night just as the waitress came out with a giant plate of nachos just dripping in cheese.
Still, I couldn’t get that nagging feeling out of the back of my head.
I wasn’t pregnant.
I couldn’t be pregnant.
Could I?