44

After my sister's wedding, Grace accompanied me to buy a pregnancy test. She and I went home. I went into the bathroom, closed the door, and sat on the toilet. I was scared of the result, so I stayed there for a moment with the test box in my hands. I thought about how much my life would change if it turned out to be positive, which was very likely, but imagining it was one thing, and being certain was entirely different.

"Kat, what did it say?" Grace asked me.

I, still holding the unopened box in my hand, didn't respond. The door opened, and she came in. She looked at me disapprovingly and took the box from my hand.

"Stop being such a coward," she said.

She took the test out of the box and handed it to me.

"Hurry up, it's better to know as soon as possible," she urged.

Grace sat on the bathroom floor and watched me.

"Get out," I asked her.

She immediately shook her head.

"Hurry up," she repeated.

I nodded, pulled down my pants, and took the test. Grace watched me while I did it, and