Unexpectedly Expecting
The guest bathroom in the apartment Marina shared with West had never felt so daunting. In it there was a stockpile of supplies she’d purchased weeks ago, as soon as West had agreed to trying for a baby with her. The drawers of the counter housed five brands of pregnancy tests that ranged from a 20 pack of cheap test sticks to one expensive test that had cost nearly $30 on its own. Her cycle was late by almost three weeks and that was incredibly unusual for her as of late - once she’d settled into her life with West, as an up and coming YouTube and silver screen star and had started maintaining a healthier eating routine, her body had regulated itself fairly quickly. So - she was starting to wonder if all of her random “illnesses” could have been caused by something else.
Camera in hand, she stepped over the threshold of the door and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. West would have to find out if she saw two lines, but she didn’t want to get both of their hopes up unnecessarily. Glancing up into the mirror over the sink, she saw that the baseball hat she had borrowed from West was giving shadow to her already wide-eyed expression. She tugged at one of the braids lying on either side of her neck, then got her camera set up on the countertop.
Taking a deep breath, she located one of the cheap pregnancy tests and held it in her hands. The results of the test could change their lives in the most amazing and terrifying way possible. She read the instructions on the box and followed them exactly as they were written, then left the stick to sit and decide her fate. Turning on her camera, Marina took a deep breath and began speaking in a quiet voice.
“Okay guys,” she began, a far cry from the normally chipper and warm gretting she gave her audience. “I am freaking out. I’m whispering in my guest bathroom because West is in our living room going over a script and I don’t want him to hear me.” She licked her lips, her eyes wandering to the timer ticking down on her phone. “Guys...I think I’m pregnant.” She smiled, her nerves showing through the genuine happiness in her expression. “In...one minute and twelve, eleven, ten seconds I might know.” She shook her head. “How even...I mean, I know how...but it’s so crazy to imagine.” Pacing a bit, she only stopped when the timer on her phone chirped back at her that her time was up. Moving slowly, Marina grabbed the tiny test strip and then stood in front of the camera, her eyes closed. “Here we go.”
Looking down at the test, she squinted. “I...don’t know what this says?” she admitted, confusion clear on her face. Holding it closer to the lens, she tried to make it easier for the audience to see. “There’s obviously this line...but is this another line? I can’t tell. Oh my gosh. I’m gonna take another one and let you guys know.” She cut the camera and sighed.
Over the next two hours, Marina went through two more cheap tests and the other four kinds of tests she’d bought weeks earlier. Camera up and running again, she turned it on and shakily showed off her treasure trove of pregnancy tests. “Guys, I am 100% pregnant,” she confirmed, pointing the camera towards herself again. Tears in her eyes, a laugh bubbled out of her mouth. “I’m gonna have a baby. Oh my god, I’m gonna be a mommy.” Marina took the ball cap off, rubbing her forehead. She watched her reflection in the mirror and she lifted her hand rubbed her stomach, trying to imagine how her crop tops and leggings would look once her abdomen was stretched out and full of baby.
“Oh my gosh,” she repeated, tears spilling over and falling down her cheeks. “West is gonna flip. Nora too. Emi will have a little friend,” she said with a sob punctuating her sentence. Marina sat on the bathroom floor, her head in her hands as she cried happy tears. “My agent is going to kill me,” she said with a laugh. “I hope the baby looks like West,” she finished, a small smile glued to her lips. She spent a few more minutes composing herself privately before standing and turning her camera off.
Now...how was she going to tell West?