Falling in Love for the Night

The dream I had the night I came back from DC was reoccurring, but only when I had been with Alex at some point in the day or when we spent the night together.

But this time was different, on the eve of our 3 month "anniversary" (if that's what you'd call it) everything was tinted red. Like looking through a lense with red film over it. Then, when I looked down in my dream I was holding a baby girl, swaddled in a pale pink blanket. She slept so peacefully in my arms. Her face was almost an exact copy of mine when I was an infant, but with Alex's big eyes, I could tell that if she opened them they would be the same shade of brown as his.

I woke up panting and out of breath.

"Rae, are you alright?"

"Of course." I said speaking to myself, "that's what I've been missing."

"What have you been missing?"

"Excuse me."

"Micaella?!" I jumped off my bed, leaving Alex dumbfounded, and slipped into my robe. I ran to my bathroom and he followed in his boxers. I stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door and turned sideways, pulling my robe back, looking for any kind of obtrusion coming from between my hips.

Alex was looking in the mirror, too, trying to understand what I was doing.

Nothing. If I was three months pregnant I would start to show. Right?

"Micaella Rae Fields. What's, going, on? If you don't tell me I'm gonna go insane."

"I. I think I might," I stopped. How would he react? I wasn't stupid. You always hear about those relationships that come to a screeching halt because the girl gets knocked-up. Then he dumps her on her fat, pregnant ass and he's out with the next hot blond he sees walk by... I better not tell him unless I knew for sure. "I thought that I felt something on my stomach.... Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh good. I thought you were going to say you're-"

"I'm what?"

"pregnant."

"Oh. Hah!" I started to laugh nervously. "No, of course not. I think I'm gonna go out."

"Its nine o'clock in the morning."

"I have to talk to someone. Go back to bed and I'll be back shortly to join you. Okay?"

"Alright... Don't take too long."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

I threw on a track suit and pulled my hair into a pony tail, grabbed my bag and ran out the door, down the steps and into the hot, heavy August in Maryland air.

I looked left, then right, then right trying to find a taxi. No such luck. So I started to walk a familiar route to Sarah and Ariana's place.

Knock, knock, knock "Sarah? Ariana? Can I come in?"

The door opened and Sarah was there in her zebra print pajama pants and black camisole, her dark brown hair was pulled into a sloppy bun that probably fell apart while she slept. "Rae?"

"I need help."

She opened the door further and let me into the sitting area. "What's up?" Ariana walked out and sat down on the couch. "I think I have a dilemma. Alright about three months ago, the night I got back from DC, I had a dream that I was missing something but couldn't quite get what it was. And every time I'd go to sleep after I hung out with Alex or he'd spend the night I would have the same dream. Weird huh?"

They nodded.

"Well, last night I had the same one, but this time everything was tinted red. And then I looked down and in my arms was a baby girl, who looked just like I did when I was little but she had Alex's big brown eyes and dark brown hair."

"So wait. What do you think it means?" Sarah asked.

"Do you think you're pregnant?" Ariana questioned.

"I did, but if I'm three months pregnant I'd start showing wouldn't I?"

"Depends."

"Did you take an EPT yet?"

"No. I just thought of it today..."

"Well, you need to!"

"Yeah, you gotta find out if Alex is gonna be your baby daddy."

I loved going to these two with my problems, they never failed to make me laugh. Even if it was a serious problem like me possibly being knocked up...

"Will y'all go with me and get the stuff from the store?"

"Course! Let me get my make up on first."

"No! I'm not wearing any, just let's get this over with. Please, Sarah?"

"Ugh, fine. But you owe me!"

"I'll buy you some Ramune, you know that Japanese marble soda."

"Yay! Deal."

After a quick drug store run and a liter of water I went into the bathroom and came back out leaving the stick in the sink and the timer clicking every second away. I sat nervously, chewing on each nail without biting them all the way off. The timer screeched a high pitch beeping sound.

"Someone go check it for me. I'm too nervous."

Sarah got up and checked it. "It says negative."

"Wow. I can't believe it. This is such a relief! Uh, I mean this is good right? I can't have a baby right now. I'm about to go off to college."

"What? Where are you going?"

"Cosmetology school down in Jacksonville, Florida. Didn't I tell you that?"

"Um, no!"

"Well, y'all will have to come visit me when I move."

"I can't believe you're moving."

"It'll be okay. I'll visit as much as I can."

"Still,"

"Yeah, its not the same."

"It'll turn out alright. I know it will." It has to, I thought...