Erin
“Good morning, honey, I thought you had to see
Nate this morning.”
“Hi, Mom,” I reply. “I should have but they
called him to the university for something and so
we put it off for later.”
“How do you feel? Do you still have a
backache?”
“Really bad,” I say, touching the painful area. I
flop on the couch because by now I am so big that
it’s hard for me to keep upright. The baby is very
active and I can’t get more than an hour’s sleep at
a time. I am tired and I’m only at thirty weeks.
This pregnancy is going on forever. And I’m still
so behind on my thesis that I’m afraid that it’ll
have to wait until next semester. I’ve tried to do it,
but with the tiredness and my poor concentration
I’m not able to prepare as I should.
“What plans have you got for today?” Mom
asks. She’s just returned to Dublin after having
spent two months in America. I’ve remained here,
with Dad, at least for now. When the baby is born
I’m planning on getting an apartment for the both
of us.
I’ve decided to raise her alone. It didn’t work
out with Nate before and it won’t work out now,
despite his efforts to make me believe otherwise. I
know he’s motivated with good intentions and
he’ll be a good dad for her but he will not be my
life’s companion. There’s nothing between us but a
