Corporate Babies - Leah

Chapter 1

A couple of weeks later...

"No, no, no this can't be happening" I'm here in our local pharmacy stores’ bathroom, you know the type, the toilet with a sink in a tiny room and that one neon light that keeps blinking.

I stare through tears at the word that has officially crushed my world, 'pregnant' is very much obvious on the pregnancy test I am holding in my shaking hands, recently peed on and tiny but has just changed my whole life, i take a calming because I'm pretty sure that I am in shock.

I mean i shouldn't be i kind of expected it , at first I thought I had food poisoning for the last few days, all that puking and being so tired, like all the time. That was just nasty stuff but then I really got suspicious when my period was late.

I’ve never been late, I mean everybody says that but for me since it started in the 6th grade it’s been like clock work and its the one thing I can always count on. I'm a 21 year old, single woman, living with my best friend Olivia, my family moved around a lot and i just couldn't take it any more so Olivia and i got our place straight after high school. I own my own virtual administrative company call 'Leah on point' that is starting to make a profit.

My period was the one constant in my life although Aunt Flow was a pain in the butt she was always welcome. Now life just threw a spanner in the works.

Ah, hindsight and all that nonsense, I now realize why my clothes were getting tighter after all the puking, I mean weird right? you usually loose weight when experiencing that unfortunate ailment.

For example im wearing my black pencil skirt that was always a little loose before but I struggled to zip it up this morning. My emotions are in the same boat as my red button up silk blouse where the buttons are about to lose the battle of keeping their s**t together, which will allow my boobs to be free and scare some unsuspecting soul.

Finishing off my business assemble are my baby doll shoes they have a small heel so i don't feel too guilty and my no-nonsense bun that keeps my hair out of my face at least my unruly red curls is kept at bay today.

I finished my day off at my client’s office where I had meetings and documents to print and get signed i was now at my whits end and all i wanted to do now was to go home, get into my Leggings, sit and watch Gilmore Girls and not think about my little just-discovered-stowaway just yet.

I quickly placed the pee stick back into its packaging and into the shopping bag. I finish up on the toilet the rise, pull down my skirt, flush, then make my way over to the sink to wash my hands. I look at myself in the mirror while I’m drying my hands.

What i see shocks me, my pale, pinched features, the horror look in my eyes and my swollen lips because I've been biting them, I look like I've aged 10 years since i last seen my reflection.

I take a deep breath in and out before giving myself a much needed lecture, I lean in towards myself so i can look myself in the eyes and I place my hands on either side of the sink, I whisper "Self, you have only tonight for this pity party, you hear me then come tomorrow, you will take charge and sort things out, this is a lemon, you need to make lemonade" with the last look at myself in the mirror I gather my belongings, nod and walk out.

As I walk towards the exit of the store I can feel the curious stare of the store clerks' gaze. I'm walking past the register when a thought forms in my head, lucky for me that I had the forethought about paying for everything before I went to the bathroom. I can imagine the clerk is wondering about the result of the pregnancy test but he will never know, I think with satisfaction.

I push the door open with my head held high, the evening wind cooling my heated face as I walk out into the evening. The carpark isn't full just my car and another two, I walk straight to my white madza 323 and quickly install the key into the passenger’s side door and place my things down before closing the door and walking around to the other side and getting in behind the wheel. I'm trying to insert me key into the ignition but a sob surprises me, I want to let loose, but i hold. No! Self, not yet I have to hold it until I'm home.

What a day!

It's Friday night and my BBF, best b***h forever, as Olivia likes to call us, should be out on a date. I hope as I open the door to our apartment. We are on the fourth flour and our two bedroom unit that houses our awkward furniture that we have collected over the years, such as that lilac couch that we found downstairs one day and later discovered that it was for the people who were moving out and reported the couch stolen.

Whoops!

We have have a basic common room with most of our personal stuff in our bedrooms (the idea from visiting our buddies in dorm rooms in college)

It was a good find though because it goes well with our peach painted walls and wooden floors. "Olivia, you home?" she doesn’t reply, thankfully nobody replies, otherwise i would have been freaked out.

I feel relieved that I don't have to explain anything yet because I don't want to admit it out loud yet but also sad that I'm dealing with this on my own. I walk into the kitchen, our small light blue kitchen that only has the basics and an island, don't judge, it's home.

I place the shopping bag onto the island, the bag consisting of ice-cream, coffee, tea, sigh! (I read somewhere that I can’t drink coffee while pregnant so I had to grab a box, just in case) and of course my pee stick. I think 'Skew it' i'm not putting anything away, I grab the ice-cream and look for a spoon in the drawer and open the tub while walking into the living room.

I'm not even going to go change like i normally would so i just sink into the couch and pick up the remote to put on my binge show for the week, Gilmore Girls - did I mention it's my favorite show?

A little while later as I'm blowing my nose after watching a really emotional episode, I mean this is a pity party so it's allowed. The front door suddenly opens and Oliver storms in and slams the door shut. She struts to her bedroom but stops dead halfway when she spots me.

"Who's ass am I kicking?" Is the first thing out of her mouth and a half laugh, half sob escapes me. This is why we are best friends and roommates. Even though I was crying over the episode she can tell something else is bothering me.

After a few seconds when I don't answer, her face softens "Awe honey, what happened?" Olivia makes her way over and sits next to me on the sofa and pulls me into her arms. Sometimes I hate her, here I'm losing my figure while she has curves in all the right places and legs for days which the outfit she's wearing, a red tight dress with 10 inch heels just shows her body off perfectly. She looks all elegant movie star in the 1920s, especially with her blonde bob thats always perfect.

Which of course gives the green light for my hormones to open the floodgates - no it's not because I'm jealous. OK, fine I am, abit but it's because of everything just building ontop of another and this was the perverbial the string that broke the camels back and I just let loose.

After about 10 minutes of ugly crying I come up for air, I sit up and reach for the tissues that are on the center table, I blow my nose and tense as I reveal my secret "I got some news tonight" I say softly as my throat is sore from crying.

Olivia nods and waits for more "OK, tell me about it" i don't want to be looking at her when i reveal the news so i lay back down against her shoulder. I nibble on my lip as i tell her the news while she strokes my back "we will be receiving a permanent house mate in about 8 months" I take a peek and look up at her and I can see she's confused.

I’m not ready to say those words so i try explain further but she cuts me off "but we don't have any rooms unless this person will be sharing with one of us in our room or sleeping in here" I can tell that she's hurting her brain by trying figure this out, I sit up and I help her out "I'm pregnant, Olive'' using her childhood name to show how upset I am.

“Are you sure?” she looks at me with concern in her eyes “I’m pretty sure since I’ve been sick for a few days now and Miss Flow hasn’t graced me with her presence and the final nail in the coffin is the positive pregnancy test that’s still in the shopping bag that's in the kitchen” I'm ranting now.

She turns to look towards the kitchen like she can see the positive test before looking back at me with a gobsmack look but always trying to be the supportive friend replies with “Oh s**t …when did it happen?" she's in-calculation-of-date-and-time mode but obviously hurting herself so I give her a bone. "Five weeks ago at that charity event, the one that I let loose and f**k*d a complete stranger in the closet"

My face couldn't get any hotter, don't get me wrong that was the hottest night of my life, the way that man played my body like a violin, its almost as if he studied female bodies all his life but it was so out of character for me.

Whoa! I shake my head trying to get off that thought train and back to the problem at hand by looking at her, which causes me to blink "Olivia, are you laughing at me?" I'm a bit upset that she thinks this is funny, seriously it's not the time "Sorry honey but only you could finally let loose and have a one night stand then end up being pregnant" we both giggle a little, I think mines bordering on hysterical.

She stands up pulls me to my feet, takes a step back then then looks me up and down "go get into your Leggings" I don't argue with her when she's in this mood so I turn and quickly make my way to my room. I changed to get more comfortable by putting on my Leggings and a large shirt that I swiped from a ex a while ago, it takes me 5 minutes then i walk back into the living room and sit back back down next Olivia.

It is the only couch in the place, so I'm limited to options, she gets up and walks to the kitchen, disappears for a few seconds and walks back with a spoon for herself. She grabs the throw that's hanging off the back of the couch before slinking in next to me and then offers me a scoop of my ice cream.

I'm dipping my spoon into the ice-cream while she places the blanket over both our laps "I take it this is the pity party" i give a 'duh' and nod "good, let's enjoy it but come tomorrow we are picking ourselves up and making plans" This is why we are BBF, we know the status quo, we spend the rest of the night with the OG girls, the Gilmore Girls.