Saturday, May 7, 2011

Part 35: Twenty-seven Years

The woman headed into her bi-weekly blood draws with a comfortable familiarity. And to think, only a few months earlier she had cringed at the thought of needles. Her HCG values continued on the decline. By this point, the woman felt at peace with her circumstances. She had accepted what had happened, but there were still moments when she thought about how things could have been.

This week marked the celebration her 27th year. The scene before her did not match what she had originally envisioned her life to have been by this point in time. She would have had two more months left of her pregnancy and perhaps started working on a nursery already. Instead, she found herself working with her husband on their basement project.

As she laid tile and drilled holes, she couldn't help feeling relieved that she wasn't crawling around carrying a big belly along with her. It was certainly easier to accomplish the tasks without it. And she most definitely appreciated that she didn't have to deal quite yet with a crying baby and no sleep.

The woman had planned her course, but her steps were in Someone else's hands. In a way, she felt she had been given a second chance to enjoy and make the most of their time as a young couple, just the two of them. Not only that, but she had her own character flaws to improve in the meantime. She waited in anticipation to see how her 27th year would unfold. The air lingered with opportunity.