After the Rain- Josh Kiszka

Chapter 4- Bearer of Good News

The following months, after getting the news that I was pregnant, went by in a blur. It had been a time full of changes. I had decided to lean into the new chapter of my life that I was beginning by changing my look up a bit. I had been dying my hair blonde since the beginning of high school, and I decided to go back to my roots and revert back to being a brunette, cutting off about 5 inches, so that it fell just below my shoulders, in the process.

More monumental change occurred in that Teagan and Chris had made It official, and starting dating after four long years of crushing on each other, not long after that infamous night at Flex. Chris had admitted a little into the relationship that he too had had eyes for Teagan since he had gotten his first glance for her in Writing Seminar during our freshman year. They both made each other incredibly happy, and it warmed my heart to finally see the two of them together.

The school year finished up, and most of my peers seemed unaffected by my absence at the end of the year festivities. I'm sure most of them attributed it to lingering despair about my mother, but I let them think whatever they wanted. At that point, I wasn't ashamed of my pregnancy, but at the same time, I didn't have the energy to be confronted by the judgment of those who knew nothing about me or my situation. Before we knew it, classes had ended, as did the senior week events, with commencement just around the corner. It was so crazy to think about how fast time passes you by; it had seemed like just yesterday Teagan and I had met the week of orientation, and now college was coming to an end and we were walking across the stage and receiving our diplomas together.

After graduation, Teagan moved back in with her parents to save some money. Things were growing more serious between her and Chris, but she felt as though she was not ready to take the leap and move in with him just yet. With her lack of a rent payment, Teagan was able to allocate a decent amount of her earnings toward saving for a place of their own in the future. Following the few weeks that I spent in her family's spare bedroom, I was finally able to find an apartment in the city near our alma mater, which coincidentally happened to be in the same building as Chris's place. Between the occasional checkins from him and his roommates, Mikey and Tom, (as requested of them by Teagan), and Teagan's frequent appearances herself, I was never truly lonely despite the fact that I lived by myself.

I was so thankful for all of the support that Teagan, Chris, and company provided, and whether it was helping me with the grocery shopping, picking up around the house, or cooking meals, they were always eager to lend a helping hand. Tom and Mikey had been good friends with Chris all throughout college and I had known of them over the past four years, but it was nice to finally get a chance to know them now that we were neighbors. All of them helped to make my situation a little more bearable, and they too became some of my closest friends.

I remember that during this time I had kept myself fairly busy, mostly as a method to distract myself. Even though I was physically prepared with everything that I needed, my mental and emotional preparation was lacking. In an attempt to keep my mind off of things, to reduce stress for the sake of the baby, I spent most of my time focusing on adjusting to my new job as a marketing representative for a record label, while I spent the remainder of my time prepping the nursery for the arrival of my baby, which got closer by the day. Since I was nearing the end of my pregnancy, I was unable to paint and I couldn't really do a lot of the heavy lifting of the furniture, so I outsourced some assistance from Chris and Mikey. They were a big help and I was so relieved that they were able to aid me in completing the decorating of the nursery before I gave birth.

As each day went on, I grew more and more fatigued. I was still able to work, since my job had the flexibility of being online, and I was fairly fortunate that my company had good benefits for expectant parents and those who needed maternity leave once the baby actually arrived. I had just finished my workload, as my supervisor had reduced my hours to half days since my due date was in a week and a half, and I decided that I wanted to go out to treat myself to lunch. I was craving a sandwich from a shop a few blocks away from my apartment, so I closed my laptop and organized my paperwork as I got up from my desk chair. As I rose, I felt a contraction and it felt as though I had peed my pants.