Leap (of faith)

5th chapter

*

She could not stand Thursdays. She grumpily flipped through her calendar, counting the days until Christmas and thinking about how much longer she had to work in this wretched bar until some school bothered to issue a vacancy and, on top of that, hire her. She was annoyed at costumers, coworkers, annoyed at her boss, and all of the coffee machines. She was also irritable because she was supposed to start her period. Her breasts ached, and her ovaries wanted to fall out.

- Well, I'll explode until I get it – Nora complained to Monika. They worked this shift together.

- Haven't you got it yet?

- Well, no, I'm due these days – she waved to an older woman to let her know she saw her, the one that every day at the same time ordered coffee with Ledo whipped cream and Pago grape juice. As if programmed.

- I mean, I know we start periods about the same time, and I got mine ten days ago...

Immediately, Nora broke out in a cold sweat.

- When you say it like that, I don't actually know the exact day I'm supposed to get it. I mean, I have all the symptoms, just waiting for the period to start – she hurried to her purse to get a small calendar from her wallet, on which she was writing down her cycles. She counted three times until she was sure.

- Monika, for heaven's sake! I'm eight days late! – she frantically calculated days on the calculator, in case her panicky brain had problems with basic arithmetic operations.

- Are you sure? – her friend looked as terrified as she was.

- Yes! But how is that possible, I've been feeling pain every day. The same pain I feel before every period. Maybe I got a cold?

- Perhaps, yes, or stress. You've been stressing over finding a job – Monika tried to provide her with the last shred of hope.

- Oh, God, I'm pregnant!

- Oh, come on, don't get all dramatic! You just figured that out, like, at this very moment? You will do the test first, and then you can make conclusions – Monika went to serve the woman who waved at them for the third time. Nora felt like running over to her table and stuffing that Ledo whipped cream into her head. Her mind was running a million miles per hour, and her hands started to shake. Jesus freaking Christ, I'm pregnant. But how? I was supposed to start my period every day now, I'm sure these are menstrual symptoms. She grabbed her breasts and squeezed them. She noticed some guy looking at her strangely so she turned away from the bar. Well, they hurt me like crazy, I will get it any second now, I can't be pregnant. Yes, that's right. Although I was nauseous two days ago, and today, but that could be from anything. After all, she had been feeling nauseous before getting her menstruation a lot of times.

- Well, I'm not pregnant – she announced to Monika when she returned. Monika looked questioningly at Nora as she was opening a beer and juice for an elderly couple.

- For real! I have to get my period, but it's still not alarming. If I don't get it until the end of this week, I'll take the test. But I can't be pregnant.

- I agree. After all, I told you exactly that. If you're going to stress about it like this, you're not going to get it anyway. Relax.

Of course, she had a mild nervous breakdown sixteen more times, and of course, she made Monika buy her a pregnancy test that same day on their way home because she was embarrassed to do it, and everyone would look at her and know what she was doing. As if someone actually cared what one Nora Pomat was buying in the pharmacy. And of course, she was biting her nails like crazy in their living room as Monika tried to figure out the test instructions.