Story: I’m late

“I’m late.” Those words came out like a thorn pulled out from my foot.

“We’re not late. The restaurant’s just around the corner,” said Danial chirpily.

He didn’t realise how anxious I had been for the past couple of weeks. I was worried that my period
had not arrive as expected, and my thoughts had been filled with the why’s and the what if’s. Until I
took out the blue stick to confirm what I had feared.

“I’m pregnant.”

Those words dropped like a nuclear bomb launched by an orange-haired president angry at his
enemy.

The car suddenly screeched to a halt.

Danial looked at me, clearly flabbergasted. After a few seconds of shock, his lips curved into a smile.
“Alicia, let’s get married! I’ll book the mosque today!”

I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for any of this.

Everything was moving so fast. I wanted to focus on the business that I was building. And I was still
reeling, perhaps even still grieving for the life I had lost. Getting married again just didn’t make sense
in the time and place that I was at.

I didn’t respond to his reaction. There were no words, simply no words, that could describe the way I
was feeling.

……

A sudden change overtook Danial. He was tender, patient and affectionate. He was everything I
wanted in a man, but… There actually wasn’t any buts, he was perfect. But why was there a niggling
feeling inside me that something was wrong?

Danial didn’t stop me from continuing with my sports activities. I played pickleball with the girls,
jogged around the park and drowned myself in work. I stuck to my normal daily routine.

But the same couldn’t be said about my emotions. It had been a roller coaster ride ever since the
night I told him that I was pregnant. I wasn’t the same free-spirited Alicia.

I knew that a new life was meant to be celebrated. I also knew that I was not ready for the gift of life
that was growing inside me. Why now? I couldn’t make sense of any of it.

Suddenly there was a sharp pierce in my stomach. I felt an unbearable pain and immediately called
for help.

“Danial! Danial!” I screamed.

What happened next seemed to flash right past me. I couldn’t remember. All I could recall was a
voice that said, “I’m sorry Miss Alicia. We’ve lost the baby.”

Danial’s face turned pale and grey. He placed his hands on his mouth and sobbed.

I couldn’t help tearing up as I watched him.