A decisive moment

Senior highly commended

Laura Mather
Rice College, Ennis

SHE stared down at the positive pregnancy test as tears filled her eyes. She turned to her best friend, Rachel, with a desperate expression etched across her face. She handed her the test. “Oh Emily, I’m so sorry,” she said in a sympathetic tone, as she wrapped her arms around her shaking shoulders.
The girl’s bathroom was completely abandoned as hundreds of students poured into the cafeteria for an hour-long break. Emily’s muffled cries filled the bathroom as she tried to come to terms with the news. She lifted her head from Rachel’s shoulders, turning towards the array of mirrors to her right.
She wiped the tears from her dampened cheek as Rachel handed her a ruffled make-up bag. She pulled her chestnut coloured hair from its tight ponytail and let it fall limply to her shoulders to cover her blushed face. She leaned towards the mirror with her piercing blue eyes staring back at her as she covered the dark circles under them with a light layer of foundation.
They left the bathroom together, arms linked as Emily blinked back the tears. They walked the deserted corridors as Rachel began discussing her options. She reached into the back pocket of her bag and pulled out three, long, rectangular shaped leaflets.
“When you told me last week that you might be pregnant, I stole these from the hospital my dad works at,” she said, as she hesitantly handed them to Emily.
She stared down at the leaflets with fear in her eyes as Rachel watched her with great concern. The first leaflet portrayed a small picture of a young woman, no older than Emily embracing a new born infant. Above the mothers head in bold, italic writing bore the question “So you are going to be a teenage mother?”
Emily quickly opened another leaflet to reveal a plain black statement, “Putting your baby up for adoption” against a contrasting pale white background. She stared at the leaflet contemplating her decision before quickly opening another one. Emily let out a gasp as she quickly read the title of the page, “Is abortion the best option?” She stared at the leaflet as the words repeated in her mind. Her entire body jumped as the clanging sound of the school bell filled the halls.
Emily quickly stuffed the leaflets into the front pocket of her bag as she thanked Rachel for her help and reassured her that she would be fine. She began walking quickly towards her next class as she tried to occupy her mind with other thoughts rather than her current predicament. She sharply turned the corner and was knocked abruptly to the cold marble floor. She glanced up to see a tall shadowed figure above her. He put his hand out towards her to help her up from the ground. As she was slowly pulled towards him, her eyes began to take in his features. Light brown hair that touched his eyes all pushed to one side, a strong square face that complimented his piercing blue eyes.
Emily quickly pulled back her hand as she realised who she was standing beside. Her boyfriend stared back at her, his eyes revealing the hurt of her final gesture. “Jake, what are you doing?” she said as she bent down to pick her books up from the floor, avoiding all eye contact with Jake. “Sorry, I just wanted to see you,” he said softly in a pleading tone, while helping her with her books.
Emily felt a surge of anger erupt from the centre of her body. She hastily grabbed her books from his hands and began walking determinedly in the opposite direction. He quickly caught up with her and stood in front of her placing both hands on her shoulders, preventing her from moving. “Please,” he said as he guided her towards an empty classroom.
Emily took a deep breath as she stepped into the poorly lit classroom. Jake quietly closed the door behind him, staring attentively at Emily with great concern and fear etched across his face. “Did you find out if you were…you know…for definite,” he said as he glared at the floor in embarrassment.
Emily took a deep sigh as the thought of confirming her pregnancy to another person sent a cold shiver down her spine. “Yes,” she said reluctantly, as she closed her eyes, preventing tears from surfacing. Jake lowered himself into a nearby seat as he came to terms with Emily’s reply. He began fidgeting nervously with his hands as his eyes searched frantically for a million answers. They sat in silence as the slow paced ticking of the clock filled the room.
Jake slowly turned towards Emily. “I’ve talked to my parents and we have decided to help with this as much as we can,” he said slowly, pronouncing each word carefully, as he himself came to terms with what he was saying.
Emily’s eyes showed the immense shock she was feeling as she stared at him in disbelief. A sense of relief washed over her as she realised she wouldn’t be alone in her decision. For the first time in two weeks, Emily smiled as a glimmer of hope appeared in her life. She let out a sigh of relief as an enormous weight was lifted from her shoulders. “My parents will pay for the abortion and we will get a private doctor to help us,” Jake said in a calm tone that startled her.
She quickly got up from her seat in anger as the thought of killing her unborn baby made her stomach churn. “You don’t get to make that decision,” she said firmly as she walked towards the door.
Jake looked at her with confused eyes as he tried to comprehend what he had said wrong. “Your parents don’t know yet, you can’t possibly be considering keeping it?” he said in a disregarding tone.
Emily suddenly realised she would have to tell her parents and another burden was placed on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as she could clearly see her parent’s disappointed expression on their faces. Before leaving the classroom she turned around to face Jake who was still searching for an answer.
“It’s my decision to make,” she said in a determined tone that even surprised her as she walked out the door. She was still terrified of the thought of making a decision and the idea of telling her parents brought tears to her eyes. Her mind tried to picture herself in the future, whether she saw a child with her or would she regret the decision to terminate her child’s life.
Emily walked the lonely pebbled path around the park as she began to reminisce about the decision she made five years ago. Now 22, she had finished college and was a successful lawyer at Hamilton and Sons law firm. The sharp winter’s wind brushed past her face as she tightened her scarf around her neck. Her life had transformed ultimately from her decision but she didn’t regret it for one moment. The echo of her name was carried through the wind as she swiftly turned around to see her parents, hand-in-hand walking slowly towards her. Her eyes turned to the small figure running towards her in an effortless stride. Emily couldn’t help but smile as she saw the joy on her daughter’s face as she approached her mother. Her long blonde hair bounced in the air, as she quickened her speed when her mother noticed her.
Emily lowered herself as her daughter jumped into her arms wrapping her slender arms around her neck. “Hi mommy,” she said in an angelic voice that forced a smile upon her face. Emily was grateful for her decision and didn’t regret a single moment with her daughter.