Lymber craft's Arc

Chapter 63 of 70

Lymber woke before the house did. She went to her office and unlocked the drawer. The wrapper was still sealed. She took it to the small bathroom off the office and shut the door. She read the box twice. She peed on the stick and set it on the edge of the sink and washed her hands. She looked at her face in the mirror while the timer on her phone ran. The house was quiet through the wall. She could hear the fridge kick on downstairs. She could hear a bird outside the yard window. She did not look at the stick until the timer went off. One line. She picked it up and turned it under the light and it was still one line. She read the box a third time to be sure which line meant what. Control. Not pregnant. She sat down on the closed toilet lid and put her hands on her knees. Her eyes were wet and she did not know why. She had been carrying the drawer around in her chest for two days and now the drawer was empty. She wrapped the stick in toilet paper and pushed it to the bottom of the trash. She washed her hands again. She unlocked the office door and went down the hall in her socks. Paul was at the counter in his work shirt, pouring coffee. He looked up. She said, I'm not. He set the pot down. He said, okay. He said, you sure. She said, I checked twice. He came around the counter and put his arms around her and she let him. Missy's feet hit the stairs above them. Lymber wiped her face on Paul's shoulder and stepped back before her daughter came in. She got a bowl down from the cabinet. She had four kids and a husband and a Tuesday to run. The drawer in her office was empty now, and she could feel the rest of the morning open up in front of her like a clear road.