The love between Omkar and Aria was the inosculation of two trees whose roots had grown separately until they were destined to touch. His and Dan’s, on the other hand, was a crooked rose.

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 35

Her periods had been late before. In fact, they had never been regular to begin with. But there was something inside every woman that worried whenever there was reason to believe there might be occasion to worry.

The possibility of being pregnant had been a nagging disquiet in the back of Aria’s mind for the past two weeks. It had grown into enough of a worry that she had considered stealing one of the pregnancy tests at the store. Aria didn’t want Omkar to be involved unless she was absolutely sure. But it didn’t feel right to take anything from the family who she was now becoming more and more a part of every day. So, she set up an appointment and took a bus to a non-profit healthcare center that offered free pregnancy tests.

The insulation of the room that the medical assistant had put her in to wait was fortified enough to make the room feel lifeless. Occasionally, she could hear the voices of doctors and nurses passing by as they discussed the patients who were waiting in other rooms. To distract herself from the isolation, Aria tried to memorize the anatomy of an ear, which was displayed on a medical chart that had been framed as if it were decoration.

The double knock on the door when the doctor finally came back made Aria jump. The doctor started talking before she had even closed the door. “Hi there. The test was negative, so you’re not pregnant. I am a little concerned that you say your periods have always been so irregular, though. Some woman have good success evening out their cycles with oral contraceptives. The clinic can prescribe some for you if you’re interested in trying that out and seeing how it goes?”

“I’ll think about it,” Aria said.

“Well, is there anything else that you need help with today?” the doctor asked.

“No, I’m good,” Aria responded.

“OK then. It was good to meet you today, you have a good rest of your day,” the doctor said, shaking Aria’s hand before exiting the room. Aria followed her out, but went the wrong way, and eventually had to be redirected back through the labyrinth of the office to find the door where she had originally entered.