The day before they were going to close on their house, they found out there were some issues with their loan. They were going for a federal mortgage that required an income of $59,000 a year collaboratively or less. Since she got her new job, they were pushed over that mark. Working less hours at her previous job at the school, the loan officer thought they made less. The woman told them they would have to lower their student debt payment by $300 in the next two hours or they wouldn’t be closing the following morning.
At work, she frantically attempted speaking with him on the phone about what to do. Deciding the loan officer was asking for the impossible, he told the woman about her new job and salary. After a few hours once she was home with him, they received word that they no longer qualified for the loan and would no longer close on the 30th of September. “Babe, I think we should still go look at the house tomorrow like we planned. After all I worked a ton of hours last week to take Wednesday off for closing.” She explained, thinking a second look couldn’t hurt. He nodded in agreement.
They still had a shot with another loan, so all morale was not entirely lost. They wanted to raise their son in a house of their own instead of a two bedroom apartment on the second floor. Maybe one day in the future they would have another. On this day, she thought to herself that right now wouldn’t be a prime time for another 9 months of pregnancy.
Since giving up on breastfeeding a few weeks prior due to lack of supply, she had begun to feel sick throughout the day. The pill she had been taking was to take only while breastfeeding, since it had one hormone instead of the two normal pills have. Breastfeeding had provided the other hormone, but they worried that the lapse could have caused yet another unplanned pregnancy.
“We should get sushi, like a ton of it and pick up a test.” He said. “We have money that we now won’t need for closing.” They packed the baby in the car and headed out to do their errands.
$60 of sushi and 1 pregnancy test later, they headed back home. “Are you going to wait until the morning to take the test?” He asked.
“I am just going to take it now. I took it at night the last time.” She replied in reference to the test that resulted in their son born in May. As he set up their sushi platters in the other room, she anxiously awaited the result, begging not to be pregnant again so soon.
While waiting, her train of thought wandered asking the question, “Why are condoms in the family planning aisle and the pregnancy tests are by tampons? Logically, they should be switched.” Finally, the test revealed one line.
A negative result.
Running out into the other room she yelled, “Not pregnant!!!” They both looked at baby smiling that he wouldn’t be expecting a sibling anytime soon.
He and she poured some wine, turned on their show, and enjoyed their delicious sushi.