areââ and she said âThe doctor does that, and then takes it out if you need a new one or it expels on its own or itâs irritating you,â and he said âBut it didnât expel, did it?â and she said âNo, itâs still in there and feels fine,â and he said âBut anyway, that youâre so fertile that you got pregnant despite the device. So at least you now know you can conceive, and against one of the most uncompromising obstacles, which has to be of some relief to you, unless itâs happened before,â and she said âIt hasnât, this was a first, and the good you see in it with that relief thing is too premeditatedly positive a notion for meâthink right and ye shall be all right, and that sort of baloneyâand Iâd think for you too. Because you, do you feel any relief in knowing you can help conceive? Nah, youâve probably got a chorus line of knocked-up women behind you,â and he said âNot that I know of,â and she said âSo Iâm your first, huh? Well, thatâs something; youâll always remember me. But some women Iâve heard of, and in their twenties, have had just one conception disruption like mine and were never able to conceive again. Doctors couldnât explain it. Itâs as though all their repro organs went down the toilet too, or wherever their predelivery took placeâdoctorsâ officesâ waste containers, in trash bags out the window or in the incinerator. It would be horrible to imagine that this little guy of mine I flushed down was it, the very last of my unilluminated lonely line, since, I think I told you, Iâm siblingless and so are my parents on both sides,â and he said âIâm sure it wasnât,â and she asked why and he said âJust, Iâm sure, because youâll be at your procreative peak for yearsâwhy wouldnât you be? youâre just that age. Meanwhile, if youâre not feeling well, anything I can do for you?â and she said âYou wonât like this, Iâm positive , but could you come see me? You can even sleep with me if you wish, not to make me pregnant. Iâm not about to do one of those predictable bits: immediately after losing it, try to make up for it by getting another. No, itâs simply that Iâm feeling extra sad today over losing itââ and he said âYou wouldnât have kept it, would you?â and she said âProbably yes; Iâm hypocritically opposed to abortion, in addition to my fears that this was my last huzza. I also donât have any present company to speak ofânot even to speak toâso youâd be welcome,â and he said âYou know that wouldnât be any good,â and she said âYou have another steady already?â and he said âIf you must know, I havenât had sex or, to be vulgar, even a handjob with anyone since you, and not because I havenât wanted to. Just havenât met anyone or anyone where it went that far.â She said âI could always come to your room if you still havenât a car and itâd just be one last shot. Iâm not exciting you with this chatter? Itâs not doing a thing to you?âbe honest,â and he said âNo; Iâve got an erection, but whatâs that? I donât want to say I also get them when cats jump in my lap or Iâm holding a particularly heavy book there for a few minutes. Iâm sorry for what happened to you, I wish I could have done better by you, I donât know what the hell didnât happen with me in relation to you, but it didnât and thatâs all I can say,â and she said âOkay, I like that honesty, and I thought youâd want to know about baby Gilâthey have gills, you know; and about our getting together a final time, I felt I ought to at least give it a whirl. I wish you felt the same for me as I do for you,â
Xara X. Piper;Xanakas Vaughn