Yesterday Lois sent an instant message to Kelsey saying “Are you pregnant?” Kelsey replied “maybe” and promptly went to take a home pregnancy test that she’d brought with her to Ecuador from a $1 store in Auburn. It gave what Kelsey said was “a faint line” which she said means “yes.” Since the illustration on the box was anything but faint, I had my doubts.

Every month or so Kelsey convinces herself that she’s pregnant. I get hopeful but try not to lead her on too much. This month, same thing, and I figured, we’ll know for sure (or pretty likely) in a week or so. Kelsey doesn’t like waiting. If you have a secret, even if it’s a gift for her, she’d rather spoil it than wait for Christmas.

So today we went to a medical clinic, the same one that gave me diarrhea pills last year when we spent Christmas in Cuenca, and she took a blood test. It cost $7 and took twenty minutes. They stuck a needle in her and drew her blood. We went to the English bookstore. I bought Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Kelsey had hot flashes. We walked the streets in trepidation; Carnival starts next week and there were water balloons about. We came back and the doctor lady handed Kelsey an envelope. Inside was a sealed home pregnancy test and a slip of paper that read:

LABORATORIO CLINICO
MICROBIOLOGIA – INMUNOLOGIA – HOROMONAS
Dra. Catalina Vera de Chacón

Cuenca, 2 de Febrero de 2008
NOMBRE DEL PACIENTE: Sra. Kelsey Evans
MEDICO SOLICITANTE:

INMUNOLOGIA

Prueba de Embarazo

BHCG: POSITIVO