Chapter Text
It was now 5 weeks ago that Donna started working at the new place. An old friend of her Maizie also happened to work at Pearson Hardman. They knew each other from high school, but they had very different dreams back then. Maizie dreamed of becoming a lawyer and Donna dreamed of becoming an actor. They hadn’t been in contact since they left high school. So they, especially Maizie, were surprised to see each other again after these years.
They wanted to go out to celebrate Donna’s new job, but they were both busy. Only now, after 5 weeks, did they have time to celebrate Donna’s new job and the reunion of the two old friends.
The plan was dinner at eight at a restaurant Maizie would make the reservation for and after that to go to some bar, that Maizie said was the best bar that was out there.
After work Donna had just enough time to take a shower, to curl her hair again and put on another dress. While she was curling her hair, she also did her make up. She mastered the art of doing those two things together. She did that every morning. She had to do that, because she always slept as long as possible. When she was done curling her hair and doing her makeup, she put on a black dress with a deep cut back. She always felt confident in that dress, which she would need, because with Maizie in high school they always would be hitting on boys. That part of Maizie would not be changed, Donna was certain of that.
When Donna came into the restaurant, was Maizie already there. Maizie was wearing her black hair pin straight, with a beautiful hairpin holding her hair half up. When Donna sat down, Maizie said “Like the good old times: food, drinks and hitting on boys.” Donna laughed. She knew it Maizie hadn’t changed a bit.
They talked until the waiter came to get them drinks. Maizie ordered a glass of white wine. Donna had been feeling nauseous the whole morning and afternoon. The nauseousness had just past, so to give her stomach a break she decided to not drink alcohol, so she ordered a glass of sparkling water. After the waiter was gone, Maizie said teasingly “Sparkling water? Since when have you become so boring? Or are you pregnant?”
Donna laughed, she never really missed Maizie, but now she reminded why she loved hanging out with her so much. “No, my stomach has been acting weird for the last few days and I was feeling nauseous, but it fortunately the nausea passed. But I thought I wouldn’t make it hard on my stomach today.” Donna said with a tone that sounded serious, what made Maizie think she didn’t know she was just joking.
“Donna, you know I was just messing with you.” Maizie said, forgotten that Donna can read people like nobody else.
Then Donna answered with a playful tone “Maizie, you know I can read people like nobody else.”
They had finished their dinner, where they discussed all the relationships and one-night stands they had had in the years they hadn’t seen each other, except for one. Except for Donna’s latest one-night stand. The one from a few weeks ago, with Harvey.
Then Maizie had to go to the bathroom. When Donna waited for Maizie to come back, she thought about how happy she was with Maizie as her friend again.
When Maizie came back from the bathroom she asked Donna if she had any tampons with her. She had just gotten her period and didn’t have anything on her. When Maizie asked that, Donna was reminded of the existence of a period. She was so busy now with her new job that she didn’t even had the time to think about that. Donna was supposed to be on her period 3 weeks ago. She panicked and said the only thing that came to mind “Shit”
“It’s okay Donna, we can go to the store to buy some for me, I have already wrapped toilet paper around my panties.”
“No, I do have some in my bag.” She searched for the tampons, they were always lying on the bottom of her bag. She had found one and gave it to Maizie. While Maizie accepted it, she asked “What is it, what’s wrong?”
“It’s just… I was supposed to be on my period 3 weeks ago.”
“Shit, man, but I first need to go.” She helt up the tampon, Donna had just given her. “But after we can make a trip to buy a pregnancy test, instead of going to the bar.” Then she walked back to the bathroom.
When Maizie came back, they went to the drugstore. The white, almost blue fluorescent light bothered Donna; she already had to endure too much at this moment. Then she thought of actually buying that test, it was to much for her. There were to many options and thinking about the fact that the cashier is going to ask a lot of questions about if she knows how to use it. She didn’t know if she could handle that.
Then Maizie said Donna, who was zoned out because of the overwhelming things there were connected to buying a test. “I will buy one for you. If you want, you can wait outside.”
Donna was happy Maizie wanted to do that for her. “Thank you,” and she waited outside. A few minutes later Maizie came back with a bottle of cola and the pregnancy test. She both gave them to Donna.
“Maiz, you do know I don’t even like cola. I always gave you my cola at birthday parties when we were really young and then I just drank water.”
“I remember, that’s why I bought it.” She smiled.
“To torture me even more?”
“No, they didn’t have a bottle of water. And I didn’t want to make you hate an other drink than cola.”
“Thank you” Donna hugged her old friend. While they were hugging, Donna having the bottle of cola in one hand and the test in the other, said she “You know I’m not going to finish it.” They let go.
“Oh, wait that’s an other reason that I bought it. So that I have something to drink.”
“You could also had bought an other bottle.”
“Could’ve”
They started walking trying to find a pubic bathroom. Donna was drinking the cola Maizie had bought. She only took a few sips from the drink and decided that she would just wait until the sparkling water from the restaurant would be ready to leave her system. It took way to long to find a public bathroom that did have some sort of sanitary. After a while they just got tired and decided to go to one with toilet paper and water all over the floor. Before they came in Maizie saw how little Donna had dronken. “Donna, you do need to drink enough to make you pee.” said she with a playful tone.
“Already have to pee.” said she laughing but annoyed. Maizie grabbed the bottle of cola out of Donna’s hand. “I’m not complaining, more cola for me.”
Donna laughed, although all of the stress of the possibility of being pregnant.
Donna went in one of the toilet stalls and peed on the stick. After she had done that she went out of the toilet building as fast as she could. Maizie was standing outside sipping her cola. She was surprised Donna was out she quickly.
Donna said when she saw Maizie standing, “Had to go out as soon as I could. It was so unsanitary in there.”
They sat down against some wall nearby the public toilets, waiting for the stripes to appear. The only thing Donna could do was look at the test. She hoped with her whole heart that the second line would never appear. The moon and the crappiest streetlight were the only sources of light at the moment. She hardly saw the first line appear, but after a few minutes she also saw an other line appear. She started to tear up.
“Fuck” She mumbled to herself.
Maizie hugged Donna. Donna showed the test to Maizie, the lines were very clear, Donna was pregnant. Donna’s head was rattling, what was she going to do. Was she going to keep it or abort it. How was she going to tell him. She was pregnant from her boss. Donna thought “How have I gotten myself in this mess.”
Maizie asked “Is it from your douche bag ex-boyfriend Max, you had told me earlier about?” Max was her boyfriend, until a few days before Harvey and she hooked up. Donna just stared into the distance. It wasn’t Max’, but she couldn’t say from who it was. She couldn’t. Not before she had decided, what she was going to tell Harvey. Donna just put her head on Maizie’s shoulder and they stared to the beautiful orange moon.