Friday Flash Fiction - week 26

The Pro-P Application 

“Mr and Mrs Johnson,” she said, snapping the file shut with a finality and standing up in one swift movement, “that concludes your Pro-Pregnancy test.” 
I smiled at Peter, unsure what to say. 
He squeezed my hand. “That’s great, Ms. Beet, we’ll look forward to hearing from you.” 
“I’ll be in touch within four to six weeks to let you know if your Pro-P application has been approved. If it has, treatment can start immediately.” 
I looked at Peter again, with a hopeful smile playing on my lips, but his eyes were cast down. I knew how much he wanted this. 
“Should you not be successful, you can only apply once more before your case is closed permanently. The details of your application are not available at any stage during your application, or if your application is unsuccessful.” 
I heard Peter’s breath, short and shallow. We’d never know. If we were denied, we’d always wonder why. It was enough to tear the most solid couples apart. We’d seen it with Tammy and Jon, Michelle and Steve, Matt and Daphne. Christ! We’d be fine. We had to be. 

The next few weeks were tense. I went over every minute of my three hour-long tests. Over and over again. Should I have volunteered that I used to smoke in college? Should I have revealed losing my virginity at fifteen to a married man more than twice my age? What had Peter told them about his past? Or his further dreams and aspirations? It all counted. And you couldn’t lie; they always knew. 
I was waiting for Peter on the driveway when he arrived home from work. He knew immediately why. 
“It’s here, isn’t it?” he asked. 
“Yes.” 
“Let’s go inside and find out then.” He took my hand and we walked in through our front door.  

L. Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

This week saw the second installment of Flash Fortnightly on the Artipeeps website. Click here for Reflection, inspired by the Adele song, Someone Like You.  

I've also stepped, rather gingerly, into the 21st century and have set up a twitter account! If you'd like to follow me, I can be found bumbling my way through this technology @laurabesley 
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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.