Mary must have seen something behind Jodi’s eyes, because her expression turned rueful once again.  “I’m sorry… I’m monopolizing the conversation…”

“Not at all,” Jodi quickly corrected. She didn’t want Mary to feel like she needed to hold back. “I was just thinking about what you were saying.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“A lot of things,” Jodi answered. She struggled with finding the boundary between healthy curiosity and hassling. She decided this wasn’t the time or the place to ask for more details, but wasn’t keen on dropping the subject entirely “I’m thinking about my own life at 18… I had just moved from my parent’s home into a new city that offered me everything I desired, and my life became all about discovering myself, getting stoned and suffering for my art. To imagine being in that position and suddenly finding out I was pregnant… to be forced to grow up so quickly… I couldn’t…” She sighed deeply before she continued, “Mary, I am a selfish person. I demand a lot of those around me and even more of myself. To just wake up one day and realize that you’ll live the rest of your life for the sake of another… it’s just… I probably would have gotten rid of it within hours of getting the positive result.”

“Don’t think the thought didn’t cross my mind… more than once…”

Mary’s admission surprised Jodi greatly. “It did?”

“Of course,” Mary said with a nod. Her eyes were full of sincerity as she elaborated. “I was barely out of my teens and just starting college. That was the chapter of my life that was supposed to be about me and about my future. And getting pregnant was a mistake I could have easily corrected with an abortion. It wouldn’t have been so easy, Jodi. But I decided not to.”

“Have you thought about what your life would be like if you had?”

“I have… a lot. Especially on those days where I’d get home after a 13-hour work day to find a toddler demanding my full attention and energy. But then…” her green eyes lost their focus and a contended smile appeared on her face. “Then Alex smiles up at me and says ‘I love you, momma’… and he makes it all worthwhile… the sacrifices, the pain, the tears, the sheer exhaustion… one look from him and it’s all worth it.”