Parallel Universe

 A Parallel Universe

 

"I'm so nervous!" she girls whisper amongst themselves.
Grade ten.
The year they've all been waiting for. The year they have been studying for. Now their exam is coming up, the big test.
If they pass they get allowed through to their next year. They all went for their injections, all in the same week. They should all pass, but not all do. It's a breeding house -- some call it. But it's school.
From your first day of school you are trained for your final exam. And this is just the aptitude test...
The line moves forward by three people.
"You passed, congratulations!" the nurses say happily to the three girls that just walked out of the stalls.
Some girls already know they have passed, they can tell, just a feeling, just knowledge.
Others are sweating it, it's a fifty-fifty call...
Their families would be so disappointed in them if they failed the test, they'd be a nobody...
The three girls walk out the stalls and hand the tests to the nurses. The nurses place them in the machine and everybody close enough waits in anticipation to find out if the girls passed or not.
The nurse smiles. They passed.
The next three step forwards and get handed a stick each. Not your ordinary stick...
They each take a stall and sit down on the special basin. They place the stick in position and pee...
It feels so odd to do it, but they've been taught to do it. Finished, they exit the stalls and each hand the nurses their sticks. The nurse places each into the machine and the girls wait nervously.
Everyone is quiet. The nurse smiles, but it's not as bright as her other smiles.
Oh No... The girls are chilled to the bone.
"Congratulations... Kira and Mella. You passed!" She says, looking at the two relieved girls. Her smile fades as she looks at the third girl. "I'm so sorry Neema..." The girl's face falls and she looks around at everyone's blank stares.
Finally someone speaks, "She's a failure..." The whispers spread until they were loud enough to be heard.
A failure isn't common. Neema turns and runs away. Her parents are going to be so angry at her...
She is going to have to redo her year now. What if she is a blank? What is she can never pass? Ever...
"Oh look... it's the failure, look at her." people say loudly as she passes.
She passes a few grade eleven's, their bellies big and round. She begins to cry.
What went wrong with her?
A grade twelve passes her with her baby in her arms, so precious and adorable.
She has to wait another year now. She is a failure, to her friends, nurses and parents. She's failed her aptitude test for grade eleven.
She finds her locker and cries. Why is she so different? Why was it her? She doesn't deserve to be treated like this.
"Hey..." a voice comes and she looks up. A girl stands before her. Neema wipes her tears away quickly. "Sorry... I just, I heard about you... Just wanted to know if you needed someone." the girl is pretty, a little older than her, probably grade eleven already.
"I don't need your sympathy!"
"I know you don't. Just know you aren't alone."
"Like you'd know!" she spits.
"Believe it or not, I do. I also failed my aptitude test, I had to redo it this year. I passed this time. But the point is, last year I was in your position. And I didn't know what to do... until I found Them."
"Them?" Neema says, confused.
"The others..." at her words, a crowd of people come around the corner. "These are my friends, they also had problems..." the girl explains.
"I failed too..." a blonde girl steps forward.
"I had a miscarriage..." a tiny dark haired girl says.
"I'm infertile." a slim redhead says confidently.
"But--" Neema stares at each person in turn.
"I got expelled for being infertile." the redhead explains.
"I got dropped back down to grade ten, I was six months through when I lost her..." the tiny one says and Neema sympathises for her.
"I'm in grade twelve now, there's Joshua over there, he's shy." the blonde smiles as a little toddler peeks around the corner.
"How old is he?" Neema stares at the child.
"Sixteen months now." she grins proudly. "I passed, he is very healthy and well behaved, I came top of my class!"
"Well done!" Neema grins at her.
"So don't worry. You still have next year." the girl hugs Neema who feels so much better from this.
She goes home feeling good about herself. The girls gave her hope.
But when it was time to tell her parents she lost all confidence and hid in her room.
At a tap on her window she runs to it and pushes it open. Her boyfriend smiles at her and climbs in.
Boyfriends are forbidden until you are in grade eleven. You get to pick them at least. You never know the biological father of the child, but you can pick your partner in raising the baby.
Neema takes a deep breath.
She has to tell him the bad news, they kept no secrets from eachother.
"Brazia..." she hugs him tightly.
"It's okay!" he holds her tiny body against him.
"I failed Brazia..." she trembles. He stares at her blankly, taking in her words, letting them sink in.
If she failed, he failed.
"No, no you didn't." he finally speaks and hugs her again. "Go get a retest, Neema."
"I can't, it's done. we failed." she sobs.
"No, they do a retest next month. Go to that, that's what my sister did." Brazia and his sister are five years apart, as are most siblings.
"But what if I'm still not?" Neema looks around her bedroom, she'd failed her boyfriend.
"I could help, I have a few positive tests in my cupboard. If you want... you can have them." he bites his lip.
"I can't do that..." Neema looks him in the eye.
"Yes you can," he cups her cheek. "I love you Neema, and I'll do anything to help you!" he kisses her.
"Alright..." she says nervously.
"This will work Neem..." he promises.


Neema got Brazia's positive sperm test and inserted it with her practice kit at home.
Now, a month later, she stands in line again.
The girls look at her oddly, she shouldn't be there.
Her turn next, she gulps.
The nurse squints at her but hands her a stick.
She goes into the stall like she had a month earlier.
What she and Brazia did is illegal, and she is nervous about it.
She comes out of the stall and hands the nurse the stick who takes a deep breath and places it in the machine with the other two.
She smiles widely.
"You all passed!" she winks at her with a grin.
The crowd cheers.

At home she breaks the news to her parents who are so proud of her and then in her room she tells Brazia who is so excited for her.
"Neema, you needn't hide." her mother walks in. Giving no time for Brazia to hide.
"Mum!" Neema squeaks.
"Hello Brazia! Would you like to join us for dinner? I don't know why Neema hides you up here all to herself!" her mother tisks.
"Certainly Ma'am..." Brazia steps out, blushing.
"Don't worry dear... we won't tell. He's a good boy. Good thing you grabbed him early!" she hugs her mother.
Dinner was not awkward, Brazia got on so well with the family. Neema's little brother kept staring at him but he didn't mind. Her dad didn't press questions and everything was good.
"From his good looks, we just know the baby will be beautiful!" her mother claps. Neema chokes on her food.
"We're not silly Neema, we were your age once, you take after your father." Neema blinks at her mother. "We did the same thing. Nair is your biological father!" silence follows and everyone just glances at eachother.
"You'll be good parents!" Nair - Neema's father - breaks the silence. "To Neema and Brazia!" he toasts and everyone lifts their glass of water.
Brazia grabs Neema's hand and squeezes.
Not only has she past. Her baby is going to be Brazia's. Her family knows the truth and the school is happy with her again.


Two months later

Neema is three months pregnant and in grade eleven.
"I'm going to put the gel on, it's going to be cold." the nurse warns and then spreads the cold gel over Neema's belly.
Brazia squeezes Neema's hand. It's their first ultra sound.
The nurse begins and stares at the monitor. She narrows her eyes and then squints.
"What is it ma'am?" Brazia asks nervously.
"It's just... there's two heartbeats..." she blinks.
Neema and Brazia look at each other.
"What does that mean?" Neema gulps.
"It means..." The nurse stops and faces them. "That you have twins."
Twins...
Very uncommon. not many people have twins, twins are actually such a blessing to the young parents. And a bonus mark. Special classes too. In the past, the people with twins were respected and admired. Brazia kisses Neema's forehead.
"We have twins!" he says excitedly.
"Twins!" Neema grins.
The nurse congratulates them, proud.

Word got around fast that Neema and Brazia were having twins and they were instantly looked up to.
Neema and Brazia couldn't be happier!