After school and on Saturdays she’d hurry to Dr. O’s office. Since she got her period, which she knew could have been a miscarriage, she’d been thinking about seeing a doctor, but she didn’t know any gynecologists, and she certainly wasn’t going to ask her sister to recommend one. Instead, she asked Daisy. She didn’t have to tell Daisy anything more than she needed to see a doctor for lady troubles. “I’m so irregular,” she said. “I don’t want to worry my mother. You know how Greek mothers can be.” She hated lying to Daisy. She wasn’t irregular at all—her periods came every twenty-eight days, like clockwork, until recently.
Daisy wrote down the name and phone number of a doctor and Christina set up the appointment herself. Dr. J. J. Strasser had a fancy office in Newark. There were obviously pregnant women in the waiting room, and others who weren’t, or if they were, they weren’t showing yet. Christina twirled her wedding band around on her finger. It was the first time she’d worn it in public. But before it was her turn to see the doctor she chickened out, slipping it into her change purse.
Dr. Strasser listened to her story about why she was here. “I didn’t get my period for two months and I’ve always been regular. Then I got it and it was especially heavy, with cramping.”
“Get changed and we’ll see what’s going on. Have you had a pelvic exam before, Christina?”
“No.” But she knew what was going to happen. He was going to put a speculum into her vagina. She’d read all about it last night. She was scared, but his nurse stood by her side and patted her hand. The speculum was cold and made her shiver, or maybe she shivered because she was scared.
“You’re not a virgin,” the doctor told her. “I doubt you’re going to fool anyone into believing you are, but you never know.”
“Actually, I’m married,” Christina said. “But nobody knows. We eloped. I was a virgin until then.” Technically, this wasn’t true but she wanted this doctor to like her, to treat her well.
“You girls and your secret marriages,” the doctor said. “If I had a daughter who did that I’d never forgive her.”
What kind of father can’t forgive his daughter? She was glad he wasn’t her father. She believed Baba would forgive her anything. It was Mama she was worried about.
Dr. Strasser took out the speculum and felt around inside her with his hand, pressing down, making her even more uncomfortable. The nurse told her to breathe.
“I don’t see any evidence of a miscarriage. Everything looks fine. Would you like me to fit you for a diaphragm, Mrs….”
“McKittrick,” Christina said, trying it out. “And yes, I’d like a diaphragm.” She was so glad she’d read up on her choices last night. “Do you have your husband’s approval to use birth control?”
Her husband’s approval? “Yes.”
“If you use it properly—and that means every time—you shouldn’t have to worry about being pregnant until you want to be.”
After she was dressed and seated in his office, he said, “I see you’re from Elizabeth.”
She nodded.
“Plane Crash City.”
“We don’t call it that.” She knew people who weren’t from Elizabeth did. Wasn’t there a story in the paper about letters to the editor addressed to Plane Crash City, New Jersey?
“Terrible,” he said. “A tragedy.”
“Three tragedies. And I saw two of them.”
He looked up. “That would give you more than enough anxiety to miss your period.”
“Yes.”
“Newark Airport being closed is a real pain in the neck for me. Every time I want to fly to a conference or take a vacation I’ll have to shlep into New York, all the way to LaGuardia or Idlewild.”
“I’m sorry,” Christina said.
He laughed. “You’re a nice girl, Mrs. McKittrick. Good luck in your marriage.”
“Thank you, Dr. Strasser.”
“And don’t forget. Every time.”
“What?”
“The diaphragm. It doesn’t work if you don’t use it.”
—
SHE ASKED HER PARENTS if she could invite Jack to the house, just to say hello. “He rescued all those people from the burning plane.”
Mama and Baba looked at each other.
“We’re friends.”
“They’re friends,” Baba said to Mama.
Later, when the doorbell rang, Athena answered. “Hello, Jack.”
“Hello, Athena.”
“We were in the same year at school,” Athena explained to Mama and Baba.
“And now?” Baba asked Jack. “What do you do now?”
“Now I’m an electrician, sir.”
“Your parents are living?” Mama asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mrs. Demetrious.”
“Family is everything,” Mama said.
“Yes, it is,” Jack said.
“You understand our Christina is precious to us,” Baba said.
“Yes, sir.”
“And she will marry a Greek boy someday. You understand that, too?”
“I understand your wishes for your daughter, sir. And I respect them.”
“Good,” Baba said.
Mama grabbed hold of Baba’s arm, as if to steady herself.
Athena tried to hide a smile.