Chapter 23
There was a beep as Sophie stepped into the pharmacy on Manning Street and glanced towards the front desk. Edwin, the elderly pharmacist, was behind the counter. Thankfully there was no sign of that dreadful Jen woman, who Sophie suspected worked here purely for the gossip.
She gave the pharmacist a smile and moved between the shelves. Her period was nine days late now. Generally her cycle was like clockwork. Occasionally it would be a day early or late, but it was never this late.
She was trying not to get ahead of herself, but she’d felt queasy for days.
She’d noticed her sense of smell was heightened too, like when she was pregnant with Harvey.
That morning, she’d been able to smell the protein powder in Ryan’s smoothie from across the kitchen, and she’d only been able to stomach two bites of vegemite toast. Hopefully she was imagining it, but she needed to know. One way or another.
She scanned the shelves. Hair dye. Shampoo. Nail accessories. No pregnancy tests. She went to the next aisle where sanitary products lined the shelves. Closer.
There they were. She scanned the boxes. Some had electronic displays, which was a new development since the last time she’d done one of these tests, seven years ago. It seemed excessive. $79.99! Shit. She couldn’t afford that. 20 tests, the box said. Oh. Okay.
She skimmed the prices for the cheapest one. Clearblue Rapid Detection. Three tests for seventeen dollars. It was still more than she could afford, but she’d have to skimp on something else.
Just as she was about to reach for the box, a voice behind her said, ‘Can I help you with anything?’
She spun around to see Jen Henry’s face beaming back at her. She looked like an older version of her daughter, who had excluded Jasmine from her group for months when they were in Year 2.
‘It’s Sophie, isn’t it? Jasmine’s mum?’
‘Oh, yes … hi …’
‘I’m Jen.’ She put two hands on her chest, tilting her head to one side. ‘Chanel’s mum.’ She waited for a look of recognition, before she went on. ‘What are you looking for?’
‘I’m looking for the, um … ah, the …’
Jen waited.
‘The hair dye,’ Sophie said.
Jen paused a moment too long, still tilting her head, then said, ‘In the next aisle. Follow me.’
Sophie did as she was told. She pretended to peruse the various shades, willing Jen to leave her alone so she could slip out of the store without making a purchase.
‘What colour are you after?’ Jen asked.
‘Um, light brown, maybe,’ Sophie mumbled.
Jen reached for a sixteen-dollar Clairol box. ‘This is a lovely shade.’
Sophie bit her lip. Could she get away with saying she’d changed her mind? No. Jen was smarter than that.
‘Perfect,’ she said, following Jen, who was already walking to the counter.