I was 14. I was sitting in a toilet, at school waiting for a pregnancy test to show one line or two. I sat there, waiting, watching the second hand on my watch click. Tick. tick. tick.
I waited the allotted 3 mintues, peering at the stick intently. Turning it on an angle, just to check.
At the end of the 3 minutes, it was negative. I could breathe again. The next day, my period started.
Now, at the time I was in a steady relationship and I was on the pill. We were however, busily involved in exploring the differences between girls and boys and because I have a latex allergy, well, you know how things go.
While I was with him, I spent an awful lot of money on pregnancy tests. Luckily, my pill worked beautifully and I didn’t get pregnant.
Then I was 15 and busily exploring the differences between boys and girls with another guy. An older guy. Before I had the decency to break up with my boyfriend.
The older guy, he didn’t like the word no. It was easier to say yes than no and for a while I did. Until he pushed it too far and I said no for good. He sulked and threatened to tell everyone what we were up to. I invited him to, he had more to lose than I did. I knew he was seeing another girl as well as his currrent girlfriend.
The other guy’s girlfriend and my boyfriend were brother and sister. We were all living together at the time. It was complicated.
Because the other guy didn’t like the word no, when I told him that I didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore, he refused to listen to me. He thought that ignoring everything I was saying (which was along the lines of “I can’t do this anymore, it has to stop”) was the best idea. He seemed to think that I was pliable.
I am many things, but insecure and pliable are not them.
I avoided him from then on, which was harder than you’d expect, seeing as he was living in my boyfriend’s house.
Everytime he thought I was being nice to him, he thought things could resume the way they were. So, I stopped talking to him. I left the room when he came in. I left the house when he came home. I ate dinner in the bedroom and I avoided him like the plague.
My boyfriend knew something was up. I told him that I was sick of the sexist comments. He chose to believe me because it was easy. He chose to ignore everything, including me.
Now, I can hear you asking, what does this have to do with anything? Well, this all ties into how I met Nathan.
When I was avoiding people, I used to run away to my best friend’s boyfriend’s house – she stayed there most nights. K’s boyfriend and my boyfriend at the time were mates, so there was nothing unusual about me heading down the road to sit and visit with them for hours until the guy I was avoiding went out.
This is how I met Nathan. K’s boyfriend was Nathan’s baby brother – Adam .
So, all those nights when I was avoiding my life and how I was living, I ended up sitting for hours talking, not to K, but to Nathan. He would make me cups of tea and we would talk about nothing for hours. Many nights, I fell asleep in the armchair watching movies with Nat and his family. Many nights my boyfriend would wander down the road and ask if I was there. I always was.
He chose to ignore the fact that I was avoiding people. He would come down and play the playstation with his mate, but he ignored me mostly. It was an awesome time in my life y’know?
So all those nights I sat there, getting to know Nathan. We were friends, we talked and connected and it was EASY.
Time passed and I finished school with a big formal. Instead of going to a piss up at a friends house with my boyfriend, I organised to have a few drinks at Nathan’s house with him, his brothers and K. When I got back from my formal, I changed out of my dress, brushed my hair out of it’s curls and washed off all of my makeup. I was comfortable.
K and I grabbed our drinks and headed down to her boyfriend’s house. When we got there, Nathan wasn’t home and I was completely unprepared for how disappointed I felt. I was so tired, I ended up having one drink and falling asleep on the couch. K headed to bed.
When I woke up hours later, Nathan was watching me sleep. We talked for hours, then I headed back to my boyfriends house and went to bed.
Shortly thereafter, school ended. I bummed around with my friends, doing much of the same things I had always done, including spending a lot of time down the road at Nathan’s.
I worked, casually and used to spend 2 hours after my shifts finished waiting in the bus mall for a bus, in the dark. That was insanely creepy. It was also how Nathan and I got to know each other even better, when he decided that it wasn’t safe for me, at 16 to be waiting in the dark for buses. He started meeting me after work to drive me home.
And our friendship moved on from there.
—
I’ve had this in drafts for almost 2 years. It wasn’t easy to write.
Part II soon.
Email to a friend









{ 22 comments }
Awe, how cool that you’ve shared this. I should write about who N and I met… but it did take me 7 months to get around to writing my birth story and sharing the video. I am slow to finish important posts, like you.
Can’t wait to read part 2. Oh and underage sex? I was so there too, with a guy whose now gay :-/ LOL.
Sharing the scary shit is always the hardest, but thanks for letting us in. It’s easy to make our lives look attractive, as writers. We can shape our stories however we want. It’s much more difficult to be real, but more rewarding, in my opinion, because we can connect with each other that way.
Ooops mean to say how N and I met
It is hard. I’ve been looking at this post in drafts for a long time, wondering if publishing it was worth it. But I think it is.
The situation with the older guy was a lot more complicated than I’ve said here, only because I didn’t want to use 1000 words describing just how fucked up he was. I have panic attacks when I see him nowadays, and that is over 5 years later.
I’m pretty sure if I posted the real story of how Aaron and I met, My parents might die. I loved reading this though!
Looking forward to part 2. Glad you are sharing.
I almost died the other day when my 16-year-old said the word “breasts.” I couldn’t believe he NOTICED that on some girl; it was a terrible and unexpected shock. (No, I mean he NOTICED if yk what I mean. He thought I was crazy for being upset about it. He said if he DIDN’T notice there would be “problems,” Mom. Ugggg.) And he is waiting for God to tell him who to marry. He has never kissed a girl or gone on a date. But I almost DIED, I tell you.
I cannot, cannot, CANNOT imagine what you put your Momma through there. She is one tough cookie. I’m in awe here that you all had the strength to pull through.
Waiting for part 2 to see how you did it. Does Nan come into the story? Did Nan know the story? Your brother? You guys are so intricately connected that every thing that happens seems to have an effect on everyone else. (No, I mean that in a good way… that you care for each other.)
Mrs C – My brother doesn’t know much of this story, but he does know how I met Nathan. Mum knows most of it too, although even for me, reading it is a whole different thing!
Wow, I’m intrigued. Looking forward to reading the rest.
Mrs C – my 14 yo boy worked the word clitoris into a conversation the other day. I nearly fell off my chair but I tried to pretend it was no big deal so I didn’t embarrass either of us. Seriously, where did he get that word?
Enjoyed reading this post!! Always love hearing about how people met
Lil
Wow! I cannot wait for the part 2, Veronica. And Nathan sounds awesome. Because he is! Yes?
You probably feel better getting that off your chest, and who knows? Some young girl out there might read it and recognise a bully if the same refusal to take no is happening to her. She’ll get out of the relationship and be safe, because of you. Looking forward to part two. I’m glad you didn’t get pregnant at 14, Amy and Isaac were meant to be Nathan’s.
Dude, like the layout!!!
And thanks for starting your story. Mine is known to the people who need to know.
Pregnancy tests at 14 must be some sort of rite of passage
Thanks for sharing this Von, BG Xx
Wow.
Thanks for sharing (((hugs))).
I can’t wait to read part II.
What was so scary about that? None of it is horrifying or shocking?
It’s your story. It’s how you came to be you. Shout it from the rooftops!
It’s hard to get these sort of things out there for anyone to read, but I bet you feel a little better for it eh?
Yay for Nathan! Looking forward to part 2 xx
it sux when i know its about me
I always love hearing “how we met” stories. And I understand why it’s scary to publish — and I especially understand the panic attacks when you run into him now, as you said above. At some point I might have to write a post about an old teacher of mine who elicits the same reaction in me. Maybe. I’m not sure I have your courage.
I’m looking forward to the next part.
Hard things are, well so hard to write about.
Hard times. Im so sorry that it was a mixed up time for you.
I’m glad though that Nat was there.
Thank you for sharing this. It sounds like you and Nat were meant to be.
I call that part of my life “the train wreck” and look back –however many years later– and wonder how I ended up being married to one man, with two children, in one house and I haven’t packed my clothes around in a bag, trotting from one house to another, in years. I seem so middle-of-the-road now. Funny how it works. I’m glad I did it though… I hope it’ll help me understand my own daughter someday.
Thanks for sharing this.
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