The Big Reveal

Around 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning, after staying up all night putting the final touches on my qualifying exams, I (Nick) was delighted to go to bed t
o get some much needed rest. After a week of nothing but writing, I had absolutely nothing left in the tank. That last night was grueling - it got to the point where I literally could not look at the computer screen for more than a few seconds at a time without feeling sick. I would type out a sentence and then have to look away or get up and walk around. Ask Kim - it was bad. She saw it firsthand as she got up in the middle of the night to come check on me. She just sat with me for a long while, supplying me with much needed doses of encouragement and support, as I strung together spurts of letters that I hoped were coherent enough. Needless to say, I was elated yet exhausted when I finally turned in the exams.

I woke up around 12 pm and saw a text message from Kim. She asked if we could get together before she had to go to her bible study later that night. Her reason: She wanted to see me, which was an argument that needed no justification or explanation - even though I was completing my exams at home, I had functionally been a prisoner sentenced to solitary confinement in a room full of books. I gladly agreed to meet her. And where might you ask? Steak & Shake. Nothing against the place, BUT, in hindsight, if I knew what was going to be happening there (aside from the customary ingestion of burgers, fries, & shakes), I most definitely would have modified my selection.

"I got you something." Kim placed a gift bag on top of the table. "I really appreciate and am proud of how hard you worked this past week." After some momentary digging, I found what I thought was the gift: An iPod nano. Sweet. I showed my genuine excitement and proceeded to give the normal nonverbal cues to Kim that reflected my ignorance and need for her expertise concerning electronics. She gave me a brief update on what made this iPod special. And then..."There's something else." I dug around more and couldn't find anything. "It's in there. It's something small." Finally, my fingers touched it, and I had no idea what it was until I pulled it out.


Stare. Silence. Disbelief. "No way." Smile. Look up. Kim nods her head in affirmation. Tears coming down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant." All I could do was smile and shake my head, still in shock even though I obviously knew we were trying to get pregnant. "Six weeks. The doctor confirmed it at my appointment yesterday." "Six weeks? Already?" More disbelief. And more smiles.