After Roe
By Madison Lee
1976 – Roe v Wade (the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions across America) ended in 1973. Angela and Heather, two women in their young 20s, are outside a radical clinic in Chicago, both exhausted after their 3-hour silent drive from a rural town in Wisconsin. Heather, about to receive a pregnancy test, is extremely panicked, while Angela, her more promiscuous best friend, is consoling her.
Angela: Heather, hold my hand [Angela places an open palm above the middle console and Heather reluctantly places her hand atop]. No matter what happens, you will always have me.
Heather: [looking down at her lap] I just… I don’t know what to say. [she meets Angela’s eyes] I don’t want a baby, Angela. I’m not ready.
Angela: Heather, remember, we don’t know anything yet… maybe you’re late because you’re stressed. Maybe it’s that new teaching job you just got.
Angela looks at Heather, hopeful that Heather will believe what she is saying, but by the look on her face, she knows Heather does not.
Heather: I just… I guess I just don’t even know what I would do.
Angela: Okay, just to humor you… let’s say you are pregnant. That baby is gonna have the best mom of all tim- [Heather still looking straight ahead, not meeting Angela’s eyes, interrupts her].
Heather: I mean, I don’t have the money, I don’t have the space, I don’t have the time, oh my goodness, I don’t even have a husband! I, I- [Angela interrupts] .
Angela: Stop! We’re going to figure it out once we get there. But even so, babe, remember there are other options… [getting slower as she speaks because she knows Heather’s views] you remember Laura, right? She had the procedure about a year ago, said it didn’t even hurt. She-
Angela stops talking as Heather suddenly meets her eyes. Her eyes are wide, mouth slightly open, breath hitched in the back of her throat. Heather is in disbelief about what Angela is insinuating. Coming from a religious childhood and a conservative family, the thought of an abortion never even crosses her mind, until Angela says it.
Heather: Are you seriously saying what I think you’re saying?
Angela: Heather, be real. It’s not an impossible thought. Plenty of women go through it. Now it’s even easier with that court case legalizing them.
Heather: [progressively getting more worked up] Do you realize what my parents will say? Oh my god, I’m gonna have to tell my parents! I’m gonna have to tell my mother!
Angela: Heather! You’re a 23 year old grown woman. Your parents, more specifically your mother, does not have a say in this decision. It’s your choice.
Heather: I just… I can’t believe this is happening to me. It’s not me. I mean, I go to church for heaven’s sake! It’s not like I’m that girl who goes around sleeping with everyone. I had one night, I don’t even- [Heather suddenly realizes what she’s saying and who she’s saying it to. Angela is sullenly looking at the steering wheel, hurt by the words her best friend is saying, knowing that she is referring to herself.] Angela, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, I just-
Angela: I get it, Heather. I get it. I’m not like you. I’m not a golden child. I wasn’t our high school valedictorian. I don’t have a college degree. I don’t-
Heather: Angela, really, I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t thinking. I don’t even-
Angela: I think we should head in now.
Heather: Angela, really, I didn’t mean it. I-
Angela: Heather, just drop it. Let’s go in.
Angela unbuckles her seat belt, opens the door then leaves, leaving Heather in the passenger seat, shameful at the words she has said to her best friend, someone who has been nothing but supportive and informative throughout this whole process. Slowly but surely, she takes a deep breath in and out, opens the door, and heads into the clinic.
Madison’s Bio:
Madison Lee is a freshman at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, majoring in Computer Science and Economics. Her first creative writing course was taken in high school and since then, she has, to a greater extent, enjoyed writing fiction and reading multiple genres. Although her passions lie in the technology and business fields, she attempts to write on her pastime. Currently, Madison is amidst the process of transferring universities to a school in the city.
Madison wrote this piece for her Intro to Creative Writing course taught by Susan Miller, who selected it as a WHR Feature.