Soulful Intent: Chapter 1

Kate smoothed her dark brown hair back into a sophisticated pony tail and secured it with a bold chunky clip. She didn't like it when stray strands of her straight hair blew onto her lips so she often chose to wear her dark locks back. She stared at her olive complexion in the bathroom mirror, then picked up her deep maroon lipstick and began to follow the outline of her full pout. She hated the largeness of her lips, always wishing they were less fleshy and more classically shaped like her younger sister's. In acceptance of her imperfections, she grabbed a bronze gloss and continued to play up the fullness of her inborn smile.

Today was the day that Kate was going to meet Chad at the clinic. They fought back and forth in regards to the choice they were making that day. Kate felt it was best for the both of them - what was best for their futures. Chad, on the other hand, was still unsure...

Kate turned sideways in front of the mirror and gazed at her profile. She was eighteen years old with a youthful, slender figure. Being an insecure adolescent, she often told others she was 'fat' even though she often received compliments on how well she took care of her body. Whether or not the perception of being 'fat' was real or not, she was beginning to feel the bloat in her belly, it was still unreal to her and totally unimaginable.

Despite Chad's uncertainty, Kate, clearly knew what she did not want: that was not to have the baby that lay quietly inside her. What Chad wanted, really did not matter to her. She adored Chad but, she was not ready. She just graduated from high school a month ago; she was about to start college in the fall; she had a career planned ahead of her....How could she be ready?

It was almost time. She grabbed her car keys and went out the door. She felt numb while driving her little red car that her parents gave her for 18^th birthday. She drove to the clinic, feeling disconnected to what was about to happen. In her mind, she managed to convince herself that she was just going to a regular doctor's appointment instead of grasping the heaviness of the choice she was about to make.

When she got to the clinic, there was a small crowd of people holding up signs. They looked at her and said a few words to her that she could not hear in her current state of mind. She knew that this choice was what was right; she felt that she could not turn back...