Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Did you ever notice how some people are unlucky in love? We take you back to just such a time for our friends June and Denny from I.O.U. Sex. It’s the mid-sixties, when attitudes and choices were very different from what they are today. You may remember that Denny’s tirade against June ended with him leaving California and the love of his life behind forever. What you might not know is what happened next.
Two months later June sat in the college clinic, her bare legs dangling over the edge of a cold examination table.
"No. It's not possible." June's voice quavered. Her grip on the table tightened, turning her knuckles white. In all her nineteen years, she'd never been so terrified. "There was just that one weekend. We never even went all the way." Her face felt warm, and she knew she must be blushing from the humiliation. A phrase from a junior high health-science film popped into her mind—it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg. But Denny's sperm couldn't have reached her egg—it was only on the outside of her.
The doctor sighed. "Your test is positive, Miss Landry. When you engage in certain foreplay, sometimes called outercourse or dry sex, ejaculate may be spilled on or near the vulva and pregnancy can occur. It's rare but definitely possible. Your last menstrual period was in late September?" The doctor looked at a gestation chart on the wall. "Then I'd say you are approximately eight weeks pregnant. Your due date is around the first of July."
Tears rolled down June's cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. "Oh, my God. What am I going to do?"
The doctor handed June a tissue. "I'll send in my nurse. She'll give you information about various options. I'll want to see you again in a month." He left the room.
June shivered as she removed the hospital gown and dressed to leave the clinic. Soon she would receive her next scholarship check. She had already signed up for the spring semester's courses—English Literature, Creative Writing, U. S. Government, Calculus, Geology. Even a psychology course. Now what would she do?
Then she thought about her mom and dad driving out to see her for Christmas, and their plans to stay with Aunt Betty during the holidays. How could she endure their visit? Should she tell them she was pregnant? She rejected that thought, knowing what their response would be—disgrace, banishment to some home for unwed mothers, and an abrupt end to her college days.
And what about Denny? She'd heard nothing from him since he'd stormed out of the motel room. There was no way she could expect his help.
June said nothing when the nurse gave her the brochures.
Oh, God. I can't believe I'm looking at homes for unwed mothers.
June basically had four choices when she found herself in a family way in 1965:
1) She could marry the father and raise the child.
2) She could get an illegal abortion.
3) She could give birth, keep the baby, and raise it as a single mother.
4) She could give birth and then give the baby up for adoption.
Given these alternatives, what do you think June chose to do?
St. Patrick's Day illustration source: http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id-2149
You did a wonderful job of showing how scared June is. So that's her secret...hmm. I hope she didn't get an abortion! I'm going to say that she kept the baby and raised him/her as a single mother. What a shock that would be for Denny!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Since abortions were illegal in the U.S. at that time, that wasn't an option for June.
DeleteI'm thinking she gave birth and gave the baby up for adoption. If she didn't marry the father, that was usually the second choice. Great scene.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patricia. There weren't many options, were there? Times were different.
DeleteWow, this is very moving. I was a kid in 1965 but remember it well. Yes, those were her options and unwed mothers were frowned upon. Yikes, what a bind this poor girl is in. I find myself really connecting with and caring about her. I hope she finds a way to keep the baby, or at least find it a good home. Sounds like a puppy, but I mean the best. :)
ReplyDeleteI think she should try and contact the father, such as he is, from this uncertain description. I don't know about telling her parents but she will most certainly need support.
Thank you for the kind words, Beth. There's another twist about Denny, but we'll save that for future posts.
DeleteI think I remember from when I read the book but I'm not saying
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Lindsay.
DeleteVery emotional depiction of June's dilemma. I'm going to guess that she disguised her pregnancy with loose, baggy clothes and by not going out very much, then went away to have the baby and gave it up for adoption.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Carrie-Anne. That's definitely a possibility for June -- maybe the only viable one she has. More next week ....
DeleteI have two daughters around this age, both of them in college. WHAT would they do? They both live at home. We already have a grandpuppy living with us. Quite different I should say.
ReplyDeleteThought provoking read! T:)
Thank goodness your daughters would have choices! That wasn't always the case.
DeleteDarn the luck! Most girls had to marry the father in those days. She didn't. I hope she kept the child instead of adopting him/her out. I think she would have made a terrific mom. Poor dear.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing she didn't marry Denny and didn't have resources to seek out a back street abortionist, so it was either 3 or 4, and most likely 4.
ReplyDeleteHmm... I say she kept the baby and raised him/her as a single parent. I can't picture June getting an abortion. And I can't see her trying to find Denny after their last encounter. And for some reason, I can't picture her giving that baby up for adoption.
ReplyDeleteJune's only support system was her aunt, who never married, and her friends. Single parents were rare in the 1960s, and they were looked down upon by the average middle-class U.S. citizen. (At least that was the case where I grew up!) Being a single parent is never easy, but it was even harder back in the 1960s.
DeleteWOW. What a dilemma. Tough call, especially in those days. Nice excerpt - I could feel that cold table under June too.
ReplyDelete