(Four years later)
(Four years later)Alice waited until the last of her clients, as she called them, had piled into the minibus to shuttle back to their waiting families before conducting her test. She had visited the nearest pharmacy during her lunch break to buy a rapid pregnancy test. “It’s the most sensitive over-the-counter test,” the friendly chemist told her, conspiratorially wishing her good luck with a sweet, encouraging smile.
A few minutes later, Alice emerged from the Day Care Centre bathroom, her face pink with pleasure and bearing a beatific smile. The positive result confirmed what her body had been telling her for at least a fortnight. How would her husband react? Would he prefer a son or a daughter? She placed her hands over her lower belly and smiled.
Sitting at her de
