Day 30: Hannah Special

Final story of the challenge…. This is not the one I planned to write today, but I found I really liked what I was writing and didn’t want to rush it…. So instead I’m rushing this one…. Sorry. But I did it, I did 30 in 30! OK, apologising over.

Hannah stands at the counter of the only pharmacy she could find open, with an actual pharmacist on a Sunday. She’s gulping water from a bottle and feeling more than double her 26 years.

“How can I help?” asks the pharmacist, free from the previous customer at last. Hannah awkwardly hands over the empty “Levonelle” box she’s found on the shelf and waits for the questions to begin. 

“You know I have to ask you a couple of things before I give this to you?”

Hannah nods. 

“Do you want to come around the counter and take a seat back here with me?” says the pharmacist, as if Hannah actually has any choice. “It won’t take long.”

Hannah follows her round and sits down. As the pharmacist looks around for a pen, Hannah glances down at her phone to see a new message.

Gr8 nite. C u soon Im sure.

Bile rising in her throat, she presses the delete button.

“There’s just a quick thing I have to fill in.”

“OK.”

“What’s your name?”

“Hannah Jenkins”

“Do you have a G.P? You only have to tell me that if you want a record of this sent to them.”

“No then.”

“OK, and sorry about these questions.”

“All good.”

“When was the last time you had vaginal sex?”

“Last night” says Hannah, looking down at her fingernails. How has she never noticed how dirty they were before?

“And was it with a…. regular partner?”

Hannah bursts out laughing in spite of herself at the question and the Pharmacist’s manner.

“No!” Her laugh and voice are higher and sillier than usual, she realises and tries to compose herself.

“So it wasn’t  a boyfriend…?”

“No.” The pharmacist doesn’t speak quickly enough so Hannah clarifies, “it was a one night stand… with a stranger.” She thinks about saying the condom broke, but that’s not true and if she’s going to be judged, she might as well go the whole hog. “We didn’t use anything. And I’m not on the pill.” She feels better for being in control of the conversation. 

“OK. Have you taken this before?”

Yes.

“No.”

“Now I have to tell you about the side effects.”

“It’s OK, I know what they are.”

“Well I’m supposed to but… oh anyway, I’ll tick that I did. Do you want to discuss…”

“No.”

The pharmacist takes a deep breath and looks Hannah squarely in the face.

“OK, just one more question. Is there anything that… happened last night which you are concerned about? Or that you didn’t want?”

Hannah’s memory spits up some of the worst moments of last night. She hears her own drunk, slurry voice shouting at Ryan.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“It’ll be better without, I promise.”

“Leave it on!”

“Loosen up bitch.”

“Hannah?” The pharmacist is looking at her. “Are you OK?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need to hear the question again?”

“No.”

“Well?”

“Nothing bad happened.”

“OK.”

“Can I have the prescription?”

“Yes. I also recommend…”

“I’ll get tested. Got it.”

“Would you like a list of local clinics?”

“Nope, got them on speed dial!”  Hannah senses pity in the pharmacist’s eyes. “I’m kidding.”

As she is paying for the prescription, another text comes through.

When can I c u again? 

She deletes and blocks the number.

Once outside, she calls her friend Tash, who picks up almost immediately.

“Big night was it?”

“You have no idea.”

“Have fun?”

“As always.”

Tash laughs, “tell me more.”

“Oh it was the usual drunken Hannah special!”

“Need a hair of the dog?”

“How did you guess?”

“See you in the Bell & Crown in an hour.”

“Roger that. Mine’s a vodka cranberry.”

Words: 615