What I Was Hiding That Winter

My Winter Secret

I plopped my heavy body into the hard, cold bus seat… relieved to finally rest, relieved to release the air my upper body had been begging to let go of.

Outside the window, slushy downtown Chicago snow pressed against the bus stop shed. That shed had done more than protect me from the hawkish gusts the Windy City is famous for. It hid me.

I had just finished an interview for a call center job at Ma Bell. What I didn’t know was that the personnel manager would be waiting for the same bus.

I had successfully hidden my eight-month pregnancy from her the entire interview. There was no way I was getting busted now, standing outside in the freezing cold.

Once seated, I rubbed my warm, round belly. The little one inside me responded immediately, moving with enthusiasm, enjoying the space and freedom. For that long bus ride home, we found peace, comfort, and warmth together.

Until the bus slowed.

This was our stop.