We sit side by side in the silent waiting room. She sighs as she roughly scribbles inkless indents onto her consent form. “My pen isn’t working,” she whispers to me without making eye contact. I hand her mine and her fingers tremble as she takes it. She writes “THREE YEARS” in small, black, uppercase letters. That’s how long she’s been trying. Under the question about successful pregnancies, she ticks the “0” box. We sit side by side. I do not know her, but I feel her pain as my own. My form rests on my lap. Same story, different name.
Grace Halden is a solo mother to donor-conceived children. She writes non-fiction about her journey (often lonely and sometimes sad) to solo motherhood.