They weren't fancy. There was no digital interface or ergonomic handle. It was a simple strip in a foil pouch. Mia grabbed three, feeling a strange sense of victory.
Back at her apartment, Mia lined them up like a science experiment. She’d spent less than $15 total for five tests. As she waited for the lines to appear, she realized that whether the plastic was ergonomic or the box was shiny didn't matter. The chemistry—the detection of HCG—was the same whether it cost twenty dollars or twenty cents. where can you buy cheap pregnancy tests
The fluorescent lights of the 24-hour pharmacy hummed with a judgment Mia knew was entirely in her head. She stood in the "Family Planning" aisle, staring at a wall of pink and purple boxes. Some promised results six days early; others had digital screens that seemed more high-tech than her first cell phone. They weren't fancy
Still feeling a bit skeptical, she made one last stop at . In the pharmacy section, she found the "Equate" brand—the store's generic version. A bundle of three was less than $10. She also noticed the "ReliOn" brand, which offered a simple stick for under a dollar. Mia grabbed three, feeling a strange sense of victory
"Eighteen dollars to pee on a stick?" she whispered to herself. As a grad student living on caffeine and prayer, that was three days' worth of groceries.
When the single, lonely control line appeared on all of them, Mia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She was broke, but she wasn't pregnant, and she had enough money left over for a very celebratory burrito.