November Blues

After a sleepless night, November tells her mom that she will be at the YMCA book fair and instead goes to a doctor. Filling out paperwork at the hospital, November wonders how long it is going to be until her mother receives the bill from the hospital. The gynecologist, Dr. Holland, seems to November “motherly and professional all in one package” (36), and her presence makes November relax. 

November tells Dr. Holland that she is pregnant and confesses that she has not told her mother yet. She also tells the doctor that the father of her child died. Dr. Holland remembers seeing information about this accident in the news. The doctor suggests that first they do the examination and then they will talk about November’s options. During the examination, November feels uncomfortable and embarrassed. After the check-up, Dr. Holland tells November that she is almost three months pregnant and that her baby seems to be healthy. She makes November promise her that she will make an appointment with her every month for checkups. 

Although November learned about pregnancy in her health class,she feels like she does not know enough and asks Dr. Holland to explain everything to her. November is fascinated with all the little details of pregnancy, but she is worried about telling her mother. Dr. Holland warns her that very soon her pregnancy will begin to show and urges November to talk to her mother. She assures November that her mother has enough love for her to accept the news. 

Dr. Holland tells November that most likely her due date will be November 2nd, and promises her that she will be there for her and her baby. She gives November a few pamphlets with more information about pregnancy and diet, as well as some vitamins. November promises to make another appointment with her in a month and assures Dr. Holland that she will talk to her mother soon.

November gets home and finds her mother working on a crossword puzzle in the kitchen. Mrs. Nelson informs her daughter that her registration for the Black College Tour just came in the mail. She reminds November about her plans for the upcoming summer: she is going on the Black College Tour with her friend Dana right after the school year is over, and as soon as she comes back, she will leave for Cornell. November suggests that perhaps she shouldn’t go on the tour and instead should “look into other options” (44). Mrs. Nelson persistently keeps asking November why she has been so upset for the past couple of weeks, and November finally confesses that she did not go to the book fair and instead went to a doctor. After a short pause, she reveals to her mother that she is pregnant. Mrs. Nelson at first falls silent and then admits that she is outraged. November keeps telling her that she is sorry and asks her not to be mad. When Mrs. Nelson finds out that November has known about pregnancy for a month and hasn’t told her, she becomes even more upset. November confesses that she felt ashamed and was afraid to tell her. Mrs. Nelson is surprised because she’s had many “open and honest conversations about sexual stuff” (48) with her daughter. Mrs. Nelson acknowledges that this is the reason why the news hits her so hard, and she feels like she doesn’t even know her daughter. November assures her that she “did not mean for any of this to happen” (49) and that she just got “carried away” (49). Mrs. Nelson blames herself for what has happened, but November insists that it is solely November’s own fault. Although Mrs. Nelson admits that this is not what she has envisioned for her daughter’s future, she promises November that they will “get through this” (50).

November feels relieved that she no longer has to bear her secret alone, yet she feels terrible for hurting her mother so much. In need of a friend, she picks up the phone to call Dana but then remembers that she is out of town. Thinking that there is no one else she could talk to, she scrolls through the numbers in her phone and stumbles across Olivia’s name. 

Olivia seems happy that November called and November tells her about her recent visit to a doctor and her conversation with her mother. As the girls talk, November asks Olivia why she came back to the school bathroom that day when November was sick. After a pause, Olivia confesses that she envied November a little because she’s never had anyone who would care about her the same way Josh cared about November. Olivia admits that it’s hard for girls like her to get dates, and that’s why she was shocked and flattered when Logan Holbrook asked her on a date. Although she hoped that he liked her for her personality, he just wanted to get “too friendly way too soon” (54). Olivia admits that she did not want to do it, but she was afraid to lose him, so she agreed. After Logan “got what he wanted” (54), he immediately broke up with Olivia and told her that apparently “it’s true what they say about fat girls being easy!” (54). Later on, Olivia found out that ten of Logan’s friends had chosen what they called “an ugly girl” (55), asked her on a date, and had “money bets on how long it would take to get each girl in bed” (55).

When Olivia got to school the morning after the breakup, ten of Logan’s friends were in the front hall tossing around her panties and joking about their large size. As Olivia started crying and ran to the bathroom, November saw her, followed her there, asked her if she was okay and gave her some tissues and a piece of gum. Olivia admits that November’s care at that moment meant a lot for her, so when she saw November in the bathroom that day, she thought that maybe she could “return the favor” (55).