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My semen was required at the clinic at 7:35 a.m. I had an appointment.
I gave my wife, Lisa, a kiss on the cheek and disappeared into our bathroom, carrying an impossibly crinkly paper bag. I opened it and removed the sample container, twisting the lid to break the seal. I checked the clock on my phone: 7:20.
Lisa and I had been trying to have a baby for almost three years. We?d started having sex with intent just after we got back from our honeymoon. At first, everything was very exciting: no more condoms, no more birth control pills. Lisa would send me text messages at work to entice me to get home as soon as possible?they made me blush at my desk.
But months went by with no luck. Routine set in. We were like Sam and Ralph, the old Looney Tunes coyote and sheepdog: Evening, ma?am. How are things" Business tonight" Sometimes Lisa would roll over just as I was falling asleep and remind me that tonight was a work night. More often, I would remind Lisa. Often we?d agree to skip it and try harder the next night. At parties, we listened to how other couples planned their pregnancies to coincide with summer vacations and slow periods at the office. C?mon, we thought. Can it really be that easy" We?d read somewhere that, out of 100 couples trying to conceive naturally, 20 will become pregnant in the first month, 70 will conceive within six months and 85 will have it happen within a year. We fell in the last 15 percent. How does this happen to te...