The old man sat on his rocking chair in the dark. He could hear the sobs coming from the next room. His hands dug in his pocket and reached for the cigarette and match inside. Placing the cigarette in his mouth, he struck the match. The small flame brightened the room. He lit up his cigarette and put out the match. The room darkened once again.

Loud, painful shrieks could now be heard from the other room. He blew a smoke into the air as if he didn’t hear a thing. His head turned towards the nearby window and he drew the curtains back. There was a car sitting outside. Just as he was told. The old man sat back, satisfied.

There was a loud, tiny cry. The old man stood up, dropped the stub on the floor and crushed it. He walked up to the room and barged in without knocking.

The first thing he saw was a young girl, lying on the bed. She looked pale and exhausted, but she was alive. That was a good thing. He smelled blood and noticed the red stains on the bed sheets, trying not to recoil at the same time.

A woman was standing at the foot of the bed, holding a baby wrapped up in thick blankets. She let out a tiny smile as the old man walked up to her.

It was a girl, she was saying.

The old man took the baby from her arms. He looked down at the creature. The baby’s face seemed to peeking at him from the blankets. It was bright…scarlet.

Without taking another look at the baby, he began to walk towards the door. The woman protested and she tried to stop him. He pushed her away and she fell down on the floor.

The girl on the bed called out to him…Papa…please don’t! I haven’t seen her yet…please…Let me hold her in my arms…

The old man paid no attention to her. The baby started to cry…as if she was calling out to her mother. He kept on walking until he reached the outside where the car was waiting.

The back door of the car opened. A man in a suit got out with a large suitcase. As soon as the old man approached him, he gave her the baby. In return, he got the suitcase. No sound could be heard except for the baby crying out. Quietly, the man in the suit went inside the car.

There was no handshake. No goodbye. The deal was done.

The car drove off, leaving the old man, grinning from ear to ear. He headed back towards his house, feeling giddy as he thought of what was inside the suitcase.

Without a warning, another scream came from the house. Painful…like the one he heard only minutes ago. He paused silence went past him.

A cry followed. The old man stood there in shock, unable to believe what he just heard. Yet, there was no denying who it belonged to…

A baby’s…

Written on April 16, 2000
Revised on September 4, 2000