Fifteen years later…
With the belt of pain, forever being drawn tighter, Gabby looked down at her child, wishing that she herself could take her place, as her daughter's head turned from side to side as she writhed with agony. She tried to comfort her, telling her that she felt no pain, but steps. For each contraction that she felt, was but another step closer to being a mother.
A few hours later, Bianca held her daughter within her arms, swathed in a pale pink blanket, tears running from her eyes as she handed the small pink bundle to her mother. Gabby looked down, closely inspecting the sleeping face within her arms, amazed at the likeness to Bianca when she had been born.
Feeling very old, Gabby looked over at Bianca, who had painted a false smile upon her face. 'Am I doing the right thing Mum, keeping her?' Gabby couldn't speak for the lump that had formed in her throat, burning away any speech. Instead she looked again down into the small infant within her arms, looking for some kind of sign. Just for a brief whisper of time, she fluttered open, one of her large blue eyes, before again closing it. Gabby looked over at her daughter, barely fifteen years old herself, with a lifetime ahead of her.
Neither mother, child nor infant, made a sound in the quiet hospital room. Gabby knew that she was wrong to not question her granddaughter's parentage, but truth be told, she was but afraid of the answer. Just as she had been afraid, when her mother asked her, the same question, fifteen years prior.
'We shall bring her up together, love her together and laugh with her together!' Gabby tried to comfort her frightened daughter. Like herself, not a moment had passed throughout her pregnancy, without wondering as to if the baby, should be put up for adoption. What she did know was, that now the baby had breathed upon her heartstrings, she refused to let her go away to strangers. Making a silent promise to God, to protect her always against harm, any kind of harm!
© J Oakman |
