At Jack and Joan's today on a sunny morning. I started off with Reg looking forward to getting out from gaol. Joan debated how to start the story. Pat all about cats and dogs as pets. Brian half the year gone and them hedgehog reminders. Sheila school and exams. John "wasted" education to become an actor. Joan giving up the allotment and going on a cruise.Sally won't marry the smell club footed fishmonger. Is this story PC?
Rosemary Coming back from a holiday with its chores.
Ann a rather precocious baby which won another clear 5 votes.
Next Few Weeks
For the first few weeks of my life it was very quiet. I was very tiny and slept a lot. My mother wasn't very well so my Grandma came in most days to help when my father was at work. As I got bigger and mum got stronger we started going out more. Occasionally we visited some of mum's friends who had children, but I always sensed an atmosphere or kind of awkwardness among them and mum seemed relieved to leave. It wasn't until I was about six months old that I realised something was worrying my parents. What ever it could be was something that seemed to make them so sad.
Now once again I was woken up to hear my parents talking about "it." "It" seemed to have been the main topic of conversation recently. My mother was getting upset and my father was trying to pacify her and telling her that he was sure this time everything was going to be all right. He told her that in the next few weeks they would know for sure and it was no good getting upset as there was nothing they could do and they just had to keep faith and look on the bright side. Just because I couldn't see them, they seemed to think I couldn't hear them either. I was still small and unable to communicate with them, but I knew everything they said and understood more than they would ever realise.
The time passed slowly with me often being woken to hear my mother sobbing quietly. In the end Grandma came to stay again while my father was at work. I wanted so much to be able to let her know I understood her worries, but I knew in my heart of hearts that this time her worries would be unfounded.
Eventually the day arrived when we all went to the hospital. The mood was quite sombre and no one spoke their inner most thoughts. I wanted to get things over and settled so that we could get back to normal. After all the formalities were over we were shown to a room and prepared for the procedure.
Suddenly I heard a strange voice telling my mother she was doing really well and to push one more time. With an effort I was propelled from my soft, warm, dark bed into a light, cool environment with different voices around me. I closed my eyes tightly and took a sharp intake of breath that made me make a strange wailing sound. I was picked up as the strange voice said, "Congratulations. You've got a lovely little girl and it
sounds as if she's got a good pair of lungs on her." I was then placed in a pair of arms that wrapped around me so gently. I knew they belonged to my mother. I opened my eyes to see her and my father peering down at me, their faces wreathed in smiles, but with tears coursing down their cheeks. I gazed at them for the first time. I knew my little brother had been born asleep last year, but I had tried so hard these last few months to let them know that everything was going to be fine this time. My mother looked at me in wonder and declared I was perfect as my father placed his hand around mine. I curled my tiny fingers around one of his as I gazed intently, happy to now be part of this family.
J&S's June 24th "Lost heart"
