She lay in her bed gazing at the ceiling. She was indeed worried about the days to come, her future. Few hours later, she realized a restless feeling sweeping into her. Minute by minute the uneasiness grew. This was something she had expected. She was alone at home, all alone. There was no one that she could call on for help. Even her neighbors would not come forward to help her. The pain grew.
She got up from the bed moaning in pain. She walked up to her cupboard, grabbed few clothes and managed to put them in a plastic bag near by. She walked tardily to the door, came out of the house and locked the door behind her. After walking some distance, she managed to catch an auto. She told the driver, “Saidapet Government Hospital”. The auto driver looking at her plight, sighed her to get into the auto.
She looked at the name board of the hospital. She walked stealthily into the hospital, making sure that nobody noticed her. She registered herself at the counter and was immediately rushed to the operation theatre. The hospital echoed of her screams. The screaming grew louder and louder until the moment she heard the doctor claiming, “It is a baby boy.” She closed her eyes peacefully. There was just one more thing she had to worry about and there was still time left for it.
She was brought to the labor ward. The only thing that was running in her mind was the time. She wanted to look at the clock but the pain had made her weak. She needed some rest. After a deep sleep, she opened her eyes slowly, turned her head towards the direction of the clock. She knew where the clock hung. She had been here more than once. The time was 7.00 pm. She got up from the bed, fed the baby for the first and last time and rushed out of the hospital.
Lost in the streets, she found the person she was looking for. He was standing next to the hospital entrance fully covered up in a black blanket. She held on to her baby tightly and walked up to him.
The moment had come, the time she had longed for. Without thinking twice, she handed over the baby to him when it started crying. It scared her. She tried to console the baby. The baby didn’t know that this was the last time that he would be consoled by his mother. It wasn’t aware of the painful life it has to undergo. It fell back asleep. The stranger handed over a few hundred rupees to her. All the pain she underwent was for this moment, the one she longed for.
She walked back to the hospital. She had to be there. The doctors will not let her go and they knew of her. She went back to her bed, to sleep peacefully for sometime. She failed to realize that her baby had lost its sleep.
(Based on a ture story)
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