LILLY’S ARRIVAL – everyone’s involved

LILLY’S ARRIVAL – everyone’s involved.

I’ve got that feeling, the feeling I had when jerry came. Sweet chills down my spine accompanied by light warmth on my chest, so fresh, so sweet this overwhelming sensation. A feeling that makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. It makes me want to lie down and rise up at the same time, body itching all over yet I don’t feel like scratching. Emotions the mind expected but didn’t know how to respond to.

Feelings surrounded by the smiling faces from the trained nurses, assuring you that just like the previous one; this one too would be fine. This they communicate silently without a word, experienced master comforters. Their smiles, assuring glances and the soothing effect of their soft hands as they wipe the sweat off your brow with the scented flannels. Makes you forget for a moment the delicacy and demands of your present situation and float away into endless thoughts, mental escapades of how painfully sweet it was to see Jerry after carrying him around for nine months. Such a rewarding spectacle it was to observe with ardent keenness his little features: toes, fingers, nose and even mouth. He was a beautiful boy as all agreed, the other mothers postponed the urgency of their present need and came over to see for themselves such an abundant flawless beauty vested upon such a tiny boy. His father too was beautiful, so was his mother.

Five years had passed since then, but to me it seemed like yesterday. We had resolved, Jerry’s dad and I, to wait till seven years were gone then consider having another baby. We managed to fulfill more than half of that agreement. It was during his annual break on the fifth year of our agreement that his office offered him a complementary holiday package, - hotel paid and all-. My sister came over to stay with Jerry and the maid.

We had one of the most beautiful and romantic time we have ever had together. I loved him then and I love him now even more. We could hardly keep our hands off each other. It was not only our hands that we couldn’t keep apart. The present size of my belly is testimony to that.

Amid these feelings and recollections, he is about to come, Jerry’s father, with a thick mass of yellow flowers. A ritual he ahs been keen on observing since he brought me to St. Hannah’s four days ago.

He will come in, switch off the light in my room, loosen his tie from college days (he enjoys the freedom to wear them since am not there to protest against it), lean on my bed and kiss me on the forehead where the nurse had just soothingly wiped with the fluffy, soft flannel. He will then take off his shoes and put on my size six sandals on his size nine feet, ask me to move a bit to make room for him on the bed, sit then proceed to ask me how I slept etc etc. the nurse would then leave after offering him some of my tea.

He will tell me how Jerry was doing and his looking forward to see me this evening, for he always came with his father for the evening visits. His father would then read me the paper ( or read to himself actually) as I dozed off. He would announce his leave for the office twenty minutes later and ask to be informed as soon as the baby is about to arrive. At this point, I would wake up and pretend to have heard his readings and analysis of politics and sports, nod my head, stroke his boyish beard and declare my love for him which he didn’t hesitate to declare back and then kiss me, pick up yesterday’s flowers, complain that the florist lied to him they could last two days, ( he never notices that it is I who removes them from the vase to have them by my side as I slept for they smelled real nice), then leave.

He would come back a few minutes later, take off my sandals and put on his shoes while tapping his forehead with his forefinger, sweep the whole of my face like he were applying some delicate lotion on it, from where I would smell the onions that he had cut that morning to prepare Jerry’s breakfast of eggs and toast (a breakfast which Jerry would later that evening declare that he wasn’t eagerly looking forward to, for the eggs were burned and the onions had a color he couldn’t make out from the intense cooking they were subjected to). Then he would ask why the room looks so dark, slowly close my door.

I would then hear him whistling of ‘hills on trains’ by Kirk Jones on the ward corridor as he went for another splendid day in the office, as he would later describe it that evening.

Then I would doze off.

*

Lilly was born that afternoon. As beautiful as the mother, healthy and sound, looking about at everything and everyone as soon as she opened her eyes, just like her father does.

Later that evening the doctor was satisfied that it was safe for all of us to leave, Lilly, Lilly’s father, Jerry, my sister and I. For he didn’t want to release us into the evening traffic with all the excitement Lilly’s father had, for he was to drive us back, everyone was excited and happy. So the doctor tactfully made us wait a bit till the traffic subsided. I was tired but happy to have all this love around me.

Several neighbors had come to invite us when we got home. Food had been prepared and after eating and exchanging niceties everyone agreed to give mother, father and baby time to rest for we were all tired, Lilly’s father was tired. They wished us goodnight and left with promises to come back later and check on how we were all doing, including Lily’s father.

Jerry showed me all the pink shoals, towels and clothes and everything else pink that his dad had brought for little Lilly for she was indeed little. Then he sung us all some songs, songs they had sung in school that day and we dozed off in the seventh song or there about. My sister woke us up, we all woke Jerry’s father up then quietly went to bed for we didn’t want to disturb little Lily’s peaceful sleep.

Jerry’s father didn’t go to the office that morning for he was very exhausted from yesterday’s activities.

Jerry enjoyed his eggs, cooked and familiar. As my sister took him to school, we set about rearranging things in the house and doing what was to be done for Lilly and everyone else, including Jerry’s father.   

 The end.