The Rocking Chair Part 6

The voice had told her the time of the birthing so she was prepared. Because of the care she had taken, she had come very close to a painless child birth without drugs. Her daughter was born in her grandmother’s bed. The midwife was a recently trained neighbor and had been nervous. But Evelyn had calmed her. She chuckled softly as she remembered the woman telling her that it appeared their positions were reversed and that Evelyn was attending her.

Aama had stayed in the room and directed both Evelyn and the midwife without the other woman protesting, or crying interference even once. The child came out smiling and her cry after being slapped was very strong. The child was beautiful. Evelyn could not restrain the tears as they flowed over the rims of her eyes and down the plane of her face. The midwife had earned her fee then, cleaning and garbing the infant, while Aama tended to Evelyn.

Evelyn rocked slowly as her mind lingered at the birthing. She snatched at smells, sound and colors, held them closely; relinquishing them only to other equally delightful memories. She saw again the white diaper against the firm brown legs of the infant. Aama’s strong hands as he smoothed the pink sheets over her body. The smell of disinfectant was strong in her nostrils, almost as though it was just poured. The cooing sounds of nonsense made by the midwife as she handed the child to her. She felt again the smoothness of the tiny brown hand when she had rubbed her thumb back and forth over it. The bright blue curtains that were billowing at the window when Aama open it to air the room; the splash of sunlight that had streamed in with the breeze. The small smile splaying across her lips widened into a grin.