The Miracle Of Life

2008-08-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Short Stories by William Betancur

The Miracle Of Life

Is 1964 in the company of two other women Maria is giving birth in a modest house in the port of Buenaventura in the pacific coast of Colombia. Her husband and the other six children are impatiently waiting outside of the room. Maria prays to God to help her through the last contractions as she gives birth to a baby boy. The baby's cry is the signal for the rest of the family to enter the room. The Father as well as the other children admire the miracle of life as he worries about how in hell he and his wife will be able to afford and extra mouth to feed.

Joel, the father works in the port as a security guard and his limited income just allows them to survive. Maria, a stay home mother suffers from post par-tum depression and is just a matter of time for her to have another depression episode. The only extra income the couple get is from their children selling candles and newspapers in town. Even in the middle of adversity a new life manages to emerge triumphant, yes triumphant because from the moment of conception a life has to compete for survival and when some one is destined to live in this planet nothing will stop this process.

Buenaventura is a small port in the Pacific Ocean in Colombia. The polluted mixture of humidity and sulfur smell combined with the high temperatures makes you gasp for fresh air. This town hasn't change much since Spanish Conquest, its narrow streets are so congested that looking at them makes you want to seek refuge in the tranquility of the suburbs. The town's population is vibrant and festive, predominantly black descendants of the slaves brought by the Spaniards after the conquest. The street noise is a combination of loud music and the strident sound of poorly maintained vehicles.

Rosalba is a single woman who was venturing outside of her old well known environment "her family". She's in search of a new life trying to forget a bad experience that continues to haunt her from her past. To also support her family, she came to work to Buenaventura from Pereira a small city located in the middle of the Andes mountains. She had a very tough life, since she was one of the oldest kids she had to help to raise all the rest of the children, see in those days people did not believe in family planning also known as (contraception), couples could have easy 12 or 15 children during their marriage life, in her case she was the 13Th out of 15 children. Rosalba was named after her predecessor who died at birth with the parents hope that she would also die.

The Jewelry shop where Rosalba works is a busy place especially when big boats arrive to port. Cruise ship passengers congest the the narrow downtown streets in search of the perfect souvenir for the perfect price. Sailors concurred the Local bars and cafes in search of that special someone who will spend the night with them. Prostitutes work even harder to lure their new customers to their gloomy and moist rooms like a spider traps its pray and carries it to its nest.

One day Joel came in the store with a worry face and said: Rosalba, my wife is very sick and we need to take her to the hospital, would you please take care of our new born?. Rosalba agreed to take care of this baby for a while. The days were passing by and Rosalba did not get any news from Joel about his wife. As Rosalba was getting more attached to this baby joel walked in the shop one day, Rosalba was very worried that Joel was going to take the baby from her. Joel was also agitated, and took a very kind look to the baby and said: do you think you could take care of him for a while longer? my wife is in the hospital and won't be able to get out for a couple of months. Rosalba did not mind taking care of this baby because for some estrange reason this baby was giving her a feeling of accomplishment and she needed to feel useful herself plus she was falling in love with this baby, her maternal instinct was kicking in.

A year had passed and this day is regular hot and humid day in Buenaventura. Rosalba is attending a couple of German tourists in the shop who want to purchase some jewelery for their daughter. Joel walks through the shop's door and immediately Rosalba knows what is the reason for him being there. She looks at the baby who by now is walking and calls her mama. like a shower with freezing water her heart felt an acute pain and her legs started to shake. "Rosalba...good news, Maria is out of the hospital and wants the baby back .... Rosalba with a shaky voice replied " really? is she OK to take care of him now? Yes said Joel and as he took the baby Rosalba felt for the first time the emptiness of a mother not having her son near by.

Days and weeks passed very slowly for Rosalba. As she cried, all she could think about was that baby who she had in her arms for one year. She could not imagine her life without this baby. One day as she was trying to do her job Joel walks in again Rosalba! he says guess what Maria is back in the hospital but this time we don't know how long is going to be. Rosalba said I don't know Joel I'm about to get back to Pereira with my parents and I don't want to get to attached to the baby my heart hurts when I leave him. Joel said: Don't worry you can take him to Pereira with you and take care of him there we can't afford to take care of him and besides you have taken excellent care of him during his first year, and by the way he has been baptised his name is William."