2 A Motherly Power

THE BIRTH OF HER baby is the most precious moment for a mother. It matters not if it is her first child or her third. The feeling is the same, always, had said the old midwife to her. Be brave. If you do, you might as well feel the same yourself one day. Some eight months ago, she had left her with these words and some instructions a new mother should follow.

That one day-that seemed as if it would never come-had now finally come. After the long wait and anticipation of nine months, the water had finally broken. As if it was some signal, Isidora went into full panic mode. All of a sudden, she had all the energy in the world.

"Rest", said Nastka. Her husband. Happy though he might be for his wife, he was all the more worried. Worried about his wife and the new member, he, no, they would welcome. He was in fright and confusion. He did not know what to feel at this moment. It was something they-Isidora and himself- had been waiting for a long time. But now that it was happening, he was not so sure.

Sure, or not, he knew what he had to do right now. He had to call the midwife as soon as possible, that old hag. He knew she would scold him if he did not go there right away. Not that he intended to go any later.

He had heard stories. Stories of children being stillborn. Of families getting ruined. He also started to wonder, what if?

"No", slapping himself out of his thoughts, he ran at full speed to the village midwife's home. Minutes later, he stood in front of the midwife's house. It was not quite right to call it a house; a small hut seemed right. No, a shack, yeah. Standing in front of it, he remembered the old lady who probably delivered every child in the past decade in this village and the neighbouring ones.

A wrinkly face, dull eyes, grey and neatly tied-up hair, and a bent back. It was the image of a typical old and aged woman. "Come out, granny Nina." Shouted Nastka. "Hurry, you old women."

But even after shouting for five minutes and seeing no one coming out, he turned to the neighbouring house for questions.

"Went to the temple", told the neighbour, "Always goes there early in the morning. Reading those scriptures of hers." "Why", asked the same neighbour, "did the water break?" Hearing this, he smiled, turned around, and replied, "Yeah, the water broke, now..." not finishing ran off. "So energetic", said the neighbour, "again, it is his firstborn. Wonder what they will name him."

Meanwhile, Nastka, who had run off, arrived at the temple doorstep. Bending his body and joining his hands with a respectful bow, he stepped inside. Quickly, he spotted that old lady.

She was the image of simplicity. Clean and simple-seemingly as if the dirt had intentionally stepped aside for her, making her look sacred. She was always like this, this woman. Though she was ugly, and everyone called her names, she didn't object to it and even laughed with them.

Even Nastka had not maliciously called her names, a force of habit it was. Everyone in the village respected her and loved her very much. She was a very bright bulb, wives-young and old, from all over came to her for words of wisdom.

While being intelligent, she was also a very pious devotee of God. Every day she woke up early and bathed before sunlight. Reading prayers and scripture and then only eating.

A disciplined woman, she was.

Awakening from his stupor, Nastka hurriedly approached granny Nina, "Granny, hurry, come with me. Hurry, or else I fear no, just come. Come, come with me."

Seeing the worried expression of Nastka, granny understood what had caused this loaf so much worry. "The water broke, did it?" asked granny calmly, smiling at him and turning to the tree in the centre of the temple. "Oh! Sacred tree", said Nina, "please bless this child and his family."

"Hurry", said Nastka to granny, "sit on my back, let us go to my home." To this, she replied, "No..." "Why?" interrupted he, worried and angry. "Listen to the elders first, idiot", scolded granny while stretching his ear another whole, "I've got to take some aromatic candles and some clean clothes..." Only then did Nastka understand that she was preparing things needed. "What are you standing there for," said granny, "Now, come over. Come on, to my house."

With granny Nina on his back, Nastka and her prepared the things needed in much less time. But even that was not enough to make Nastka worry less. It could be seen in his actions, filled with nervousness. Two times, he almost dropped the things he was carrying.

With himself, granny, and her Ent rouge of assistants, all wives of the neighbouring houses, they arrived at Nastka and Isidora's house. "Stay outside", said a woman from the group and closed the door on his face. "We will tell you if we need something", came a voice from behind the doors.

Though angry and worried, he understood their intention and stayed outside. After some time, his anger had all but faded and what remained now was worry. Overcome with anxiousness-he started to wonder once again.

He started to think of unnecessary things. What if?

With nothing left to do, Nastka started praying to the sacred tree. Voices of women, the scent of the candles, and the clattering of things sounded from inside the house, but he stayed focused.

Inside the room lay Isidora on the bed, surrounded by granny and company. One was wiping away the beads of sweat, another helping granny, one preparing the baby's clothes.

"Worry not", said granny, "remember what I said, be brave." The clouds in the sky passed on, sometimes giving cover from the sunlight and sometimes not. From morning, it had come to midday. At one point, someone had come and told Nastka to go and buy some Crum leaves, a drug to relax the mind. He was worried but did as told. At another point, he was to go and fetch some clean clothes from granny's house. And at another...

Being ordered so many, he wondered just how that old hag had even prepared things.

At dusk, the door opened; this time, out came granny. All sweaty and smelling worse than she had before. Even then, she was smiling like a sunflower in sunlight. At once, he understood that his child had been born and ran off to his bedroom.

There he saw. Saw his beautiful wife and the jewel she carried in her hands. The baby was ugly, with a big head and a small body had wrinkly skin and was hairy. Even then, just looking at him made Nastka tremble with excitement. He wanted to hold the baby. But he did not want to disturb Isidora's moment.

After all, if even he got this excited, then Isidora- she who had felt the baby's kicks and had kept the baby in her womb for months- would be on nine clouds higher than the ninth cloud right now.

Seeing her husband's expression, she gestured for him to come to her. He did, as told, and was excited and nervous to see her handing him the baby. "It's a boy", said she and gave him the baby.

Holding the baby, touching its bony and small hands and big head, left him mesmerized. He felt his body become light and the weight of all this time be worth it.

He then saw it. Saw the ocean-like eyes the boy carried, and after thinking and cradling the baby, he declared, "Junas. Junas will be his name. A befitting name for one born on the first day of June. Don't you think?"

He kissed her and said, "Without you, this would have been impossible. It is your power that we now have a new member in our family. Thank you."