An Age Old Mystery

Obviously, that was something completely illegal. What could I do then? Maybe I could have followed her and she might have taken it back, or just dumped it elsewhere, or I could have left it just there as if I never saw anything. Well, I had to take a quick decision.

While this dilemma was engulfing me I could feel myself getting still and cold. The air around me didn’t move anymore. The noise of the construction machines lowered, the honking of the vehicles stopped and the wedding orchestra nearby seemed to have ceased playing the music. All the sounds slowly faded out. All I could hear was my heartbeat. As if it was talking to me. Suddenly I was back to my consciousness and among the harsh noises around, I could only hear it. And just then I knew what had to be done. So I took it in my arms, embraced it, kissed it and took it home.

 I knew everyone would be against me and I’ll have to face them all once again. Facing my family was going to be even difficult this time and I did not know how I’d do that. But all I could think was, how would it survive if I left it all alone. I knew I was right. The one who left it there to die was wrong. But what would I say to them? How will I defend myself? Why did I get it home? Will they ever accept it? How would they react? I was in a completely blank slate. I could think of nothing. My fingers were cold. I was shivering in fear.

In no time I found myself at the doorstep of my house. I didn’t have the courage to ring the bell. Just then I heard my mother in law from across the door. She was laughing. The door opened and I was in front of her, frozen almost. She smiled and asked me to come in. She was waiting for me after she saw me park my car. But here I was. I couldn’t move a bit. She looked at me again; she noticed something and ran her eyes down. She saw me holding something and walked closer.

It was a baby. I was holding a baby. I saw her eyes glowing with tears of joy. She happily took it from me and started kissing it. She took it to my father in law who couldn’t believe what he saw. Their faces cheered up and they couldn’t control their tears of love and affection. Just then I heard the car entering the gate. I knew my husband had arrived. He walked in and saw us with the baby.

He didn’t know what was happening. And it was time for innumerable questions targeting me at lightening's speed. I had to answer them all. For a minute when they questioned me, I stood still, gathering my courage to speak the truth. Finally, I had to let it out.

While I was returning home from work, I saw our old neighbour crossing the road. She looked petrified. She walked into a narrow lane and immediately I saw her running out of the lane. I could sense something fishy. I stopped the car and went there to check. I could hear a cry. It was a baby. She had dumped a baby.

I remembered she was very close to my mother-in-law. They had become good friends. But slowly she had started poisoning our family. She would instigate my mother in law every day. We had started having fights over petty things. One day amongst all this, we got the news of our first baby. But before we could rejoice about it my mother in law took me to her gynaecologist.

I was asked to get admitted and they performed several tests. I was made unconscious for most of the time. When I reached back home, I started complaining of severe abdomen pain. But my mother in law refused to take me to a hospital. When one day I couldn’t bear it anymore, my husband took me to a hospital where I was declared infertile because of post-abortion complications.

We were broken. Our happiness was snatched from us before it could even reach. Soon we left the ugly neighbourhood and shifted to a new city. But the damage was done. My mother in law suffered depression for years. Now she would even suggest different ways of having a baby. However, we wanted to take our time. Since then, our house has been craving for a child.

And years later, here we are, sitting on a couch with a baby. Finally, I told them it was a girl and that it was our old neighbour’s grandchild. She had done the same to her daughter-in-law. I didn’t know what to do with the baby. So I left her with them and walked into my room. It was now their decision. They could give her back to the monstrous lady, kill her themselves like they killed my child or keep her and shower her with their love.