The fluorescent lights ever so blinding fills the room. Nocturnal nurses chattering amongst themselves, gossiping quietly, with amused expressions on their face. All of them in their drone-like manner scurrying around the room, folding towels, making beds, mopping the floor. Their chattering consists of hushed whispers and rowdy giggling with raised eyebrows at the new work gossip.

One of the exclaims, “Are you serious? She actually said that no wonder she got a warning from the boss!”

The undisturbed delivery room in the drab corner of the hustling hospital has a man, tall, nervous, waiting anxiously with his exhausted wife in utter awe. He holds her hand to give the most support he possibly could with his limited abilities. She is overwhelmed, her heart screaming, crying, celebrating, worrying. She closes her tired brown eyes, falling into a much needed and deserved soundless sleep.

 

“Look! Abuelito, I am playing!” The little girl shouts booming through the halls in a house of mess. The toys occupying every square inch of the carpet, in every direction possible there are Legos, play-doh, dolls, stuffies. Her mischievous smile brightens her plump face, watching the new episode of Dora the Explorer. The elderly man, glances up from his crossword, his laugh filling the room, smiling blissfully.

“Didn’t I tell you only one cookie mija? What will your parents think?” He questions and gently takes the bag of cookies from the rowdy toddler.

Her sparkling eye turns into a frown, “Hmmm that’s not fair.” She is about to give out one of her infamous terrible threes tantrums, but her wise grandfather knows better.

He has had four kids of his own. The slight laugh lines on both his cheeks serve as reminders to him, of the years smiling after his eldest got into university, his boy learned to swim, his other boy finally learned to drive, and his youngest girl got a once in a lifetime job offer in a foreign country. He thanks them for the loving memories he gets from them.

He smiles now, “What about I give you a cookie after you eat breakfast, but don’t tell your mother.” The little girl gives a flashing smile, and a triumphant giggle, just before the loud home phone ringtone blasts from down the stairs.

 

The car ride is peaceful, to say the least. The girl sleeps, giving a soft snore still with cookie crumbs on her lip from earlier. The grandfather excited tapping his foot in anticipation, more than ready to finally meet him. The father is also excited, especially for her to meet him, he looks in the rearview mirror back at her. Back at the road he notices the clouds blocking the sun, the blue and grey skies calm him, he sighs.

The mother holds her baby gingerly, giving it a kiss of love and warmth on the temple of its forehead. The morning sunlight dances through the blinds gently onto the babies rosy cheek, it tenderly kisses him the gift of life. The infant squirms in her arms stretching its legs. The warm buzz of the heater softly vibrates in the delivery room. The angelic lighting is perfect a hint of glowing and loving that it seems no other place in the world could possibly have. She loves her baby with no limit, no question, just pure calm that settles in her heart, unquestionably she is holding a breathtaking creature, a baby. She wishes she could stay in this moment for eternity with her sweet child, no issues, no problems, not a hint of worry, not any life issues.

The mahogany door across her opens abruptly to reveal the chubby girl with a huge pink bow on the top of her chestnut hair. Although the girl is hysterically eager to see her mom she limits her boundless excitement to only a whisper squeal, “Mama!”

“Hey, honey,” her mother smiles. She gives the baby to the dad and reaches towards her daughter for a warm embrace.

“Why does that baby’s face look so red?” the girl questions with a single eyebrow raised eyeing the child, suspiciously.

“All newborns look like that,” her father chuckles, looking at his son.

“He’s cute I guess, ok I am hungry” She grabs an orange from her Abuelo’s bag, her father puts down the baby and takes out a camera, pointing it at her.

“Get closer to the baby,” he instructs.

She smiles slyly at the canyon camera holding an orange slice in her hand. Right before the snap of the picture she says, “Mommy feels sick and the baby is visiting her.”

The adults begin to roar with laughter, which wakes the peaceful child, crying in his newborn way, the mother’s maternal instinct picks him up.

“Shhhhh,” she calms him while rocking the fussy boy in her arms.  

“Sweetie, mommy is not sick, and the baby is not visiting her…”

“Yeah she is, why else would mommy be in the hospital,” she challenges her dad, interrupting.

“Don’t interrupt, that’s not nice, and I am not sick and the baby is not visiting he is your baby brother.” the mother tells her beyond confused daughter.

“Wait what?!” she exclaims, shocked.

 

Little did the little girl know that the sentence her mother had uttered to her that day in a hospital with a whirl of wind escaping into the room, with all the working nurses outside their room to occupied for anything, with the orange in her hand, little could she understand how this had changed her life.

Days of yelling with unexplainable rage pouring out of her, yelling aimlessly at him for stealing the computer mouse from her.

Days of, trading food under the dinner table while secretly communicating.

Days of, her protecting him against a sixth-grade kid in his class spreading unkind words about him.

Days of them playing with car toys, pushing them down a curtain panel pretending it was a ramp for their worldwide famous races.

Days of him surprising her with remembering her favorite colour, when she was certain he was the most unobservant human being on the face of the planet.

______________________________________________________________________________

Constellations are a cluster of stars, collectively they create the outlined premise of famous images in the sky, in the dim light of the moon. Without a single one star, the entire picture collapses and can no longer be recognized. In a sense, family is much like this. Without a single relative, the entire group falls apart, as each individual has a specific role to play. Family will always have your back, support you endlessly, accept you knowing all your flaws, protect you against everyone else. The essence of family is a beautiful thing, sometimes those who you consider family aren’t even blood related to you. Throughout life, it’s important to remember to keep your family close and to never lose sight of how important they are or forget their worth. ✰

 

Citations

User: Free- Photos. “Pixabay.” Pixabay, pixabay.com/en/stars-constellation-sky-night-sky-124590