Chapter 3: The Birth of Marcelo

The door opened wide and Batard stood behind it carrying the baby wrapped in his shirt. The duchess and Abeti smiled at him, he smiled in response. They moved closer to him to have a clear look at the newborn.

The duchess uncovered the baby to check its gender.

"It is a girl!"

"Yes, my duchess. It is."

Abeti touched the newborn's face and grinned softly.

"Feel her skin, my Duchess, so sleek."

"And her blue eyes, Abeti. She is so beautiful."

It seemed to Batard like the women took delight in his discomfiture, he covered up the baby.

"Yes, she is. I have to get back to my wife now."

"Yes, of course, you have been so doughty, Batard. Go in there and finish up the job. I believe you, I believe in you."

"Thank you, my Duchess."

He attempted transferring the newborn to Abeti but the Duchess disapproved.

"You have to take her with you to the childbirth room."

"Okay, my Duchess."

He began to walk in such a scurry to his bedroom which was then addressed as the childbirth room, for the duration of childbirth. In Nutusel, it is believed that a child has to be giving birth in the same room where the child was made, and only those involved in making the child should be involved in bringing the child into the World.

The Duchess and Abeti appeared before the other women to disclose the presence of a newborn in the land of Nutusel. According to the culture and traditions of Nutusel, the arrival of a newborn was first disclosed to the women, then the eldest of the children who disclosed it to the rest of the children, then, to Kiba, the lord general, and the rest of the men.

"Attention please!"

The singing continued.

"Attention everyone, the Duchess wants to speak."

Abeti screamed. The singing stopped gradually. The Duchess stood with her hands crossed until calmness was restored.

"My fellow mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and women of Nutusel. I deeply apologize for interrupting the song."

The women mumbled softly to each other.

"It is alright my Duchess, please speak to us."

A young beautiful woman in her early twenties spoke from the crowd.

"Thank you, Vian. Matters are arising. Bad news."

She paused and stared into the faces of the women. She could read the intense anxiety in their faces.

"And good news. Which do I start from?"

"Oh! I am too old for this agog. I am almost a man. No news is the good news, my Duchess. Nothing is new under the sun, so go on with the story."

The eldest woman among the women protested, sitting on a metal-constructed chair that allowed her to relax like she was seated on a recliner.

"Yes, my papa."

The Duchess took a deep breath.

Papa was a title given to the oldest woman in Nutusel, and once she crossed a certain age, she would be introduced into the court as a man. Such woman was addressed as the papa of Nutusel. The papa of Nutusel was closer to the lord general than the Duchess herself and more respected than every man and woman in Nutusel excluding the lord general. The papa of nutusel was the only person that did not bow to greet the lord general and never stood to speak to the lord general of Nutusel.

"Well, Kharl Sterg has just increased our population with a beautiful newborn, a girl..."

"Yeeeeeeeeee!"

The women cheered joyfully.

"Kabril Kabril..."

"No, no. Do not sing the song of gratitude yet. Let her tell us the bad news too."

Papa interrupted the lead singer. The environment became calm again.

"But, she is no longer with us."

Immediately, the women began to mumble again.

"My Duchess, my Duchess!"

Screamed one of the women, black-skinned as she made her way to the front of the gathering.

"Yes, Mahi."

The crowd became silent again in other to know what Mahi wanted to say to the Duchess.

"My Duchess, what do you mean, no longer with us. Do you mean to say she ran away again?"

"No Mahi, she is dead."

The environment became so silent.

"May the paradise be her abode."

The papa of Nutusel said in her calm voice.

"Mmm!"

The women responded together.

"The undertaker, the undertaker, why you..."

"No, no. Do not sing the song of sorrow yet. A woman is trying to have another newborn."

"Is that her newborn, batard?"

"Yes, she is my love."

"She?"

"Yes."

"Can I carry her?"

"Of course my dear."

He placed the newborn on  Rebecca's bare chest as she was denuded.

Dirk the eldest child knelt before The papa as he received a message from her.

"Dirk, my son."

"My papa!"

"Run as much as your legs can carry you. Run to the Tower of Nutusel. Tell the court announcer, tell him that Kharl Sterg begot a daughter, and tell him Kharl Sterg is no longer with us. Go and go well with Kabril."

"Yes, my papa."

He got on his feet and began to run to the Tower of Nutusel.

The Duchess of Nutusel stood amid the children in the outdoor kitchen where they prepared the porridge in a very big pot. It was also included in the culture and tradition that the porridge stayed on fire until the child is born.

"My children, the children of Nutusel."

"My Duchess!"

The children responded in a chorus.

"You have a new member, the youngest of your kind. Kharl Sterg begot a daughter, but Kharl Sterg died."

The children stood and watched in confusion. They did not know if to grumble or smile.

"My Duchess!"

A little child of about 5years broke the silence with her tiny little voice.

"Yes, my dear."

"Can we eat the porridge?"

The rest of the children softened laughter; some of them covered their mouths with their palms.

The Duchess squatted before the little and gave the child a soft touch on her cheeks.

"What is your name?"

"Jay Jay!"

He replied in his calm voice.

"Alright, Jay Jay, you can not eat the porridge now. We are waiting for Rebecca to have a newborn like you, and she does not have the newborn, nobody can eat the porridge. So you have to stay here patiently and pray. Do you understand Jay Jay?

"Yes, my Duchess."

"Alright, go get some firewood."

He ran quickly to fetch some firewood.

She soughed loudly.

"Kharl Sterg is dead."

"She is so beautiful, Batard."

She held the newborn's hand and immediately, she felt a kick in her stomach.

"It kicked, Batard."

"What kicked?"

"The newborn of course."

Batard watched the newborn slid down from her vagina and laid in between legs.

Batard rushed to the newborn and held it by the legs. Beyond, Batard begot a son.

"A LIFE SPENT MAKING MISTAKES IS NOT ONLY MORE HONOURABLE, BUT MORE USEFUL THAN A LIFE SPENT DOING NOTHING." — George Bernhard Shaw.