Chapter seven [ The First Member of the family]

Chapter seven: "The First Family Member"

Daniele doesn't like her new surroundings or where she is because the residence is further away from the accessible amenities. Danielle is nine months pregnant and finds it difficult to move. But she constantly keeps herself occupied by making new, higher-quality accessories and final items out of raw materials, which is David's handicraft company, as well as mending the clothing of her unborn child. ,

Daniele learns to be content with whatever life throws at her marriage to David and her new unborn child. She can't wait to meet her child. As David had previously prepared a lovely space for the baby's birth, she sets up the cot and wall curtains.

Their new location's surroundings one early morning appear adversely gloomy, foggy, and sprinkled with rain. After finishing her work, Daniele chose to sit down on a wooden armchair and left her door open so that fresh air could freely enter their small apartment. She had begun to hammer nails into the concrete wall where she planned to attach the baby's curtains with the crib.

She has a neighbor who has three grown children upstairs who frequently come down to play in front of her door. The kids occasionally like to crack jokes and like chit-chatting with Daniele, who is constantly busy working on crafts. Their noises and fights cause Daniele to worry.

Their mother still appears to be younger than her actual age, and Daniele accepts all of her neighbors' relationships with married men. She has been advised not to judge others to avoid being judged herself. Daniele still smiles at them and lets them pass by her downstairs apartment. David is busy but frequently returns home for rest. He frequently reminds Daniel to get rid of any trouble against others, especially with the neighbor as it endangers him.

Daniele has no more room to exert effort discussing the serious matter with David in her pregnancy period ready to bloom. That week seems abnormal because David didn’t arrive. But Daniele always presumes that David has many business meetings and clients to deal with and should not create any problems because it may cause bad luck for blessings to come.

To provide her with spiritual inner strength and guidance in daily living with others, she consistently studied the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible.

That early morning of the rainy season, Daniele thought she was just perspiring a lot from her groin, which is beside her two legs, but she realizes that the water streams from her vaginal canal as her womb is hardened and her unborn baby stretches frequently. The water flowed suddenly between Daniele's two legs, quickly rushing down her two legs down to her knees and toes and the floor.

Instead of experiencing pains to labor in pangs of delivery, she is oblivious to the other symptoms of a new mother giving birth. On the other hand, she doesn't experience any pain other than the baby's persistent, hard stretching in her womb.

In the back of her mind, Daniele asks herself, "How could I give birth if I don't have the pains?"

The midwife and her companion walk by as Daniele bring up the scenarios, and they both smile before leaving her. She brings up the events to her young neighbors, who all break into laughter as they carry on playing ball.

She doesn't think about going for a walk to the hospital as if she's entirely unprepared but rather waiting for pains to start. She never becomes anxious but continues to engage in joyful conversations with her younger neighbor.

Even though it is now late in the day, she doesn't seem to be in any pain as she prepares to deliver her baby. "Why don't I feel the birth pain? "She keeps asking till 7 p.m. and it's already getting dark. The midwife opted to give her an injection to create pain without considering the risk that it would prevent Daniels from giving birth.

The midwife's acquaintance, who is also her friend, murmurs to a neighbor upstairs, "She should recommend going to the hospital rather than pressing other techniques which are harmful to the baby and the mother." It is not hidden from Daniele's family's perception. She simply speculates that the nurse competes with her friend, a midwife. In addition, the nurse is only a guest at the midwife's private residence, where her live-in partner occasionally engages in sexual activity with her midwife friend.

Everyone is blissfully unaware of the danger until Daniele experiences excruciating pain lasting from 11 pm to 4 am, but the baby has not yet emerged. When the baby does emerge, Daniele is overjoyed and excited. It is a very beautiful and healthy baby, but Daniele is oblivious to the baby's first cry.

“How come my infant won't cry? “ It takes a while for the baby to make her first sound, Daniele’s worried as she insists to the midwife while Ate Cely and the nurse who is a friend of the midwife watch and are unsure of what to do or say. This is their first interaction with cases of first childbirth delivery.

Danielle struggles to sit up straight after forcing herself to get out of bed using both arms to support her frail body. She then tries to reach her newborn baby's mouth to breathe before repeatedly turning to the baby's nostrils as the midwife is currently cleansing the newborn baby under warm water in the basin.

"Screw that!” The midwife proclaims, "I still need to force the mother's placenta inside her womb. It would be harmful to her to allow it to stay inside her longer as it poisons her whole body system. We should rush and transport her to the nearest hospital for an emergency."

The nurse has just informed Daniele about the neighbors' behavior during those emergency circumstances afterward. Daniele knows that her newborn baby is alive as she heard a short cry. One neighbor and the nurses volunteer to bring the newborn baby to the hospital. But they don't exert so much effort to be in a hurry instead the other one chats with the nurse while walking on their way to grab the vehicle. The hospital can be reached by foot if they intend to save the baby's life.

The baby was still breathing and had a heartbeat while being transported to the hospital, but it passed away as a result of prolonged exposure without an air ventilation system. However, her neighbor decided to keep going to avoid snitches and unfounded accusations. They tried to assist in their ways, and Daniele had no right to tell them how to proceed. They preferred that her baby not live in this world.

Danielle is in pain at the moment, but she has faith in God, and God is aware of her desire for a child. It is already early afternoon, but her newborn baby has not yet returned. The atmosphere seems to be experiencing sudden catastrophes. There is fog all over the atmosphere. That noontime seems like an ashfall as everything around is covered with wet ashes as the rains drizzle continuously.

”What’s the matter with her neighbor? Why do they say that it is better that your baby died? They can even declare that your baby has no father!” That’s what the nurse questions Daniele. Daniele suffers in agony secretly. David doesn’t return home yet.

Daniele heard about a volcanic eruption that occurred far away in the country's north. The volcano was thought to be dormant but unexpectedly erupted after sleeping on its nests for 100 years. This news caused Daniele pain because it restricted her activities and posed a risk to the lungs of her newborn baby. Despite this, she continued to hope for the well-being of her child.

Daniele is anticipating David's arrival just as she did her newborn child. She expects her neighbors to be concerned about saving her child. Daniele anticipated that her baby would return home alive and that she would no longer be alone.

Danielle couldn't cry as if she had no more strength for the next chapter of her life. She chooses to accept the reality as what she learned in her prior studies and training inside the convent. However, a worse situation added to her agony: her newborn baby was lying inside the coffin brought by the funeral services.

She would prefer not to be crazy and treat herself as her patient in a mental institution. What she experiences seems like a passive reaction as she prays, but if she were functioning as a psychiatrist of herself at this point, she most likely yelled and got upset about this horrible fate.

"I'm not sure if this is Your will, Father God! Daniele prays, "Lord, I only ask that you accept the souls of my deceased newborn baby into your kingdom as I commit her to your loving arms. " Her parents and other family members support her throughout the days of burial until she carries her dead baby into her final interment in the cemetery. David is still not there. Daniele's mother advises her to ask David to confirm their previous marriage to make it legal. Her father keeps quiet out of respect. As they all attempt to protect the situation from getting worse, her relatives all sympathize with her and urge her to remain strong.

Daniele is now experiencing genuine love from her first-generation family, which she loves and longs for. She stayed and waited for David's return no matter how long it took, but she trusts him. If he won't return, she can be sure that David will dare to let her know by any means. The sympathizers eventually dispersed.

Danielle is back to being alone in her apartment because David hasn't yet arrived. Meanwhile, Danielle's neighbor and the midwife, who were both by her side during the crisis, are both starving to death.

Danielle tells them calmly and gently, "Okay, I'll give you shares when my husband arrives. Anyhow, thank you for those times that you all didn't leave me alone. " She is still in pain and unable to withstand the next tragedy. Her desire at that time is for David to return and tell him about the tragic moments that happen to her and his newborn baby. Danielle is interested in continuing her family life with David.

Danielle muses that she enjoys taking time to relax, be silent, and feel the love and care of the creator and giver of life. Daniele intends to reassure David with those encouraging words when he arrives: "We will still have more children, many children."