Look after my Baby

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LOOK AFTER MY BABY

Arms outstretched and damp-lashed eyes brimming with tears Mary-Beth called out, ‘Look after my baby.’ She watched as they carefully placed the precious bundle on the back seat of the station wagon. ‘That vehicle’s seen better days,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘I hope the baby doesn’t get bumped around too much.’ Throwing a vague smile in her direction, the driver lifted his hand in a half-wave before glancing in the rear-view mirror, pulling away from the kerb and joining the fast-flowing traffic. She watched with growing fear until the vehicle, with its precious cargo, disappeared amongst hundreds of vehicles before she turned and slowly made her way up the path to the front door.

The brightly painted door that usually looked so beckoning and homely with the climbing roses almost reaching into the house, now looked inhospitable and lonely. It was the first time she had been without the baby and, though Mary-Beth realised it was inevitable, she ached with longing knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, these would be the longest two days of her life. The telltale flutter of net curtains in a house across the road confirmed that the nosy neighbour had seen the baby being taken away.

‘Why can’t they mind their own business?’ she mumbled to herself,

Throwing an exasperated glance in the general direction of the window. ‘Now the whole street will know what’s happened here and I’ll have to give them some explanation or I’ll get no peace.’

The despondent young woman turned briskly, pushed open the door and went inside, slamming the door shut with her foot. ‘How will I ever get through this?’ she murmured to herself. Catching sight of her reflection in the huge oval mirror she gasped as she noticed the brimming, red-rimmed eyes and the red blotches on her cheeks. She saw a face devoid of makeup topped by a thatch of disheveled hair begging for a brush and comb. Mary-Beth straightened up and said to her mirror image, ‘Come on girl, this won’t do any good at all. Tidy up and pull yourself together. Keep busy, that’s the answer, then the time will pass quickly and the baby will be back before you know it.’

Her self-chiding had the desired effect. Mary-Beth straightened her shoulders, went to the bathroom and after applying a cold flannel, a little make-up and tying a bright scarf round her shoulder-length nut-brown hair felt a little better. Wandering into the kitchen she decided a cup of strong coffee was in order. She sat with her hands around the hot mug until misery overtook her. Putting the mug on the table she held her head in her hands, and stared miserably around the room. There she remained until the coffee went cold, the sun went down and darkness fell around the house. Gloom crept into her heart until eventually she moved her tired body onto the settee where she lay, knees curled to her chest and arms clamped over them like a tightly tied-up parcel, until sleep overcame her, allowing her mind and body to rest.

Mary-Beth awoke to a room filled with sunlight and as she felt the stiffness and tension in her body she recalled the events that led her to this moment. ‘The baby! Oh I hope they are looking after the baby. Only the day to get through and everything will be fine again. I’ll be able to relax and get on with my life.’ The long hours stretched before her but Mary-Beth managed to occupy herself with routine chores during the morning. Chores interspersed with cups of coffee but not much else. She had no appetite for food until the late afternoon when she felt faint and admonished herself for going so long without anything to eat. Listlessly, she prepared a small salad and some crusty bread admitting that, after the sustenance, she felt a little less nervous. Not much longer to wait, maybe a couple of hours and the baby would be back home. Mary-Beth kept her tears valiantly at bay. She paced through the rooms over and over again finding it impossible to sit still for any length of time.

The strident ringing of the front door bell invaded her thoughts and she shouted aloud. ‘Oh! The baby’s home’. Her delight put a shine in her eyes and a smile on her lips. She threw open the door and, sure enough, there stood the young man while his friend waited by the door of the station wagon. ‘It’s O.K. she’s home,’ he called, ‘I won’t be long.’ Mary-Beth gave a broad smile as the young man went into the house ahead of her carrying the well-wrapped bundle. ‘Thanks so much for bringing the baby home on time.’

She hardly noticed the two men leaving the house as she excitedly removed the blanket from around the bundle. Everything would be fine now and she could get back to normal. She fussed around for a while until, with a huge sigh of relief, she sat down, reached for the power switch, booted the hard-drive and ran her hands over the keyboard. ‘Oh, baby, I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve got so much work to do and I’ve just had a great idea for a short story about a woman who can’t live without her computer.’…….

© Ruth Plank

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