9/11/19

It was a girl. He should've known, the baby bump was already too small to be the big baby boy the couple dreamed of. When the it came out, it was even smaller than anticipated. The father couldn't even hold it for long before the grandmother snatched it from his arms. She stormed around the room preaching about the insanity of having another girl. Her wrinkles added to the sneer displayed on her face. Her brown eyes were almost black, expressing the evil she contained. She squeezed the child so tightly the couple was afraid it would pop.

"This is your fault," she said, pushing the small bundle back into his arms.

"It's not his fault," his wife said, "we have two boys already, what would another one do?"

"It wouldn't disappoint me, that's what," the grandmother said, "now get rid of it."

Without another word, she left the room leaving the couple with a hard decision to make. The man turned to his wife, offering the newborn to her. She took it gently, caressing its head softly and rocking it. Her long, tangled black hair fell over the child's face. Her face was ashen and clammy. She was still shaking from the exertion of the birth.

"What do you want me to do," he asked her.

She hesitated before saying, "We can't keep her."

"We can give it to my friend, they can't have their own children and are looking to adopt," he said.

She shook her head and said, "No, I can't watch her be raised by someone else."

"My mother will feed it to the horse again if we don't get rid of it," he said.

Tears fell from the wife's eyes and she held the child tighter in remembrance. That was the day they knew his mother was a monster. It wasn't enough to leave on the street, it was a lesson from her to tell them not to try to disobey her orders.

He let his wife cradle it for a few minutes more before the man reached over and tried to take it back. The longer she held onto it, the more attached she would become. The woman became frantic, sobbing loudly and pushing her husband away. Immediately the heart monitor began beeping and creating mountains on screen. She buried the tiny infant in her bosom, completely hiding the fair skinned baby.

She began to throw things at him. She knew if he took the baby, she wouldn't hold it again. She was reaching the breaking point. The man backed off and called the nurse over. His wife's loud pleading made his heart ache but he knows she would rather not know what happened then know something horrible his mother would do to it.

After the nurse sedated her to calm her down, the man grabbed the infant now resting in his wife's lap. Its long eyelashes fluttered as it raised its short chubby arms to stretch and yawn. He made sure during the next two weeks they were in the hospital, his wife didn't see it no matter how much she begged. His mother never returned to visit his wife or the child. This was a blessing in disguise, he's never been able to be with the child this long unless it was a boy.

Today was the last day his wife was required to stay in the hospital. The birth was a little complicated and she had to be taken care of. The C- section was unexpected, but it saved hers and the baby's life. There were many tests they put her through and they rechecked her vitals constantly, but it looked like she'll be okay. The man estimated another few hours before she was released so he decided to take action now rather then when they got home.

"Where are you going?" His wife asked.

"I'm going to take care of it," he said.

"Okay, make sure she's alright," she said.

The woman was too exhausted to understand what her husband meant. After filling out all the necessary paperwork, he was able to check the baby out of hospital care. He hailed a cab outside, jumping in with just the clothes he was wearing and the child in his arms. Ignoring the flash of annoyance and questioning look from the driver, he focused on the view outside the window.

"Take me to the train station please," he said.

Without another word, they were off. Barely five minutes passed before it started to cry. He rocked it like he had done for his other children, but the crying didn't cease. The man could tell the driver was starting to get annoyed because he felt the gear change and the view of China outside his window started to move faster. The driver turned the radio up to cover the noise, but that did the opposite. One would think a taxi driver would know that, but the man decided to give the driver the benefit of doubt. Maybe he was new.

Before he knew it, they had arrived. The baby continued to cry as the man paid for the train ticket. It was probably hungry but the man couldn't do anything about it. As soon as the doors opened, he slipped in and found a seat. Half an hour passed and slowly the crying quieted and a resounding sigh echoed throughout the car.

The train went through a tunnel before emerging quickly. The man looked out the window expecting to see sunlight, but instead it was dark outside. His reflection stared back at him, gaunt and tired eyes. A wild case of bed head took over his normally straight dark hair. His lips were cracked and his clothes were dirty and old. He tried to smile, but he barely managed to show his coffee stained teeth before his dry lips stopped him.

"Last stop, America," the intercom said, interrupting his focus.

Confusion rushed through the man, but he slowly stood up along with the rest of the people who acted as if it were normal. The train came to a stop and the doors opened, but before the man could even move a tall, white man ran impatiently into the cabin. The man got shoved backwards and into the other wall. He protectively curled his hand around the baby's little head and shielded it from harm. Anger rose within him as he recovered, and he rounded on the rude man.

"Watch where you're going," he said.

The white man's expression instantly morphed into fury when he turned around, but as soon as he saw the child in the man's arms, he withered. Guilt appeared on his face, creasing the folds on his forehead. He waved his hand and said what the man could assume was an apology in a foreign language before leaving for his seat.

He shook his head annoyed, grumbling to himself as he carefully stepped off the train. Clutching the baby to his chest, he found himself in a new place. He could see tall buildings with huge signs in the distance. Everything was modern and updated with hardly a speck of dirt touching the station. The world felt bigger and if the people were like that man from the train, they were ruder too.

This was not where the man had planned on going. The station was fairly busy, but not so much that the man was having to weave in and around people. Spotting a bench in the corner, the man walked determinedly towards it. Once he approached the empty space, he began to lower himself onto the seat, bringing the infant even closer to his body. While he sat, he contemplated how he got there. Suddenly, the man's back pocket began to vibrate.

"Where are you?" His mother asked, the connection warping her voice.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"I'm at the hospital taking your wife home when I should be at home with my
grandsons."

The man sighed in annoyance. Of course she would talk about his sons, they were all she cared about. Never his wife, their lost daughters, or even her own husband. He wondered how many sisters he had that he didn't know about. His mother began lecturing him and like a good, obedient son, he listened without interrupting.

"I'm sorry, mother. I'll be home soon," he said.

"What are you doing? Why are you so far out," she asked him.

"I'm with the baby," he said, not knowing what to tell her.

"I told you to get rid of it two weeks ago," she screamed through the phone.

"I will. I haven't had time," he said.

"Excuses, you could have thrown it in the dumpster the minute I left."

"Okay, mother," he said.

"Finish up quickly. I have grandsons who need my attention."

She hung up the phone leaving him with the waking child in a crowd of onlookers.

Warily, the man let the people adore it for a little bit before he sent them off. The next train just arrived so the man acted as quickly as he could. He couldn't miss a chance to get back home where his family was.

He used the wall to prop it up, placing the little infant where people couldn't see it unless they were close. It's arms stretched outside of the hospital blanket, reaching for him. The man shook his head at it, denying its wish to be carried again.

Dark brown eyes stared at the man confusedly, making more grabbing motions to get his attention. When the man didn't fulfill its desires, its mouth started to open, implying another session of crying. Quickly the man snatched it up to avoid that and rocked it in his arms.

Not a sound was made and its eyes closed soundly. The man carefully placed it back down on the bench. It didn't stir. The sound of the train leaving woke him up, and he scurried back to the train. He didn't make it in time.

The man had to wait for the next train so he decided to go to the opposite side of the station to not be near the infant. Maybe the next train would unload people who would notice the abandoned child. A sign plastered to the wall said the next train was estimated to arrive in six minutes.

He waited patiently, occasionally checking on the baby. No one walked near enough to actually see it. Dark thoughts crossed his mind. What if someone sold the baby into slavery? Or what if it got stuck with pedophiles? He couldn't let it end up in an abusive home either. The man began watching it carefully in case any suspicious people chose to steal it.

Surprisingly the first person to find it was an officer who rounded the corner and came to a halt when she spotted the baby. He watched her pick it up and put its head on her broad shoulder. The infant's little eyes opened and it yawned widely. The blonde haired woman cooed and pat its back softly. She started asking nearby people for information about the baby. Most of them just shook their head and kept walking by the short woman. He was safe.

The officer looked around for the parent of the baby a couple minutes more and when she didn't find one, she started to walk away with it, presumably to where she could announce a missing child. Before she turned the corner, somehow the child's eyes found his and he saw the confusion swirling around the small orbs. He gave the infant a small smile. It didn't know it yet, but it would be better off without them. His child was safe.

Then they was gone, just like that. The next train pulled into the station and once the doors opened, he immediately boarded and sat. His phone began buzzing again, forcing him to adjust his body to get it out of his pocket. The train started moving rapidly.

"Did you get rid of it yet?" His mother asked.

"Her, mother. I got rid of her," he said.

Then the train went back through the tunnel.