CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOBy the time the Birthmobile arrives in front of the house it’s late afternoon. The sun is coming weakly through the clouds, the smell of wet grass warming up is in the air. I’ve been at the Birth all day; you lose track of time. Cora will have done the shopping today, I’m excused from all duties. I go up the stairs, lifting my feet heavily from one step to the next, holding onto the banister. I feel as if I’ve been awake for days and running hard, my chest hurts; my muscles cramp as if they’re out of sugar. For once I welcome solitude.
I lie on the bed. I would like to rest, go to sleep, but I’m too tired, at the same time too excited, my eyes won’t close. I look up at the ceiling, tracing the foliage of the wreath. Today it makes me think of a hat, the large-brimmed hat
