Chapter 3 – Birth In A Hut
897 Words
The night did not welcome Benice.
Azeroh in the Oaks city area made her disappear totally.
She walked until her legs trembled, clutching the envelope beneath her nylon dress as though it were her last shield against the world.
The rain had reduced to a cold drizzle, but her body shook—not just from the weather, but from fear.
Everywhere she turned, the slums looked the same: shadows, locked doors, faces too tired or too hardened to care.
By forty minutes to midnight, her strength failed.
A sharp pain tore through her lower back, spreading into her belly like fire.
No… not now, she whispered, bending forward as another contraction seized her.
She staggered off the main road, went inside an abandoned wooden stall behind an old market.
The smell of damp wood filled her nose. One hut leaned riskily to the side, its door hanging loose a disaster indeed..
Benice pushed it open.
Darkness filled the inside, pierced only by moonlight shining through holes in the roof. The floor was bare earth—no bed, no chair, nothing.
Another pain hit her, stronger this time.
She cried out, gripping the wooden wall as her knees shook.
She was seriously having contraction.
Her vein was panic-stricken.
“I can't do this alone, she sobbed, tears streaming freely now. Please… God…”
In another response, violent contractions filled her body.
Outside, footsteps approached.
Frightened with terror running through her mind, she tried to scream, but only a weakened voice came out of her mouth.
A woman's voice came rushing.
“Why are you there?”
A tall, lean woman went inside the hut, followed by two others; petty street vendors who had taken shelter nearby.
Their eyes widened when they saw Benice on the floor, soaked, shaking, and seen with pregnancy.
She's about to give birth, one of them muttered.
They hesitated because extending a helping hand in this type of case is risky. They began to disappear one by one.
The rainfall has stopped but caused pools of water along the untarred roads and streets, making it difficult for both the pedestrians and for vehicular movements.
The moonlight, looking like a big white ball, rose slowly above the crowded rooftops of the Azeroh slums;
Rising smoke from cooking firewood rose slowly into the air while women prepared for the following days' activities.
Stepping out of her small wooden hut with an empty bucket, was a woman in her late fifties.
Mama Amah was her name. She has lived in this slum for many years.
Life had not been kind to her as her only daughter passed on at the age of eighteen. Later she lost her husband through prolonged sickness. However, she has learned resilience in life.
As she walked towards the communal well, something caught her attention.
A girl, lying inside planks/shacks, soaked with rain and a dirty pool of water, unconscious.
Mama Amah dropped her bucket.
“Hei!!! Hei!!! Let every woman come out ooo!” She rushed towards Benice, holding her.
“Young lady please, it shall be well, don't be afraid, you will soon have your baby.”
Lips turning Weakly, Benice's lips let out a cry.
“My baby…”
“Oh my God… this is just a young girl in this condition with nobody accompanying her,” Mama Amah complained.
Immediately, two nearby women rushed to the scene. Mama Amah lifted Benice gently.
“Help me carry her inside my hut,” she pleaded urgently.
The women nodded.
Within minutes, Benice lay on a thin mat inside Mama Amah's small hut. It was almost after midnight.
The two women untied their outer clothes to help prevent the baby from falling on the bare floor.
Her breathing was heavy.
Suddenly she screamed.
“Ahhhh!”
One of the women gasped.
“The baby is coming, just push!”
Mama Amah quickly rolled up her dress.
“Boil water!”
Another woman ran outside.
“Bring any clothes from that bag!”
Someone else rushed to fetch an old razor blade.
Benice cried out again, gripping Mama Amah's arm tightly.
“I'm scared!”
“Don't be scared, my daughter!”
Mama Amah was robbing her waist gently.
“Don't be afraid, my daughter. God will help you,” continued Mama Amah.
Benice started crying with tears streaming down her face.
“My parents threw me out…”
“Do not talk now,” Mama Amah pleaded softly.
“Save your strength!”
The pain grew stronger because of contractions.
Minutes passed, like seconds.
Then finally—
A tiny, loud cry filled the tiny room.
A beautiful baby girl.
The women cheered.
“It's a girl!”
Mama Amah wrapped the newborn in a clean cloth and placed her gently on Bernice's arms.
Benice stared at the tiny beautiful face.
Her heart melted instantly.
“My baby…”
The child opened her eyes slightly.
At that moment, Benice forgot the pain and shame. She forgot the rejection.
She also forgot the storm that almost destroyed her life the previous night.
All she felt was love.
“What will you name her?” Mama Amah asked.
Benice thought quietly.
Then she whispered:
“Eunice.”
Mama Amah smiled.
“That is a beautiful name.”
Benice kissed her daughter's forehead.
“It means victory.”
Tears.
Because deep inside, she knew the truth.
- Writer
