The Irony of Fate

She was just waiting to see her little delight in her arms.

Every day, for almost nine months, she had been nurturing a variety of thoughts. Would it be a boy? Or, a girl? Whatever it be, it would be her child. Her flesh and blood. A symbol of love between her and her hubby.

She was getting more and more impatient with every passing moment. The doctor had given her the date. It was still good one-week away.

Her husband, a sales executive, loved her to no end. He couldn’t bear even a small hurt to his wife. After all, theirs was a love of more than a decade, right from high-school days. They had been there for each other through thick and thin. He was no less curious to see his baby.

Being in the sales department, he would almost always be on a tour. He couldn’t give much attention to her, especially during pregnancy. So she had been staying with her parents for quite some time.

The day arrived. Everyone was excited. The maternity hospital was less than a km. away. Her parents suggested renting a cab. She preferred taking a leisurely walk to the hospital, and she was adamant about her decision.

Left with no choice, her parents and aunt acquiesced and accompanied her.

With a lot of sweet thoughts in her mind and intermittent advice from the elders about motherhood, she was walking carefully with the baby-bump. Every now and then, the elders would sound a note of caution about thorns, pebbles, slush and other small and big inconveniences in the way.

She would patiently listen to their words, nod, smile and get back to her own world of imagination.

Suddenly she started feeling uneasy. She couldn’t walk any further. Her mom tried to prod her to somehow manage a few more steps as the hospital was just in sight. But somehow, she couldn’t go any further.

There wasn’t a building or a shelter in the immediate vicinity. The hospital, to her in that condition, looked impossible to reach.

Necessity needs no law. There was the village burial ground. A sudden desperate decision and with complete trust in God, the mother and the aunt took her into the graveyard and helped her deliver a baby-girl amidst tombs in an eerie surrounding.

Meanwhile, the father had arranged for a transport to shift her to the hospital. Everything went fine except for, probably, an unusual situation wherein she had to deliver in a cemetery.

Soon, everything was forgotten as a bad dream. The baby was the delight of the whole family.

Days, weeks, months and years rolled by. The baby had grown into a beautiful lady and was ready for marriage. She was lucky to get a handsome and a nice guy for a husband. The couple was leading a happy life.

One day she sprang a surprise on her husband. She whispered in his ears, “Soon, you are going to be a dad!” His joy knew no bounds.

She shifted to her parents’ home. Her husband visited her quite often to inquire about her well-being. He did everything that he could to keep her happy.

Nobody realized that nine months had already come and gone.

The hospital received her and she was ushered into the labor room. Other members of the family were waiting anxiously outside.

Sound of a baby crying was heard. Everyone rejoiced. The nurse carried the baby delicately and placed it in the husband’s hand. She didn’t seem to be cheerful. There wasn’t a bit of a smile on her face. The husband suspected something having gone amiss.

The doctor walked in. She looked apologetic. She broke the sad news. The world around the family had just collapsed.

Fate had its way.

She was born in a graveyard and died in a maternity ward.

The irony of fate!