Just before I got married, I had a little conversation with Mom and Dad regarding how to handle pregnancy, not how to get my future wife pregnant but what to do after. Among the questions I asked was, were there any things I needed to know besides the medical side of things.
Dad smiled and told me to watch out for women's peculiarities during pregnancy. Some women, he warned, seem to do weird stuff when they get pregnant. Mom laughed and began telling me this story:
* * *
During one of Mom's pregnancies (they didn't say which one among the seven children), Mom told Dad that she wanted an orange.
Dad said that, sometimes, preggies look for food that is either difficult or impossible to get. Compounding the problem is that you really have to find what she wants or there'll be big problems usually characterized by crying sessions, silent treatments, and, sometimes, physical harm. He was, however, relieved to hear Mom say she wanted an orange because oranges happened to be in season at the time.
"Don't worry, Hon. First thing tomorrow, I'll go and buy you an orange," Dad said.
Mom's face became downcast.
"I don't want you to buy it," she said.
"What? What do you mean?" Dad asked, confused.
"I don't want you to buy it, I want you to steal it," Mom said, deadpan.
"But, but, I can't do that. What if I get caught?" Dad tried pleading with her but it was no use, Mom stood her ground.
"Basta! I want you to steal it," Mom angrily said.
(Basta is a Tagalog word that translates as "no arguments" or "no if or buts about it.")
Dad was aghast but he didn't want to go against Mom's wishes. A pregnant woman must be followed, he said.
"Okay, I'll go steal one tomorrow."
Now, Dad's a nice guy and stealing simply wouldn't do. He bought an orange. When he got home, he presented it to Mom.
"Here's your orange, Hon! I stole that," he proudly declared.
At that moment, Dad discovered that pregnancy seemed to give women a sixth sense because Mom saw through his ruse.
"You didn't steal that, you bought it!" Mom shouted, immediately followed by crying.
Dad panicked. One thing you should never do is to upset your pregnant wife. The consequence could be a possible miscarriage, they informed me.
Dad hugged Mom and patted her back.
"Okay, okay. I'll go back outside and...steal an orange."
So, Dad went back out. He didn't say how he did it but he went and stole an orange somehow.
He came back to the house and presented it to Mom, who did something really strange.
She wordlessly took the orange and put it inside their closet. She never took it out, never ate it, she just left it there until it shrivelled and turned black.
* * *
And that's where the story ended. I remember Mom and Dad laughing as if it was just a small, funny incident from their past. I, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. Dad had somehow pulled off a heist but I had no illusions about my ability as a thief. I was sure that I would be caught and using the reason, "my wife is pregnant," would not pass muster.
This thought stayed with me for several months until my wedding. On my wedding night, while my new wife was sleeping with her back to me, I lay on my back thinking about Mom's pregnancy story. What if the same thing happened to my wife? I mean, some things run in families, right (The thought that my wife belonged to another family didn't occur to me).
So, I did what I should do as a Christian. I prayed.
I extended my hand toward my sleeping wife's back but not touching her so as not to awaken her. Besides, the Good Book says that anything you tell the Lord in private is heard and I decided this was one prayer that I wanted God to hear.
So, I prayed fervently to God to please, PLEASE, not let my wife experience, during her future pregnancies, anything that would cause us to sin or suffer.
I've heard it said that a passionate prayer is a true prayer and one that God will take note of. And I believed it.
So, 29 years later, my wife and I have had three children. During her pregnancies, she didn't experience morning sickness, no cravings, no demands for me to start on a life of crime. God had heard my prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment