Raison D'être

Aurora:2

Anastasia

3 Months later:

My baby bump was huge. As I walked down the street, I would get stares here and there. The look of judgment was visible in their eyes, an 18 year old and pregnant. All of them assume I'm an irresponsible teen, and they feel the need to punish me for something they have no idea about. I guess the rule of giving up your seat for a pregnant lady doesn't apply if you're a teen.

But I can't help but be grateful I'm pregnant. I've been eating a lot more because Carla insists. Her meals are way better than Joe's, but I'll never tell her that, it would only boost her ego more. I can't tell at this point if it's the love handles from Carla's meals or my pregnancy for widening my hips. Whatever it is, I'm just grateful I'm gaining weight because before my baby, I was starving. I try to eat as healthy as I can, but there is only so much nutrition that is served at the Diner. David even buys me vegetables now and then so I can get a nutritious intake. I even go in the back and make some smoothies. I need all the nutrition I can get because I want this baby to be perfectly healthy.

One Year Later

She is perfectly healthy. She was born in the early hours of dawn, so I named her Aurora. Unlike Will and I, she has these beautiful green eyes. Despite her cute nose and lips, her eyes are my favorite feature of hers. I often wonder if it is my side of the family or Will's that gave her these green eyes.

As soon as she was born, I looked for a second job. I knew that David and Carla would try and help me out by giving me a raise, but their business would only lose money. It wasn't until I was walking around the city that I found a high end restaurant at the luxurious part of the city. It was a French restaurant that I have no clue on how to say the name to.

As my alarm blared signalling it was 5am, I made my way over to the Diner with Aurora in her stroller. With the walk being an hour away, I entertained Aurora for the time being. Humming the song from Anastasia the movie, I caressed her cheek as she cooed. Anastasia was my favorite movie growing up. I first watched it because I wondered about a princess that shared my name, and it became my favorite when I found out she was an orphan too. As a child, I just resonated with her the most, and couldn't help but want the love that Dimitri and Anastasia shared in the movie. Arriving at the Diner at around 6, I took Aurora to the back. Luckily for me, she would be asleep for hours and only wake up when I needed to feed her or when she cried for her diaper change. David would always give me multiple breaks throughout the day to go and feed Aurora; most days, I lose track with her and I end up forgetting to feed myself. Lucky me, David avoids the customers and tends to Aurora. He always has some excuse to go and check up on her. Carla and I always laugh whenever he takes his 5th bathroom break of the day and doesn't come back until 2 hours later. I don't mind because I could hear Aurora's giggle in the back and it would melt my heart all over again.

Once 3pm hits, I give my farewells to David and Carla before taking Aurora in her stroller. Despite living in the city all my life, I have yet to see all of it. I use the time I have with Aurora to go and explore the city. Most days, we just end up in Central Park, but today I wanted to visit an area Carla told me about. She went on about how the Upper East Side was one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city, and that I should go and take a look at the area. She was right, the area screamed wealth. Men, women, even children made me look poor as I was walking around in a white long sleeve and sweats. As I passed by a beautiful glass building with a black tint, a limousine pulled up to the curb. The driver opened the door and a beautiful woman, who looked like a model with her long and slender legs, walked out with her son holding his hand. He had on a little backpack and was telling his mother about his day at school. I watched as the cute pair made their way inside the den of wealth. Deep down, I couldn't help but want a better life for Aurora. I wanted to have a stable job and be able to provide for her. I never want her to worry about where her next meal would come, or her having to even worry about college. Although she was only a couple of months old from being one, I think about Aurora's future which leads me to think of my own. My baby girl was my savior in disguise.

At 4:45pm, Carla picks up Aurora and takes care of her while I work the late evening shifts at the restaurant. 

"What's up girly?" Carla questions as she pulls up on the curb.

"Nothing."

"So, did you like the area?"

"A little bit too ritzy for my taste, besides all that would just be hopeful thinking anyways. I would never even see that much money in my lifetime."

"Girl, you're stressin' out for no reason. Didn't Steve Jobs start his company in his garage? Or was that Bill Gates? Anyways, who cares. For me, when I see this stuff, this is my motivation. Although I help my dad out at the Diner, this" she motions over at the beautiful buildings and luxurious cars, "this is motivation to keep working hard."

I laugh, "Carla, I appreciate the motivation, but I'm being realistic. Of course, my dream would be to go to college and get a great job, but my life needs to be focused on Aurora's future. If anything, this was my motivator to provide her with a better life. A life I never had. I don't want my daughter to worry about food on the table, I don't want her to get a job to help me out, I don't want her to worry about anything. I just want her to enjoy her life while I secure her future."

"That right there," Carla points at me with a serious look while smacking her gum, "is what makes you a great mother."

I smile, "Carla, that's what I'm supposed to do. That's the bare minimum of my job as a mother."

She nods before continuing about how her day was and how she will take Aurora out somewhere. As we approach the restaurant, I remind Carla to take pictures of her and Aurora.

"Will do girlie. Love you." She blows me a kiss as I smile and kiss Aurora in the backseat.

"I love you," I say to both Carla and Aurora. 

The video above is what Anastasia was humming to Aurora. It is from the movie Anastasia, it's a cute movie that I definitely recommend.

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Love, the author :)