Our Second Life

Chapter- 14

Winter Parker

Flashback

First Trimester- Week 9

Currently I was at that point of my life where I was struggling hard to make both the ends meet. I was really all out exhausted- mentally, physically, financially and socially. I don't really know what I am doing with my life at this point. I lost my job at the library just two weeks ago and still I haven't found another 'real' job.

Two weeks back I had thought that I had it all figured out until I went back to my workplace and got fired straightaway for being absent for almost a month. Honestly, I don't really blame them.... anybody would have done the same thing if they were in their place. But right now I am almost pregnant for two months and I have literally no stable source of income. I am entirely depending on Irene for housing, fooding, clothing and even all my medical expenses.

Pregnancy is not easy and I have successfully realised that by now. I wake up early in the morning almost everyday feeling nauseous as hell. I almost vomit everything I eat and feel lightheaded at the smell of apparently everything. I feel tired all the time even if all I do for the entire day is just sitting around.

I tried applying for almost all kinds of jobs including being a waitress at local restaurants. One of them even employed me. But standing straight all day long at the counter for almost 8 hours was not something I could do being pregnant. My back would start paining like shit and my legs felt like jelly. I did the job for two days with utter difficulty and finally gave up on the third day. Then I hopelessly fell sick with high fever due to my immense mental and physical stress. Irene took care of me even while working her job and I feel immense guilt at this moment for being a burden on her.

But what could I do anymore....

Getting a good job in such a short time was really difficult. But I needed money. I didn't have a medical insurance to cover all my medical expenses so I have to pay them out of my pocket. And as I am underweight the doctor prescribed a ton of other protein shakes and nutritional supplements to assist my health.
But how do I pay for them?....

Though Irene insisted on paying this time, I can't really depend on her forever. This is my child and I have to bring him up. Yet at this moment all I feel in my heart is helplessness and pure agony.

Did I really take the wrong decision in fighting with everyone to raise this child all by myself?? What if everybody else was right when they said I can never bring up a child alone? What if my parents were right when they argued that I cannot even take care of myself and I was taking the responsibility of another human being? What if this all means nothing? What if my efforts go wasted and I cannot take good care of my child? What if I fail to become a good mother?

All these negative thoughts were clouding my mind when there was a light knock on the door.

Irene must be back from work...

I went and unlocked the door and let her inside. She had a white envelope in her hand and her face glowed dimly.

She looked happy...and somehow I could feel a glint of excitement in her eyes....

Irene suddenly came towards me with swift steps and pressed the back of her right palm on my forehead.
"Great... your fever has finally gone down.. I'm soo relieved..," Irene spoke in a soft contented tone, "You know I was dead worried about you while I was at work..."

She is the only one who really cares for me....

I let out a soft sigh thanking god a million times for letting me have a best friend like her in this world. I smiled lightly and asked her how her day was. But to my surprise she suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders tightly and jerked me. Her face was glowing with an unknown happiness that I failed to identify.

"Winterrr.... youu knoww I applied at a shopping mall near my company to take you as a receptionist at their makeup store... and guess whattt..... they accepted Youuuuu...", Irene literally screamed out the last part of her sentence while I stood there dumb and emotionless still trying to process in the information.

She continued,"...all you need to do now is meet them for an interview and they will hand in the appointment letter in person... Also I have taken all the information about the job so you don't need to worry. You'll have to sit in the reception for 6 hours a day and handle the customers both on spot and on call and help them with the payment of the products they purchase... and that's ittt... You can do it righttt?? It's literally the perfect job I could find for you..."

"I-I...I..", My mouth completely failed to frame a sentence as I looked at her with a thousand emotions as tears rolled down my eyes. Irene quickly came in and wiped my tears with her bare hands before engulfing me in a bestie hug.

"Y-You know I-I c-can never t-thank you enough for all the things you have done for me Irene..." , I somehow spoke in between my muffled cries while I rested my head on her chest. "I-I am so soo soo thankful to you Irene for being by my side even when everyone else just pushed me aside like a trash."

Irene broke the hug and cupped my cheeks. She was almost an inch or two taller than me. She looked at me adorably and removed the hairs that fell on my face. "Winter you know..you were the only girl in college who used to sit beside me everyday even if I didn't behave nicely to anybody. You used to lend me all your notes and assignments even before I asked for it. You used to complete my part in the group projects on my behalf when I apid no attention to them. And you even spoke up against the guy who tried to bully me in college when everyone else just preferred to keep quiet... And do you really think that I am that ungrateful of a friend who would not stay by your side during your bad days ? ", She sniffed loudly and continued, "..I told you that we are in this together okayyy?? That child in your womb may not have a dad okayy but he will definitely have an aunt who will be there for him throughout his life...who has got his back forever..."

Tears accumulated in my eyes once again and I could not believe that someone was still there in my life who could hold me strong even at my worst. I knew that I could fall back on Irene anytime if anything goes wrong and she will gladly come to my rescue.
Afterall she is an angel in disguise...
But listening to her words literally made me so emotional at this moment that I started crying like a baby in her arms while she patted my back affectionately like an elder sister.

Finally I could see some ray of light again in my life and this time I was not anymore afraid to follow its path. I would make all of this work.... all of this. Tomorrow I am going to start at my new job and get a whole new beginning to my life.

Because all of my struggles would only pay up when I finally bring you into this world little baby....