Unlovable

16 Years Ago...

"Dear diary, today makes eight months and three weeks. The baby should be coming any day now, and I'm absolutely terrified. My first child, can you believe it? I never thought I'd have a family. I never thought I'd ever amount to anything really. Phil's been working extra hard lately. It almost makes me feel bad for what I've done, but not bad enough to stop doing it anytime soon." As she puts down the pen, Marina hears her husband Phil bounding down the steps.

"How's my glowing angel feeling? Have you been standing up too long? Do you need to rest?"

"No, dear, I'm fine. Just a little queasy I suppose. Could you grab me a glass of water, please?" Phil nods his head and jogs into the kitchen to fill his pregnant wife's needs. Marina quickly picks up the pen and scribbles in the last of her diary entry. She squeezes the cover shut and locks the purple belt around it, tucking the book into her coat pocket. As Phil rounds the corner, he wipes a bead of sweat off of his forehead.

"Do you feel any kicking? Anything at all? Oh, please let me know if you do. I'm so excited!" He exclaims.

"That's because you're not the one who is going to have to squeeze this thing out of your body."

"Oh, Marina, don't be like that. Honestly I know you're tired and nervous but we're about to have a child! Our first child! Don't you even feel a little bit happy?" He wraps his arms around her stomach as she pulls away, putting space between them.

"I will be happy when you stop acting like you're doing all the work, acting like this isn't killing me, and mostly when you stop acting like you're the one who is having such a bad time." Clutching her stomach, Marina lifts herself up from the chair with one arm and hobbles to her bedroom, slamming the door and making the family picture fall off of the wall. Phil lets out a deep sigh and grabs the spare blanket off of the back of the couch, unfolding it and laying down, knowing that there's no way that Marina will let him sleep in the bed tonight. Nights like these always seem to feel like an eternity. Especially since he's been taking extra hours at Rod's Rides, the local mechanic shop where he works. Phil has always done all he could to please Marina, knowing she is way out of his league. Marina has always been a beautiful woman that would always have men surrounding her. With dark auburn hair that curls around in little ringlets and piercing emerald green eyes, it was hard not to fall in love with her. Her soft, pale skin resembled a lily, and the sound of her voice was like a kitten's purr. Phil was a tall, thin man with short black hair and yellow eyes, like a sphinx. He was a very self-absorbed man, rarely thinking about anything but himself.  It was hard for anybody to like him really.  Even his own parents don't like to be around him.  Everybody has always wondered why Marina married him, but nobody would ever be able to guess the reason. 

Two years ago, when he turned twenty, Phil learned that he was a descendant of  the infamous Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen.  Using a novice spell he learned, he used voodoo to make Marina fall in love with him, not knowing that the spell wouldn't necessarily make them have a happy marriage, nor ensuring that there marriage would last.  So for the rest of his life, Phil will strive to make Marina happy. 

He pulled the blanket up to his chin and sighed. 

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The next morning Marina woke up at 8 with terrible stomach pains.  She trashed around on the bed and gasped when she felt the wetness on the sheets; her water had broke.  Phil had left for work at 5, and he wouldn't be back until 6.  Reaching for her phone, Marina dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Please, send an ambulance.  My water broke and I'm home alone."