The Sponsor

Olivia

Olivia sat on the couch propped up by pillows. She wore a long red T-shirt and black socks and even with her contrast with the brown leather sofa she still looked as if she was part of the furniture.

It had been less than a week since her return from the hospital but her face was as pale as ash and her skin was sagged like soggy spaghetti. The hauteur of her youth had faded like buttons on an overused keyboard.

She rarely ate now, instead she took one or two spoonfuls of food and her appetite left her. She looked at the ceiling. The huge chandelier and the fan—she watched it rotate again and again and her mind went numb then it went quiet.

It was her baby shower, a grand party. A cow had been slaughtered. Their mansion was buzzing with activity. Cooks moving utensils, maids serving drinks. Her husband, mom and dad dressed to the nines receiving guests.

All her friends were also there. There was Mercy her childhood friend who always wanted to play with her toys. There was John her high school crush—she giggled every time she looked at him remembering all those years he had made her draw maps on the floor with butterflies fluttering her stomach whenever she saw him.

Her mothers friends and Dads business partners were there too. She could not make out their faces but they had brought her things. A lot of things. Expensive and lavish.

There were gold necklaces and watches, paintings, clothes. A rocking chair, a pram, a crib. It was all too overwhelming. She told them thank you and bowed her face glowing with gratitude and the shyness of a young mother.

There was a gift that astonished her it was from her mother. A small penknife. Sharp. Sinister. Menacing. She picked it up and stared at it but before she could make a concrete thought a shadow blocked the light. It was the doctor. He grabbed the knife and started stabbing her belly. One time, two times, three times, countless times. She woke up screaming the fan was still doing it's rounds on the ceiling.