[completed; editing]
Tala, a young woman born into an isolated tribe in the Phillippines, yearns to break free from the strict rules of her "mermaid" life. After struggling to complete the rituals and traditions she was raised to believe, she meets...
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Moans of agony lulled through the jungle. It was quiet, nonetheless. The sun was about to rise, but Chesa and her mother had been up for hours. A few minutes would pass, and Chesa's panting and low guttural moan would start again and echo through the nipa huts of the Dalisayans. Slowly waking them all up.
Chesa was having her baby.
Ligaya walked into the hut with Bituin following behind with water and a blanket. Chesa was on the ground, and she bore down on all fours as her tireless mom rubbed her back. Humming a calming tune, her mother's face expressed fear and sadness. She had been up all night with her daughter, and she very much welcomed Ligaya into her home.
To give Chesa's mom a break, Ligaya immediately took Chesa into her arms and helped pull her up. Chesa leaned against Ligaya's seemingly frail figure for support. She grunted as gravity pulled the baby downward, and her belly looked as if it dropped. She skirmished with pain as she continued to breathe in and out in slow, steady breaths.
Ligaya observed Chesa's sweat beads run down her brows. Having had delivered many babies, Chesa relaxed when she smiled at Ligaya. Her presence had put her at ease.
"You're almost there, Chesa," Ligaya said reassuringly.
Bituin sat with Chesa's mother to wait and be called for any assistance. These occasions were met with mixed feelings. Everyone had hopes Chesa would deliver a girl. Bituin had seen it before; a baby boy would be devastating. A baby boy was not permitted to stay with the tribe.
Ligaya puckered her lips at Bituin and pointed them at her and then to Chesa. Pointing with the lips was a typical gesture, but Ligaya's silent look meant she expected Bituin to participate. Bituin stood behind Chesa and massaged her hips even as Chesa winced with pain. The massage was to help release any pressure from her lower back between contractions.
"Do you feel like pushing?" Ligaya asked.
Chesa shook her head.
"Okay. You're doing just fine. Relax now."
The curtain to the hut pulled open, and Tala and Sambaguita walked in with pots filled with water. Bituin shook her head.
"What are you doing here?" Bituin asked. "We don't need the extra help."
Sambaguita ignored Bituin, for she would only defer to her elder. As Ligaya ignored her daughter's aggression, Sambaguita proceeded to put down the pots by the bed. Tala met Bituin's glaring eyes, but she ignored her quickly and sat down in front of Chesa. She looked up at Chesa's downward face and tried to smile at her, but Chesa was not having any of it. Tala felt bad. What could she do?
"It's customary for anyone chosen for The Rock to witness a live birth. Tala should be here." Ligaya finally said affirmatively.
Tala smiled slightly. Even if Bituin was better than her, she had every right to be there. Watching Chesa in pain brought feelings of fear. Chesa had gone to The Rock. She became pregnant, and now she would be a mother. She did so much to get to this point in her life. The Rock was not a magical experience, but a chopping block. Staring at her protruding belly, which would soon flatten, it was clear to Tala that her life was predetermined. There were so many rules, and yet she could not shake the feeling of missing something. Perhaps there was more to life beyond the tribe.
Bituin stood defiant and continued to massage Chesa's hips. Chesa gripped Ligaya's hands and let out a long and loud moan. The mothers stood close by in support.
"I want to push!" Chesa managed to say through the pain.
"Push," Ligaya said.
Chesa's mother took Ligaya's place, so she could lean down and catch the baby. The pressure to push intensified as Chesa continually moaned and screamed in pain. Bituin and Tala also held their hands beneath Chesa, uncertain of how the baby would slip out.
From the floor, Tala watched Chesa's face scrunch with agony as the baby seemed to be making its way down the birth canal. Tala could see the crown of its little head push through the opening.
"It's coming Chesa," Ligaya said.
The mothers watched her struggle with the burning pain, but Chesa was strong and focused. She took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could.
Tala was mesmerized, and she watched as the baby's head popped out. It was tiny. Its eyes were closed, and it was greyish blue.
"The head is out!" Tala shrilled.
Ligaya tapped Tala on the head as if to say silence.
Chesa placed her hands under herself and took another deep breath. She pushed once more.
Tala watched as the baby's body slipped out of Chesa's body and right into her own hands.
The women gasped and clapped.
Chesa laughed slightly with relief. It was now over.
The gurgle of the baby and little cry brought the women to tears. The baby was cradled in Chesa's arms as she held it close with care. Ligaya led the mother and baby down onto the floor, so she could finally relax.
"Let us see the gender," Ligaya said eagerly.
Chesa turned the baby upright in her arms, and it was a baby boy. The bluish-grey skin was slowly becoming pink as its body was warming up to the outside world.
Tala's smile faded away along with everyone else's. She stared at the little baby boy who had just been born, and Chesa held him tight. Tala turned to see Bituin's reaction, but instead of finding Bituin standing over Chesa, she was on the floor cleaning up the mess of birth. Perhaps even hiding the fact the event ever happened. Everyone had different ways of processing bad news.
Ligaya placed a hand on Chesa's shoulder.
"I know," Chesa said. "Please take him now."
She held the baby out for Ligaya to take him away. Her eyes were watery, but she held a steady composure that angered Tala.
The thought of abandoning the new little creature that entered the world was too much for her to take. Knots turned over in her stomach, and almost as if it commanded it, Tala turned and ran out of the hut.
As she exited, the women of the tribe who sat around waiting for good news immediately stood up. Tala stared at them with great pain and ran off into the jungle. Her eyes welled up with tears. She knew baby girls were only accepted into the tribe, it was what she was told. She didn't know the reason and if the reason was even good enough.
The women dispersed quickly, and there would be no more talk of this. They would all go on with their lives. In a few months, Chesa would have her turn on The Rock once again. Next time, they all hoped she would have a daughter.
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Painting by Isidro Ancheta (1882-1946). This is an example of a Nipa Hut. Thanks for reading!
