The Unexpected One: A Story of Mary
It was the first day of third year in high school when I first met Mary (not her real name).
Well, Mary, unlike any other girls at school, she always had a clean swept-up hairdo and has a prim and quiet aura within her skeletal features that made her look very intimidating.
Of course I didn't become her friend overnight. I know she scorned me that day from the way she looked at me with her right eyebrow raised. So I stayed away from her sight.
Until one night, I was in a jeepney ride on my way home when I saw a familiar face in the midst of other passengers. And I recognized that it was Mary, she smiled at me and said", Where do you live?" Me, being the friendly kind smiled back and said”, I don't really know. In fact, it's just my third week here in Laguna." She was surprised and so am I and so we just giggled shyly in unison. Little did we know that it was the start of a beautiful friendship .
Mary, 18, was the most obedient and loving daughter I have ever known. She always goes home immediately after class, never had boyfriend since birth, always maintained their house well-kept and never objects to whatever her strict-as-hell mother says.
Me and Mary always dreamt of finishing college and having a promising future. And we hoped and anticipate for that day to come. But then, two years later after high school, all of our dreams turned to dust.
On a dull, withering afternoon, I received a text message from her saying that I must contact her at once because she needed my help. Bothered, I called her but she turned off her phone. Thinking that it may be just a major quarrel with her stepdad, I never called her back. After a couple of weeks, I decided to visit her at her house .When I was almost a street further at her abode, I saw her walking and she was surprised because she was not aware that I was coming. She was sad, pale and boney than before. She walked towards me with pale eyes and said ", Carl, I am pregnant."
I didn't know what to do. I can’t believe it. It just seems like yesterday when we were sharing our dreams together, playing jumping ropes and singing our hearts out, how come time went on too fast?
I felt my face went numb trying to hold back the tears. She said the father was her friend's twin brother who was still at 4th year high school. But she made me felt worse when she added”, But I was scared so I decided to abort the child." Abortion for me equates murder and murder is an inhumane act. But I can't really blame her because if I were her I would have done the same thing. I had nothing to say instead I hugged her tightly that I felt her fragile bones cracking. She said she's going to meet with the father of her child that afternoon and so I bid her a tender goodbye and parted ways with a heavy heart.
A couple of months after, Mary invited me and our other peers to their town fiesta. I noticed that her belly was slightly rotund for her body and she complained to me that she was still vomiting and felt dizzy almost often. And that she had to refuse sour and acidic foods because the abortionist told her so. I became worried for her health and asked her if she already consulted it to a specialist. She said she can't because her allowance and his boyfriend's cannot afford such amenities. I wanted to do something to help Mary but I also shared the same burden with them when it comes to allowance. What I did was I consulted her problem to my nursing friends and they said that her life was at stake and must seek for an Ob-gyne’s help but they never recommend any drug that would help her feel better. And so, I felt helpless that I can't do anything to help her.
One sunny day, Mary made a surprising announcement,"The child inside me was still alive and because of that I decided that I will continue to nourish this child and would never let him go again. I think he was really for us." I was delighted of the good news but then because of the things she did just to get rid of the child like punching her belly rock hard and taking cough medicines, I became worried for the health of her child to be and how would her mother swallow the bitter truth that Mary, her youngest daughter was pregnant. I think she would go furiously insane and might hurt Mary. Mary told me that she will confess everything to her mother including the secret relationship with the father of the child she boars after the first semester of second year.
I lost track of Mary because I was bombarded with school work after vacation. But some of my trusted friends said that Mary’s mother got furious and disappointed that she almost hit her with her molten iron fists. Mary left home and lived with her boyfriend and his family. But being the loving daughter that she is, Mary still went back at her mother’s house and pleaded for forgiveness and acceptance because she said to me that she missed her mother so badly to the point that she cried to me over phone. Her first attempt was rejected by her mother but Mary never gave up until her mother finally forgave her. Mary’s mother didn’t asked Mary to live with them again because she can’t still accept the fact that her baby girl whom she trusted is now a mother to be and that it was her husband’s responsibility to provide for Mary and the child she’s bearing.
The Mary that used to be studious and punctual ,stopped college and cannot guarantee herself if she can still continue studying again “, I am still hoping that I could finish college so that I will have a stable job enough to feed my child and if that happens I will be confident to say that I am happy.” She said. The only thing that made Mary happy right now is when she’s thinking of what her baby’s name would be and the rest was worries of what the future would be”. I asked her what were the things that made her sad and she became teary eyed and said “, it makes me extremely sad every time I think about how I will ever raise my child both financial and moral means and whenever my classmate would visit me wearing her uniform on.” Mary never really mentioned this but I think she was having a hard time living with her in-laws because she said that they were complaining that she wasn’t doing anything. While in the contrary, she sweeps the floors and washes the clothes of her husband.
Mary and the father of her child never talked about getting married for the sake of their child. Though they love each other and the couple always brought out their best within themselves which was I’m really glad to hear to.
She will be giving birth by the month of March which I think would be a fantastic baby boy came from the heavens. Mary never considered her baby a mistake but a blessing.
“An unexpected one, a blessing that blossomed from a mistake” she said and giggled shyly.
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