The Best Thing (or sorry darling, Mummy didn't get around to buying you a birthday card this year - please forgive me)

Exactly sixteen years ago right now, I was in a room that I did not know – with a stranger, a sister, a lover, a mother – and a Being being brought into existence.

Except she wasn’t.

(Photo Credit - Bush Babe of Oz)

Well, not in the traditional sense that “being brought into existence” is a some-what timely and even progression towards the "brought" bit. 

More in a not "not-being", but in a "not willing to be" sense.

The stranger gave me a white pill and said “hours away yet, get some rest – you will need it then” and other ingratiatingly pat phrases that had no meaning in my suddenly decreasing world, where there was me-me-me around this being who was obstinately

Not. Going. Anywhere.

The stranger remained strange, and morphed into another stranger at set interals.   

The sister was trying to keep balance; me, looking within and not sleeping a doggarned wink despite the unwanted white pill; the lover with notebook in hand scientifically recording every physical detail of the evening and the mother conjuring up reasons to not be there yet to stay.

As a decent hour of morning approached, the big gun arrived.   

My Catcher, having risen seven minutes before the fart of sparrow and possibly already had a sustaining repast to break the fast after a cross-training session with a handsome hunk - advised drugs, good drugs, drugs that may well need to be administered should things take” - cue ominous music – “ much longer.”

She was quite nice about it, though. 

I opted for the softly-softly approach at first – gas.  Excuse me -

Ha ha ha ha ha.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Ha ha ha ha ha.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. 

Starters orders were – “suck on it until you no longer require it but beware - there is a delayed onset”.

So “suck on it” I did. 

Whee!!  It took you right away from the pain, to a faraway galaxy where birthing was not occurring and pain banished beneath a thick blanketing of bubbles and atmosphere – and then that little voice does its “until you no longer require it” and I thought "well, should be all good then, shouldn’t it?" 

because I feel no pain and therefore there IS no pain.

“but beware" I was not and the "there is a delayed onset” WHAM!!! Straight into a spine-grinder of a gird-gripping bands of pain-tightened muscles and my own body fighting against itself.

Good drugs suddenly sounded very, very good.

It took a slot available for the well-dressed gentleman - revived from his slumber by a lovingly-cooked exquisitely-rounded meal and a peruse of the headlines of the day – and his exorbitantly-priced injection of

I – N – S – T – A – N – T       R – E – L – I – E – F

 

I calmed down (it was weeks before I saw the bill). 

My muscles calmed down.  The being turned and headed out.  The sister was in awe.  The scientist was speechless.  The mother evolved into a Nana.

And we met.

And then she screamed pointedly at me for the next 6 hours, advising me that she was pretty unhappy with the way things were and what the heck was I going to do to make her life better.

But life has definitely become better – and it is all the better because of the being she has become.

Love my baby girl.

Definitely a best thing – and in a life of best things, something of a pearler – and I am often in awe of who this being has become.

Of course, there are other moments too, but on the scale of “How the heck did I end up with this outcome” through “Average teenager” to ““How the heck did I end up with this outcome” I am pretty chuffed indeed.

Happy Birthday, ‘Salina.

And thanks…

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