When I was spread out on the sofa a few days before I went into labor, I was attempting to breathe through the dull aching in my lower back that had been building up all morning.
Buddy, my golden retriever, was lying next to me with his head softly resting on my lap. His large brown eyes were locked on me as if he was aware that something was going to take place. As I stroked behind his ears, I expressed my appreciation for his peace of mind.
It’s Mark! As another wave of anguish rushed over me, I shouted out to my husband, my voice straining as I reached for the phone.
I could hear the sound of a dish being clinked from the kitchen. Mark was putting up a sandwich for himself, piling turkey and cheese with the same calm concentration that he normally applied to everything in his life.
His response was, “Yeah, sweetheart?” without glancing up at her head.
I did a sigh. During the time that we are in the hospital, we need to decide out what we are going to do with Buddy for sure. Could we approach your mother for assistance?
A week earlier than my due date, my doctor had arranged an induction for the following day. My due date had already passed as I had given birth. I couldn’t wait to be free of the burden of carrying a child. For some reason, my ankles were swelled, I was unable to find a posture that was comfortable for me, and every movement felt like it might potentially break me in two.
Mark came up to me with a sandwich in his hand and leaned in to give me a kiss on the forehead. “Don’t worry about it, Julia. Mom has a soft spot for Buddy. She will take care of it.”
This is how Mark was for you: he was easygoing, cheerful, and always certain that the option that was the easiest was the correct one. Among the many reasons I fell in love with him, it was one of them… one of the reasons I periodically felt the need to hurl a pillow at his head was because of this.
“Alright,” I replied, falling even more into the cushions behind me. I would just want to make sure that she is aware that it will only be for a few days.
Earlier that day, Mark contacted his mother, Patricia, and provided her with an explanation of the issue. There was no uncertainty in her agreement. He smiled contentedly as he hung up the phone.
“She said that she is delighted to be of assistance. “The problem has been solved,” he said, as if he had just finished negotiating for global peace.
I made the decision to let it be sufficient.
That evening, we prepared our hospital bag, and the next morning, we gave Buddy a kiss as we said our goodbyes. I knelt down beside the entrance and scratched his whole head.
You are to be a nice kid for Grandma, all right? I informed him about it. Because he seemed to comprehend, he waggled his tail.
Patricia put on a friendly grin. “Feel free to relax about anything. It would be wonderful if I could be there with you at the hospital.
Those were some of the continuous issues of contention between us. Both families were informed that we did not want any guests to be present at the hospital. Due to the fact that my pregnancy had already been challenging, I wanted the birth room to be serene and peaceful, with just Mark and I there.
I got a feeling that there was still some bitterness there, despite the fact that Patricia had said that she understood.
The gentle reminder that Mark gave her was, “Mom, you are aware of what we decided.”
With a chuckle, she walked away from him. “sure, sure, I am aware of it. You contemporary children, with all of your limitations. Go now and take care of my grandchild.
My response was, “Thank you, Patricia,” and then we left together.
The induction was never brought to our attention. It was just as we were pulling into the parking lot of the hospital when my water broke.
Also, I would want to point out that we women need to be more forthright with one another about the topic of labor. It was true that I had heard tales, but nothing could have adequately prepared me for the hours of blinding contractions, the probing and prodding, or the primordial sensation that my body had been taken over by a force of nature.
My companion, Mark, remained at my side during the whole ordeal, holding my hand, wiping my brow, and periodically seeming as if he would pass out.
But when they eventually put my kid in my arms, I was able to forget about every single ounce of anguish that I had been experiencing. At the same time, he was wrinkled and flawless. In utter astonishment, Mark and I wept like idiots while looking at him in shock. This very little guy was created by us.
Joy filled the air throughout the subsequent three days that I spent in the hospital. It was just the two of us, the infant, and the euphoric joy that comes with being a new parent.
As soon as we were released from the hospital, I couldn’t wait to go back home so that I could introduce Buddy to his new younger brother and begin adjusting to our new life as a family of four.
While we were on the road, Mark contacted Patricia to inform her that we were going to be returning home. She assured us that she would wait a few days before giving us a visit to the infant. Personally, I felt it was a really kind act on her part.
As soon as we arrived into the driveway, we picked up the infant and brought it inside before entering the kitchen. On the table, I saw a piece of paper that had been folded and was arranged in an orderly fashion.
I cracked a grin. It is likely that Patricia has left a letter of welcome home for us. When I opened it, I was holding the baby in my arms, and I was anticipating something along the lines of “Congratulations! You have my utmost admiration.
on the contrary, the message stated:
A debt of $600 is owed to me by you for walking and feeding Buddy. I have to pay for my time. You are in possession of my financial information.
When I looked at the page, I was convinced that I had misread it. On the contrary, there it was, written in her perfect handwriting. When I was in labor, Patricia was taking care of our dog, and she was charging us for her services.
My voice was strained as I cried out, “Mark.”
He entered the room from the living room, where he had been putting the car seat down while he was there.
As I handed him the letter, I introduced it by saying, “You might want to read this.”
After he had finished looking at it, he moaned and ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t believe you’re telling me that.”
I responded with, “I am dead serious.” “Your mother is sending us a bill for watching Buddy while I was delivering your child into the world,” she said.
The man gave a head shake. “I’ll give her a call.”
“No,” I shot back in a hurry. “I’ll take care of it.”
An idea was already beginning to take shape in my head.
A week later, Patricia made her way over to come and see the newborn. She strolled in with a smile on her face, gave Mark a peck on the cheek, and then did not waste any time in grabbing her grandson into her arms.
“Oh, Julia, he is an absolute treasure,” she said. He has the nose of Mark.
She seemed to be the epitome of a loving grandma for a little period of time there. After that, she returned the infant to me and cleared her throat before continuing.
In a casual tone, she said, “So, when can I anticipate receiving that $600?” I’ve been the patient one.”
I managed to keep my grin. “Of course, Patricia,” the speaker said. As long as you meet one requirement, I will gladly compensate you.
Her pupils became more constricted. “Where are you? Which condition is it?”
After putting the infant in his bassinet, I made my way to the desk that was located in the next corner. From inside it, I extracted a substantial folder that I had created before.
After a few days had passed, I had gone over each and every case in which Mark and I had done anything for her. This included every favor, every cost, and every incident in which we had gone out of our way to help her. In the same way that she had done with the dog-sitting, I had listed everything.
I maneuvered the folder across the table in the direction of her.
In a wary tone, she said, “What is this?”
“An invoice,” I said in a soft voice. “I thought it was only fair that I do the same thing if we are charging family members for favors,” she said.
As she opened the folder and went over the list, her lips formed a thin line that she squeezed closely together.
Leaning over, I said, “Let’s see what happens.” The cost of assisting you with your transfer from the previous year was eight hundred dollars. Just so you know, it is a discount for families. Having to pay twelve hundred dollars for the repair of your transmission. When was the last time I babysat the children of your neighbor because you requested me to do so? There are six hundred.”
Patricia’s jaw hung open momentarily. What a crazy situation! It is not fair to charge me for things that members of my family do for one another!
One of my eyebrows was lifted. That is exactly right. No one in the family expects to be compensated for their assistance. To put it another way, it is what I believed.
She feigned a cough. “However, this goes beyond that! In order to take care of Buddy, I had to make some adjustments to my routine.
Then I responded in a level-headed manner, “And I had to rearrange my entire life in order to give birth to your grandchild.” Therefore, if we are discussing the issue of fair remuneration, I would argue that we are more than even.
Suddenly, her cheeks became crimson. After a prolonged period of staring at me, she abruptly whirled around and rushed out of the room, slamming the door so forcefully that it caused the infant to start a cry.
As Mark came in from the kitchen, he laughed and put his arm over my shoulders. He then walked out of the room. “I want to remind you that I should never get on your bad side,” he muttered.
I wore a smile. It’s a good plan.
While I was settling onto the sofa with the infant, Buddy came over and positioned his head on my knee throughout our conversation. In addition to scratching his ears, I gazed down at the little bundle that I was holding in my arms.
It was possible that Patricia had not learnt her lesson, but one thing was certain: I was not going to pay her a single penny for my assistance in babysitting Buddy. And in the event that she mentioned it once more, well… It was still in my possession.
Allow her to test me out.
