How to Make a Baby_a novel by Sadie Sumner

Author:Sadie Sumner [Sumner, Sadie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mother Media
Published: 2017-11-07T16:00:00+00:00

Kavitha waited for the mother of her baby to make an appearance. Usually, the heat was not a bother, but the last weeks had flattened her so that no amount of shade allayed her discomfort, and every sip of water made her thirst more intense. She had walked to the clinic through the evening humidity that filled her mouth with cotton wool and turned her feet to lead. She took to wearing a loose cotton tunic, as though she were an old man with a potbelly.

The lights from a Starbucks near the clinic glowed in the dusk. Kavitha ignored the cabinet of muffins, and the baby trembled as she slipped into the bathroom. She washed her face and peeled off her sweat soaked clothes. The top she'd worn with Ria was a hopeful floral pattern, the kind a young mother might wear, and she held it to her face and tried to remember that feeling.

They sat side by side in Dr. Devi’s small office. There was one framed photo on the wall behind them. A small blonde child, turned away from the camera, alone in a field of pale blue flowers. Kavitha knew it was meant to be a romantic image. But something about the solitary child struck her as inexpressibly sad.

“Sit up straight, dear.” Dr. Devi patted her hand as if she were her mother. “If you could just read from this script.” Her hair was perfectly smooth. “Answer her questions honestly. And be humble. This last part is especially important.” She handed Kavitha a laminated card with a list of bullet-pointed words.

“Really? Like at a call center? I must read from a script?” Kavitha wanted to ask her how old she was and why she’d chosen this field when there were so many in dire need of a good doctor. She twisted a plaited wool bracelet Ria made when she was small. Mr. Batra’s grandsons had found it down the back of the last sideboard when they moved it.

“Yes. I want you to read from the script. You have no reason to be antagonistic. Our clients like to keep it simple. We’ve built our reputation on customer satisfaction.”

She spoke only in English and Kavitha noticed how hard she worked at making her sentences perfect.

“Would you please turn up the air-conditioning?” She touched the bracelet and could not imagine losing it again.

The doctor initiated the call, and an older white woman appeared on the screen. Above her neck that hung in tiny folds, her face was smooth and almost free of wrinkles.

“Hi, Doctor, and how is our patient today?” The Canadian doctor’s voice was bright, and it struck Kavitha that when she was pregnant with Ria, no one called her a patient. It was as if women like her defied description.

“She is very well, thank you, Doctor.” Dr. Devi clicked her tongue as she spoke. “The latest scan reveals everything is perfect. We have no concerns at all. Baby is growing. She will be a good size and very healthy.

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