Broken Sword's
Ch. 02: Birth of the Son

The middle-aged man ran to the rickety kitchen located behind the house. Sweat the size of a grain of corn had soaked the entire face that it flowed down to the neck and seeped into his shabby clothes.

The shrill voice of the woman trying to regulate the assisted breathing of the village midwife made the man anxious. His wife is no longer young. Fifteen years of marriage has always been just him and his wife living in this old house. However, eight months ago, the new Aira returned after plowing the pasty-faced farmland and feeling pain in the abdomen. Calling the old doctor, the news that had been waiting for dozens of years finally arrived. Aira was pregnant with their child.

Turning off the furnace, the large tall Gana poured the entire pot of water into the wooden basin. Knocking on the bedroom door, a heavy voice sounded. "Manda, the water is ripe. I put it in front of the door."

Manda, the village midwife who was also the wife of the village doctor opened the door. His wrinkled face looks ugly. Childbirth is very dangerous, a little careless then there will be two lives lost. "Do you have a clean cloth? Bring it here too."

Gana nodded and looked for the clean cloth his wife had bought a few days ago. Gana's fierce eyes look sad, thinking, without children a family of two people is also enough. If anything happens to his wife, the foolish Gana momentarily beats his head to stop imagining bad things.

"This. It's the clean cloth." Manda took the cloth and tightly closed the door of the room which was made into an impromptu delivery room.

Gana was in a daze for a moment. Staring at the door of the attached room. Combining two hands, Gana knelt down, praying to the Great Lord not to take his beloved. "He is the Great One, only to you do I ask and bow down. Please listen to my prayer. Save our wife and our future children. I know you heard my hope, so please grant it!"

The labor goes on long. Almost at the end of the day but the baby still does not want to be born. Exhausted Manda gulped down some mouthfuls of drinking water, "your son is very good at throwing people! Aira, it's possible that your big son will be a bad boy."

Aira who was lying down with two legs raised stroked her stomach weakly. Aided by Manda, she also drank some water bribes. Although tired, his two eyeballs were very firm. This baby is highly anticipated. The memory when her late mother-in-law lataised herself of a chicken that could not lay eggs has incised deep wounds.

Gana who was unable to help anything other than cooking water and food continued to crouch down in front of the furnace of fire. The sun had sunk, it was pitch black in the kitchen because the only oil lamp was placed in the maternity room of the wife. Patting the mosquito, Gana's lower lip dropped bit by bit. The fear of losing a soulmate is becoming.

At eight o'clock in the evening the baby had not yet been delivered. The heavy rain accompanied by wind became the background of the sound of Aira's screams full of pain. The lightning strikes one by one. Gana tightens the fist. What is this sign?!

The manda who heard the sound of the storm outside sorted the eyebrows. Trying to stay focused, the baby's head is finally visible. A baby boy born weighing only three catties, Manda washes the baby and rolls a cloth to cover his small body.

Turning to look at Aira, Manda helped the woman clean up the remaining blood and change clothes. Put the baby on top of Aira's body to be weaned. "Your son is very handsome. Congratulations to you."

Aira lightly hugged the back of the baby's body so as not to fall. "Well, thank you for your help."

***

Gana like a red ant. Keep walking around the same track. The door of the room opened, Manda made a gesture so that Gana would not make a fuss. "Son and Mother are safe. Baby boy, weighing three catties and whole limbs complete without defect."

Hearing the good news, Gana who wanted to go inside was detained. "Where are you?! Take me home first."

Patting the embarrassed eel, Gana took the bamboo umbrella. The rain was heavy, and the house of Manda and the old doctor was located in a corner of the village closer to the forest.

"Wife, me, I'm gonna take Manda for a minute. You wait a minute."

Gana opens the umbrella to lay Manda's body. Walking down the muddy path, Gana continued to force Manda to walk fast.

"Yes, already. Juan, Manda tomorrow I'll pay and send you a gift. See you soon." Gana said quickly and then ran fast.

Manda laughing. "Being a father at an old age makes him lose his mind"

Juan did not say anything, pulled his wife to quickly enter the house and closed the fence with iron grendel.

"Cold outside. Quickly change the other clothes."

Upon returning from dropping off Manda, Gana cleans the muddy legs and changes her dry clothes. Inside the room Aira lay sideways, staring unblinkingly at the baby.

"You came back so soon? Has the rain stopped?"

Gana walked closer. Sitting on the floor and staring at the unfamiliar face he had cherished before the birth. "Rain. I came back with a run."

Gana's rough hands poking the baby's soft face. "Very soft!"

Clapping Gana's hands, "Stop bothering.The baby's gonna cry." I said that and the baby was crying. Her crying is not hard but successfully makes a pair of new fathers and mothers feel distress.

"Cup, cup. I'm sorry." Gana tries to hold, probably because she is not used to holding soft objects, two hands of Gana who is as hard as a stone further aggravate the baby's cry. Aira who was trying to sit leaning back with the help of a pillow took over, and the crying immediately stopped. Two pairs of eyes stared at each other then a wide smile filled their faces.

***

News of Gana having children spread out. People in the village were curious, it had been more than five years since the last baby was born. Because the work in the fields and fields was not busy, some residents whose houses were close to Gana's house had stood in front of the fence of Gana's house. The village chief who also received news came with an ankle bracelet as a symbol of security for the newborn baby.

Gana who had been awake since dawn opened the gate. Greeting everyone he knows. "Morning. Thank you for your enthusiasm. The baby is healthy, she looks a lot like me. hahahaha."

"Manda's been coming since noon, and I don't see her coming out. Was your child born at night?" Ask a newly married woman.

Gana nodded. "My baby was born exactly eight o'clock in the evening. Today I'm going to Manda's house to pay for maintenance and deliver gifts."

"Gana, Gana.. Baby, what gender was born?" The newly arrived village chief tries to split the sea of humans crammed in front of Gana's house.

The large-bodied Gana helped, and pulled the body of the village chief to arrive faster. "Male!"

Exhortations sounded. Baby boys?! It's good news.