Wednesday, 31 October 2007

'Too much, too young'

1980 - March, I think. A phone call, I think. Elaine in the hospital. I left my studies and went up to see her. On the maternity ward. Strange ward to be on, baby not due yet.

She'd gone is as an emergency. Cyst on her ovary the size of a grapefruit. Excrutiating pain. They had to cut it out. Take away a bit of the ovary too. Messy.

How did the baby survive that? It did. It was strong. I was glad. I thought she was mad to get married but she was married now. What would have happened to her marriage if she had lost the baby? The baby was the reason she got married. It would have been so ironic is she had lost the baby, lost the reason for getting married at 18.

But she didn't lose it. The marriage carried on.

There was no irony.

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