A New Beginning

E-Boni Nathalie Sanchez lay warmly wrapped in one of her father’s faded dashiki shirts. Her beautiful little face resembled her mother’s. What a miracle! Perfect little fingers and toes, but in the midst of all of this wonder, there was a great deal of anxiety with her parents since they were now trapped in the midst of the dismal La Touché Forest, with severe thunder storms arriving at any time. It was a pitiful sight indeed; Nathaniel holding the flashlight while Teresa sat on a log, breast feeding the infant, and crying her heart out.

“Oh Nathy, I could hardly believe we would do this to our baby. Having her being born in this wet, dark, sickening place like this.”

“Maybe God would help us, and if only for E-Boni’s sake, we could be out of this. Teresa my love, I am here with you, remember you are not in this all by your self.”

Tears, hot and uncontrolled ran down Teresa’s face as she looked at her baby, who was coughing, her tiny little chest heaving as she did so. Her maternal instincts told her, that the baby needed urgent medical attention. From the plastic bag that they had brought along when they made the daring escape from Karajuma, Teresa pulled out more of the warm clothing, wrapped the baby snugly and held her close. They were in sheer panic, and the wind echoing in the leaves made them even more afraid for the baby’s well being.

Nathaniel sat helplessly with Teresa leaning on his shoulders in the semi-darkness, searching in his heart for words to comfort her. Nothing he was saying was making sense to her. All she wanted was to know that her baby would be safe through the long night, and that tomorrow, somehow, if even if it took a miracle, that they would be in the safety of Bougainvillea Lands. In a voice shaking with emotions, Nathaniel muttered, “one day soon, after all of this sadness, we would be a happy family. I am making a promise to you; I would continue to fight until I conquer this oppression within our hearts. Maintain the strength of your blackness, and together we’ll overcome.” He paused, hoping for her response, but she did not because she had fallen in a deep and exhausted sleep.

Ever so gently he took the baby from her hands, and in spite of his predicament, was proud to be a father.

Strong winds blew overhead, threatening Nathaniel’s heart and the little shelter he had made. He was frantic. This little baby and her mother must not be exposed to the rain. He knew what that downpour would be like; the thunder and the lightening above, and the floods on the ground. Then the thought of one of the enormous snakes poking its cold head in their little shelter sent a shiver down his spine. He was never in a place in his life that he could not figure a way out of his dilemma. This dilemma was beyond him, and there was nothing reasonable he could do. He even had a history of running away from problems all his life, but this time he could not .A sick baby, and her sad, weary mother desperately needed him.

Somewhere in the shadows of his mind he could see himself praying. He was shaking his head as if to cause the figure to fall off. The image would not go away, and he was even hearing words that he did not want to say. He continued to resist, the image and the voice, and at that very moment a sharp lightening zipped in front of him and lingered long enough for him to see how ghostly the trees looked, from between the walls he had made with leaves some hours before.From the pit of his stomach, Nathaniel heard himself saying “God, if you are real in the way Teresa said you are, please remember the baby.