Her Crime

The sky was brightly lit by an enthusiastic yellow sun. A soft breeze blew here and nowhere, gathering particles of dust and lifting them a few meters off the ground. The roofs of the nearby houses crackled as they absorbed the warmth of the early morning sun.

 

Although bathed, clothed and smelling fresh, sadness occupied her mind and invaded the pretty features of her face. She looked up to the ceiling to try and hold back a tear, but persistently the tear rolled down her soft cheeks. In her silence she screamed out, but no one could hear her. Who could rescue her, who could come to her aid and uproot her from this desperate situation? Moral wars sounded in her head, a quest to justify her actions; but somehow her mind was made up. The past had compounded on top of her and she had been left with no choice. She had to do what she felt was right even if no one understood her.

 

The most prettiest big brown eyes looked at her. She tried to smile but couldn't, instead she gently rubbed her son's cheeks between her two fingers. In response he chuckled revealing his partly brown teeth. He was almost two years old, plump with all his baby fat and happy to be in his mother's presence. He giggled again as a small cold tear hit his chubby cheeks. She envied her son's innocence and hoped that he would never remember this day.

 

With one movement and a towel, she saddled her son on her back. After quickly wiping a tear from her face, she tied a knot in the towel to secure her son on her back. She quickly gathered her keys in her soft palms and rushed to her front door. As she locked the door behind her, she paused, she thought. Calmly, she wiped her tears from her face once again. Was she doing the right thing, was she being unreasonable; could she reconsider? Had she been pushed to the ultimate edge or was she just giving up without putting up a fight. As the warm body on her back turned her attention back to reality, she began to weep. How could she do such a despicable crime to an innocent soul? In her silence she whispered �" “I love you”. In her silence she cried out �" “HELP ME, PLEASE!!!”. And in her silence, no one could hear her. She was cut off from the world. In her hour of need, no one budged. The morning sun still shone brightly and the wind whispered as it caressed her soft cheeks.

 

She slowly walked away from the house, stopping after every few paces to look back. She screamed out for help but in her silence no one could hear her. Only the wind carried her silence into the air and her silence was lost among the clouds. Now determined that no one would save her from her hour of despair, she marched forward. As she entered the shopping mall, she paused and took a deep breath. Her eyes surveyed the mall; a few people had already woken up to start their industrious day. She took another deep breath and filled her lungs with the morning scents. “There is no turning back now”, she told herself. Her heart pounded in her chest and her stomach knotted. She was about be sick. It rose from the abyss and entered her throat, but she was determined, so she kept it down.

 

As she walked cautiously among the buildings, she found an empty corridor between a row of shops. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and nervously she unstrapped her baby from her back. As she put him down in front of the shop door, she was startled; she froze as a car sounded past. She had a feeling someone was watching her, but she had to do what she had to do. Her hands trembled as she let go of her son �" “courage my little one, you will be fine”. He giggled as he looked up to his mother. Only if he knew what was happening…but in his innocence he kept calm as she reassured him that she would be back.

 

A walk frozen in time. It seemed to take forever for her to disappear around the corner. Each step heavier than the other, she trailed the pave way of the corridor. As she wiped her hands together, she felt the sweat that had collected on her palms. “God forgive me”, she whispered. And she ran off, never to be seen again.

 

He stood there, reassured. His mother was coming back. His big brown eyes. The world would engulf him eventually….

A mother’s love, a mother crime? What pushed this woman to do what she did and was it the right thing to do? We will never know, we will only remember her walk away. The last sight of her in the distance. We hope we pray; for we know God’s purpose. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” To all women and mothers out there, have courage and face every storm with vigilance. The world may let you down, but never let yourselves down.