Parenthood

Every body aspires to be a parent in their life, and there is nothing more painful than being denied that.

Tears filled Brad’s eyes when he held his nephew for the first time, tears of joy, or at least that was most of the reason, but that’s something that he rather keep to himself, he was so happy his sister was starting her family, Kim is such a good sister she deserves the best, she’s been married for almost  two years, and wanted a baby for so long, Brad was happy for his little sister, she’ll be a great mother, but the other reason why he was on the verge of crying, is because Brad and his lovely wife Gen have been trying to have kids of their own. For almost 5 years now.

                When Brad and Gen got married 7 years ago, they wanted to live life, mainly because they were still young, Brad was 25 at the time, Gen two years older, they spent their youth working hard, achieving their goals, restricting themselves from so many temptations just so that they can build a comfortable life and be financially stable, so naturally they weren’t thinking about children at first, they thought they could start on that project later, whenever they wanted, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Two years into their happy marriage, Brad alongside his wife started getting those parenthood feelings, the kind you get whenever you see a baby in a stroller pushed by a young couple on the street, whenever one of their friends call with the happy news, they would look to each other in the eyes and know what was going on without saying a word, they just knew that they were ready to have kids, to start their own family.

                The age didn’t matter to them, they had no idea, Gen was already 29 years old when they started trying, the first night was so special, making love not just because they were in love, but this time they’re trying to make a life, attempting to accomplish the greatest act in humanity. It was a Saturday night, and Brad had a plan to make this night very special and memorable, he was ambitious, thinking about making it on the first try, he made a reservation at that restaurant Gen loves so much, he was all kinds of sweet and gentle to her like he is always, when they got home he insisted on carrying her true the door and up the stairs into their bedroom like he did on the first night of their marriage, when they got to their bedroom, they were candles and flower, Brad had planned this night beautifully, just to make Gen happy, and they made love right on their bed as always but this time with a little bit more passion. Six days later, as soon as they woke up, Gen rushed to the bathroom, she already had those pregnancy tests in her med cabinet, she took one out, and did the test, those 5 minutes that followed seemed like eternity to them, after the timer went off, they held hands and decided to look together at once, they couldn’t be more excited.

One line, a single red line across the pregnancy test, that line that shattered their hopes and dreams, even if it was only their first try, but they had so much hope, they were already picturing what life would be in family form, Brad was already thinking about buying a house, and leaving this city apartment, he was full of life, but yet wanted to live it the old fashion way, a home in the suburbs with a garden and maybe a dog, Gen was already picking out the rooms color, it was pink, she always wanted a girl.

That test marked the beginning of a long not so joyful ride, dozens of more pregnancy tests and doctor visits that only made them more stressed and depressed, they started to regret those first years of their marriage, they should’ve tried then, if they only knew, life would have been more joyful. Brad felt most of the pressure and guilt, it was his idea to have fun for a few years, he was still young when they got married, 25 years old, he was ready to commit to Gen for life, but no to start a family, and he used the “living our lives” argument to get out of that, Gen was up for it, she loved him and wanted to enjoy herself too, but never the less, it was Brad that took the initiative, it was him that suggested the idea and now he feels terribly sorry for that, he feels so guilty for being the reason for his wife’s misery, the guilt is eating him inside out, and can’t stand to see his wife like this. Their lives were normal, the suffering only made them love each other more, they weren’t blaming themselves, they believed that this was their destiny that maybe they were meant to live a childless life, just the two of them enjoying life to the fullest. But its human nature, we always want more out of life.

It was Gen’s age that made it hard for them to conceive, almost 30 years old, Gen fertility tests weren’t so promising, she only had a half of dozen tries left, before it would be over for them, but she was feeling optimistic, she wasn’t going to give up, neither was Brad, they had just come from the doctor office when they got the call that his sister gave birth, they ran to the hospital to be by her side, when they got their Kim was breast feeding the baby, they looked at her and smiled, the room was quit, it was a beautiful moment, Gen grabbed Brad’s hand and squeezed, her eyes filled with tears, it has been a very emotional journey from day one, that moment helped them remember the reason they wanted a family, the reason why they didn’t lose hope, why they should keep trying  and more importantly seeing the look that Kim and her husband shared right there, made them love each other even more.

Life works in mysterious ways, it took them seven years together, five years of trying, but Gen and Brad never gave up, they had ups and downs, moment’s when they just wanted to give up, but no, they kept trying. Not one month after being in that hospital room, Gen was pregnant, she has never been happier to see two parallel red lines in her life, she wok Brad up and showed him the test result, it took him a moment, like he has forgotten what those two lines meant, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his wife by the hands, with a look in his eyes like he was asking what is that mean, she nodded her head answering his unspoken question, he crumbled to his knees and kissed her belly. The next day her doctor was confirming her pregnancy, they couldn’t wait to get out of that office and run around telling everybody on the street, they were so happy, Brad was so relieved, a load had been lifted off his shoulders, he no longer carries the guilt around, they are starting a new chapter in their lives, a life filled with joy and love for their new family.  

Author's Note

Tell me what you think of this, this is the first time i share my writing, your reviews are important to me :D, thank you.