Image: Anastasia Elias
The mother is pleased to be turning out the light.
It’s been a long day.
Baby is demanding, for reasons unknown he cries, refuses to eat, is irritable, she hopes he will sleep tonight.
It hasn’t helped that she is doing this all alone,
He husband left her a week ago
Walked out, found a younger more agreeable woman,
A woman who expects so little, so soon,
Ideal for a husband who wanted to live a single man in a family situation.
She bears the burden of being the mother and the stigma of bitch of a wife.
That’s what she hears he is saying around town, painting her as the evil one, giving reason for justifying his decision to leave the marriage and look elsewhere.
She stands outside the bedroom, hoping her baby will settle and fall off to sleep.
There are too many nights of late where she has deprived herself of sleep preferring to nurse her baby, rock him to sleep, pander to him as she feels the weight of being deserted.
Unloved and unwanted, the curse of it descends upon her, and she slumps to the floor, energy wanes as she finds herself crying tears of pain.
She stays down, baby is quiet, maybe he senses she needs some mum time, and he must be exhausted as he is awake most of the day.
After a time, she realises he is asleep and makes a move towards her own bed.
Crawling in she feels the sensual touch of the bamboo sheets she recently purchased and hopes tonight she will get to stay between them.
When she wakes she hears her baby, he is crying, such a familiar sound and she notices the morning light coming under the drawn curtains. Instantaneously she feels grateful, sleep, at last, energy restored, she gets up and goes to her boy.
Written for: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2019/08/22/reenas-exploration-challenge-101/
Morpethroad 
Beautifully written
Thanks so much Sadje.
You’re welcome 😉
Good for the children, mothers rarely leave them. Beautifully written story of being a mother.
Thanks so much Indira I appreciate your kind thoughts
You are welcome, dear.
That is written with such a sensitive touch. I do like it muchly, Michael
Thanks Crispina I appreciate your kind words
🙂 as ever
Lovely, and so real.
You paint the picture so well – a woman struggling to come to terms with her own emotions, other than those of motherhood.
Thanks reena, I appreciate your comment.
Reblogged this on Reena Saxena and commented:
The Grateful Mother …. by Michael
Oh how I feel for this mother. What a wonderful feeling it is though when after you go to bed, you hear your baby crying and there is sunlight. Nothing lifts the spirits of a weary mother more.
It’s a good feeling though it didn’t always happen that way
Excellent writing, Michael. Life can be cruel, but then it can be so good at the same time.
Hi Jade thanks for reading and yes life can be cruel.