The day circled in red on the calendar had arrived. The most important day of her life showed up at the doorstep and as a meticulous postman rang the bell, to call her attention, to let her open the door to a world made of answers without reply.
Hope finishes to sip her tea, pretending a calmness that you could read as a lie in her eyes. For every sip she sends down, a mountung wave turmoils her soul. In front of the mirror, she finishes preparing herself, a quick brush to the hair, no makeup, only her very natural face, a large sweater to hide her curvy body. Today she needs to be transparent, anonymous to others' glance. She needs to be able to focus on herself without distractions.
She leaves home with a quick step, she reaches the bus stop and gets on taking a sit at the back. Another 30 minutes to the date with destiny. Hope closes her eyes and recall the quarrel with her sister, her harsh words resonate as just pronounced, not supporting her choice is like a bleeding wound. But she made her decision, alone against all and everything, there is no turnback. False moralisms, precepts and precondicts, religious anathemas, she is ready to face this and more, fiercely, stubbornly and alone.
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Now she's in front of that door, the man with the beard opens it. She's already met him but she doesn't know much about him. He nods her. Hope knows what to do, she's done it already. She slips off her skirt, then her undies, she lays down and stares at the ceiling waiting for him to finish. After she dresses and before leaving she takes the envelope that the man is holding.
The door slam echoes in her head. She runs down the stairs while the tears are dropping down on her face. She comes out in the street, a liberating hiccup shakes her chest and loosens the tension. A deep breath of fresh air. She sits on a bench, then she opens the envelope and looks into it. She thinks that the next time she will meet again the man with the beard, it will be different.
As promised Dr Carter gave her the envelope only after he had the certainty that the assisted fecundation had given the desired result. Hope now holds in her hands the ultrasound photo of her son. In the most important day of her life she was no longer alone.