Chapter 45 Her Mother
"I still don’t know how she believed that she would be able to see you alive, despite the warnings issued by the medical professionals.
My wife was the strongest woman I have ever met and at the end, God answered her prayers. Braving all odds, Elena gave birth to you and you were a completely healthy baby. I can never forget the look on her face when she held you for the first time; It was pure bliss...,almost ethereal. I silently grieved while I watched your mother cradle you in her arms to make you stop crying, because I knew that she won’t be here with you forever.
She named you ‘Katelyn’, but called you ‘her little Katey’.
The mansion bloomed like spring season when we brought you home from the hospital. You brought tremendous joy to everyone who looked after you, and that included every maid in the house.
By the third month, you began showing signs discomfort, when ever you were left a little unattended. So, we took you to the doctor and he said that you were a hyperactive child. He also cautioned us regarding your impulsive behavior because there was a high chance of you getting yourself injured.
But that information only made your mother fall in love with you even more. The doctor hinted that it was a mild disability, but for your mother, it felt like a beautiful trait that suited you.
Elena knew that she only had a very little time left, so she wanted to know more about you and asked me to bring a fortune teller. I didn’t believe in all these things, but I couldn’t say no to your mother. So, the very next day, I brought the best fortune teller in town. The woman predicted that you would grow on to become a child with a very vibrant and wild spirit, filled with a ton of happiness. She said that at your initial years of development, you will be the happiest child on the planet, but unfortunately, fate will rob you of your joy and enthusiasm in the later stages of your life.
The fortune teller was dismissed after that.
Elena began sobbing on hearing it, and it took me hours to console her, while you looked up at both of us curiously from the bed. Finally, composing herself, she scooped you up and gave to me. You immediately grinned at me toothlessly, reaching your tiny hands up to grab my tie. Unexpectedly, your mother placed her hand on my heart and made me promise that no matter what ever happens, I should keep you safe and happy like this, for the rest of your life.
I gulped and looked down at both of you because till that moment, I didn’t believe in a thing called as ‘fate’ but the second she asked me to make that promise, I hesitated because I wasn’t sure that I could keep you as happy as you were, in her absence. But the desperate longing in her emerald orbs that looked exactly like yours, made me say yes.
That night, you and your mother slept peacefully beside me, but I didn’t sleep a wink. I only had one thought in my mind
‘Will she ever forgive me if I fail to keep my promise?’
( Winston smiles before he tells the next sentence )
You grew more and more active every day, your cries loud enough to wake up the dead. Your mother cherished you endlessly and poured every drop of love from her heart into your soul. Despite the tiredness from her disease, Elena forced herself to stay awake at nights to watch you sleep because she couldn’t get enough of you.
One night I came home late from work to watch the most heartbreaking sight – Your mother covering every inch of your tiny body, from head to your little toe, with warm kisses. I saw how her lips trembled under the moon light and it wasn’t that hard to guess that she was crying. That night I didn’t go inside the room, I just...couldn’t.
Days rolled by and your giggles and wails became louder, on the other hand, Elena became more and more weak. I could see the strength fading from her. But you never noticed her changing appearance and always clung to her, seeking her closeness. And I rarely interrupted your bonding time.
8 months passed and your mother became more tired than ever, but she kept up her spirits for you..., to make you laugh and to make you feel loved. Both Elena and I knew that her end was near, but we enjoyed every moment that was left of us together as a ‘happy & complete family’.
One particular day, I was taking a stroll in the front garden, when I saw a mother and her son waiting outside the gates of the mansion. When I approached them, my guards were already talking to the mother. As soon as the mother recognized me, she bowed her head in respect and made her son do the same. I learned that the boy was 11 years old and his name was Marcus. They both have come seeking a job, to work for me.
I didn’t trust their shabby, homeless appearance and so I scolded them and walked back to the house. They could also be actors hired by my enemies to spy on me or even to harm you. And besides I didn’t have any job for a skinny boy like him. But the mother raised her voice and pleaded at my retreating form. I ignored her and continued to walk, but that is when I noticed Elena standing at the balcony with you wrapped up in a fluffy cotton towel. Apparently, she had been watching the whole scene.
When your mother asked me to get the woman and son inside, despite my better judgement, I brought them in. After having a little conversation with the mother and son, Elena did something that shook me to the core – She handed you to Marcus!
From the way that boy held you, I could easily tell that he hasn’t held a baby in his life before. You never warmed up easily to strangers, but this time, you let out an adorable giggle and reached for his face. Elena smiled at the sight and looked at me. I forced a fake smile on my lips because my hands itched with the insane urge to snatch you away from his dirty hands. I undoubtedly hated the boy to the ends of the earth.
“He will be little Katey’s round the clock body guard”
The moment she said that, it felt like someone had dropped a bomb on me, because from the day I received the news of your existence in her womb, I have been training a set of my men especially for protecting you. And I wanted to protest against her idea of hiring a weak 11-year-old boy to guard you, but I could never say no to your mother, so I agreed.
The next day onwards, Marcus was given rigorous training, but due to my intense hatred, I... asked my men to ensure that he left the training ground with at least five injuries. It was cruel, but my plan was to make him quit the job, but surprising me, he persisted through every painful method of training.
A week after the boy was hired, your mother.... she passed away...”