Baby Marcelo

Anna was sitting on the hospital bed with her baby and he was sleeping peacefully in her arms after feeding. She hadn’t been able to look elsewhere aside from his face ever since he was brought to her again by the Doctor.

“What will you name him?” Susan asked, her voice filled with amazement because this was the first time she would be seeing such a handsome baby.

She was convinced that Anna’s baby's father had to be a wealthy person or at least a celebrity.

“I don’t know.” Anna chuckled slightly when she realized that she hadn’t even thought of a baby name for her baby at all. Tracing his little eyelashes, she was stunned at how much her baby resembled the twins.

Sadness clouded her heart when she realized again that the twin would never be able to see their son. The little star was really a survivor. Even when she felt like she had lost all the strength in her, he still managed to come out.

“The Doctor said you can be discharged before the weekend,” Susan said to Anna when she remembered her fear of the hospital.

Anna shook her head. “No, it's okay. I can stay here as long as I should.” After everything she had gone through in the past hours, it had made her realize that if she hadn’t been brought to the hospital, she might have lost her life along with her baby’s.

“Thank you for admitting me to the hospital.” She gave Susan a soft smile, her voice filled with compassion and appreciation to Susan and God for giving her safe delivery.

“I wasn’t the one. It was the manager who brought you here, Maddy also suggested it. But I'm glad I didn't argue with them. You scared me so much back then.” Susan sniffed back the tears that threatened to drop as she squeezed Anna’s hands.

“I'm sorry,” Anna muttered before her eyes fell on her child again. “He is beautiful.”

“Yeah, he is,” Susan added.

“I will call him Marcelo,” Anna let out faintly, and as if the baby was listening, he fluttered his little lashes open and beamed at his mother.

“He is smiling.” Anna chuckled, calling Susan’s attention. The two women chuckled alongside Marcello, and joy spread through Anna’s heart.

Her baby…

She finally had her baby.

And he was just so perfect. With his dark curly hair and also the largest brown eyes she had ever seen.

“Do all babies have big eyes?” She questioned Sudan and the older lady laughed.

“Is he the first baby you’d be seeing?”

Anna nodded upon listening to Susan’s words. She couldn’t tell if it was her misfortune or blessing but her baby happened to be the first baby she would hold.

Her sister Maria was just two years younger than her and she couldn’t remember birth and childhood.

“Babies actually have large eyes. But your bo- Marcello’s eyes are the finest brown eyes I've ever seen.” Susan said to Anna before she felt her phone ringing in her pocket.

“It's the manager.” She told Anna after looking at her phone. “Do you want to speak to him?”

“Yeah, sure,” Anna replied, and gently added Marcello to Susan before picking up the call.

The manager of Barbados had called to congratulate her, and he also had all the chefs and some of Anna’s favorite customers on a video call. They were all laughing and making jokes as they celebrated with Anna.

While they were still on call, the atmosphere abruptly went silent when Lucia appeared on the video call. Anna stiffened when she saw her and she was about to hang up when the manager spoke. “Annabella, Lucia has something to say to you.”

“I don't want to listen.” Anna didn’t even bother to act nice because she knew clearly that Lucis had pushed her intentionally, and since it was on purpose, why did she still have something to say to her?

“I'm sorry, Annabella. I'm really sorry. I have no excuses for what I have done, and you don’t have to forgive me. My action was shameless, hateful, and unpardonable. I apologize to you and your baby.” Lucia pleaded, her voice filled with regret and guilt.

It was just as she had said.

She didn't have any excuse for her cruel actions at all. She was just being a hater and abuser which was the result of her envy toward Anna.

Anna breathed out after listening to Lucia, at the moment, she couldn’t even tell if she was still furious about her inhumane or if she was just irritated because this particular colleague had always hated her.

“She’s genuinely sorry. You should forgive her for the sake of your baby. You can buy good fortune for him by forgiving her.” Susan whispered to Anna, her face exuding intelligence.

Susan was right.

There was no point in holding grudges when she and her baby were safe.

“It's fine. I forgive you.”

“You do?” Lucia almost choked on the lump in her heart when she heard Anna’s faint voice.

“Yes, I do.” Anna smiled gently as she nodded.

“Oh my God, thank you so much. Everyone can't wait to have you back after a month.” She beamed at Anna.”

Upon listening to her, Anna asked her if she could speak privately to the manager.

When she finally got to talk to the manager again, Anna didn’t know how to start. She had heard from Susan earlier that it was the manager that settled all the hospital fees, and he had even taken Susan to their apartment to bring some of her after-birth necessities.

Staring at the man she had worked with for over seven months, Anna felt her heart swell with gratitude, and she didn't know where to start from.

“Are you okay? Did you need anything?” The manager asked worriedly. Since it was his first time actively participating or even witnessing the birth of a child, he was feeling like a godfather himself.

“No, I mean- yeah, I'm fine, we are fine.” Anna sniffed as her eyes trailed to her baby in Susan’s hands.

If there was any part of her that felt sad and miserable, it would be her heart. She missed the twins greatly. She missed Jacob’s evil smirk, and Jacob's soft chuckles anytime he looked at her or whenever he was about to do something naughty to her.

She felt miserable and depressed that they couldn’t accompany her as she gave birth to their son, who looked like their replica.

Forcing herself to stop thinking about the twins, and focus her attention on her current life, Anna thanked the manager for all his assistance and benevolence.

“No, no, you don’t have to thank me, Annabella. You are a hard-working chef and you are one of the finest chefs I've ever worked with.”

Anna felt her heart swelling with gratitude as she heard the manager's words. “Thank you so much.”

“No, I should be thanking you. The restaurant sales increased by 60% after you joined us. This is the least of the favors I should be returning to you.”

Susan cuddled Marcelo in her arms and nodded to Anna to say what she had to say to the manager. They had not discussed it earlier, but we still didn't know how to push the words out of her mouth.

“I wouldn’t be coming back to the restaurant, sir.” Anna finally let out. She anxiously bit her inner lips as she waited for the manager to process what she just said.