Chapter 32
Chapter 32
The past nine months had been lonely and isolating. The people of Barrow were welcoming and kind, albeit a little suspicious of me initially. I spent my pregnancy alone. It was a tight-knit community, a town where everyone knew each other. But I mostly stayed to myself, and the residents accepted my privacy. It was better that way. It kept me and my babies safe. A day didn't pass when I feared someone would recognize me. I was always living with the anxiety of being found. Hiding my face behind glasses I didn't need, even wearing contacts to change my eye color, cutting my hair short, and styling a bang to obscure my face.
Some days were more challenging than others, as I learned how to be an adult, navigating my sadness as my body changed. It was a humbling experience, sacred to feel life growing inside and developing an unshakable bond with the little souls I had yet to meet. It was one I would forever cherish, but I was more than ready to give birth.
My due date was in a week, and I was grateful to have had a healthy pregnancy. It was hard on my body, and I was exhausted, tired of wobbling around on swollen feet. The program provided me with a monthly stipend, enough to cover rent on a house and my utilities, helping me to get a job at the local Catholic thrift store.
The shores of the arctic beach were where I spent much of my time when I wasn't working and when the quietness of the house became too loud. The cold waters offered me solace when I felt the heartbreak of leaving my old life for this self-imposed solitude. I explored the barren, dark shores, walking amongst the lonely fields of the northern summer. I added the herbs from the tundra to my notebook, sketching in the wild bright yellow dandelions and arctic poppy, as well as specks of color that were alive and thriving in the unforgiving weather.
My freedom came at a cost. Like Mami said, nothing ever comes without sacrifice. My fingers were no longer warm. Anything I tried to grow wouldn't take root. No seed would sprout, and no flower would yield. My gift was the price of my freedom.
"Father John!" A voice boomed with the chime of the bell, announcing the arrival.
It was Kova. I greeted him with a friendly smile. He was a young police officer who had recently joined the force. He had become a familiar face, stopping by the store at least once a week. He only ever bought a chocolate candy bar and asked too many questions that I never answered.
"Settle down," I commanded gently as I held my belly, feeling the painful kicks digging into my ribs. Ignoring the ache in my lower back as I worked on the new display.
"Still not sleeping well?" Kova asked with a grin, looking at my belly.
I nodded, "It's like a dance party every night at my expense," smiling, knowing they were only reacting to my own anxiety.
"Ah, Kova son, you're right on time," Father John said as he exited his office. He was a kind man who always insisted I do light work and didn't inquire about my past.
I just told everyone I was an orphan with no family, and the father of my children died in a car accident.
"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news."
"The verdict's finally in," Father John said, pushing up his glasses and anxiously watching the screen.
"He's a bad one; it's because of men like him that we need to bring executions back," Kova said coolly, looking at the screen. I stayed silent, watching the news, trying to steady my breathing, praying to the Our Lady every night, praying for intercession, for them to lock him away.
Flashes of sketches of him sitting in the courtroom, listening to the notes—just seeing him—made the pounding in my heart feel dizzy.
Turning my back to the television, I pretended to fold clothes, acting nonchalant, although my hands trembled with fear.
The case seemed to have been followed by the whole world for months. I did my best to avoid any news of him, but it was impossible, even out here in this isolated part of the world. Meroveo's case started as a criminal prosecution but turned into a political game.
"All charges against Meroveo De Los Santos have been dismissed. He's walking a free man as we speak." The reporter's voice became a distant hum in my ears.
The familiar wave of panic rose in my chest, a harrowing feeling of hopelessness settling, knowing that I would live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.
"The bastard is going to get away with everything," Kova whistled in disbelief, frowning deeply.
"God will have the final judgment," Father John concluded, shaking his head in disappointment. God did have the final judgment, and he let him go.
"It makes a mockery out of the entire system, but the people in power like it just the way it is." Kova scoffed, shaking his head.
"Niobe?" he asked, looking at me concerned when I didn't answer. "Niobe, everything okay?" he asked again. I looked down, feeling a pool of warmth trickle down my leg as I stared at him in silent shock.My water broke.
I gnatius was born first with beautiful, dark, wide eyes and a head full of hair. I named him Ignatius after the fire that burned within me, praying that it would always light his way.
Mellinoe was born with strong lungs and a crown of curly dark hair. She was named after an ancient flower with powerful and unique healing abilities.
I was alone in the hospital room, in a state of exhausted bliss, thanking Our Lady for their safe delivery. I held a noble son in one arm and the sweetest flower of a daughter in the other. My heart bloomed with an unexplainable love, a love that transcended anything I had ever felt before.
They had Meroveo's eyes. I couldn't stop looking down at them every few seconds, checking their breathing, kissing each nose, and humming the lullaby my mother would sing to me as a girl. As a tradition, I tied a blue string on each tiny wrist for protection.
Every decision I had made up to this point was to protect them, to shield them from the dark truths of a world I wanted no part of. Vowing that I would never let my son become a succor to the curse in that family, to stain his hands in the blood of others. My daughter would never be sold to the highest bidder or barred from following her dreams. My children would never know their father, and if Mereveo ever found me, he would have to kill me.