Being a mother came naturally to Fiona. She was the firstborn child in a family of 6 children which meant that she was like her siblings’ second mother. She enjoyed taking care of them even when she became a woman herself and moved out of her childhood home. Her siblings would spend more time in her cramped apartment than they did in their farmhouse. It was also because Fiona spoiled them and let them do anything they wanted. If they wanted to watch TV till late in the night, she would join them. They were also the first to know when she started dating Harry.
She wouldn’t stop talking about him. He became the centre of her world and the other siblings got the hint that their sister had grown up. Their visits became less and less which made Fiona put all of her focus on her new man.
Since her apartment was small, he decided to move her to a bigger house where she would be more comfortable. However, she felt lonely. She was used to being in a big family and now her siblings visited once in a while. Despite everything she tried to keep herself busy, she still felt like something was missing.
One year passed and Fiona was sure that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Harry. Harry made her mature fast even though she was surprised by how much she had changed. However, there was one catch. Harry wanted children before they got married.
He was adamant about starting a family. From the beginning, he saw Fiona’s potential in being a good mother and raising a child well but he didn’t want to take his chances on whether they were on the same page. He had been in a previous marriage for 5 years which bore him no child. He later found out that his ex was on contraceptives and was actively trying not to have a catch. So, he wanted to make sure that he didn’t get duped the second time around.
Since Fiona was keen on having a child as well, she didn’t have any problems with giving birth before getting married. If someone asked her, she would have gotten a child as soon as she turned 18.
“Babe, remember you asked me a few months ago if we should try having a child?” Harry asked.
Fiona perked up. “Yes, babe.”
“I think we should try.”
She had waited to hear those words for months and couldn’t be happier. They both assumed that they would get pregnant the first time they tried. After all, they both came from big families so they should be good to go. However, three months after they tried, nothing had happened.
“There’s nothing to be alarmed about. It will happen soon.” Fiona’s mother encouraged her over the phone.
She took her mother’s advice and was patient for another three months. Still, nothing happened. Having a child wasn’t her only problem. She was also concerned that Harry wouldn’t marry her since they agreed to get a child first. It had been half a year of trying and she was worried that it would become a year.
Nonetheless, she didn’t suspect that anything was wrong until they tried for two years with no luck. Fiona must have done everything in the book to try and get pregnant but every time she took a test, it came back negative. Even after two years of trying, her mother still insisted that it will happen when it was time.
“Mum, I feel like there’s something you’re hiding from me,” she said.
“Nothing, my baby girl. You’re still young. What’s the rush to have a child anyway?”
“You know I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Why would you ask me that?”
“I’m just saying that you should take your time. Maybe God has other plans for you. Get that diploma you wanted. Start a business. Enjoy your life.”
Fiona was surprised that her mother would tell her not to have a child. She thought that she would be her biggest supporter. However, Mother knew best and she listened once again. She decided to start a business and Harry was surprisingly supportive about it. However, they never stopped trying to have a child.
After three years, Fiona was on the verge of giving up. She had gone to over 10 fertility specialists and they all told her the same thing.
“There’s nothing wrong.”
“These things happen. You just have to keep trying.” Another one said.
Despite the results, she still feared she was infertile. It didn’t make sense how she could try for four years and do everything she could to get pregnant yet every time, the pregnancy tests came back negative.
“Did somebody bewitch me?” she began to wonder.
She was never the type to believe in witchcraft but she had exhausted all her possibilities. At that point, it wasn’t the craziest thing she could think of. She started digging through her family history to see if there was anything amiss but everything looked fine. Then, she looked through Harry’s past. His family was more than willing to help her get to the root of things. His sister, particularly, had a theory on why they couldn’t have a child.
“Harry once dated this girl for years. She was his high school sweetheart and he promised to marry her and give her a child but they broke up. We later found out that the girl’s family and known for black magic.” She explained.
Fiona was sceptical but she was running out of options and time. So, she visited a famous pastor who was known to help barren women conceive. The experience was nothing less than a circus. The pastor made the desperate couple spend hundreds of thousands and they still came up empty.
Fiona finally came to terms with her situation that she might not be able to have a child. Harry had to accept the fact that if he wanted to stay with Fiona then they would not children. He decided to go ahead with the marriage. The couple got married and went about their lives. After 10 years and on Fiona’s 35th birthday, she got the surprise of her life. They had planned a day full of activities but Fiona woke up very sick. She had been feeling weak and unwell but she had brushed it off as fatigue from planning her birthday. On that day, she could barely get out of bed and she felt constantly nauseous.
“Maybe you’re pregnant.” Harry joked.
They laughed but after a few hours, they decided to take a pregnancy test which came back positive. Fiona fell to her knees and cried. She could now be the mother she always wanted to be. Despite the difficult journey, their miracle had finally happened.
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