A Love Story
by Erin Jamieson
Mama and Papa married late: he was nearly thirty five, she thirty six. It was late for that generation, at least, and all of Mama’s relatives warned her she shouldn’t try to have kids. Too tough on her body. Developmental disabilities.
But once Mama made up her mind, no one--including her own mother--could change it. She had me just before she turned thirty eight, and the next day, as relatives filed in, she tiled her head with a small smile as if to say told you so.Papa, I hear, was not near as confident, spending the final weeks of the pregnancy imagining the worst: that the ultrasound had missed something, that I would be born dead or worse, that it would be hard on Mama’s body.
As it turned out, he was only correct on one of these things: after me, Mama was no longer able to have children. Her bladder muscles were attenuated; her legs populated with spider veins and her back would always go through periods of intermittent pain.
But even after the accident, those first words she said to me mirrored the ones when she held me for the first time.
My miracle.
But once Mama made up her mind, no one--including her own mother--could change it. She had me just before she turned thirty eight, and the next day, as relatives filed in, she tiled her head with a small smile as if to say told you so.Papa, I hear, was not near as confident, spending the final weeks of the pregnancy imagining the worst: that the ultrasound had missed something, that I would be born dead or worse, that it would be hard on Mama’s body.
As it turned out, he was only correct on one of these things: after me, Mama was no longer able to have children. Her bladder muscles were attenuated; her legs populated with spider veins and her back would always go through periods of intermittent pain.
But even after the accident, those first words she said to me mirrored the ones when she held me for the first time.
My miracle.
About the writer
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Erin Jamieson holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University of Ohio. Her writing has been published in over fifty literary magazines, and her fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She teaches English Composition at the University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College and also works as a freelance writer.
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