A Boy or a Girl?

Mrs. Johns was expecting a baby. Was it a boy of a girl? That she didn’t know and didn’t want to. She would often be heard saying, “It is not for me to find out beforehand whether it’s a boy of a girl. I’ll know when God wants me to know.” She held onto this belief so firmly that she didn’t even let her physician to carry out an Ultrasound test on her fetus.

Throughout her pregnancy, she bought toys for her baby. How could she when she didn’t even know whether it was a boy or a girl? You might be wondering and not without a reason. Well, she was clever. She would buy toys like Barbie Dolls and Teddy Bears one day while on another; she would buy Ninja Gears and Monster Truck models. She even had two separated rooms decorated for the baby. Obviously, one was painted pink and the other, sky blue. She took enough care of herself and thanked God in every opportunity for his wonderful gift. Such a pious lady was she.

That was seemed like every other one that it followed. She was reading religious poems from the book of her favorite writer Aubrey Williams. Already into the final month of her pregnancy, she was expected to deliver the baby soon. Mr. John’s was planning to transfer her to the hospital the following day. Suddenly without any prior warnings, contractions began and she frantically dialed for her husband and the ambulance.

Before long, she was already on her way to the hospital. For the rest of an hour, she was in a dazed stage. She couldn’t comprehend the clamor around her and finally gave in to the effects of anesthetics.

She already knew something was wrong as soon as she opened her eyes. Not a single melancholic faces around her wanted to be the harbinger of bad news. Exasperated she turned to her doctor.

After clearing his throat two or three times, he started with a solemn voice, “We tried our best to save the baby but could do nothing to fully restore the minimal blood level in the body. Fetal anemia would have come up in ultrasound but as you denied one yourself, there was no way we could have predicted this. I regret to say that we couldn’t save your baby.”

Just as she lay shocked in the hospital bed absorbing the bitter truth, a nurse piqued up, “Don’t you want to know whether it was a boy or a girl?”

She averted her face and answered, “No!” The answer was still the same but whether the logic behind it changed or not, that is something we will never know.