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Weju’s eyes were closed, and his arms reached toward me. His expression was trance-like and being the center of a voodoo-like ceremony freaked me out. I wanted to run far away and ugly cry.
Thankfully, the ceremony didn’t last, and when the dance finished, I walked back to my place, sitting on the ground at the back of the circle.
Today everyone is back to their normal routine.
And barely noticing me, which is a good thing.
I feel safer living in an invisible bubble.
A few nights after my last entry I went into labor.
I’m overjoyed to be writing this while my daughter suckles my breast.
It seems the shaman took no chances once my water broke. Many of the elder ladies assisted in the labor and performed that damn smoke ceremony.
The details remain blurry.
I recall pushing with the contractions, coaxing myself through my own thoughts while imagining an out-of-body experience to assess my progress. As I pushed through the contractions, the women sang a harmonious chorus over and over as my daughter came into the world.
Daylight was breaking through the leaves, and the overwhelming relief deemed it appropriate to name her Dawn, especially with the meaning of her father’s name being the sun.
I’ve monitored her vitals and checked her reflexes. So far, everything looks to be in order.
Dawn has stolen my heart and provided hope and happiness when I was struggling to find the strength to live another day.
Weju is smitten. He comes and stares at our daughter even while she sleeps. He’s not like other men in the village, and I’m glad he has the love in his heart I hoped for our daughter.
He has given her another name.
Turùpo Kapu. He pointed to the sky then to our hearts. So her heart is as big as the sky. Or he loves her, I guess, for infinity. I’m not sure, nevertheless, I love the meaning. Yet this name is only between Dawn and us. A secret name. I’m yet to learn why it’s a secret, but I assume it’s one of honor.
Weju decided her name in the village is Kaikare. In few words, he likened our daughter to a tortoise and a black jaguar. Maybe the tortoise is a reference to me.
In my heart, she’ll always be Dawn.
A new day full of hope.
46
EDEN
My mouth drops open, and I slam the journal closed to relish the beautiful feeling of love swirling inside me.
The noise startles Samuel from his sleep, and his eyes snap open with a fright.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper and pat his shoulder. “Go back to sleep.”
He’s on the couch and rolls onto his side. “Are you okay?” he murmurs.
I’m sitting on the floor in front of him with my feet under the coffee table. I swivel to face him and bring my knees close to my chest. “Gran just gave birth to Kaikare.”
He smiles, his eyes blink, trying to wake himself up.
“Go back to sleep,” I coax. “I need a minute to feel all the feels. It’s so beautiful. The shaman’s name reflects the sun. Gran named Kaikare, Dawn, as she was born at daybreak, and she offers hope to Gran like the start of a new day.” I shiver as tingles of happiness roll over me.
Samuel chuckles quietly, then rolls onto his back and closes his eyes. “You can tell me about it after.”
I’m still smiling and want to continue reading her beautiful story, especially about Kaikare-Dawn as a baby.
