Garden of Sugar and Pineapples, Page 2

nasakit! It hurts,” Januaria whispered, her eyes half-closed.

  Segundo stared at his wife as her tears rolled down the right side of her face, bent away from him. She did not want him to be upset because of her, so she said nothing more, but in her pain, she only wanted the ordeal to end. The contractions grew stronger and came closer together, clenching her entire body in their grip.

  “Please, manong. Dr. Kulman said she will die, and baby going to be in trouble too,” Belinda begged, her own tears flowing. “If she dies and baby lives, how will that look? Please give them both chances to live. Please, manong!”

  The nurses looked at them with sympathy, and then pretended to busy themselves with their nursing duties, discreetly prepping Januaria for surgery. The permission forms for the procedure were laid on the table next to the bed.

  Segundo looked at his wife, acknowledging her weakened state and then slowly walked over to the table and began signing the documents.

  It is no surprise that this child was different from the rest. In fact, he always found his way into trouble. Never one to shy away from living, his life was an adventure, right from the start. In the enchanting county of Kauai, in a town called Lihue, in the wee hours of April 25, I was born into this world.

  “Congratulations, Mrs. Tabalno! You did well, and you have another baby boy. We will bring him to you as soon as you feel better, okay?” The nurse patted Januaria’s hand.

  My mother was exhausted. Three hours after I was delivered by C-section, she was still hazy from the lingering effects of sedation, but she was allowed to hold her infant son for the first time. I was, in fact, the last child to be born into our family, and they called me Ismael.

  Garden of Sugar and Pineapples