Chapter 2
They all ganged up on me, furious, and my mom nearly passed out from the shock.
She said, "You guys have no idea. Franco's got fertility issues. It was a miracle they even managed to have a baby.
"This troublemaker just ruined Franco's only shot at having a family."
Franco braced himself against the wall, his face drained. "Enough, Mom. Please, just stop."
But the more Franco tried to calm her down, the more furious my mom got. She couldn't hold back and slapped me hard across the face.
She said, "You worthless thing! If I'd known you were this kind of monster, I would've ended you myself when you were a kid, just like you did to your own child.
"How dare you even show your face on Mother's Day? You think you deserve that?"
The two grannies from next door nodded along. "That's right! A cold-blooded woman who could hurt her own kid. Why is she even still alive? She should've gone to hell with that child."
I glanced at the two pissed-off neighbors and flashed the video on my phone at them again.
Just like Franco, their faces turned ghostly pale and they started trembling. "Serves him right for dying! That little monster never should've existed."
"He wasn't a child at all. He was a harbinger of doom."
My mom was stunned, thinking she'd heard wrong. "What kind of crap are you spouting? That was my grandson, the only shot Franco ever had at being a dad.
"Why the hell would you wish death on him?"
No one bothered to answer her. The old ladies yanked their curtains shut in a flash, like we were some kind of plague they couldn't wait to avoid.
My mom spun around to face me. "What's on your phone? Show me!"
I just shook my head. She wasn't worthy of seeing it.
She totally lost it. "Why do they get to see it and I don't?"
No matter how much she screamed or pleaded, I wouldn't budge. The more I shut her out, the more obsessed she got about what was on my phone.
She pulled back the curtain next door and looked at the two grannies. "Just tell me, what did you see on her phone?" The old ladies were even more panicked, pointing at her. "Stay away from us! Get out, now!"
My mom looked confused. "Are you all crazy or something?"
The grannies immediately waved down a nurse. "We want to switch rooms. Right now!"
The nurse looked apologetic. "Sorry, but the only available rooms are VIP suites. They're a bit more expensive..."
"Just do it!" The old ladies all shouted together, and in no time, the whole family next door packed up and moved into a VIP suite.
Now it was just me and my mom, alone in the ward.
Before they left, they glared at my mom like she was the devil herself and spat right at her feet. "Filthy! Filthy thing!"
Mom was about to lose it, practically ready to throw hands. "What the hell are you saying? Who the hell are you calling filthy?"
The old ladies yelled those words and took off like lightning.
Mom glared at me, her eyes blazing. "Show me what's on your phone. Now!"
The more she freaked out, the less I was going to show her.
Finally, she lost it completely. She yanked the IV out of my arm and threatened me.
She said, "If you don't tell me why you killed the baby, I'll kill you myself, right here, right now."
Staring at her, wild-eyed and furious, I kept my voice steady. "Are you even my mom anymore?"
Her eyes flickered for a second. "If I'm not your mom, then who is? Your dad died over ten years ago. I was the one who worked myself to the bone just to raise you.
"When you got married, I gave you 70 thousand dollars in cash and a house worth 700 thousand dollars. When you got pregnant, I gave you a thousand dollars a month for prenatal care and waited on you hand and foot, making sure you had the best food every single day.
"What did I ever do to deserve this? Why are you doing this to me?"
I gave a wry smile. "Mom, it's my body, my baby. Is it so wrong if I don't want it? Why are you so mad?"
She said, "Why shouldn't I be mad? You know Franco has fertility problems, and you know he's got no one else in this world. You know just how much this kid meant to him, and yet you..."
She got more and more worked up, her voice getting louder and louder, until she slapped me again.
Just then, the doctor doing his rounds walked in and caught her slapping me. He went off on her right away.
He said, "She's in such a fragile state! You're her mom. Shouldn't you be taking care of her, not hitting her?"
Mom broke down, crying and sniffling, and started blaming me for everything all over again. The doctor shot me a look, his face impossible to read.
"It's a real shame. At eight months, a baby could've made it on their own."
Mom just kept nodding, sobbing and wiping her tears away, while the doctor tried to comfort her, sounding all sympathetic.
The doctor said, "It's alright, ma'am. Your girl's still young. She can always try again."
I said calmly, "I'm not having another baby. And even if I ever get pregnant again, it won't be Franco's child."
My mom said, "What did you just say? You want to make Franco look like a fool? Monica, how did I end up with a daughter as shameless as you?"