Monica was already called an old mother. She and Mark had been on the road to having their first child for a long time. First they studied, then they worked hard for career advancement and profit, then they tried to live for themselves, travel to other countries and see something interesting, and only by thirty-nine Monica had her first child.
It was a wonderful time. A wonderful son was born, very smart from birth. He never made life difficult for his parents, he slept a lot and cried very rarely at night, so that someone had to get up and go and put him down. Monica was doing well, too; she could do everything, she knew how to take care of herself, and she managed to do some work remotely. Mark, on the other hand, was falling apart. Life with a child was not the same life as before. Now something was holding them back, preventing them from going on a date or spontaneously planning a trip. Their son had to go to the doctor or feed him, and he couldn’t stand it for long anyway.
When the baby was a year and a half old, Monica brought up the issue of a second child.
– Are you crazy? – Mark marveled . – We haven’t even raised one yet, and you want another?
– Time goes on, soon I will be so “old” that I won’t be able to give birth anymore…
Monica was encouraged to do this by the other moms in the maternity ward. Those words about her being the “oldest” from her room, or maybe from the whole ward, had been said for a long time, but they really hurt her. The doctor also mentioned that labor could be difficult because of her age, and she didn’t want to drag it out any longer.
– No, I’m not ready for the second one. I don’t have the money or the strength.
Monica took offense at his words. Not only was she the one who took care of the child all the time, but she was already working, so Mark didn’t have to pay for everything alone. Now she does not talk to her husband and he and his friends are picking on her.
– Aren’t you afraid she’ll go to someone else? Somebody would be happy to have a second child…
– So be it. If she leaves, it will only prove that I was right not to have a second child.
