The Birth of Katy

Nia was really anxious. Her mother had been pregnant for almost nine months. From the moment she heard she was going to have a baby sister she could hardly contain her excitement. She was determined to teach her baby sister all the things she needed to know to get by. She was going to be the best big sister ever.

There was a woman in the village whose job it was to deliver babies. Nia had never seen the woman before and she didn't even know that was a job. The woman came to stay at the house so that she would be there when the baby was ready to come into the world.

Nia asked her all kinds of questions. She asked her how the baby got inside her mother and how the baby was suppose to get out. She asked her how she got her job and how much she enjoyed it. The woman was very patient with Nia. She told Nia that it was an amazing process that took a long time to complete without really answering her question in detail.

Her mother told Nia that her baby sister's name would be Katy. Nia repeated it several times. she liked the name Katy. She asked her mom why she picked that name. Her mom explained that the name Katy meant 'clean and pure'. Nia liked that. Then Nia thought about herself and she asked her mother what her own name meant. Her mother told her that it meant 'bright'. Nia gave her mother a wide smile when she heard that.

The day finally came and Nia had to wait in the main living area while Nia's mother and the woman were in Nia's parents bedroom. Everything had been prepared. After many hours Nia's baby sister still hadn't come out yet. Nia was getting impatient. Nia's father decided maybe it would be best to take a walk and take Nia with him. When Nia was born they were in the city but out here in the village Nia's father was a little nervous and

needed to get out and get some fresh air.

They walked in the direction of the elementary school. The elementary school wasn't far and there was a playground there. As Nia was playing on the playground there were some teenagers nearby in a group talking. One boy stared at Nia but she didn't notice him. It was the same boy who eyed her when she was younger. He was still holding the cube with all the holes in it. He watched her silently while the other teenagers talked among themselves but he didn't make any moves toward her. He was waiting for the appointed time and it had not come yet.

Nia finally got tired of playing. Nia and her father returned to Nia's house. Nia's mother was still experiencing child birth when they got back home. The minutes seemed to crawl for Nia as she was waiting for her baby sister to arrive. She finally fell asleep in the family room. When she felt somebody shaking her and telling her that her baby sister had been born, she ran to her mother's room to see.

The baby was so tiny. Nia couldn't believe how small her sister was. Her parents asked her if she wanted to hold her sister but she was afraid to do it. She was afraid she would drop her little sister and she would break into pieces. The baby cried. The woman who delivered the baby ushered them all out so that the mother and baby could get some rest.

As the weeks passed. Nia got used to being woken up in the middle of the night. Nia also got used to the baby crying for all kinds of reasons. Nia's mother told Nia that the baby had a different cry depending on what the problem was. There was a cry for when she was hungry, for when she wanted to be held and still another cry for when she needed to be cleaned up. Nia thought that the baby sure was fussy. She asked her mother if she

was that fussy when she was born and her mother said she was.

As the baby got bigger, Nia wasn't afraid to hold her. The first time Nia held her, Nia felt all these emotions inside of her. She felt happy when the baby smiled at her. She decided right then that she was going to be the best big sister ever.