He opened his eyes in the dark. There was an unpleasant taste in his mouth, and his throat was dry. The ceiling was of dark colour. It seemed to him the sets of lights had been on not so long ago – in a different life. As he peered to the side, he saw more than ten people lying flat on their backs. In a flash, he saw an image of narcotized patients surrounding him. That image faded as soon as a gentle female voice broke the silence.
“You may now open your eyes.”
He felt like he had cheated, as though it had been an experiment in which he didn’t follow the instructions correctly.
“Gently stretch your arms and legs,” the voice continued, “wiggle your fingers and toes and when ready, gently turn your body to the right side.”
The halogen lights slowly came back on as everyone moved to their side, placing their head lightly on the right arm.
Watching the strong, tanned back of his female neighbour, he saw the sun-kissed desert sand of a faraway land. A little over her left shoulder blade was an unusual birthmark in the shape of a gecko paw. The sight of the gecko paw made the bad taste in his mouth go away. Or it could be the change of position. He slept better on the side than in the supine position due to the risk of the base of the tongue collapsing into the airway, triggering snoring.
He was the first to leave the room after the Namaste. His girlfriend Dawn was waiting for him outside the studio with a pleasant smile. Her presence reminded him that all was real.
“Hey babe,” she said and kissed his dry lips. “How was the class? Do you feel relaxed?”
“I don’t know.”
They got in her car, and she waited until all his yoga classmates walked past the car. There was his neighbour with the gecko paw on her shoulder.
“Should I be worried that you might be getting too intimate with these ladies?”
He put his hand on her big belly and felt a little kick against his palm.
“See how she’s agreeing with me?” Dawn said.
He shook his head, smiling.
“Perhaps you two could keep an eye on me by doing Yoga with me.”
She started the engine.
“I would love to, babe! But don’t you remember the last two times? My back was killing me! Savasana has never been so painful!”
“You didn’t give yourself a chance to get used to it.”
“I’ll be back. I’ll just stick to some light cardio for now.”
He knew that she was slightly self-conscious and would always ensure that her body would still be in shape after giving birth. Three to four times a week, she would go to her group fitness classes, do her regular squats, lunges and a mixture of cardio and weights.
“What do you think about the flowers?” she asked, gesturing to the backseat.
All he saw at first glance was pink and purple, which turned out to be pink roses and lilies, as well as a bunch of baby’s breath.
“She likes pink, doesn’t she? Well, I like purple. I thought they mix well together.”
He nodded.
They pulled in at the visitors’ car park at the hospital. It was late. Perhaps he should’ve skipped Yoga and come earlier, he thought, but his stress level would’ve been high then.
They stepped out of the car with the flowers and walked towards the entrance, where an ambulance had pulled up. Some paramedics and a couple of nurses were wheeling a stretcher to the back of the ambulance. Before the patient appeared to light, he had already entered the hospital with Dawn. She was the one holding the bouquet as he grabbed her arm like a lost child.
“What are we going to do with you, Mark?”
His grip grew firmer.
“What?”
The smell at the hospital made his neck hair stand up. He wouldn’t know what to do once the baby was due. Would he be able to witness the child’s birth?
As they were at the reception to sign in, the two nurses and paramedics were wheeling in an unconscious elderly man who was breathing through an oxygen mask. Two opposing images flashed through his head – in both, people were lying on their backs in a dark, dark room.
Upon learning who Dawn and Mark came to see, the receptionist informed that the doctor had asked to speak to Mark prior to a visit. From the corner of his eyes, he felt Dawn’s glance at him. Her hand was squeezing his.
“Please, can you go speak to him?” he asked.
“But, babe…”
“Please? I really want to see her right now.”
.
.
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Paula Deckard © 2016
-Excerpt from short story collection 2025-
