She cried again

It must’ve been around 4 in the morning; I could see orange and pink clouds spread across the light blue sky through the semi open blinds. I could feel the cold air bite my skin, raising the goosebumps on my skin as I sat up. The room was quite dark, I faced the mirror in front of me and stared at my dark figure which stood out from the white wall behind me. If I could look at my face, I'd see dark rings around my semi open eyes and bags which would drag my long face down.  

My wife was sound asleep next to me, I could hear her soft snores and see the rise and fall of her stomach under the sheets. That’s when I heard it again, a loud wail which echoed through the house, a high-pitched cry. My head pounded, she cried again, our newborn baby, it was the third night in a row. My vision was foggy, the world had started to tilt as I lifted my heavy feet and placed them on the cold ground.  

“When will this get easier?” I grumbled under my breath, as I stumbled towards the bedroom door.  

I couldn't see. The floorboards squeaked as I put my weight on them, I was scared of waking my wife, who was sleeping in the bed peacefully. She'd awaken like a dragon, baby or no baby, but that'd make the tension in my head worse. I felt the cold draft of our open window as I crept towards our open bedroom door.

There was a rustle from the bed behind me, I turned my head slowly to the sound. My wife had rolled over to my side, a loud snore escaped her mouth, I smiled softly as I walked out of the room. The light automatically turned on; the light was powerful, I felt as if my eyes were burning, stinging as the light ate away at my vision. The floor became warmer every step I took, I turned into my daughter's room; the lights were already on.  

She was crying, yelling, screaming. My ears cried out in pain, ringing as the awful noise infiltrated them, she sounded like a broken tornado siren. I looked at the pink painted walls and the many gifts which she had received, which was piled up in the corner of the room and the small white cot, where she slept, was in the middle of them room. She rolled around on her back, touching her feet as tears streamed out of her eyes and the awful scream poured out of her mouth.  

When I found out my wife was pregnant, I didn't know what would come in store. I thought that having a baby would be simple, I didn’t' know how naïve I was. We were looking after another human being and this was just the beginning, I looked at her dark skin and amber eyes, she was a beautiful baby. My heartbeat faster when I scooped down to pick her, my forehead began to sweat, and my arms trembled. I smiled as she calmed down and looked at her chubby cheeks as they stretched into a smile.  

“Oh Mani,” I whispered, “You’re so tiring, but so adorable. I love you.”  

As soon as I said that, she started to laugh. Her smile widening, her eyes smiling as she let out sounds of happiness. This made me chuckle, I felt lighter in the stomach and chest. Looking into her hazel eyes made me feel brighter, I held her closer to me and felt her wiggling and pushing on my arm. She had tiny hands and tiny feet which kicked and waved around, she scrunched her button nose as she smiled, something which her mother did.  

In fact, she looked a lot like her mother, her round button nose, the hazel eyes and her small curly hair was all her mother. She looked like a small angel, yet, made noises which only a demon could make. But even after all the nightmares, she still was the light in a dark room. Her large eyes began to close as I swung her gently in my arms, from side to side. She started to curl in a small ball, I picked up the pacifier which was in the cot and placed it in her mouth.  

The fidgeting finally stopped as she fell asleep in my arms, I heard a squeak from behind me. A bend of the floorboards, I turned carefully, lifting Mani’s head as I turned. I saw my wife, her eyes were red, her back was hunched, and her curly hair was a mess. She walked gingerly towards me, as peered over my shoulder. She smiled subtly; tears formed in her eyes as she gazed into mine.   

“Thats the first time she’s slept in your arms.” She whispered excitedly. 

Without another word, she wrapped her arms around me and fell into me. I could feel her tears smudge onto the back of my neck, I leaned my head towards her to bring her in closer. The room became warmer, I felt like sleeping, the world was blurry all I could see was the angelic sleeping face of Mani. My smile was so wide it hurt my cheeks, I looked at my wife, she was smiling harder. There was life behind her hazel eyes, fireworks as I had achieved something.  

She leaned to kiss me, a small peck was all it was, but it meant so much to me. A congratulations, I had managed to put my daughter to sleep on the third day of knowing her. I managed to make my daughter laugh, I could hear her giggles and sighs in my head as I leaned over and placed her gently in the cot. She lay on her back, her arms and legs spread out like a starfish. My wife kissed me on the cheek as she left the room, I smiled and touched the part for where she kissed.  

I entered my room and lay in bed with my wife, she held my hand under the thin sheets. I closed my eyes and smiled, I could feel her looking at me, but that only made me smile more. I could feel the sleepiness take over my body. I went numb and sunk into the mattress, the duvet blended into my skin. It was warm, just the way I liked it. All noise was gone, I couldn’t hear my wife’s heavy breathing, I was finally asleep...but that’s when I heard the horrific shrieking of Mani again.