My Boy
December 2, 2008
Anton age 8
Anton age 10
Anton age 12
Anton two months ago
It was Antons 14th birthday on Friday. Like every birthday I couldn’t believe that is has been 14 years ago when i pushed him into the world. I still remember his birth as it was yesterday. The night in our apartment in Berlin Charlottenburg. My friend U. was with me because Sven was working as a projectionist at a movie theater that night. U. and I watched a movie on my small black and white tv. I was already a week past my due date and again nothing seemed to happen. U. had just decided to sleep over when Sven came home at midnight and the moment he opened the door I had my first contraction. I got up and fired the oven in the bathroom to take a bath. We had only cold water and Kachelöfen in that apartment. I am too scared of hospitals thats why I had my children at home.
My midwife was on holiday and her replacement didn’t hear the beeper. So nobody came until 3 o clock in the morning. I was in the bath for hours. I had never met the midwife before and when she came she said that was her first birth since 10 years. But she was great. Somehow she got me out of the tub and onto the bed. I left marks on Svens and my friends hands and arms when I finally pushed him out. It was 7 o clock in the morning and Sven went out to buy champaign and breakfast to celebrate. Anton was the most beautiful baby. He looked so familiar to me. He had the most perfect nose and ears. He still has.
He went on a big hike with two friends and two girls and Sven the next day. They walked three and a half hours to the rock pools and waterfall. Sven showed me on his camera Anton’s 5 meter jump from the rocks into the water. He never did that before. He seemed changed. He is becoming a man now. This morning I found a paper envelope in my laptop. “From a secret helper” was written in front of it in small skew letters. Inside were 250 Rand. Anton had given me his birthday money because “we need it more than him”. When I gave it back to him with tears in my eyes, he grinned and said, I knew you would give it it back to me anyway.
December 3, 2008 at 8:30 am
Uhoh, you just really touched my sentimental bone and I had tears in my eyes reading this! Especially about your boy turning into a man: I can only imagine what it must feel like from looking at my three litlle boys, but from what yopu write, I can tell i am also very much looking forward to it! Happy late Birthday, Anton!
December 3, 2008 at 9:03 am
bonne anniversaire anton ! gelukkige verjaardag ! happy birthday ! gluckliche burtstag ! compleanos feliz !
do you get a big voice now ? lots of kisses from the little family here !
December 3, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Ohhhhhhhh, I still remember you breastfeeding him, please don’t tell him, i didn’t knew you then, it was A and C’s wedding, he was so tall and already pulling up your shirt like a men, very straight!
what a touching story and a beautiful boy/men! congratulations to him and the parents.
the present story is fabulous, i laughed out loud, aren’t they clever!
hugs and love
A
December 3, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Thanks everyone! I will pass the greetings on to the birthday boy! And wow marguerite, 3 boys! Respect!
It is great when the grow up and become protective and bigger than you. No big voice yet, but almost.
Dear A, I also remember me sitting there at the table, feeding Anton and I didn’t think anything about it because I thought I did it always very discreetely without showing my breast and all, but A mentioned it later and I felt embarassed thinking I might have shown really bad manners, feeding a child at a weeding table and every time I thought about it I felt bad, like never wearing a bra in Thailand until someone tells you, you must not show nipples at all and suddenly becoming over conscious about the nipples that were piercing through my T-shirts all the time.
And now you still remember it!