Ugly Babe

‘It’s adorable.’ A Lie.
‘She’s a girl.’

‘Of Course. Umm.’

You could hear the cries of infants throughout the hallways. Grown adults cooing and hugging and discussing where to light up their cigars. I looked at the child and smiled, or at least that’s what I thought I was doing.

‘You should be uhh… proud.’

‘Isn’t she the most precious thing you’ve ever seen?’

‘Of course.’

‘Do you want to hold her?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘No, you should take her.’

The ugliest baby I’d ever seen. I held her in my arms and looked at the clock. How long before I could give it up to somebody and not get called out? Her Grandmother came in.

‘Here. You can hold her.’

It started to cry and I thought the whole world would drown in screams. My mother looked in my eyes.
'You’re a dad! How do you feel?’