Chapter 1: The Mixture
She Thought Her Son Was Away On Business When She Tried To Make Me Swallow The Mysterious Liquid, But He Came Home At The Worst Possible Moment.
I had been having contractions on and off all morning in our Atlanta home.
My due date was less than a week away.
Margaret arrived carrying a glass jar filled with something dark and syrupy.
“Drink this,” she ordered.
I stared at it.
“What is it?”
“Something women in my family have used for generations.”
“I’m not drinking anything my doctor hasn’t approved.”
Her expression hardened.
“You young women think doctors know everything.”
I stepped away from her.
“Put it down.”
Instead, Margaret grabbed my wrist.
“You’ve made this pregnancy difficult enough.”
“Let go of me.”
She suddenly shoved me backward onto the couch.
Before I could get up, she leaned her weight against me and grabbed my jaw.
Panic shot through me.
“Margaret, stop!”
She squeezed my cheeks and raised the cup toward my mouth.
“You’re drinking it.”
I twisted my head away, but some of the thick black liquid spilled between my lips.
I immediately started coughing.
My eyes watered as I pushed desperately against her.
“Get off me!”
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Margaret only pressed harder.
“Stop being dramatic.”
