Maria (standard:drama, 5458 words)
Author: J. Thalia	Added: Jul 22 2002	Views/Reads: 3599/2344	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
What happens when a child isn't cared for? What happens when a child isn't loved? What happens when a child is beaten? Who's to save that child?

“Congratulations! It's a baby girl!” the doctor says to the new parents.


“Oh great...” they both say as they look at each other blandly. 

As he holds his new baby girl, Mike thinks about the wonderful night he
and his wife, Tanya had. He realizes right then and there, this isn't a 
fake, he can't take her back. Suddenly, he feels the semi-excitement he 
was feeling before go away. 

“Sarah.” 

“What?” he glances at his wife. 

“Her name is Sarah.” 

“Do you really think she deserves such a pretty name?” 

“Oh well,” Tanya gets up. “Let's get this thing home.” They go to the
check out counter. 

“Now? Your child is 30 minutes old, and you want to leave?! Now? The
hospital needs to make tests on your child to make sure she's healthy.” 


“No, that's too damn expensive,” Mike protests. “I'm not spending that
well-earned money on her...” 

They leave the hospital. Without a baby seat or anything, they put the
baby in the back seat. Mike drove home fast. They got there, and went 
right in. Mike gets in and goes straight for the liquor cabinet. 

“Mike, we just got home, can you not drink? I don't want you to be drunk
around the new—OH NO!” 

“Wha—?” Mike lowers the bottle of whiskey. 

“The baby!” Tanya runs out to the car to find a baby girl on the back
seat, not crying, just looking around. “Aww, I'm sorry, Sarah.” 

Mike stumbles out of the house with an empty bottle in his hand. He
trips down the stairs, but gains his balance at the bottom. 

“I don't believe you,” Tanya holds the baby. “You left our child in the
car!” She walks past him, bumping into his side. She goes into the 
one-story, one bedroom, and one bathroom house. Tanya goes into the 
small bedroom, opens a drawer, and puts little Sarah in it, with all of 
Mike's undershirts. “You can sleep there, sorry we can't afford 
better.” 

Almost immediately, Sarah falls asleep, Tanya then lies down and she too
almost immediately, falls asleep. 

Mike staggers in, sees his wife, and then sees the open drawer.
“Whoops,” he mumbles. He starts walking towards where he thinks the 
drawer is, and he falls down. He gets up and finally, after a minute or 
two, he gets there, doesn't notice his daughter, and closes the drawer, 
falls down, and falls asleep on the floor. 

8 years later 

“Get in the damn car!” Mike yells into the house. “Sarah, get over
here!” 

“Why can't mommy take me to school?” 

“You know why! Your mother is at work!” 

“What about you? Don't you have to go to work?” 

“I'm an artist, I can paint wherever the hell I want, and besides, I
like you enough to take you, unlike your mom.” He takes a swig of 
whiskey. 

“That's not true!” 


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