Thursday, September 25, 2003

 
I have a nephew. He's my older brother's oldest child, and was born when I was 17. which means he turns 20 in two weeks. He was brought up partly by my parents, partly by my brother, not at all by my brother, and is an independent creature who works wherever he can find work. Over the years we've been fairly close and I've tried to keep contact with him - sometimes he even calls me, which I think means I've succeeded. he's a good kid. I like him.

and probably tomorrow, or the day after, a girl he spent time with in February is having a caesarian at 31 weeks to deliver his first child, shockingly early in my opinion. he's dealing with it as best he can. of the family, only my brother and myself know. this girl, whom I haven't met, apparently smokes and drinks and her placenta has basically given up. which makes him, the unintentional father, angry, and so am I in a way. he's only 19 and this is a huge responsibility, one we suspect she chose to place on him. he's concerned about the state of her house and her ability to care for the baby (she's 27, with a 10-year-old, but if a teenage boy thinks she's a bad housekeeper, how bad must it be?)

the baby will probably still be in special care when I go into the private part of the public hospital to have my baby. I can't do anything about this situation except listen to him and hope, and to some extent admire that at least he hasn't washed his hands of the whole thing. he's been here today, and now he's off to the hospital and I'll know soon when I'm to become a great-auntie to a potentially ill, potentially badly cared for little baby.

the girl lives in the country town 100k away where I, and the nephew, grew up. apparently she's not that approachable. and what can an old aunty do anyway?


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