Chapter 8 No father

• "Good morning, who is the mother?"
• "Good morning, it's me."
• "Please fill out this form first."
• "Of course."
• Mrs. Clarisa takes Mia in her arms to make it easier for me to fill out the form. I start filling out all the information they ask for, except for one. When I finish, I hand back the form along with the documents they requested for registration.
• I am starting to feel nervous because we have falsified Mia's date of birth. We could go to jail if they find out it is fake and then they will take Mia away from me.
• The fat, bearded man looks at me strangely and then looks back at the documents in his hands.
• I can feel my heart beating fast and my hands sweating from how nervous I am.
• Seeing the look on that man's face makes me even more nervous before he speaks again.
• "You didn't write the father's name."
• "I... My daughter will not have her father's last name, he wants nothing to do with her. He has abandoned us, sir."
• I don't know if my lie will be enough for him to accept registering Mia, but the man surprises me with his response.
• "I'm sorry to hear that, nowadays many men do not want to be part of their children's lives. I'm sorry to have made you uncomfortable. You have a very beautiful daughter."
• "Thank you very much, sir."
• My soul returns to me at that moment, the fact that the man didn't realize the forgery makes me feel better. What he said about men becoming fathers nowadays is true. Not all of them want to take on their responsibility regardless of the reason they do it, as is the case with Mia.
• Several minutes later, we manage to register Mia as my daughter. I smile with happiness knowing that she is now officially part of my family.
• "Good luck, miss, something tells me you will be a great mother to that child. I'm sure she will prove to be a strong woman and raise her daughter, even though she is too young to be a mother. I wish you all the best."
• "Thank you very much, sir. I will show everyone what I am capable of as a young mother. I won't give up so easily, I won't!"
• "I hope to see you again in the future."
• "Thank you very much."
• Hearing those words that the man offered me today makes me feel and want to never give up.
• I will fight for Mia to become a great woman.
• I will fight for both of us.
• With that in mind, we leave that place and return home.
• "Mia, come with grandma. I will feed you and change your diaper. How happy!"
• I smile seeing my grandma so excited, she happily takes Mia to do what she has said. Mrs. Clarisa and I stay standing in the living room.
• "Would you like some tea or something to drink?"
• "Water would be fine."
• "Please, have a seat."
• "Thank you."
• I go to the kitchen for some water for Mrs. Clarisa and myself. Before leaving the kitchen, my grandma comes in and looks at me very seriously.
• "Are you happy?"
• "I am, grandma."
• "Very well."
• I look at her amazed by her sudden change. I decide to ignore her change in mood and return to Mrs. Clarisa.
• "Here you go."
• "Thank you, Zoe."
• "You're welcome."
• "How are you doing with school?"
• "Very well, I'm not bad if that's what you think."
• The woman and I laugh at my comment.
• "Don't take it the wrong way, I just want to know that Mia will be well taken care of by you."
• "There's no need to worry, I will be here to help my granddaughter with Mia."
• "And I won't give up so easily, Mrs. Clarisa."
• "Call me Clarisa, you can skip the term Mrs. It makes me feel old."
• "Okay."
• We laugh again and talk a little about the emotions we felt when registering Mia a while ago.
• "I have to go, my shift will start soon and I can't be late or absent, I would be fired if I did."
• "Thank you so much for everything, Clarisa. I will always be grateful to you."
• "Don't worry, Zoe, you don't owe me anything. Call me if anything happens, and I will rush to see you both. Okay?"
• " Yes, all right. Good luck with your work."
• " Thank you."
• Mrs. Clarisa leaves and leaves us alone. Our day goes smoothly. I was starting to get used to the role of mother, my grandmother is teaching me everything in due time.
• " I never thought being a mother would be so difficult."
• " What you have done so far is nothing, you must always be alert in case something happens. When you have to spend sleepless nights because Mia gets sick, it will always be terrifying for you. Especially the first time it happens, but I assure you that little by little you will do everything as it should be. You will not be a perfect mother, but I know you will succeed."
• " Thank you for helping me and supporting me, grandmother."
• " I trust you and your judgment, I am sure that when you least expect it, you will receive a huge reward for what you are doing. Not everyone would adopt a baby without knowing its origin or the existence of its parents, it is your destiny."
• Time has passed too quickly.
• Today we were about to celebrate Mia's first birthday. In the celebration, only Mrs. Clarisa, my grandmother, and I are celebrating my daughter's first birthday.
• During this time, it has been truly difficult for me to adapt to my new role. I have to quit one of my jobs to take care of Mia after school. My grandmother also quit her job to help me one hundred percent with Mia.
• Mrs. Clarisa has helped me get into an organization that helps single mothers and young people. Thanks to that, we get a monthly income for Mia's expenses.
• I have to work fewer hours during the week, but add extra hours at my job as a waitress to cover the expenses of my grandmother and myself.
• I have not neglected my studies at all, even already graduated with honours and am about to start university.