my growing stomach.
For several weeks, I slept wherever I could. Eventually, an elderly woman named Rosa allowed me to rent a tiny room behind her house near Guadalajara. She charged almost nothing and sometimes left food outside my door without saying a word.
I worked until my body could no longer handle it.
Family Law
When labor began, Rosa took me to a small private clinic. There were no family members waiting outside. No one held my hand except Rosa.
The delivery was difficult.
I remember hearing one baby cry.
Then I heard a nurse shout that there was another child.
Twins.
I had not known because I had received almost no medical care during my pregnancy.
The first baby was placed in my arms. She had dark hair and the tiniest fingers I had ever seen. I named her Valentina.
People & Society
The second baby