"Push Chasca, push!" the elderly woman exclaimed, looking over the swelled belly of one Chasca Apaza. Atoc Apaza, her husband, looked on worriedly. He had no idea what to do, and when men feel useless, they will find a way to make themselves feel useful.
"For pities sakes woman! Tell her something she doesn't know!" he yelled, running his fingers over his dark mustache. He had waited 9 months for this, and he'd be damned if that old bag was going to ruin this for him or his wife. Couldn't she say something more useful?
"Atoc, leave!" Chasca gasped, her face red and her long hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, "I need her here, I don't need you yelling!" Atoc looked at her, his face almost as red as hers with embarassment and anger. Chasca reached over, grasping a vase and whipped it at him. He moved aside just in time, they beautiful pottery shattering against the wall beside him. Their marriage had never exactly been a peaceful one; but throwing things was new. Even if Atoc's reflexes implied otherwise.
"GET OUT!" she yelled, before letting out a long groan as another contraction hit her full force. He turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. That woman was difficult to deal with normally, she was a nightmare while in pain. He sat in the chair, still running his fingers over his mustache as he heard her scream, "WHY DID I LET HIM DO THIS TO ME. SUN GODS HE CAN HAVE THIS PAIN!"
He shook his head, running his fingers through his thick hair. It will be worth it, he thought to himself, when this is done and over with and I have my son in my arms.
He spent the time in the hall asking himself many questions. First off, where on earth were Chasca's parents? Shouldn't her mother be in there with her, helping her deliver her first son? And where was her father? Wouldn't he want to see his first grandson? Atoc shook his head, looking up the ceiling of the dwelling. Sun God, help my wife deliver a strong son.
What if it were a girl? He had never considered the notion that he may have a daughter. He rolled his shoulders, shaking off the thought. No, he would have sons, many sons who would make him proud. They would be just like him, though hopefully not as foolish.
He froze, just minutes later, when a thin scream pierced the air.
"You're almost there, just push one more time, big push!" the woman told Chasca, and with a thin scream, she pushed the child out into the world. The woman cleaned the child off, clearing it's mouth and nose as it began to cry.
"It's a girl!" the woman exclaimed, holding out the baby. Atoc burst through the doors, a look of joy and relief washing over his features.
"Is it a son?" he asked, looking at the child in the old woman's arms.
"No," Chasca replied, her voice dull and exhausted, "A girl."
Atoc looked down at the tiny face in his arms, smiling gently at the girl. She was beautiful. She was perfect, he thought as he counted all 10 fingers and toes, and she was his. "And what a beautiful thing she is," he said, touching her nose gently, "My little Chicha, Mi Reina."
