After that, out of sheer necessity, if not outright self-preservation, I had learned to not only give a wide berth to David, but to faze him out when he hadn't been able to help being nearby. At that time, it had made both of our lives easier if we pretended that the other didn't even exist. So, on the day that I had the baby, it hadn't even crossed my mind on more than one occasion that it might be a good idea to pass the information on to David. And the one time that I had thought about it, I had decided not to.
Instead, I had decided to concentrate on my newborn daughter, whom I had named Olivia. "Olivia" is the Italian version of the name "Olive," and by my way of thinking, the olive leaf in the Biblical account of the Flood in Noah's day was a symbol of new beginnings. I had truly wanted to believe that Olivia's birth would mean a fresh start for us both, and in some ways, it was.
The first time that she had been out in my arms, I really hadn't cared about anything besides her. That moment is still one of my most precious memories. I remember that her warmth had startled me, oddly enough. For all of the hard, judgmental names, looks and cold shoulders that I had gotten because of her existence, Olivia herself had been very soft, warm, and fragile. Essentially, just a normal baby, although to me she had been and still is one of the best things in my life.
It was just me, her, and God against the world, but from that first time that I had held her in my arms, I had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would do whatever it took to raise her as well as I could.
Another drabble-sized chapter, this one being another ray of sunshine. And we're now three-fourths of the way through the story, so keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter! Reviews make my day, BTW. Thanks!:)