Tuesday, February 28, 2012

(803) The Bailey's Lot by Catherine Cookson

I have probably read this book more than ten years ago. Reading it again recently stirred new feelings.

Nell, Fiona's helper, seems a very nice woman. She did not do well in her choice of husband. That selfish brute used her like a slave and denied her children for thirteen years. Finally when he got a (probably craftier) female pregnant, he divorced Nell. I have good friends who wanted to have new babies once their pairs(each friend has two kids) are schooling, yet both the rather rich husbands refused. The rest of us, made all sorts of suggestions: the most obvious one being getting the husband dead drunk so that he forgets to take precaution. One tried a few things suggested, none worked. That man is really too smart for words. The other woman is too honorable to be up to such tricks. Both friends of mine still are the proud mom of two kids each, the kids are fully grown. They are pinning their hopes on grandchildren now.

Recently, a corporate woman who is rather well known in the local circles delivered a baby while she is still single. She claimed that she selected a sperm donor. While there are some who said all kinds of things about her, I can't help but admire her guts. Here she is, a professional with impeccable qualifications, yet she is her own person. She does not fear any tittle tattle. She knew that her biological clock is running out of time. Whatever her circumstances are, she dares to have her off spring out in the open. She is definitely freer than my two friends who are bound by their husbands' wishes.

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