arbors still alive and continued to be untill her 70s, she died from pneumonia but aside from the inevitable she actually has grown to love her life in the cults facilities . arbor genuinely sees all the orphans there as her own even if they annoy her from time to time, she does miss the music from the bars but thats it.
“ Back then, there was a girl who had nothing, not even a God. And such a girl grew up into a rowdy woman , careless , disgraced— everything a lady shouldn't be. Working herself into prostitution as she sold her body to several reckless men, slowly destroying her body's last grace day by day untill she noticed a small bump in her abdomen. ”
Could this be? Is this really true for me ?
“ —She cried , for as foolish as she may be , she'd always longed to be the one taking care of others , for those who destroy themselves too are those who would beg others to not follow in their very steps. ”
“ Arbor is her name , a woman born into poverty and the cruel grip of the world. For Arbor to have lived without any education , she had to have worked in bars , giving herself to many people to be able to have a life that others can call 'living' . But it isn't just Arbor now , with the bump on her abdomen now a constant reminder as her tears dropped to the dirty floor. ”
“ For as glad as she was , she couldn't afford any checkups anytime soon , so for Arbor to give her child a happy life , she had to work overtime. ”
“ Each paycheck was saved and tucked away for her doctor's appointments , the rest would be put into getting them both out of here , for no daughter of Arbor will follow the path of shame she walks. The days stretched as she worked , reaching weeks as she finally saved enough for her first checkup , tears dropping as the doctor spoke , putting her results right infront of her. ”
Ma'am, Im sorry pero hindi po bata yung tumutubo sa loob ninyo kung di po tumor.
“ The words seem to have rang repeatedly in Arbor's ears. Each ring seemed to have broken through all her fantasies and dreams of raising a child . Each ring breaking the image of her carrying her newborn in her arms , the image of an infant coming into the world and being held by her— their mother, instantly shatters as the doctor continues to talk about possible treatment for her as she scrambled to say she can't afford it nor does she have the insurance for it. ”
“ She can only walk out of the cheap clinic holding nothing. Eyes blurring as the tears continue to fall onto the ground as she sobbed , leaning her back against the wall as she drops down onto the ground as she broke down , every dream she had imagining the life she could've had with the baby , every melody she'd learn to sing for them so they wouldn't have nightmares , every one of her texts to her old friends asking for advice on how to swaddle and change a baby. All shattered , all gone. ”
“ Though perhaps not all hope was lost when a thinner figure walked infront of her , face hidden by the surgical mask and eyes narrowed as the figure spoke. ”
Kaya ko po tanggalin ang inyong problema, Miss. Para lang po sa isang maliit na hingi ko sainyo.
“ The voice was feminine , hushed as they spoke to her. Offering a deal that ensured she'd leave society forever. The thinner figure would operate on her for free and in turn Arbor has to join the cult their in— with her heart almost crushed and her mind fogged with heartbreak , lacking all her sensibility as she agreed. ”
“ Arbor didn't know what she was doing anymore. She never did , did she truly think she can raise a child when she herself has no education? when she lived in a shabby and dirty apartment with rarely anything inside? Who was she kidding , a child would never want that life. Arbor thought so as she followed the figure into a seemingly large house , plain and empty in furniture , windows boarded and multiple locks on the doors. Lying down in an unfamiliar room on an uncomfortable bed , her vision faded out as she felt the cold wash over her. ”
“ Opening them back to stare at the ceiling she doesn't recognize , her hand weakly coming up to her lower abdomen as she gritted her teeth , feeling the fresh closed wound that could've given her someone to love. ”
“ The masked figure hummed as they stored away the wet sack of flesh in a small cooler , catching the movement in the corner of their eye as they gave a small smile under the cheap surgical mask. ”
Ang lakas po nang loob nyo Miss Arbor, siguro magiging magaling na inay kayo sa mga bata dito.
“ Arbor could only take a sharp breath as she nodded. Even if she couldn't be a mother to her own , atleast she can watch and help other children grow under her care. ”
“ To leave society and serve an old name— there was nothing to hesitate about when she was born from nothing and had nothing from the very beginning , society wouldn't miss nor remember a woman who'd sold her body , she'd only be called a pathetic slut like every other woman put down by the word. ”
notice ! i only edited the moles and added a small gradient in her hair + added subtle shading to her skin and face . other then that i do not own nor take ownership of the art .
notice ! translation for bold and italic words :
"Maam, im sorry but its not a baby growing inside you but a tumor."
"I can get rid of your problem, miss. just for a small little favor from you."
"You're so strong Miss Arbor, you'd make a great mom to the kids here."
