Exhaustion

It was only a matter of weeks until Amanda finally gave birth to her baby. She had checked with her obstetrician, and the baby was in a position ready for a normal delivery.

At first Amanda was worried that she would have to have a cesarean. But it turned out not to be necessary. She was relieved when she found out the price of a cesarean was very high.

"I hope everything will go well, if I have trouble giving birth normally. The other option was to have a cesarean too."

During her last week of pregnancy, Amanda could feel the baby kicking her belly. He was so active inside Amanda's belly. Although it was a bit painful, for Amanda it was a joy to know that her baby was okay.

"You're kicking, what's wrong? Hungry? Ehehe... I'm glad you're kicking. You are very active. Is it because i was very active while i was pregnant?" Amanda asked with a smile on her face while rubbing her stomach.

She was happy that her son would soon be born, but now she was confused about how to look after the baby when she had to work.

Amanda knew she couldn't possibly bring her baby to the cafe and hold him all the time. At the beginning of the birth, the baby must still be very vulnerable. At least until he is 5 months old, Amanda can take him to the cafe and carry him on her back.

"But who will look after him until he's five months old? Should I hire a babysitter? But... I want him to be cared for by me alone..." Amanda said in confusion.

She thought about leaving him with Camille while she worked. However, she was always worried about burdening her.

But that was the only way she could do it. She couldn't trust her baby to anyone else. If it was Camille, she already trusted that woman very much.

"Huft... I'll try to ask her later. Now I have to go to work first." Amanda picked up her bag and left for Jhon's cafe.

Since Amanda's pregnancy was getting bigger, Jhon told Amanda to just wipe the tables. He took over sweeping and mopping the floor. Amanda had said that she could do it herself, but Jhon told her not to.

She knew he was doing it because he didn't want her to get tired. But she felt bad for him because it was part of her job.

During the day, Amanda worked as usual serving the customers. The regular customers who knew Amanda well always asked to rub her belly. They wanted to feel Amanda's baby kick with their hands.

'I'm actually not very comfortable even though they are women. But what can I do, I can't forbid them either, I don't want them to take offense...' Amanda thought.

The cafe was more crowded than usual that day, with many tourists coming back for their winter vacation. Spring in Quespion was beautiful, especially in District 36 where there was a beach and lots of trees and flowers decorating the streets.

"How many weeks pregnant are you, Amanda?" asked one curious female tourist.

"It's 39 weeks. The doctor said it's usually 38-42 weeks," Amanda replied.

"Oh really? That means you're going to give birth soon. Congratulations," she said kindly. She said she wanted to have a baby soon with her husband because they were on their honeymoon.

Amanda smiled and hoped that the woman's wish would come true soon. She took down the tourist's order and gave the note to Jhon.

"Jhon... Two iced coffees and two burgers..." she said as she handed him the note.

"Okay."

For a moment Amanda sat on her chair near the counter to get the food. It felt like her breathing was labored and her stomach hurt from moving so much. Her stomach already felt so heavy to her.

"Amanda, are you alright?" asked an older woman. She used to come to Jhon's cafe to buy cakes for her granddaughter.

"Oh Mrs. Abelia, I'm fine. Just a little tired..." Amanda replied as she wiped off her sweat.

"Your face is a bit pale, dear. You'd better rest.." Abelia said, touching Amanda's face with concern.

The brunette woman shook her head slowly. She said she was still up to the job. Besides, there were still six hours to go before the café closed at eight in the evening. She didn't want permission to go home because she was tired.

"I'm afraid it will affect your pregnancy later. Don't do too much strenuous work,"

"Yes, I understand. Thank you Mrs. Abelia. Oh would you like to order the usual lemon cake?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, one lemon cake, please."

Amanda nodded and gave the old lady her order.

Finished with Abelia's order, Amanda returned to her seat, waiting for Jhon to bring the order she had given.

Seeing Amanda who had been looking very sluggish all day, when it was six o'clock in the afternoon, Jhon told Amanda to go home and rest. He couldn't keep Amanda working.

The woman had done a lot of work from morning until evening. She should have gotten more rest.

"B-but I'm fine. I can still do my job, Jhon," Amanda said trying to resist.

"Your face is already pale and you're even staggering a bit, you still want to make excuses?" asked Jhon raising one eyebrow at Amanda.

"I... I just need to sit for a while. After that I'll be refreshed, trust me."

The bald man sighed at Amanda's excuse. He folded his hands and stared intently at his café waitress.

"Do you want to go home today, or can't you come back tomorrow?" he asked more sternly.

Amanda was surprised to hear that question, if she still refused to go home at that time, it meant she would be fired.

Because of this, Amanda was forced to pick up her things and walk home from the cafe before it closed.

She sighed as she rubbed her stomach. It was true that she got tired easily now because she felt her stomach was getting heavier. Her legs also hurt very quickly. But she couldn't indulge in idleness, she had to keep working for herself and her son later.

"If not for our future, who else? Mama has to keep working to support us. But it's hard to do it now. It turns out that the struggle of a single parent is very difficult ..." she muttered.

As Amanda was walking towards her house, she heard someone walking towards her. A hand touched her shoulder followed by a woman's voice.

"Excuse me ma'am, have you seen this man?" the woman asked.

Amanda reflexively looked back because she was sure the woman was showing her a photo, and when she looked back, her eyes widened in surprise at the woman who was now in front of her.

Not only Amanda, the woman was just as surprised as Amanda when they looked at each other.

"K-Kylie?!"