Azusena had had such a difficult childhood and so full of shortages that everyone thought it was possible that she wouldn’t survive because there it was common for children to die due to disease and lack of good nutrition to help them grow. She lived in a jungle area and was so neglected by the government that things only became more difficult every day. So as USANA was smaller than an average child her age and suffered from rickets, she had also been attacked by yellow fever and looked sickly and had little hope of surviving her childhood.
As USANA’s parents had prepared themselves mentally a long time ago for all their children to become adults because of the seven they had had, they had already lost two. They lived without hope and as much as the situation in which they lived painted them, there was nothing else they could do. Their environment was the only thing they knew, although they could not feel safe anywhere, hunger made people go to unimaginable extremes and they had already known several lurid stories which they preferred not to repeat so as not to attract anything negative to their family.
But even with everything, and after being on the verge of death on several occasions, Azana managed to survive. To reach the age of 16 was to conquer the world and in the town they always celebrated every time someone reached that age in spite of their scarce resources. But those celebrations were rare and also their only opportunity to distract themselves from their misery. And when Azuzana turned 16, it was also time for her to choose a partner because her parents, with so many other children to feed, could no longer take care of her. Turning 16 was becoming an adult for them and therefore the time to make her own life.
And since Sazena knew nothing about life beyond the limits of her town, she accepted without any problems an 18 year old boy who did not attract her in the least. But at that time she did not know what love was. Soon they were husband and wife, but even then, as usena’s sickly appearance as a result of her difficult childhood had not left her. And for that reason everyone believed that she was unable to conceive children. Despite the precarious situation in which they lived. They did not conceive of a childless marriage and believed that if a couple did not procreate, they had failed in such a way that it was preferable not to have survived.
Until then, although their cemetery was occupied by a majority of infants, they were unaware that their eagerness to bring new children into the world would also bring them more hunger and desolation. Therefore, as USANA was terrified at the possibility of not being able to become pregnant because that meant rejection by others. Besides, if she could not become a mother, she believed that her husband would have no reason to respect her and would surely go to someone else who could give her children.
But Azusena’s fears were soon allayed because against Dalai she was pregnant. But her pregnancy was still high risk. And to her surprise, and to the surprise of all of the neighbors who had not seen any other husband do this for his wife, martin used all the resources at his disposal to get Azuccana to a decent hospital in the city. By this time she was already five months pregnant and had an astonishingly prominent belly that contrasted with her malnourished body. So far, they hadn’t thought there was anything abnormal about her pregnancy, but without the need for ultrasounds, the doctors knew on seeing her that Azucena was not expecting a baby.
The next day they discovered the whole truth. The doctors had been right. Azusena was not expecting one baby, but six. Six little creatures were in her womb. And her case immediately caught the attention of the doctors and also the media. Not only because she was pregnant with six babies at the same time, but also because they considered it a miracle, as usnna was so weak and had suffered so much throughout her life that the doctors could not explain how she had managed to survive until then with such a poor diet.
She was anemic and her body lacked all kinds of vitamins. Her bones were not the strongest and her circulatory system was a real disaster for such a young woman. Everything in her body indicated extreme weakness. That is why it was surprising that despite having everything against her, azusana had managed to carry her pregnancy through, because in her condition the doctors had considered it impossible. But there as USANA was against all odds. Of course, for the remaining six months of her pregnancy she was provided with the necessary care and nourishment.
Although Martin had long since run out of money to pay for medical expenses and his stay in the city, his story had attracted so much attention that there was no shortage of help. Everyone had done their bit to help as USANA give birth to the six babies and for them and their mother to survive. They had even started to think about the future of the couple’s new parents because they wanted them to stay in the city. Their story was a miracle and everyone assumed it as such. And for them, as Usuna giving birth, there was also a blessing for the whole city.
They had practically become emblematic characters even though they were not born there. But the history of both of them knowing that for a small town to make it to 16 years was a miracle only forced their compelling need to help them, for they simply could not go back with six babies to a place where they could not even feed them as they should. And Martin and Azussena knew it was for the best. Even though they were embarrassed by how much everyone was helping them, they would never have imagined that their life would change in such a way.
And one day, at last, the babies were born. The delivery had been brought forward a few weeks and although the babies were born smaller than normal, they were healthy, just like their mother. They were soon strong enough to leave the hospital and were surprised to see that a house had already been prepared for them which Martin could pay for with a good job that he was offered and which, of course, he did not hesitate to accept. Thus they realized that their new life was beginning and it was several years before they were reunited with someone from their respective families, since they had been considered deserters almost when they left town.
But when Azusna’s parents finally got to know the city and realized how different everything was there and how welloff their daughter and grandchildren were. They understood that they had lived their whole lives clinging to old traditions. That they had done nothing but bring them pain and had not allowed them to move forward as usnna and Martin’s six children were better off than their own children had been. None of those babies would have to suffer for lack of food or lack of hygiene and sanitation and each of their birthdays would be celebrated.
And it was only when she reached the age of 16 that as usena realized everything that had been wrong with her life. But at the same time, she was so grateful for what she now had. She knew that if it hadn’t been for everything she had gone through in the past, she wouldn’t be there. She also knew that it would have been cruel to have been forced to marry at 16 to someone she didn’t love. But now she couldn’t imagine life without her husband. And she knew what love was because her children had awakened in her all the feelings that had lain dormant for so long, contrary even to what she herself imagined her life would one day be.
Azusena was happy, and for that she never tired of thanking God. Because despite all the trials of her destiny, she had always survived without knowing how she had made it and never stopped considering her and her six babies, who were stronger than ever. A miracle. Gone were the memories of misery and pain. Hunger never hurt them again and love enveloped each of Azure senna and Martin’s days like a bomb for their past. For her, her children had truly been a blessing in every sense of the word.