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SMNTY Fiction: Terminus (Chapter 11.2) · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samitha. I'm welcome to Stefan
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Never Told You production of iHeartRadio and welcome to another
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: edition of Minty Fiction are ongoing monthly continuing. That's the
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: same ortis ongoing fiction. Portion of Terminus, the Deep Population Event,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: something that I wrote when I was the first time
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: I did Nana Raimo in twenty ten. Haven't really edited it,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: just want to share it and talk about it with
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: all of you. Christina, our super producer, makes this amazing,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: adds in effects. If that's not your thing, If this
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: whole thing is not your thing, I totally understand, especially
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: right now, because it is intense. Which, speaking of that
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: brings us to our content. Warning. We have some child
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: endangerment in this chapter. A lot of discussion around infertility,
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: wanting to have a kid but not being able to
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: have a kid. Violence, kind of just ominous threat, so violent.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: So I would say, insults around motherhood, internalize ableism, and
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: shame and fear around pregnancy. This is part two of
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: chapter eleven. As I said, so go check out that
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: part if you haven't already, probably check out the whole
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: thing if you haven't already, but especially you know that
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you're going to be very confused. So to help with
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: any confusion, because this is just a monthly thing that
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: we do, here's a quick recap. So sometime in the future,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: humanity is almost on the verge of extinction because of
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: a sex based disease that makes it very, very difficult
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: to have a child. There is a new government that
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: rows up and has taken control, called the State, and
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: they control alongside a religious group named arm and they
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: have taken all control over the things around conception. So
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: there are conception centers you have to go to all
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: kinds of things. If a child is born, they control
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: where it goes. Our main character, Tilda, has escaped with
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: her baby when he was only one years old and
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: they've been on the run for seven years. She is
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: a priority number one case but doesn't know why, and
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: that means she's being tracked by government enforcers, the winters
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: coming as they say the elements are against them. They
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: have had several run ins with enforcers, there have been injuries.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: There have been allies, including a woman named Lynn, who
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: helped Tilda heel after she was shot by an enforcer
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: and also told her that there was rumors of a
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: resistance in Kansas City and that they might have a cure. However,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: when Tilda and Madison found this resistance, they are not
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: what she thought they were. They don't have a cure,
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: but they do believe that there has been a vaccine
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: that the state has created but won't share with people.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: So now the resistance wants Tilda to come with them
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: with Madison as some kind of leverage since they are
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: priority number one cases as they go to try to
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: get this vaccine, and they were just generally largely antagonistic
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: against her. Madison loves it there because he met other
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: children and got to play games, but she's having like
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: panic around being separated from him and about what to do,
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: what to do next. So that is where we are,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: all right, let us get into the second part of
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: chapter eleven. Behind her, someone called Tilda's name, but she
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: ignored them as she ignored the looks of vilification and
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: deification directed at her. Tilda didn't understand either the hatred
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: or the admiration or the judgment. She only understood that
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: she had once again made a mistake and that she
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: needed to get to Madison. She ran into someone. Hard
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: hands grabbed her upper arms and She shoved the person away,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: jogging further down the hall, almost frantic. Turning down the corridor,
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: she dashed into the playroom, stopping short at the sight
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: of Madison happily playing a board game with the other
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: three children. A man sat on the floor next to them,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: engaging them in conversation, making them a giggle. Tilda Zulia
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: shouted from around the corner, and Madison's head shot up
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: at the sound of her name, Tilda, he exclaimed, gleefully,
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: leaping to his feet and bounding over to her, giving
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: her an enthusiastic hug. Tilda returned it automatically, carding her
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: hands through his hair. We're playing a game and Sophia
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: keeps cheating, he announced, cheerfully. Scandalized, Sophia denied, I am
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: not cheating. Madison flashed her a dazzling smile and tugged
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: at Tilda's arms, his way of communicating to her that
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: he wanted her to carry him. Tilda obliged, swing him
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: off his feet and into her arms as Zulika came
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  Speaker 1: up behind them, Can I go to school? Mess and asked, excitedly,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: I wanted to class with Sophia and Casey and Phoenix
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Tilda couldn't help sliding her eyes over to Zulika, who
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: watched her with a wide, worried gaze. She spared Tilda
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: from answering how could she she was so tossed her
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: around and lost. If you don't mind, Amelia would like
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: to check the boats of you out, make sure everything's
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: all right. You're not deficient in any vitamins or minerals,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: any underlying conditions. Things like that. I might even be
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: able to score you more milk. She winked at Madison.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: His eyes looked up at that, and Tilda quiesced, falling
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: behind Zulika more to avoid Madison's face shining with happiness
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: and his questions, because she didn't know what else to do.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: She was tired of making decisions, of being wrong, of
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: too little, too late. She'd been making the calls since
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: escaping with Madison years ago, and she wasn't sure a
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: single one of them had been the right one. Zulka
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: set them on the nearest bed in the infirmary. Tilda
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: couldn't help but glance behind her to ensure her pack
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: still slouched against the wall, Amelia appeared, placing a tray
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: of medical supplies on the bedside table, muttering something about
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: fetching them more food. Zulika left. Did she apologize on
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: behalf of Taylor yet, Amelia asked, brusquely, rummaging through a drawer.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Remembering the blonde's caustic remarks, Tilda cleared her throat. No, well,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: allow me, Amelia snapped on some latex grubs. You're not
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: allergic to latex, either of you. Tilda shook her head.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: Amelia nodded approvingly. Scoot down and sit next to your mother,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: dear Madison obeyed, eyeing the medical supplies on the tray.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Warily Taylor, and for that matter, Mark and Adam can
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: be a bit. Tilda supplied several words in her mind,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: and Amelia smiled, finishing difficult to get along with. Good
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: at their jobs, but not the best with people. She
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: rolled a stool over and sat in front of them. Anyway,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I promise we're not all like that, Tilda
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: nodded numbly. Now, we don't have the best equipment, but
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: we make you. Let me see your hands. She took
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: hold of Tilda's hands and inspected them, pulling out a
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: tube of ointment and rubbing it into the blackened cuts
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: on her palms. That should heal up nicely or either
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: of you hurt anywhere else. Tilda looked to Madison, who
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: gazed at her basins, seechingly. Your leg, he reminded her.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: It's fine. She dismissed, but Amelia inquired, what about your leg?
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: She was shot? Madison supplied solemnly until the side. Amelia
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: arched an eyebrow shot enforcers. Tilda answered, got hid in
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: the calf, but it's fine. Now, how long ago was this?
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Amelia probed a week? Maybe pursing her lips, Amelia ordered,
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: let me see. Resigned, Tilda pulled up her pant leg.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: The wound had almost completely faded. Someone patched you up.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Amelia's question was more of a statement yes. Tilda didn't
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: offer anything more, and Amelia dropped it not causing you
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: any pain. Another shake of Tilda's head, Well it should
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: be all right. She replaced the pant leg. Now, what
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: I would like to do is get a blood sample
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: from each of you and run some test. Make sure
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: everything is working like it should be. Frightened at the
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: prospect of a blood sample, though he had no idea
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: what it entailed, it didn't sound good. Madison whined, But
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: we're not sick. Amelia smiled indulgently at him, and this
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: will help make sure you stay that way. Though the
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: thought of someone having Madison's blood twisted her stomach in knots,
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: she didn't care about her own. It was dirty anyway
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: til it allowed it. Coaxing a whimpering Madison to keep still,
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Zulika reappeared, a bag hanging from her arm and a
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: tray in her hands. Brought your clothes, Zulika informed them,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: setting the tray down on a table, rolling it over
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: to them, and dropping the bag next to their bed. Now,
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: I couldn't get you any more milk today, but I
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: did get some fresh juice and a piece of chocolate.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Madison clapped his hands excitedly. I don't know about you,
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: but I like to save my dessert for last. The
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: child nodded at her, replacing the chocolate back on the
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: tray from where he had it poised in the front
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  Speaker 1: of his mouth. Tilda ate mechanically, her mind running in circles.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Zuleika and Madison made small sock but she didn't pick
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: up on any of it. A crackling sound filled the air,
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: and the conversation stopped dead. The speakers whined with interference
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: flaring to life, and then Tilda heard a voice she
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: had thought she would never hear again. This is Leanna Nahan,
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: mother of Tilda. Tilda, wherever you are, please come home, baby,
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: All will be forgiven you. You and your child will
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: be safe. You can stay with us, with me and
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: your father will be be a family again. Her voice
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: wavered and wobbled as Leona tried to keep tears at bay,
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: her grief transparent. She sounds older. Tilda amused and then
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: almost laughed aloud hysterically at the ridiculousness of the observation.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: You can't trust the people you meet out there. You
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: are not safe. They are liars, They want to use Madison.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: Just come home. Please. We love you so much and
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: we're so so afraid for you. We've missed you so much.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: You remembered the story I told you about how I
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: churched your name. Please, we'll wait for you. The static
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: cut off abruptly. The silence that followed seemed deafening. Tilda
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: could picture her mother, lips twitching in the battle for control,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: thin shoulders hunched, black hair now streaked with gray. She
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: pictured her father hovered in the background, anxious arms crossed,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: wiry glasses, sitting crooked on his nose. Over the years,
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Tilda had wondered fleetingly if her parents missed her, if
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: they thought of her at all. After the discovery of
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: her pregnancy, Tilda had been whisked away before she got
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: a chance to explain, and hadn't seen her parents since
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: they hadn't been allowed visitations, Or at least that's what
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: Tilda told herself. They had never visited. Whatever the case,
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: the last memory she had of them was their faces,
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: a mixture of horror, disappointment, and devastation, her mother screaming.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: As the enforcers took her daughter from her home. Tilda
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: became aware of movement, shouting, but above them all she
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: heard Madison's soft voice. Was that your mother? Taking a
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: deep breath? Tilda nodded. Mark skidded into the room, having
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: caught sight of Tilda as he jogged by. They know
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: you're here. Was that really your mother's voice? Tilda confirmed
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: it a second time. We need to leave now, he
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: bit out. Zuleikis did No, We're not ready. Ground team
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: is back. The longer we stay here with them, he
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: pointed to Madison and Tilda, the more time they have
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: to find us. It's them they want. We leave now,
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: and he left without giving Zuleika a chance to argue further.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: She stared at the spot where he had been gawking,
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: before visibly collecting herself. Come on, put on your new clothes.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: She pulled the curtain in front of the bed, giving
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: them some privacy. When neither Tilda nor Madison moved, Zuleika
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: urged them to hurry. Clumsily, Tilda exchange her old ratty
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: clothes for some dark lairs better fitting. The same is
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: true for Madison. After she finished lacing up her boots,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: she helped me Adison with the rest of his clothes,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: checking that they were done. Zulika snapped back the curtain,
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: glancing distractedly into the hallway. Tilda combed her fingers through
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: messy blonde hair and scooped Madison into her arms. What's happening,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: Madison asked in a tiny voice. Tilda shifted him onto
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: her hip, determined not to be separated from him at
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: any cost. I think we're going on a little trip.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: Zulika darted from the room, speaking hurriedly to someone outside.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: Tilda slung her pack over her shoulder, fevered thoughts of
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: escape racing through her mind, even as she knew them
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: to be futile. For some reason, memories of her father
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: trying to explain immovable objects and unstoppable forces kept floating
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: to the surface, a bright orange buoy in a sea
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: of dull ashen panic. Adam strode into the room. Come on,
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: let's go. He gripped Tilda's upper arm and pulled her
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: into the hallway, leading her back into the open space
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: at the entrance. But we just got here, Madison complained.
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: Un Tilda almost chuckled. I know she had the sidestep
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: to avoid being knocked off her feet as people rushed
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: by her. She thought of reminding Adam that Madison was
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: a child, that he shouldn't go near any type of battle,
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: that he wasn't the bargaining chip. She feared they wanted
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: to use him as, but something told her it would
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: fall in deaf ears. The novelty of Madison, of his innocence,
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: his newness to this world, paled in comparison to the
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: unyielding hope pardoned adults held for a shiny new one.
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: What was it to them if Tilda never saw Madison again.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: If it meant an opportunity for its second chance selfish,
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: So it may be, Tilda did not intend to let
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: that happen. Adam tugged her into a big, cargo like area,
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: a dimly lit, monochrome space buzzing with activity. There were
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: three large transport vehicles with long calves, sleek and black
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: people piled into them. Is set. Adam siled up to
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: Mark's side, and they started conversing, hurriedly, walking towards the
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: closest truck. How did it go again, Tilda wondered as
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: she hoisted her in Madison up into the vehicle, people
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: on either side of her, sliding onto one of the
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: two benches against opposing walls. What happens when an unstoppable
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: force meets an immovable object. There was yelling, and the
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: truck vibrated behind her back. Madison clung tighter to her neck.
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: The engine didn't rumble as Tilda expected, but ran silently
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: with a jerk. They started moving, easing up an incline.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: Looks like your mother is working with the state, Adam's
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: voice issued from her left. Tilda didn't realize she denied
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: his claim aloud until Mark pressed her from the other side.
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: What makes you so sure? I what she said about
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: my name? It was a message. The enforcers were there,
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: or somebody was. Somebody was making her say that. What
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: message do you like to ask from in front of her? Curious?
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: Doesn't matter, Tilda said expressionlessly. You think they know about
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: the resistance where it is, and that I was there.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: We don't know. Mark glared at Taylor when she snorted.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: But we aren't taking the chance. We needed to move anyway.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: What happens when we get there? Tilda stroked Medicine's hair absently,
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: doing her best not to fathom what the future may hold.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: We get the vaccine, Mark told her blank, knowing pushing
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: would get her nowhere and that most likely she would
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: not like the answer she got. She did not ask
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: him for more details. Light streamed in through the windows,
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: a dusky light on the cusp of dark. The truck
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: emerged from a tunnel and onto a lower surface street,
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: cold air leaking in wherever it could. Tilda settled in
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: her seat, preparing for a long stint. I didn't get
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: to say goodbye. Madison whispered tearfully in her ear, and
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: she rubbed his back comfortingly. Maybe you'll see them again,
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: she murmured. She could sense he wanted to say more,
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: but his shyness prevented him from doing so. In front
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: of so many strangers, the conversation around her shifted from
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: roots to tactics, to theories and speculation about what a
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: vaccine would mean. Tilda mostly tuned them out, and with
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: the light, their voices faded away, an atmosphere of grim anticipation,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: nerves and blood waiting buzzing with the upcoming battle. Moonlight
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: bathed the back of the elongated truck in silver light.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Tilda wasn't a good judge and had no landscape to
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: go by, but she suspected they were traveling pretty quickly.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: In her arms, Madison breathed easily asleep. Having him in
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: her grasp gave her a feeling of security, grounded her.
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: She dozed. When Tilda was young, she used to ask
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: her mother about the day she was born. Her mother
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: dismissed her inquisitiveness with a comment about how she was
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: too young or something similar, but Tilda kept asking. After
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: a hard day at school, Tilda came home crying. Her
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: sobs would not be abated. Apparently endless in her grief. Today,
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: she had learned about pregnancy and all the horror and
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: shame and guilt with which it was synonymous. She felt guilty,
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: guilty for being born, guilty for continuing to be alive,
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: for not appreciating everything her father, her mother had been through,
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: jest for her to be born, and so ashamed, ashamed
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: of being someone who could get pregnant when she didn't
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: understand the power and awesome responsibility, Ashamed that the possibility
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: of becoming pregnant and not becoming pregnant, and terrified of
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: either outcome. Her mother had found her curled up on
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: her bed, consumed with tears. She sat on the edge
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: of the bed, and Tilda hid from her from her
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: gentle face, parked and cratered with sores. A hand caressed
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: Tilda's hair, and she swallowed back her grief, determined not
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: to be a burden ever again. Do you know why
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: I named U Tilda? The soft question from her mother,
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: called Tilda by surprise, and she stilled. Her grief lulled
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: as curiosity breached it. She shook her head into the bedspread.
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: Her mother scooted closer. When I first found out I
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: was pregnant, I was so happy ecstatic. Really, Leona's voice
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: carried the weight of memories. Tilda perked her ears immediately.
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: Your father and I felt out all the forms petitioning
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: for parenthood, but we had stiff competition here. There was
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: a pause. Untilda turned, flipping to her other side so
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: she could look into her mother's eyes. I couldn't bear
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: the thought of not how you after nine months of
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: carrying you inside me, after years of worrying I never
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: have a child, the thought of not having you, if
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: not watching me grow. She trailed off far away. I
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: fought harder than I've ever fought in my life. Tilda
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: blinked up at her, tears dripping into her hair. Her
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: mom smiled tenderly at her and rubbed her arm comfortingly.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: You gave me strength, strength I never knew I had.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: You gave me courage. You made me whole, the best
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: of what I could be. When I was in labor,
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: there were health complications. It was taking too long. The
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: doctors were afraid that by the time they got you out,
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: you'd be dead. But I've thought, I thought of how
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: beautiful you'd be, how wonderful it would be to hold
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: you in my arms, to look down on you and
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: share my life with you, and I fought. Leona stroked
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: her daughter's hair, studying every bit of Tilda's face and
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: committing it to memory. You were born a healthy little girl,
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: and the bored of responsible parenting granted me and your
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: dad guardianship of you because they saw how hard I
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: fought for you, how my own health was inconsequential to
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: your own, how much your father and I loved you.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: Tilda stared at her mother, awed and small in the
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: shadow of her love. Leona reached down and wiped a
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: tear away with a callous thumb. When the time came
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: for a name, I wanted something that would remind me
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: of how hard I fought for you, She paused, brushing
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: an errant strand of hair out of Tilda's eyes. Do
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: you know what tilda means? Tilda shook her head, grief,
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: engulfed by the sheer magnitude of her mother's tender adoration
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: of her. I learned it from a fairy tale. Its
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: root is the German word hilled. Leona leaned down and
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: place a kiss on her temple, whispering in her ear.
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: It means battle, and that brings us to the end
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: of part two of chapter eleven. We hope that you
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: enjoyed it. I was very excited about this two part chapter,
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: so it is. It's a turning point, a lot, a
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: lot happened, a lot was discovered, a lot of plot,
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: and then at the end you get to really see
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: me lean into my love of the meaning of names,
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: the whole interlude of why Tilda was named Tilda. There
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: are a couple of interludes throughout the story that I
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: just really had fun to do, and they're sort of
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: snippets of the past. So I hope that you enjoyed
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: that as well. And I'm not the only one, but yeah,
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: we're getting into some action now, so be sure to
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: check in back next month for what happens when they
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: for when they make it to this lab. In the meantime,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: let us know your thoughts, your theories. You can email
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: us at stuff vidia mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter, a momster podcast, or
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: on Instagram and TikTok as Stuffone Never Told You. You
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: can also find us on the public and we have
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: a book that you can pre order at stuff. You
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: should read books dot com, either as an audiobook or
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: physical book. Thanks as always too, our super producer Christina,
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank you
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening stuff I never told
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: you the direction of my Heart Radio. For more podcast
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio, you can check out the I
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple podcast or where you listen to
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: your favorite shows,