This post has long been overdue, but a busy work schedule plus the heat, are not conducive to any kind of creativity. The only two activities which I have been keenly keeping are my afternoon siestas and reading books.
In fact one of my colleagues has initiated me in the works of one Barbara Trapido and her Whitbread prize book ‘Brother of the more famous Jack’, and ‘Temples of Delight’. The books made good light reading over the weekend, which was good, as I did not have too much energy to do much housework.
Saturday saw me going out with ‘the gals’ to this beautiful restaurant in Birgu. Ok I swore a little as the long walk on high heels was not greatly appreciated, but once I got to the restaurant, I found that it was worth the hassle. The ambience alone was worth a million dollars in my opinion. The food was also of good quality and went down a treat. Don’t exactly remember the name of the eatery, but its the one just underneath the bastion, where there is a little creek. It’s at the very end of the Birgu waterfront. The company was, as always excellent, having two lawyers in the house regale us with their version of the law. There was also alot of ‘love’ in the air, in keeping with the theme of the moment. The ‘agronomist’ of the group gave us a spiel on the poor state of maltese soil, whilst the ‘marraige licence provider’ grumbled about why it is always mad dogs and English men who get married in the midday sun. The ’secretary’ tried her hardest to behave herself by not laughing too loudly. Needless to say, she failed utterly.
Now for something more serious. Of late I have taken to buying the Indy on Sunday, so as to read j’accuse’s article, being that I hate reading on the computer. I must say that I did not understand one inch of last Sunday’s contribution. I must be thick. But an article written by DCG caught my eye. I agree with most of what she had to say, but on the other hand I believe that she missed out on a few points. What DCG does not consider is, that most of those women who end up having ‘accidental’ pregnancies, don’t always have a backup, either from their partner or their immediate family. Unfortunately, after trying for a few months or maybe a year, the poor child is placed into care. Ok, fair enough at this point. Maybe the mother needs a breather, space to regain her feet, and to construct a better life for herself and her child. But what about those ‘mothers’ (let’s call them that for want of another word) who get pregnant by their partner, and then dump their child in residential care. People such as these usually have huge personal problems of their own, and are incapable of taking care of themselves let alone the child they have brought into this world. Unfortunately these ‘unwanted’ children are left in a residential home, without any hope of them being adopted or fostered. It is a sad sad situation. For reasons known only to themselves, these ‘mothers’ refuse to give up their parental life thus giving their child the chance of a better future. And this is relevant not just for the one child, but for all the subsequent siblings there might be. The poor children are usually rejected not just by the mother but also by their immediate family. So let’s not put all single mothers in one pot. There are some, who in my opinion, do not deserve even to have children in the first place.
I will not be a bigot and say that all single mothers should be stoned or socially ostracised just because they are single and happened to fall pregnant. But as in all walks of life, ALL choices should be available, and this also includes the legalising of abortion if necessary.
