23

The silence before morning was broken by the first cry, a loud lament that reverberated throughout the little flat. Hazel cradled her baby boy in her arms, a beautiful bundle of exhaustion but ecstasy. He was all she could have ever imagined and more, and his arrival signaled the beginning of a new era.

Beside them stood Christian, bleary-eyed but with a Cheshire cat's smile. Hazy, he is so lovely. Many congratulations!"

Hazel forced a meek grin, love welling up in her heart. With his button nose and fine dark hair, her son gave off the impression of a calm alien visitor, a marvel cuddled up against her skin.

The nights that followed were a whirl of restless ones, constant changing of diapers, and the constant sound of an appetite-stricken infant. Nonetheless, a calm happiness and a feeling of direction gave Hazel newfound strength despite the mayhem.

Benjamin, uncertain at first, gradually started to establish himself in this new global structure. He was clumsy yet willing to help an