“Well, I could donate one of my eggs to you.”

Lavidia was already 19 and still wasn’t a mother, despite being married for four years. She was in the room they had built for her younger sister, who was only two years younger but already had two sons. The two of them were taking care of the kids, and, of course, ‘the topic’ came up again.

“Thanks a lot, Ladia, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I don’t need anyone else’s eggs. I have my own for that.”

“Come on, it’s been four years and still no pregnancy.”

“Well, Mom took three after she got married.”

“Yeah, but...”

“Besides, how do you know the problem is mine? Maybe Batro is the one having trouble. Your eggs wouldn’t help. It would be better to have another husband if that is the case.”

“But what if the problem is yours?” she insisted. “Let’s assume that.”

“Even if that were the case, nowadays there are surgical ways to fix it. Or even without that, just hormonal therapy.”

“Either way, Lavidia, you have a problem,” she blurted out. “Mom had four boys before you and I came along, and then two more. I already have two. If you’re like us, —something probably sure— and taking into consideration how long it takes you to get pregnant, you’ll hit menopause before having a daughter.”

She couldn’t hold back any longer. The gossip or even whispers from many she considered friends were testing her patience.

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“Enough!” she exploded. “Why do I have to be like you? Why do I have to be like Mom? Huh? Can’t I be like Dad’s sisters? They had many daughters, mostly girls,” she stared at Ladia. “Moreover, if what you always say is true, that I’m not part of this family and was swapped at the hospital, then what you said is just nonsense.”

“Okay, sorry, I...”

“And no!” she got frustrated. “This idea that we’re prone to having boys is utter nonsense. Whether it’s daughters or sons, it’s just random. I think it’s the father who plays a more important role, not the mother.”

Ladia realized she went a bit too far with her sister and tried to fix it:

“I mentioned my eggs because... in case you needed them, of course... it’s better to have family eggs. Mom is over thirty-five now, so...”

“I won’t need your eggs or Mom’s,” she interrupted. “I repeat, I have my own! Got it?”

Ladia didn’t respond. Lavidia had always been their mother’s favourite, and in a way, her sister had always been jealous of that. Now it seemed like destiny was putting her in the spotlight, even though the conversation didn’t start with ill intentions. But she couldn’t resist emphasising a fact that her older sister didn’t want to accept, let alone face.

Lavidia, on her part, continued changing her nephew’s diapers and then proceeded to bathe him.

That baby looked a lot like her when she was little. Same eyes, same mouth, same forehead... She had seen a childhood photo of herself, and they could have been the same person. Too bad boys change so much, she thought. But at that moment, that child could easily pass as her son, and no one would doubt it. Except for the hair colour, he resembled her more than even his real mother, debunking the absurd theories that she was swapped at the hospital.

She wondered if, when she had a daughter, she would resemble Ladia more or be like herself, like Lavidia. She had seen such cases many times because inheritance doesn’t have to be linear.

But first, she had to have that daughter.

And that’s when she made up her mind. The uncertainty had to come to an end as soon as possible.