Max Barry Short: How I Met My Daughter

My favorite author, aussy, facebook friend –Max Barry has posted his second in as many months’ short story titled: How I Met My Daughter (that title reminds me of “Not Without My Daughter“, that Sally Field, Alfred Molina (Spider-Man fame), movie about: An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well).
Well, this is a little bit different. You can tell Max drew upon a lot of his personal experiences in terms of being a new father recently, so it was very interesting to read those subtle insights. The story’s about a couple and they’re trying to “baby-make,” and well, you’ll see…here’s the first passage:

They dragged this bloody, howling thing from my wife’s abdomen, its limbs twitching and clawing, its face like an angry pumpkin, and asked me, “Do you want to take a photo?”

Yes. I want to take a photo, so I can look back on the end of my life.

Well, that’s not accurate. My life had been ending for nine months. No, longer: since the moment on our third anniversary when, over oysters and champagne by the bay, Lisa said, “I think we should have a baby.”

I said, “I think we should, too.” It was so romantic. She was so beautiful. We were drunk and guilty with joy, like kids on Christmas morning: we were this happy and we hadn’t even opened the big one yet.

Her eyes shone. We held hands across the table. Somewhere on the water, a ferry sounded its horn.

That was the beginning of the end.

Read Rest>>

p.s.
Here’s the comment I left Max after reading the story:

Let’s just say my heated dinner is still sitting in the microwave, because I wanted to finish reading the story.
I probably liked this better than your earlier short, Springtide, but its shiety asking a fanboy to choose favorites.
p.p.s., I liked the ‘emo’-ness of it. heh.

Permalink Posted in: misc December 13, 2007