Virgie: A Woman and Her Name

The sun hadn't even time to rise before Mrs. Crawford was waking the family with her cries of pain. The moment had come for her to deliver her baby, but the farm was miles and miles away from town and the nearest neighbor would take hours to arrive. No one could afford a vehicle during the Depression's severe abuse so Mr. Crawford was compelled to roll up his sleeves and play doctor as well as supportive husband. Despite the fact that he had already seen his wife give birth to five boys, he always felt his stomach churn as his wife gritted her teeth and tried in vain to keep her piercing contractions hidden from her concerned husband. He put her arm over his shoulder and helped her out to the shed where the necessary apparatus for the delivery could be found.



Even though he had done this five times before, he was nevertheless unprepared to assist his child with its first breathes of life. Mr. Crawford was an Oklahoma farmer who worked from sun up to sun down, breaking a sweat every single day, while making sure his five sons were growing up into honest gentlemen. They helped on the farm as it was a blessing to have any work in those times, but when their mother began her screams in the early hours of the morning, the five boys covered their heads with their pillows and kept their eyes shut. They weren't lazy, but they were farm boys nonetheless, and child birth was not their forte.

"Clarence! Get up! Mickey! Roy! Ernest! Your Ma's giving birth! Carl! Come on! Let's go! NOW!" 

"It's too early!" 

"Get up! Once it's over you can go back to bed. Ma says you can name the baby!"

Hearing the urgency in their father's voice, the boys knew they couldn't push the envelop any further and grudgingly crawled out of bed. They were in no hurry to get to the shed knowing how long the birth was going to take, and being half awake, they stumbled over cut corn stalks and other such croppery. Like their father, they couldn't help but feel a tinge of worry as their mother continued to withstand the sufferings of child birth. They had never seen her give into pain before, or even show signs of fatigue. This new state of white-knuckled, heavy breathing, and shrieks followed by moans was a little unsettling. Carl, being the youngest and therefore newest to his mother's agony, held her hand which seemed to help him more than her. The four other boys continued to bring buckets of fresh water, rags, and blankets to help with comfort. 

Everybody was quiet except for Mrs. Crawford, of course, and her husband who was talking to her in a calm and soothing voice. He touched her lovingly while saying things to try to distract her from the oncoming moment of intense pain. This went on for hours until the sun finally filled the sky with a light pink. The four boys who had been taking turns walking back and forth to the well were fighting to keep their eyes open, but their father had suddenly stood up, and softly, but slightly shaky, said that it was time. For the first time during the whole episode, the five boys showed some alert in their movements and expressions. Carl kept patting his mother's hand, Ernest squatted next to his father ready to lend a hand with the delivery, Roy dapped his mother's face with a wet cloth, Clarence went off to fill the bucket with fresh water, and Mickey paced the floor holding the small blanket that would soon be wrapped around the baby. The scene, though very serious, was somewhat comical with six men fidgeting with nerves as their mother and wife yelled without restraint. 

"I see the head!"

"Almost there! Here it comes. Push!"

Mrs. Crawford's cries were soon replaced by those of a newborn infant. To Mr. Crawford's surprise and delight, he held in his hands a little girl who seemed as healthy as could be. Everything had gone well. He handed his first and only daughter to Mickey would stared at her in shock and with adoration. He began to think that she was worth the trouble of waking up early in the morning. Mrs. Crawford was smiling at the looks on her mens' faces as they each took turns to hold the new member of the family. Though she was exhausted beyond belief, she was somewhat inspirited by the pure joy that filled the shed. After years of sadness and desolation, this short lived moment was charged with happiness and relief. 

"Well, I suppose now would be a good time to name her. Have you boys come up with anything?"

Mickey handed the baby to his mother who, for the first time, laid eyes on her daughter. She rocked her gently and kissed her little forehead. As Mrs. Crawford introduced herself to her daughter, the five boys huddled together, making gestures and sniggering to each other. It took about five minutes for them to come to a consensus. It was Clarence who stood as if at attention, and in a mock voice, he said, "We, after long debating and serious deliberation, have come to an agreement on the name for our sister. Since she was so kind to wake us up during the wee small hours of the morning, we have decided that she should be named after someone we all know and love. Virgie, the neighboring cow, who has often chased us with raging anger, who had nearly trampled Carl, and who has earned the name mad cow Virgie, is, in our opinion, a perfect influence for our sister's name. So, as all five of us have agreed, we name our new sister, Virgie."

Many chuckles and sounds of stifled laughing could be heard as Clarence gave his spiel. Mrs. Crawford was not at all amused by her sons' antics, but Mr. Crawford, being a very honest man, kept to his word, and with a trace of a smile on his face, he said, "So be it. Virgie Irene Crawford it is."

© Mikal Minarich