Daughter's Perspective: New Milk
The irony was that Clarissa never wanted to go on the trip. She wanted to stay home and focus on the law firm internship she had.
But when she returned from the brief South American trip, she was glad she went. Her parents were anthropology professors, so visiting the ancient temples was like heaven to them. Clarissa was thrilled to see her prudish and academic-minded parents having so much fun.
She felt refreshed returning to work after the trip. It felt like the sort of reset she needed from the busy law firm schedule. Getting back to work, she was determined to make an impression.
Clarissa was speaking to an attorney about a breach of contract claim they were looking into for a client. Most of her day-to-day activities involved doing case research and helping to draft documents.
"See what you can find on anticipatory repudiation," the lawyer said. "Particularly cases within the last 10 years involving construction. The law has sort of evolved."
She nodded. "Sure, I'll get right on it. Did you also want me to...uh...."
Freezing mid-sentence, Clarissa felt a pang in her gut. Another pang around her chest area forced her to curl her lips.
"Is... everything okay?" the lawyer asked with concern.
She forced a smile, "Oh, sorry, I'm fine."
The lawyer asked again if she was okay and she laughed it off. After getting her instructions for the day's work, she snuck off to the bathroom for much needed privacy.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she gently pressed her palm into her stomach, wondering what it could have been. By then, the feeling was already gone.
Afterwards she opened her blouse to examine in her chest. Breast examinations were something she took seriously and did on a routine basis. She worried that today would be the day that she found something. She pressed two fingers around her chest, looking for any lumps.
With a press on top of her left breast, she noticed a funny feeling inside of her bra. It almost felt ticklish. She pulled at the left cup of her bra, looking at her pink nipple, and she noticed a trickle of wetness. Sweat? Possibly, but she had never burst out sweating before, much less from her breast area.
Standing underneath the white fluorescent light, she examined her nipple more closely. A drop of liquid was forming at the tip of her pink nipple.
The color was white.
And that was the moment Clarissa's life changed forever.
***
It was late in the afternoon when she arrived home. She managed to maintain her composure throughout her day in the office. Being the new girl meant working diligently without making a fuss.
Both of her parents were university professors who were forced to teach online because of the pandemic. Since this was a situation sensitive to women, she waited until dad was sitting in the living room watching tv before she could talk to mom about it.
Clarissa was barefoot in her office clothes when she pulled mom aside into her parent's bedroom. The last thing she wanted to do was touch her bra because she didn't know what she was dealing with.
"What's wrong?" mom asked. "Everything okay? How was work?"
"Work is fine. Can I ask you something weird? In our family genes and medical history, is it normal for... ummm...."
"Go ahead. You can tell me anything."
That was always the case between them. Her mother had been her confidant and one of her best friends. She had long considered herself blessed to have such a relationship with her mother.
Clarissa gulped. "Does our family have a history of producing breast milk?"
"Well, yes, of course," mom snickered. "It certainly helped you grow."
She shook her head. "No, no. I mean,
before
pregnancy. Or even before conception. I read online that it's possible."
"That's never been the case, to my knowledge. Why?"
The mood between them was tense. Clarissa had always been open with her mother about medical needs, and her mother was generous with information. Their conversations about the female body were always candid.
"I think I was..." Clarissa paused for a moment. "I think it happened to me today. I don't know. It tickled and milk came out."
"Milk? Are you sure?"
Clarissa gulped. "Mom, it was milk. I tasted it."
Her mother looked dumbfounded by the news, as anyone would be.
"And you're serious about this?"
"Completely serious."
Mom sucked in a deep breath. "Lactation generally occurs at the midpoint of pregnancy. Maybe you're pregnant and you don't know it yet. Perhaps you're producing milk early."
"I only practice safe sex with condoms and I've researched all the signs of pregnancy. What I feel is something totally different."
"What do you feel?"
Clarissa gathered her thoughts. "I felt a pang deep in my lower gut where my ovaries and uterus are. Then I felt the same thing in my chest area, around my breasts. It almost felt ticklish there. I went to the bathroom and did a breast exam, then milk came out. It's the craziest thing."
"How long has this been happening?"
"Literally just today. I think I touched a poisonous plant when we were in the jungle. Or it could have been an insect. I don't know."
There was a long pause.
"Oh my god," mom replied with wide eyes.
"What? Do you think it's a disease or infection?"
Instead of replying, mom said 'follow me,' and they brisked out of the bedroom and into the home office, where both parents kept their books and research material. Mom took a few minutes to sift through the home library.
Finally, mom was flipping through a book which appeared to be several decades old, before putting her finger on something to read.
"Oh my god," mom said again, speed reading the paragraphs. "You're going to think I'm insane."
"After the day I've had, I'm open to anything."
"Remember the fertility temple we visited?"
"How could I forget?" Clarissa replied. "You and dad were so excited."
"You touched the small statue on the shrine."
It only took a few seconds before Clarissa realized what her mother was implying. Yes, it was insane, but her parents were big believers in the supernatural. Clarissa, on the other hand, was more of a fact-based person, which is why she went into law.
"You're actually suggesting I'm possessed?" Clarissa asked with great skepticism.
"Not possessed. In their culture, you're blessed. There have been reports for centuries about this temple and it always gets brushed off. Who knows, it may be more real than we think."
"That's a big stretch," Clarissa replied.
"Open your top."
"All of it?"
"Show me your breasts," mom demanded. "I have to see this with my own eyes before we can proceed with this theory."
They used to be topless around each other for bra-fittings, changing rooms, and swimming at various locations around the world. It was always innocent. And they hadn't done it as much in recent years. But she trusted her mother's judgment more than anyone's.
Clarissa removed her blazer, undid her blouse, and unclipped her bra, putting everything on the table. She stood topless before her mother, with pert breasts and pink nipples on full display.
She kept her hands down while mom gave a visual inspection of the breasts, the same way a doctor would during a routine exam.
"You look fuller," mom noted, before holding her hand out. "Do you mind?"
"Go for it."
It was the first time her breast had ever been touched by her mother. In any other circumstance, she would have been grossed out. But this was a medical situation and her mother was an incredibly knowledgeable woman.
Her breasts were gently poked and prodded by mom's finger for nearly a minute. It was when mom pressed her fingers hard onto the underside of the right breast that milk shot from the nipple, directly onto mom's face.
It's a horrifying sight for any daughter, seeing her milk squirted onto mom's face. She watched her mother's shocked reaction, stepping back, then wiping it away. Neither of them said anything for a while.
"Yes, this tastes like real breast milk," mom said, wiping some of the milk from her face and licking it.
"I'm scared."
"Don't be scared. We have to tell your father. He wrote a thesis on South American temples and he's done extensive research on the supernatural aspects as well."
As she watched her milk twirling around in mom's mouth, Clarissa knew that this was only the beginning.
***
The family dining table was a place for eating and having family discussions about random things. Now, as they all sat there, everyone had a serious face as dad took a moment to digest the major news.
"If the folklore is true..." dad said before giving a dramatic pause, "then it should only be temporary."
"You and mom are freaking me out."
"Sorry, but I've read countless local reports and journalist accounts that have spanned centuries. I never thought it was real, but I've always been open to the possibility that it is."
Clarissa tried figuring out which had shocked her more. That she now had breast milk. Or that her parents were true believers in the power of a 'fertility temple.' Surely there was a plausible medical explanation for all this.
"Maybe I should ask my doctor," she said.
"And say what?"
The question was a cold reminder of how bizarre this situation was. Her dad, with the blunt question, had a point. It would sound crazy telling this to a doctor, having to explain that she went to a temple and now her young body was changing.
"You're right," she replied, acknowledging her father's subtle hint. "My doctor will think I'm out of my mind."
"There could very well be a rational explanation for all this. It could be a bug bite or a reaction to plant poisoning, as you had suggested."