Ana Wasn't Ana

A couple got news that they were expecting their first baby. After months of anticipation and a risked pregnancy, the time for the baby to be born was here. Ana, the name given to the baby, would grow up to become a warrior in the biggest battle there is... life.

A baby's birth mostly means happiness in a family—not to Ana's. Ana's parents had been praying for a baby, but a male one. You see, Ana's family was wealthy. Like most families, they had a tradition. Their tradition was to give everything the grandparents owned to the first male grandchild they had. Meaning that Ana's father and uncle had to race each other into having a baby. Ana was born with Eric, her cousin, following behind by just three days. As tradition promised, Eric's name was written on every document there was for him to be named as the official heir of the family's fortune. And that's when the battle for Ana began.

Ana could be found most of her childhood sitting in a corner of her room, punished for wearing a pink shirt instead of a blue shirt. By the age of six, she was sick of the color blue and all its shades, but she could do nothing about it. At the age of nine, she wanted to take ballet classes for the summer, but her parents signed her up for softball instead. She would Eric frequently, seeing how he could do anything he wanted. When Ana asked for a pony, Eric got a horse. In family events, Eric was the one who would get the first slice of cake, do speeches as he grew older, and be invited every summer to the family's cabin, while Ana was signed up for soccer, softball, and summer classes.

At the age of 17, Ana told her parents she wanted to be a veterinarian. She told them she had a passion for animals, even though she was never allowed to have pets. Her parents ignored her wishes and told her she was to study medicine. Which she did. Once she graduated she met a man named Dave, who was also in the field. They had two male sons with three years of age difference. Dave was a very jealous man. He told Ana she was to be working with him only, no other men. And she would go from work to the house. During their entire marriage, they had three trips: two as medical volunteers and one that was an anniversary gift. Dave retired at the age of 67. And even though he was eight years older Ana, he didn't want her working without him, therefore she quit her job.

Ana thought that because of retirement and the money they had they would enjoy the rest of their lives. But she was wrong. Dave would go on trips frequently with his friends, blaming Ana frequently, saying she never wanted to go on trips which forced him on doing so as well. She would run to the restroom, cry silently, and wipe her tears before she turned on the television to spent the day watching soap operas and serving food.

Dave died at the age of 83 from an overdose in one of his trips. As if burying your husband wasn't hard enough, Ana's two sons decided to take her to a retirement home. They said they could hear her crying frequently and just stare at the television, which was sometimes off. They didn't think she could take care of herself and they were too busy with their lives to do so. After three years, Ana got used to her new life. She had the same routine every day. One night she had a dream, a dream in which she was flying. She could look down and see how unhappy she was with her parents, with her husband, with her kids, and with her outcome. Ana woke up in the middle of the night, she walked up to the mirror and realized she wasn't the five-year-old who hated the color blue, she was a 78-year-old woman who hated the color blue. She looked into the eyes that stared back at her and said, "Tomorrow you will be you! Tomorrow I will wear pink, sing my favorite song, and go to the park to feed the birds and the squirrels!" That morning Ana was no longer chained down by her family's beliefs. That morning, she was cold, unable to breathe. That morning, Ana was free.