From her experience of the time with me, it seems the midwife was able to handle the situation calmly. It was said that if she had been even a little bit slower in untangling the umbilical, the child would certainly have died. At the time that I first heard this story, I remember feeling great joy at the fact that I had indirectly saved the life of my good friend. Now however, every time I remember that event, my feelings about it are more complicated. Perhaps, if Maria had never been born into this world, it seems likely that so very many people might not have lost their lives.....