SIMPHIWE SHANDU THE HUSBAND

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“Babies!” I am in a lighter mood today. I am happy and very much alive. The past months I would come back from the hospital and go straight to bed to take a nap. But today I feel like being on the father mode. 
“Sisi, I am releasing you early today.” I say in an ecstatic voice. She looks at me and smiles. 
“Should I ask why?” 
“Ow yes, my dear sister. My wife has finally woken up.” I say wishing to do a gwaragwara dance. She covers her mouth with her right hand and jumps up and down. 
“That means she is coming home soon?” 
“Not soon but yea soon. If you know what I mean.” We both laugh. 
“Remember when I told you to keep praying and never lose hope. This is what I was talking about. God has finally remembered you.” 
“Indeed, he did.” 
“Will call my boyfriend to pick me up.” She goes up the stairs. I guess to take her handbag. I sit on the couch and smile while looking at my kids. They are so grown looking all good without their mother being present. What I love about my kids is that they do not cry for any reason. They are just quite kids and very peaceful to be around with. I look at Zuri and smile. She has been a very big sister to Fihliwe and I am very proud of her. 
“Come to daddy.” She runs in my direction and throws herself in my arms. Fihliwe is just sitting there breaking all her dolls into pieces and putting them back up again. You do not disturb her when she is in this mode. The nanny comes down. 
“The food is in the fridge. You will just preheat it. My boyfriend is here now. Bye kids.” She walks out and closes the door. I like her for my kids. She is very good with them. 
“Hungry?’ I ask Zuri who is now focused on Pepa Pig. “Yah neh!” I laugh to myself. I decided to let them be. I guess I will make food for myself and chill. 

NOZIMANGA

“Where am I?” I ask looking around. “Halo!” I feel my voice eco across the field. Looks like I am in a forest of some sort. I see a shadow coming towards me. This man has a huge smile on his face. For a second I get confused. How did I get here, and how did he know I would be here?  
“Jele?” I look around. He just smiles and stands Infront of me. “Where is Simphiwe?”i asks – still he doesn’t reply. He comes closer and reaches out for my stomach. He rubs it without saying anything, his hands are so cold. He takes steps back until he disappears out of sight. That was so odd of him. 
“Jele!” I swear this man knows how to pop up and just disappears just like that. I look around and it seems to be getting dark and I am all alone. I am trying to follow the direction he went by - but it seems like I am going backwards. I sit down and...
“Mrs. Shandu wake up!” I open my eyes and confusion floods back. Wasn't I in the forest? I feel my chest burning and like I have been hit by a truck. I rub it but my stomach just turns. Everything just comes up. They quickly make me lay on my side. I feel my strength leaving me. A sharp pain shot right through my lower abdomen made me flinch. 
“Ouch!” I retort wiping my mouth. I lay on my back. The whole room is spinning. I force my body to lay on the side again. The pain seems to be getting intense by the second. 
“Can I use the bathroom?” 
“No, I believe you are in labor.” The doctor tells me. I am stuck in the labor part. This cannot be happening to me. Not when I have just woken up from the dead. Is he not the one who said I was out for months! I want Simphiwe. 
“I want my husband.” I hiss grabbing the nurse's hand. The pain is too much for me and it hurts. It’s just unbearable. My entire abdomen is on fire. I open my legs then close them again. 
“Go call him.” The nurse nods and rushes out of the ward. 
“Why am in so much pain?” I groan curling my body into a ball. I want to stand my legs are not strong enough. I want to shit!
“Ngifuna ukubhosha!” I scream already pushing my stoop to come out. Quite frankly nothing comes out. 
“Nothing is going to come. You haven't been eating solid for months remember.” He is just standing there with no help. So, I am taking the blame for all of this! This bloody hair is making me annoyed. 
“Can you cut my hair?” 
“No.” 
“You are useless.” A hard pain strikes. I close my eyes and groan. Shouldn’t he be giving me something for the pain. I swear I want to shit! I tried pushing again but still nothing. It just the pee itself. I sit up straight that is also not helping. I kneel – that also is just making matters worse. You know what the painful part is, when the doctor tells you that you are not yet fully dilatated. They think it's turning us on if they keep pricking their two fingers into our pudendum! 

Hours later Simphiwe comes in running. His eyes are all popped out. He looks sweaty and afraid. He comes on to the side of the bed and holds my hand. 
“I came as soon as I heard.” 
“Just leave me alone.” I cry. “Abuhlungu amabhandi. Just remove them” 
“I can’t remove them. These are fetal monitoring. It measures the heart rate and rhythm of your baby; I mean of our baby.” The more he talks the more he annoys me. I click my tongue and look on the side. I tried removing them, but he held my hand and looked at me with those pleading eyes.  
“Okay mam. You are now good to go.” The doctor looks at the screen then back at me. He finally removes the fetal monitoring and I get to have a fresh breath. 
“You'll be taken to an operating theatre for your elective caesarean. Your theatre team will prepare you for surgery, which can take some time. You'll be prepared for your anesthetic so that you don't feel any pain during the surgery.” Simphiwe explains. The bed is being wheeled out. My mind is just in the wilder lands all lost. I am confused. How far am I? Have I been going to the doctors for checkups? What really happened that made me lose some memory of my life just a couple of months back? A lot does not make sense to me. I will not crack my head with all theories. When the time is right, I will remember. The lights are so bright in this room. Preparation takes place and anesthesia follows numbing the pain. My whole lower part is just cold. 
“Do you feel anything?” The doctor asks. He pokes me with a needle underneath my foot. 
“No.” Later the lights get dimmed and there was a huge light that was shining upon my only. I close my eyes...
All I could feel were the movements, but no pain inflicted. Simphiwe is clinging on to my hand like he is the one giving birth. I weakly smile. Does God have any idea how much I have been wanting to have a child. I'm sure his mother will be disappointed wherever she is. If she is not in my house causing havoc – that is what she is good at after all. 
“Ow my God! He is so big.” The doctors say picking the baby up. Simphiwe looks at me like he is regretting something. Or is he beyond happy. The baby begins to cry with his tiny cries filling up the room. 
“Looks like there is another head here.” The baby is being placed on my chest. He feels so warm. Again, I feel movements and indeed they pull out a baby with a big head. I frown looking at the baby. 
“He is also a boy. Looks like God decided to bless you with boys this time around. Ay this child can really hide. How many ultrasounds did we do per week?” The look on the doctors face is not satifying. Maybe there must be something wrong with the baby. He looks at the baby on my chest and looks at the one he is carrying.
“Are you sure that this baby comes from her stomach?” Simphiwe asks looking astonished. I want to laugh so bad, but I am just too weak. The room erupts with laughter. 
“You saw for yourself Sir. Your wife delivered two sons. But they look so different.” 
“What do you mean they look different?” Simphiwe stands up. 
“Looks like we are facing a heteropaternal  superfecundation situation here...” I don’t hear the rest. I fall into deep sleep. 

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“Wakey, wakey.” That is Simphiwe waking me up from my peaceful sleep. I forgot that I just gave birth to two babies. 
“Where are the babies?” I ask out of panic. 
“Right beside you.” I turn my head to the left and here they are. One is so big and the other one is so tiny.
“Why is this one so small? He even has your big head!” He laughs and stands beside the baby cot. 
“Yea.” 
“And this one. He doesn’t look like you. He doesn’t look like me either.” He keeps quiet and clears his throat. 
“They are just three hours old and already you want to tell who looks like who. They are still yet to change watch and see.” He might be right. I am too quick to judge. The other twin doesn’t settle me. I look at Simphiwe and he looks like he is deep in thought. 
“Are you okay?” shouldn’t he be happy that I gave him two big heads even though the other one os not big.
“Just overwhelmed. We will manage with so many kids?” 
I laugh. “What do you mean? It's just the two of them You making it seem like we just had a soccer team.” He chokes and looks on the side. I wonder what the hell is wrong with him.