ONYIYE THAT GIRL
CHAPTER 52
SISIPHO MAZIBUKO
She doesn’t know what the hell is going on – but whatever it is she hopes that her sister will pull through like she did years back when they were mistreating her. Throughout the past seven months she has been awfully quiet and stressed. She tried reaching out multiple times but no a available response. She took it upon herself to go down to a foreign city to look after her. She just came back from maternity leave but motherhood has not been that because because of her breaking sister.
“I do not even know what to do. I am certain that she is dying inside and I seem like a failure that once failed her before.”
She is in the office unable to work. Her mind is shifting all over confused…
“Love and support are the best things you can give to your sister. Make sure that she knows that she is not alone and that you will be right by her side helping her along the way. That is all I can advise you for now at the moment.”
She nods her head and sighs. Her stomach grumbles painfully and then it strikes, she hadn’t had breakfast and its now midday! How careless of her. She needs to gain some few kilos back. That baby can suck her nipple for hours without stop.
“I'm going out to buy lunch.” She looks at her wristwatch and indeed it is her lunch break. She pulls out her purse inside her bag and walks out.
Gerald follows her behind…
“Where are you going?”
She stops on her tracks, “where are you going?” she asks again. Surely he is ignoring her her in purpose.
“I am coming with you.” he responds.
“Gerald, you have a meeting in an hour. Aren't you supposed to be preparing yourself?”
“If only you could stop talking and let's, go, we will be back before the meeting can even start.”
She tried. Seems like he enjoys following her around. She hops into the front seat and buckles up.
“No way!” She says in a half scream. Gerald also hops in.
“What's with that smile on your face?” He smiles while driving out of the parking lot.
“When did you buy this car?” Shes asks, touching every seat. Yesterday her tiny butt was not in this car!
“I fetched this morning after dropping you at work. I wanted to surprise you."
Today he is driving a Mercedes-Bens A-Class A200 AMG LINE DSL 7G-DCT
“I feel like a celebrity at the moment.” She speaks. He parks the car in the parking lot and they both step up.
She is craving doughnuts and that is exactly what her mouth will ravish. She has to admit cravings for hard. She is standing by the bakery looking at all the goodies displayed. Gerald holds her from behind and kisses her neck.
“We have a meeting to get to woman. Make it snappy.” He whispers making her giggle. As if she asked him to be here. Now she doesn't have the time admire these sweet doughnuts. She buys the doughnuts that she loves and they walk out hand in hand.
She bumps into Lungisani and Thandeka passing by the bakery. Lungisani notices her and he keeps his eyes on her. Gerald sneaks his hand behind her butt and squeezes it making her to push his hand off her. Gerald opens the door for Sisipho and helps her in…
The day went on pretty fast and she did want it to end and surprisingly that Cici girl has been avoiding her at all cost and she prays that it stays like that forever. She just cannot wait to hold her baby girl in her arms. She looks at her phone and she notices a missed call from an unsaved number she knows. She sighs pacing her phone aside, she is not in the mood to deal a moody Lungisani. What could he possibly want from her? Just because he saw her this morning now, he has to ruin her happiness. Was it not enough when his sister took the only happiness that had ever happened to her? Or maybe, he thinks that she really did an abortion? If that is the case then he should kick himself where the sun doesn't shine. No daughter of hers will be seen by that man.
She walks out of the office and she notices a post on the front door of the entrance. Fronk desk assistance required…
She walks past and greets the rest of the guys before walking out of the building.
She finds Gerald already waiting for her - his face looks sour.
“What's wrong?” she asks standing beside him. She will never get used to this beautiful car. She imagines herself seated inside with her baby…
“My mother is in hospital.” He speaks. She takes a deep breath and gives him a side hug.
“We can pass by the hospital.”
He nods his head in exhaustion and sighs.
She moves exactly how he feels. Having a hospitalized mother is no joke. She's been there and it was a difficult experience. With her no family ever came by to check up on them beside mamncane even though they had a terrible encounter and she still needs to apologize to that woman.
She looks at him as he is driving clenching his jaws. She knows better not to say anything.
AT THE HOSPITAL
“Dad, what happened?” Gerald asks his dad.
“She tripped and fell at work straining her knee.” He smiles. How can this man be so chilled when his wife has strained her knee.
“She called me and said…”
“You know your mother will always emotionally blackmails you because you always jump when she wants you to. That woman is fine, trust me. It's just her knee but the doctors sent her to x-ray just to be sure that no damage was done.”
He sighs in relief. He cannot imagine his life without this clumsy woman.
What will his life be? He cannot imagine his life being empty.
The doctor did confirm that it is nothing serious, just a minor incident.
He looks closely at his father wheeling his mother out. He wants nothing that will touch or hurt her.
“Will you be okay with dad?” He asks.
Precious smiles and looks at her son.
“You seem to forget that this is the very same woman that mistaken a dishwasher for a washing machine.”
He has always had about these crazy lame stories. As clumsy as his mother is – he is finding it hard to believe. He burst into laugh and looked at his mother who was looking at her husband ready to murder. These two has always been like Tomy and Jerry. He is just happy that he grew up under the roof that is filled with love and happiness. Nothing that matters, right?
He shakes his head and closes the door after his mother is seated comfortably.
"Bring Siphosethu, I miss her!"
"First thing tomorrow morning."
"Good." The watch the car car as it drives out.
“Your mother is so dramatic.” Sisispho.
“Talk about thee most dramatic woman ever! The way she cried over the phone saying that she is hurt and she cannot walk, maybe she is now crippled. I was so shocked and couldn’t hold my emotions in.”
“I know hey, but I love her. She is a whole mood.”
“And that is why she is very fond of you. That woman is manipulative.”
“Stop being jealous.” They both laugh. He looks at her running out for words.
“What?”
“I just admire you a lot. You make me happy.” He responds.
Gerald drives out of the hospital taking Sisipho home. He will pass by the bank – he needs to make some serious changes in his life and Sisipho is in it for a big surprise for it.
ONYIYE’S HOUSE
She looks at her huge stomach and sighs sadly, not knowing what to do with her life. It would have been better that man allowed for her to at least see him, hold him. She misses him so bad that it hurts. She has lost a lot of weight and wants to be alone all the time. The kids? She has no time for them and she has abandoned them without care. Stress is really taking a toll on her. Imagine being seven months pregnant and having no support from that baby daddy. She is having yet another boy child. Is she happy that she will be having another little one? No! She sometimes feels like she could just take a sharp knife and shove it down her stomach and come out with the head. The sound of the noise just makes her want to break everything, even their tiny red hair.
“You should eat something Gift. That baby will die if you starve yourself!” Mam Philisiwe barks. She turns her head like a robot and looks at her without saying a word. She turns her head back to stare at the peach wall. She places the bowl beside the bed and steps out banging the door behind her. She can hear noise from the dining room area but she doesn’t dare move from her bed.
***
“Baba, I am sick and tired of Gift who just sits in her bedroom and only stresses at the wall without blinking or even talking. DShe is losing weight drastically but she doesn't seem to care! She is pregnant for crying out loud!”
“I know my wife. My Obim - I will try and talk to her. I am also hurting that my child is in this state. If only I was there for her when she was growing up maybe we wouldn’t be here. Maybe our lives would have been better.” Obina responds. “My father said all of this happening is because of the ceremony that was postponed. And I think that she is right.”
“I think we should do this as soon as possible before we lose that child that she is carrying.”
“I will talk to my uncles to sort out everything and the date will be set.”
The Johnson family decided to move her for the time being since Onyiye cannot do anything for herself. The kids were taken to Sthembiso’s mother for security reasons. Months ago, she lashed out at Ndimu almost swallowing him because he spilled water on the floor. This child loves her kids more than anything but today she hates them to the core. She has suddenly developed that defeatist attitude and self-deprecating.
She is trying to give herself some alone time. Distancing herself from the rest of world until she feels refreshed and strong enough to face the world. After all we are humans and we have to live in this physical world to learn to adjust with people around us. But it is defiantly hard for her.
Abnormal pains strike on her lower abdomen. She groans holding her huge stomach and frowns looking at the liquid flowing on the bed. She peed on herself yet again. This is exactly what happened yesterday. She continues to sit on top of the pool of the wet bed without care.
There is this sharp cramp on one side of her lower tummy. She groans and bites her lower lip in pain. She feels her uterus expanding in a very excruciating way…she sleeps on her side on top of the water that has splashed on the bed.
Tears wail out one after the other. Sthembiso cannot offer her the world and later he decides to spend five full years in prison. Did he really think about her or was he just too selfish and only thought about himself only. It pains her that she doesn’t get to wake up next to him to poke his nose, pull his hair, make him smell her fart. This is all surreal. Why would he decide to take the fall for her when she is the one who is a murderer and not him! She wipes the tears off her face. Seven months without him and it's been the worst experience ever.
She tilts her head a look at the white bowl Infront her. She groans stretching her hand and purposely drops the bowl on the floor making it break.
“Ahh!” she holds on to the wet sheets and groans within. She is having a blurred-vision, and becoming confused. The darkness is taking over and she takes a deep breath failing to breath.
Her hand drops and she takes a very long breath letting it out…
AT THE HOSPITAL
Obinna pacing up and down in fear of not knowing what to do. He has his hands on his waist in frustration. He turns his heels to face his wife.
“What would have happened if you didn’t check up on her?” He sits down and the tears blind his vision. He takes a deep breath and waits for the news.
Meanwhile inside the delivery room…
The doctor is using a transverse incision. It is a horizontal incision which is also called a bikini incision because it is placed beneath the belly button. Next, a 3- to 4-inch incision is then made in the wall of her uterus, and the doctor removes the baby through the incisions.
The healthcare provider cleans the womb while the doctors take the baby - then stitches up the uterus and closes the incision in her abdomen.
The doctors look at each other, the baby is not crying and he is way too white but pale, too tiny…
“The babe might develop a dangerous lung condition called meconium aspiration, if we do not clean his lungs.” The doctor says.
Without waste they place the baby on the table and they start by suctioning the baby's upper airways, including the nose, mouth and throat. They try giving the baby supplemental oxygen by mechanical ventilator. They then tap on the baby's tiny chest to loosen secretions, a technique known as chest physiotherapy.
“No response.” They say in defeat.
Moment of silence while the doctors will have to go have to break the news to the parents…
OUTSIDE THE WARD
“So, what does this mean?” Mum Philisiwe asks with her hands on her chest.
“If a woman enters premature labor, the medical profession will do everything to try and stop the mother delivering the baby. There are various drugs, complete bed rest, they do everything in their power to delay the birth as long as possible. But in this case, we tried everything we could but we couldn’t save the baby.”
“What do you mean when you say you couldn’t save the baby?” Her heart drums rapidly against her chest. She is worried that something undesirable is about to be unleashed. She feels her heart jumping to her throat.
“Babies who are born early have an increased risk of bleeding in the brain because immature blood vessels may not tolerate changes in blood circulation that occur during labor. It can cause future complications such as mental retardation cerebral palsy, and lastly the baby actually pooped while still inside her mother's womb making it hard for us to…”
“To do what exactly?!
She half shouts and begins to jump up and down because of fear. “You cannot just stand there and go around in circles not telling us what you are on about. You go around in circles will not change the fact that you will have to tell us at the end of the day!”
“I think it will be better if you sit down for this.” The doctor says.
She immediately feels tingling and numbness in her hands and fingers. She doesn’t want to hear what she is about to be told. Not her daughter and her grandchild.
“Are they dead?”
She jumps to the question.
"No, no. I'm afraid…"
"Doctor! We need you." One of the nurses say peeping through the door. Without questions asks her rushed off to the room leaving the parents behind in confusion…