SIMPHIE SHANDU THE HUSBAND
CHAPTER 18
SIMPHIWE
I have been tossing and turning all night. Unable to fall asleep - I decided to watch Nozi in her sleep. She looked beautiful but with her sudden change of behavior, I really don’t know what to think of her. She sometimes scares me. I sigh getting out of bed. I need to drink water and take this thirst down. Maybe then, just maybe – sleep will crowd my mind.
I find the nanny downstairs with her very short pajama's revealing her perfect thick thighs. Talk about perfect brown skin. I clear my throat and push the thoughts out of my big head. She gets startled almost dropping her glass in the sink.
“Sorry, I did not mean to scare you.” I say standing beside her. She is almost my height. Well, same as Nozi’s height. She has boobies' boobs that’s for sure.
“I thought everyone was asleep.” She still has her eyes fixed on the sink and not even once has she attempted to even look at me.
“Couldn't sleep, my throat was dry.” she responds softly stepping further away from me. That is when I realized that the distance was not professional for the worker and the boss.
“Goodnight, sir.” She leaves me taking in a take breathe. I cannot let the devil win again when I am just rebuilding my home. Not when I have Bagqibile to deal with. Speaking of her - I need to call her. I need to set the record straight so she will know where she stands. Going back and forth is defiantly not healthy for my life and it's tiring honestly. It rings unanswered. I tried for the third time and luckily, she picked it up.
“What?” she snaps – that has been usual these days and it does not bug me any longer. She can be moody if she wants.
“Was just checking up om you.” I say with my heart hammering against my chest.
“Okay.”
“I know that you are mad at me. I am just going to be honest with you. I have a lot of issues to deal with Bagqibile. I have just recently found out that I have another baby girl outside my marriage. My baby has been having seizures and I needed to welcome both to the ancestors.” I take a deep breath.
“All I'm saying is, the baby you are carrying, I will need to do the ceremony for them before it's too late.”
“Wow, how many kids do you intend to have out there?’
“I have learnt my lesson. I just want to focus on my family and be a present father to all my kids.”
“It's okay, I can tell by the sound of your voice that you have a lot going on. It's okay, we will wait for you to be okay.”
“Look Bagqibile...”
“We will talk some other time.” she drops the line on me.
I gulp the water down and take a deep breath. That was not the conversation I wanted to have with her. I simply wanted to advise her that I can no longer continue with what we started. I want to live a healthy life with the woman I married.
Nozi is still fast asleep, and I don’t even see myself being married to another woman. I snuggle myself next to her...
___
I am woken by a splash of gaging sounds in the bathroom. The side of the bed is cold. I jump off the bed and run to the toilet and here she is kneeling with her whole face dipped in the toilet.
“Are you okay?” It might be a stomach bug or something. This explains everything to it.
“Must I send you to the doctors?” I ask and kneel beside her with my hand on her back.
“I will be fine.” She stands up and rinses her mouth.
I just stand there not knowing what to do next or what to even say. She looks like she is in so much pain. She groans and lays her head on the bathroom counter.
“Come, let me take you to bed.”
I pulled her by hand...
“I just want to be outside for the morning breeze.” Her voice is a bit different. More like husky.
“Okay, I will take you.”
While she sat outside with her newly found friend, I decided to clean our bedroom. V is allowed to enter every bedroom in this house but not the master bedroom.
Her drawers are upside down. Nozi has really become something I do not recognize, like honestly, I don’t know. I take all her underwear's out and something drops heavily hitting the tiles. I frown looking at the white stick.
“What is this?” I ask myself to pick it up. And to my surprise it’s a pregnancy test. Nozi with troubling herself with this. I believe I am the one putting her on the edge. I am the reason for all this. I sit on the bed and sigh thinking of the trauma I keep putting her through. The damage I keep on doing to this woman will someday backfire on me harshly. I feel my eyes being blinded by my own tears. I look at the stick again and...
“No!” I stood up at full speed and sprinted out of the house with my vest and shorts.
“Babe,” I have mixed emotions about everything. I showed her the stick and I saw her briefly smile.
“Is this?”
“Yes Simphiwe. I am pregnant.”
This makes the whole fuckery perfect sense.
“Why didn’t you tell me?’
“Because you were occupied by other kids.” she says shrugging her shoulder. She is sipping what seems to be lemon twist.
“I...” I fail to respond to her statement. That means I have really been a shitty husband. Again, I failed to notice the changes in her.
“I am here for you baby.” I say breaking the awkwardness'.
“Hmmm,” she sips again.
“Is it not too early to be drinking this?”
“It is.”
“Then why are you drinking it?”
“I am thirsty.” She responds looking straight into my eyes. I tried reading her but her eyes to be very empty and I don’t know that is the meaning of that. Zuri makes her way to us with her doll tucked underneath her armpit. She raises her hands up, her doll drops and waits for Nozi to pick her up. She picks her up and makes her sit on her lap.
“About...”
“Can we please sit in silence!” She snaps.
Okay, I will just let her be and focus on the morning sun. I cannot believe that my wife is finally pregnant with our first child! God has truly remembered us. I smile admiring her, she doesn't know how much she has made happy. The happiest man alive on this earth. She catches me staring and she smiles back warmly. This is the smile I missed. I gulped down the saliva, the day when she was awfully wet. Did she really sleep with another man? But then again, I trust Nozi not to destroy me as her husband.
JELE
Everything of his is packed ready to hit the flight in the next 3 days. He cannot believe that he is yet to start his life in another foreign country without his family and the woman who makes his heart skips a beat. He looks at her picture and smiles. In a month's time he will be a father. There is no better woman whom he wanted to carry his seed. By his choice, he chose right, and it was the best choice for him. Nozi seems to be in a delay to sign up for this contract. He is not only doing it for her but also doing it for their unborn child. He has been checking his email constantly, but nothing has been sent out to him. “Nozi...” he softly calls out to her. The events of the hotel play in mind. He feels his blood boiling in excitement rush. Now he wishes to be buried deep inside of her. He stands by the window and sends her a quick text. How he wishes he could just spend the entire weekend with her, bid his farewell properly. Rather do a little bit of shopping to get his mind busy.
____
He was on the kid's section side when he sported a cute romper. The color is neutral – fit for any baby gender. He picks it up and smiles emotionally. His mother is not here with him to share this experience. He will buy it and give it to Nozi, she will have to keep it until the baby is born. How cute will it look if the clothing has written baby Jele on it. He throws the romper in the basket and continues to shop.
He is loading his item in his boots when he sees Dudu approaching. He knows that trouble is about to start, he takes a deep breath and closes his boot.
“Mlando.” I turn to face her, and she looks like a total mess.
“Yes?” I have no time and energy for her.
“I need your help pleases.” she says. I chuck not responding to her. After some time, I asked.
“What happened to your baby daddy?”
“We had an argument.”
“Let me guess. You are the cause of the fight?”
“I hate to admit, but yes.” She blinks away with tears, and I see visible pain in her eyes. She has lost weight too.
“How is your baby?”
“For now, she is good. Simphiwe introduced her to his ancestors some days ago.” I nod my head with a hint of disappointment. Part of me wished that they had no communication – but who am I fooling. She has a child bimbo.
“I guess, good luck with your journey then.”
“Mlando,”
“Yes.”
“I still love you.” I smile while taking a deep breath. She never really did love me. She only enjoyed the benefits of what the boyfriend could offer. I got into my car and drove off...
Nightshifts have never been the best for me.
I once heard that nightshift is for bachelors mostly. Married people hate it! But I was surprised when Simphiwe would work night after night without fail. Man was hitting it somewhere.
“Lady in labor.” I look at the file. Bagqibile. Another side chick giving birth to his child. I wonder how many more he has out there. I looked at my phone and noticed a text from Nozi.
*He will be away all weekend* a huge smile stretches my lips. Now I have something to look forward to. I slid my phone inside my pocket and smiled.
“You can send her to the maternity ward.” I say handing the nurse the file back. I am no expect in looking at stretching virginal. I wish I would be here once Nozi gives birth to my son or daughter. Looking at the patients cut, burns, different kinds of injuries has never been fun on anything.
“Does it still hurt?”
One of the cases of robbery gone wrong.
“Yes, my back.”
“A gunshot wound. Luckily it did not hit your spin. Your name again.”
“MacG.” he responds in a pained voice. I doubled the dosage, there's nothing I can possibly do.
NOZIMANGA
I really don’t know how to feel of Simphiwe finding that pregnancy test. I am happy that he knows – he didn’t have to hear it from me. He has been hovering around me like - I can't even explain it but it's annoying me. He has every side chick pregnant and that makes me wonder. Was he this ecstatic when he found out about the other babies? Was he this caring when he was told? I want to ask him so badly, but I cannot bring myself into asking him. Those trips were never really trips. Now that I know.
“I made you lunch.” See what I mean. He has been on my case since morning and honestly, I am starting to get bored. He is sweating – afraid of something. He has been checking up on his phone constantly.
“Are you okay?’ I ask. He doesn’t look normal at all.
“Yea, I'm good. Why wouldn't I be?” he chucks nervously. His phones rings, he jumps and quickly steps out. I wonder what game he is up to. I heard that he will be away for the whole weekend, so I decided to make my weekend booked as well. I know my husband very well. Wherever there are skirts there shall be Simphiwe the Husband! Am I bitter about it? Not at all I have Jele occupying my space and time. Speaking of Jele I need to read through that contact that he gave me. It has been long overdue. I know Simphiwe will not come back anytime soon. I pull the envelope underneath the carpet...
The shock and gaps. Me covering my mouth. So, he had all this figured out. I feel the tears burning in my eyes.
“I Mlando Jele, hereby give Nozimanga Shandu the whole of Jele Clothing Store. 100% will be owned by her since she is carrying Jele’s first grandchild....” I shoved the contract into the envelope with my heart beating. I slowly pulled it out again and read throughout with my eyes all out. I take a deep breath, not believing it. Jele is crazy! I snatched my phone underneath the pillow and immediately gave him a ring. If he is busy - I do not care! He will have to stop whatever he is doing and answer the God damn phone. I know that he is working night shift.
“Mamazi,” I was fuming earlier on but now I have just melted to its outmost best. Here I am melting like a lovesick puppy.
“Why?”
“I guess you have just read the contract.” he chucks, this is a heavy decision to take.
“This is too much. Why own whole of it?” I love fashion, no lies. But this is too much for me. He cannot just give me something without asking for anything in return. I know that I am carrying his child, but something is not right somewhere.
“It was owned by my mother years back. It failed when she got sick, since she had no female daughter it closed – so no one was looking after it. Ever since, the space has been vacant. Alot of buyers come and they still come but I just held on to it. I know if I give you the full percentage of it- my mother's Boutique will be well taken care of. Once you retire, I know my kid will have something that they will inherit from their mother.” That was a mouthful. Moment of silence. My eyes betraying me. I blink multiple times failing to control my tears. A happy sob escaped my mouth. What did I ever do to deserve this treatment from Jele?
“I don’t want to say.” my sobs get even higher. “Why me though?”
“There is no other woman I so wished to carry my seed other than you. I know I may sound crazy, but it was something I have long wished for. The fact that you carried my seed - I am showing it as a gratitude. As much as it hurts me that I will never have you but having something with you will make me whole and alive again. Who knows, maybe I will believe in love again.”
I smile, not believing another man’s words. Is this really happening?
“If that is the case, I agree Sir.”
“See you later on, in the morning Madam.”
I am left with all smiles. Footsteps approaching, I quickly hide the documents underneath the pillow...
“I am going home; I will not be back. My mother is not okay.”
He is wearing his boots in fast mode. That is the first raising alarm for me.
“When are you coming back?” I ask and search for his face.
“I will be spending the weekend there.” He shoves his clothes in his bag and dashes out. If I was the old Nozi I would be crying myself to sleep not believing. He thinks I am a fool, I heard him loud and clear earlier on confirming the bookings and all. But I will just be quiet and harm as hell. Do I follow him? I would like to know his destination. Something in me pushes me to do the worst. I stand up and slip my gown on and follow him shortly. The car has just taken a corner. Following him behind – will help me have all the answers.
He has been driving for quite some time and we are not turning anywhere. To my surprise he takes right leading him to the hospital...
“What in the hell is he doing in the hospital?”
I step out of the car as well. I follow shortly behind with him running like a mad man. I feel my heart drumming against my chest rapidly. My legs pick up a pace and follow behind refusing to turn back and just go home. I fastened my gown and ran behind him. Every corner is being taken like a short-left U-turn.
Maternity Ward! What is he doing here? The department of a hospital that provides care for women during pregnancy and childbirth as well as for newborn infants. My heart beats even more, making my head spin. I hold the wall and support myself feeling the sweating dripping down my butt crack. I take a deep breath and follow again. I stand outside the door and look through the tiny window - I see him trying to wake the woman up. My sweaty hands push the door open, and I just stand there with my mouth open partially opened not believing my eyes.
“Simphiwe...” My voice fails me as my tears trigger. I know what all of this means. That is, I remember his voice calling out for me before everything went blank instantly.