Expecting

When Thandi was alone, she went through everything in her head. So much had happened in just a month. Few days ago she was sure that it was over between her and S’bu and was making plans to move on with her life. A lot of girls hated her and she always believed that it was because he was hooking up with them. She had long made peace with the fact that no matter how much she loved him, there was no way she was ever going to be tied to an unfaithful man for the rest of her life. She was shocked to learn that they have been married for almost three years and he had been faithful to her since. On a normal day, she would have been angry with him for keeping the truth from her, but she almost died and was grateful to be alive. When he walked in to see her today, she realised how much she had missed him, how stupid their fight was and how much she longed for his touch. The next few days she started feeling like herself again and Doctors were planning to discharge her soon. Mandy and Menzi were now satisfied with her condition and decided to leave S’bu and go back home. S’bu came to see her twice everyday and insisted on telling everyone that she was Mrs Jobe now and changed her details in hospital files. One of the days during visiting hours Mandy called her on Sbu’s phone as her phone was still off. Mandy was sent to ask her what colours she preferred for the wedding.

“What wedding?” Thandi asked surprised.

“Your wedding silly, everyone here is preparing for it” Mandy said.

“Who is everyone?” Thandi asked looking at S’bu suspiciously.

“The Dlamini’s, the Jobes, your village, the whole city and the royal palace. It’s going to be a wedding of the century” Mandy said excited.

“What? Why don’t you invite the ministers, the president and better yet, the whole country?” Thandi asked sarcastically.

“We will have the president’s response by tomorrow, seven ministers have confirmed......”

“Oh my word Mandy, I was being sarcastic!” Thandi said, interrupting Mandy. “How are you all even planning our wedding without lobola negotiations?” Thandi asked amazed. Lobola is a dowry the groom pays to his brides family. Her culture did not allow a wedding before lobola negotiations were completed.

“That was completed yesterday, our kraal is almost empty, you almost finished all the Jobe cattle!” Mandy exclaimed.

Thandi was dumbfounded. “How is all this even possible and what if I don’t want such a big wedding?” she asked annoyed, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

“It was decided that you had almost three years to plan it yourself and failed, so the families have taken over. Don’t kill me, I’m just a messenger” Mandy said.

“You should just go ahead and have a wedding without me!” Thandi said dropping the call. She did not mean to snap at Mandy but she was finding it hard to control her emotions lately and everyone was just making decisions for her when she had not even fully recovered from her operation.

S’bu looked at Thandi getting breathless from anger and pulled her to his arms. “Please look at me” he pleaded.

“Lobola negotiations were done in my absence, Mandy says I almost finished all your family’s cattle. Now I feel like a possession” Thandi complained.

“None of this matters to me, I’m happy as long as we are together. If you don’t want a big wedding, we won’t have it and if you want us to elope, let’s do that” he said lovingly.

“You know they will never forgive us if we did that” she said.

“How about you tell me everything you want for our wedding and I will make sure they to do it” he suggested. Most girls have dreamt of the wedding day, he wanted to give Thandi everything she ever dreamt of.

“You would do that?” she asked.

“MaDlamini, don’t you know that I would do anything to see you happy?” he asked with a husky voice that made her heart beat faster. S’bu always knew just what to say to calm her down, he really had her wrapped around his finger. Soon she was talking about what she wanted on her wedding and couldn’t help getting excited as well. It was too easy to make Thandi happy, S’bu thought, taking details of everything she wanted for their wedding.

Dr Jali walked to the ward before visiting hours were over. He was accompanied by a female Doctor Thandi had not seen before.

“Good day Mr and Mrs Jobe. This is Dr Dube, she’s an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist that was taking care of you when you were unconscious. She’s here to check the baby’s health before we send you home” Dr Jali said.

“Baby’s health?” Thandi asked wrinkling her forehead.

“We assumed that you knew” Dr Jali said, noticing the confusion on Thandi’s facial expression.

“Knew what?” Thandi asked still confused.

“I think the Dr is trying to tell you that there’s a little Jobe in the oven” S’bu said smiling unable to hide his excitement.

Thandi opened and closed her mouth but no words came out. Dr Jali and Dube nodded their heads agreeing with S’bu’s explanation.

“I was on a contraceptive and I never missed my injections” Thandi said, finding it hard to believe that she was pregnant.

“It’s very rare for injectable contraceptives to fail but it happens” Dr Dube said. “You are about thirteen weeks pregnant, if you are not ready to have this child, there is a lot of options available for you like.....”

“We are ready” S’bu interrupted Dr Dube. “It was unexpected but very much welcomed” S’bu added beaming.

Dr Dube examined Thandi and did a scan of her tummy with S’bu next to her asking a million questions. Thandi who was in a daze was brought back to reality by the sound of her baby’s heartbeat. She was suddenly overwhelmed by emotions and couldn’t stop crying. There really was a little person growing inside her who survived the operation and icu with her. “We are going to be parents” she said smiling through the tears.

“Yes baby, we are and we will be great at it” S’bu said kissing her forehead.

The Doctors left after assuring them that the baby was well and Thandi was discharged home.

Thandi was very tired by the time they arrived at Sbu’s house and decided to take a nap. When she woke up, she found her Mother and Mrs J arguing about where Thandi should be staying while she’s recovering. Mrs J felt that since Thandi was Sbu’s wife and expecting, she should move to the Jobe home so she can have her eye on her. Thandi’s Mother felt that Thandi should come with her to the village until the wedding when she’s officially handed over to the Jobe family. Thandi just looked at them without commenting, she was just too weak and exhausted with no energy to engage in this discussion. They were speaking about her like she was not present and making decision for her again.

“Thandi has just been discharged from the hospital and needs to recover. It is my responsibility as her husband to look after her and now that she’s expecting, I need her by my side so I can bond with my child” S’bu said ending the discussion.

Thandi’s Mother and Mrs J knew that there was nothing they could do once S’bu decided on the matter. Thandi was so relieved when they left. She loved both of them very much but they were overwhelming her with all the excitement about the wedding and the coming grandchild to an extent that they were taking over her life.