Hello, baby.
“Babe.”
Joojo dragged his face off the pillow and turned towards the sound of his wife’s voice.
“Hm?”
“We have to go.”
“What?”
“It’s coming.”
A jolt shot through his brain, forcing his eyes wide open. Animwaa was leaning against the bathroom door, a hand on her bulging tummy.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
Joojo shot off the bed. She’d been to the hospital earlier in the day and the doctor had sent her back home with the assurance that the contractions were false.
There was nothing false about the pain etched on her face.
“Okay. Just stay calm, alright?” He must as well have been speaking to himself; he could practically feel adrenaline course through his body.
“Call my mother.”
Her mother. Of course. Maa Rose was in the other room. He led her to the bed, stacked two pillows behind her and dashed for the door. Everything was in place. The hospital bag was packed. The hospital was fifteen minutes away, maybe half the time without traffic. Labor was going to be at least eight hours. All he had to do was get a taxi and they would be on their way.
“Aaaaaaaaah!!!”
Joojo whipped around and run to her side. Animwaa’s face was contorted in pain. Both hands were clamped to the sides of the bed, squeezing the life out of their three-year-old mattress.
Contractions.
Okay. He had to time the … count the thing. He pulled out his phone. 03:30. After what seemed like an eternity, the muscles in Animwaa’s face and neck relaxed and she returned to taking deep breaths. He clicked the app he downloaded weeks ago and started the timer.
“Nims, When did it start?”
“Two hours.” She was groaning now, pulling on her long shirt. “Oh god, oh god, gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Animwaa gripped a pillow and bit into it.
Joojo stared at the time. Less than five minutes apart. Something was wrong.
The door to their bedroom opened and Maa Rose hurried in.
“What’s going on?” He stepped back as she took his place beside her daughter.
“We have to go. I’ll go get a car.”
He stepped out of the room in search of better reception. That hospital. Why would they tell her to go home if she was this close? He would make sure to give them a piece of his mind and then some. After three requests, a ride was headed their way. He opened the door to the bedroom.
“Ten minutes —” Joojo stopped.
Animwaa was lying on her back, legs bent, pillows propped behind her. Her mother squatted in front of her. She was pushing. Why was she pushing?
“The car is on the way.”
“There’s no time.” Maa Rose turned to him. “Bring me some towels and a blanket. ”
Joojo swallowed. “Have you done this before?”
“I have six children. Bring me the things.” She’d put a lot of effort into sounding confident, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her.
He fetched the items and placed them on the bed. The woman was not a professional. Their bedroom was not equipped for a delivery. What if there were complications? There could be a tear that would cause Animwaa to bleed out or an umbilical cord could be wrapped around the baby’s neck. The baby could be coming out with the wrong side! Joojo buried his face in his hands.
He had never considered the possibility, what with all the praying and fasting that had backed the pregnancy. But now, without the assurance of fancy medical equipment and experienced hands, he was forced to consider the possibility. It could happen. He could lose his wife. Just like that.
“Are you going to stand there panicking or make yourself useful?”
Joojo stared into the steely eyes of his mother-in-law. It was all he needed to snap out of it.
Okay. Deep breaths.
Joojo circled the bed, launching into tongues. He settled in behind his wife, holding her hands. Animwaa curled her fingers around his.
“Okay, Nims. We’ll do it together. On my count. One. two, three.”
She squeezed both hands. “Aaaaah!”
“Okay. Good. Again. One, two, three!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“I see the head,” Maa Rose declared.
“Okay, one more time. Push, babe.”
The vice grip on his fingers tightened once more as she let out a guttural sound, another one, and then another.
Maa Rose laughed first, and then she held up the baby. Joojo held his breath. She lay it gently on Animwaa’s stomach.
“It’s a girl.”
The baby cried then, a sound that filled him with relief and a stupendous amount of joy. They were okay. Everything was okay. Yes!
His phone rang from somewhere in the room.
Just in time.
He kissed his wife. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”
As the city stirred awake, a Toyoto matiz inched up a bumpy road, its occupants silent. Joojo turned to the backseat. Animwaa’s head was nestled in the crook of her mother’s neck. She was the picture of exhaustion. Maa Rose’s arm was wrapped protectively around her daughter’s. To think the two had been fighting over a napkin hours earlier.
Joojo’s gaze returned to the precious bundle in his arms. She was the picture of innocence and purity. The baby stirred, pouting her tiny lips. Her eyes fluttered open. Joojo stared into them. It seemed she was staring right back at him.
And then, she smiled.
For a moment, everything else lost significance. It didn’t matter that days from now, half of his salary would go into buying diapers and baby food, or that the thought of paying school fees made him want to run for the hills. It didn’t even matter that he’d just remembered he left his wallet at home.
His baby was smiling.
Joojo smiled back.
