Sotie started to feel sharp pains in her lower abdomen and her back. She had ignored the pains, thinking it was another series of Braxton Hicks Contraction, like the ones she had the week before.
She wasn’t due till another 3 weeks. Her husband, Zino was yet to return from work, she wished her mum were with her, but she had called the day before to inform her that she would be coming the following week.
Then she remembered the conversation she had with her husband to hire a maid, he had refused. Her helpless state and knowing there was no one close by to help got her really angry.
The contractions were intense, painful and coming at regular intervals, she was so confused. The breathing exercise she was taught at the hospital wasn’t working, rather it seemed like she choked each time she inhaled.
She looked at the time, it was 10pm, she hoped Zino would just walk in, her head started to spin, she felt like she wanted to faint.
Music was playing at the background, the sound came like a thunder bolt through the sky. She listened trying to figure out where the sound came from. It was her phone ringing; her ringtone was her favorite song ‘Pray Every Time’.
Instinctively, she sang along, when the song stopped, she sat and said a short prayer. Then the phone started to ring again, with all the strength she could muster, she stood up, looked for the phone and answered the call.
It was her mother! A big relief, she couldn’t speak coherently and started to cry. When her mother finally calmed her down and she was able to explain what was wrong, her mother took charge.
The intervals between the contractions were now closer, and the pain so intense that she wished she would just die.
On her mother’s prompt, she ordered an uber. On her way to the hospital, she recalled all that had happened before the pregnancy.
Sotie had been married for 10 years without children. This was a taboo in the African culture. She was viewed as a barren woman who had been cursed by the gods, hence, was treated as someone with a plague.
It was a battle for her with her husband’s family. Her mother-in-law would come to the house, insult her and throw all her belongings out, saying she was good for nothing.
They had carried out the required test for both she and her husband, and they had both come out clean. She couldn’t comprehend why this was happening to her. She had always been a good girl, following the Dos and Don’ts. Yet this was happening.
After five years of her marriage, she finally got pregnant but lost the pregnancy. Since then, she had four miscarriages.
Zino tried as best as he could to console her, he loved her greatly and stood by her through all the difficulties.
The last miscarriage tore her heart in two. She was in her second trimester and had started buying things for her baby. It all happened so fast, one instant she felt the baby kick and the next minute, there was blood all over.
She cried like it was the end of life. Her once cheerful disposition was replaced with sadness. She looked like a shadow of herself.
The news of this pregnancy came when hope was almost gone. It was a major celebration for Sotie and her husband.
All appointments and instructions given by her doctor, where judiciously kept. Her husband dotted over her. It was like the first year they married. She had a new glow to her, she was always smiling and happy. Everyone noticed the change.
During her second scan, she recalled how she and Zino shouted and jumped with joy when the doctor informed them, that, they were expecting twins. The memory made her smile.
Each time she felt the kick of her babies and touched her growing bump, she shed tears of joy.
Then she felt a kick in her tommy, followed by a sharp pain at her lower abdomen, this time she shouted and shed tears of pain. She was back to the present situation.
She looked at the driver and shouted at him to hurry. The pain was becoming unbearable.
As they got closer to the hospital, she saw Zino pacing like a mad man at the gate, he was frantically pressing his phone and looked like he was about to cry.
She had tried calling him during the ride but realized she had forgotten her phone, while in a hurry to get to the hospital. Her mother must have called him.
The sight of him brought a smile to her face, she wished her phone were with her to capture the moment. She loved the father of her babies so much.
Zino rushed to meet his wife as he saw her in the approaching vehicle. The moment she was out, he hugged her, and reassured her that all would be fine.
She was wheeled to the examining room. Her doctor was expecting her, as Zino had informed him of the latest development as soon as he got the call from his mother-in-law.
The news came as a blow; their babies were in distress and needed to be brought out immediately. Mother and babies were too weak to go through the rigor of vaginal birth.
A C-Section had to be done immediately.
Sotie and Zino burst into tears, they were being indecisive on this, their families would call Sotie an incomplete woman. It was believed that a woman who couldn’t push her children out of her vagina was a failure.
Her mother-in-law sang it as a song. She constantly reminded them that no children of the Cole’s were ever born through the knife and her son’s children wouldn’t be the first.
It was the toughest decision they had to make as a couple.
Time was going, the longer it took for them to make the decision, the more risk they were exposed to.
Sotie was adamant. She wasn’t thinking right, she insisted she was a real woman and would push her children out.
She acted like a wild, angry lion about to pounce on its prey and in this instant her prey were her husband and the doctor.
She was irrational, she remembered the way her mother-in-law tormented her, she couldn’t live with that again. She didn’t want to be treated like she was cursed.
The last ordeal was humiliating, she broke down in tears, she knew she was getting weak and didn’t have the strength to push any longer.
The tiny kicks on her abdomen were no longer strong. She could feel that things were not right inside of her, her babies, she has waited 10 long agonizing years for this moment.
Her husband, she couldn’t leave him, she loved him greatly and wanted desperately for them to raise their children together.
To hell with mama, to hell with the tradition. She had heard about women who had died because of this, her story wouldn't be one of them. She wanted her family together.
She remembered the matching outfit she had bought for her babies, the already decorated nursery.
Like a reminder on what to do, her ringtone started to play in her head, ‘Pray Every Time’. She closed her eyes and said a short silent prayer. Her maker would tell her what to do. Calmer now, she looked her husband in the eyes and gave her consent.
The doctors were already set and rushed her to the theatre, they just hoped it wasn’t too late.
Zino was a mess at this point, he had lost all hope. He saw that his wife was already going, she could barely talk, he saw the panic in the nurses eyes, the doctors were speaking medical jargons.
He watched as his brave wife, who had fought many battles, including this one, was wheeled to the theatre. He recalled her many sleepless nights crying, the pain and sadness that were constantly in her eyes, as he watched her go, he fell on his knees crying and praying.
The tears refused to stop flowing, he no longer worried about the babies but his wife, his choice, the woman that meant everything to him, the love of his life, his dearest, the only one he wanted to grow old with, the solder in his ribs.
He held on to the hopeful look she gave him as she left, like he could touch it and the last words she said ‘All will be well my dear, see you and the babies soon’
The wait was the most tormenting one he had ever gone through, his heart beat so hard, that he was sure they echoed in the waiting room. His head ached so much and felt so heavy, he thought he was going to run mad from anxiety.
At that moment, a nurse came out of the theatre. Her face was expressionless, he couldn’t pick a clue from her as to how his Sotie was doing.
She was in a hurry and didn’t notice he was there.
Could that be the end? his Sotie.... the pressure in his head was building so fast.
If she came out of this, he swore not to let his mother anywhere near his wife, he swore to love her till death, he swore never to knowingly hurt her again.
So consumed in his thought, he didn’t notice the doctor next to him. Then he felt a warm hug and heard the words “mother and babies are doing fine”.
As they led him to his family, his heart was filled with joy to know his brave wife had conquered once again.
He watched his newly arrived son and daughter; and his brave African queen. In his heart, he knew he was a blessed man.