Ride Her Shoes

19- Nwabugwu

5 months later.

"You're doing just great!" The mid-wife shouted, encouraging Nmachi to keep going but she was too tired to continue.

Deep in her, she felt like she might just breathe her last today, on this bed and right now. She was  totally exhausted, this isn't what she thought it would be, this isn't how she thought it would be.

Delivering her child at it's 7th month as the contraction she was having exceeded my capacity.

"You're almost there,"Akudo's voice rang in her ears even though it was shaky, she had to be strong for both of them. Nmachi had heard that she was almost there are since she lay on that bed with her legs knee bent and far apart.

It's been just an hour and a few minutes since Nmachi has been there but it felt like a year to her. She was scared, tired, angry yet remorseful, she was on the verge of accepting this pain she felt as a punishment for her misdeed and the child, the prize.

Akudo seemed more scared for Nmachi's life than Nmachi really was. The baby was close and blood on its hand and that was the body part it was going to come out.

With all the strength Nmachi could gather, she screamed as she pushed her child with beads of sweat strolling down her face and tears running down her eyes while they were still closed.

The old midwife was being gentle with her and the other nurses too but Nmachi knew it was because of Akudo's presence.

A deep yet sharp piercing cry filled the room as the baby was held in the hands of the midwife.

All Nmachi could hear was the sound of her own heart beat but she felt a little relief after the cry she heard. Her eyes were open but they didn't move as she drifted into a different realm and everything around her disappeared including their sounds.

'Nmachukwu kedu?' her mother asked her in a sad voice and she stretched her hand to touch her but Nmachi noticed that her mother wasn't staring at her but at the old wrapper her mother had used in wrapping her when she was about a month old.

'Nne, I'm here.' Nmachi said trying to call her mother's attention but mother didn't look her way. It was as if she wasn't there.

'Nma, Come back.' Her mother began to cry uncontrollably while hugging the wrapper in her arms. 'if you come back, I would not be so harsh at you.'

"Nmachi?" She heard her name being called but not by her mother so she remained there. She has never seen her mother breakdown before as a matter of fact, she never thought her mother would ever be the type to be emotional.

"Nmachukwu!!!" Akudo screamed and Nmachi turned her face immediately on the bed to see her.

"Where is Ma-"

"The midwife is cleaning him up." Akudo replied, cutting her off.

"Him?" Nmachi replied confused as she was going to ask where her mother was before Akudo cut her off.

"Yes. You delivered a very handsome baby boy." Akudo replied and Nmachi smiled. A different phase of her life has just begun. The phase of parenting, a single parent.

"How do you feel?" Akudo asked her while trying to help her sit up on the bed and Nmachi sighed.

"I feel exhausted," She replied. "Can I see my baby now?" She asked Akudo who nodded.

"But first you have to clean up and move to the postnatal ward. I'll clean you up." Akudo said,"That's if you don't mind."

_

Nmachi sat up on the bed in the postnatal ward which she was moved into and stared out the window while her baby suckled at her breast. She was breastfeeding him absent mindedly with everything in her reminding her of the stormy days that were to come.