AYANDA: Another Chance At Love

Chapter 38

It's been 4 months of this pregnancy journey, my family has been super supportive, my baby is much more clingy now and at the same time she has grown so much, she has started walking and nothing warms my heart as much as seeing her take her first few steps.

I'm proud of how far I've come as a mother. So after the porridge incident happened, I cried and my mum did the most unexpected thing, she pulled me into a hug and hushed me, apparently she knew from the moment I walked in that something had changed but because she thought I've cut communication with both the mabaso brothers she didn't think I'd be pregnant, she did express her disappointment around the matter because obviously nathi is a married man and what happened between him and I certainly shouldn't have happened.

My family agreed to respect my decision to keep the baby and not inform the Mabaso's. It's November, my students are writing their exams so we don't have any classes, it's 11 o'clock the exam has just ended and I have my doctors appointment in an hour so I decide to use the time to go to Mike's kitchen and enjoy their juicy ribs, that's all I'm craving for right now.

I drove out and headed straight to Mike's kitchen while listen to some great old school rnb, I got there and got a table for one, ordered my favourite meal and started indulging, nothing like sticky ribs after a long day at work well it was a half day but you get me. I order a trio of sorbet and as soon as I take a bite my baby starts moving a bit and that's how excited we get when there's food involved.

After my early lunch I drive to the near by petrol station to get some magnum for the road then off we drive to the doctor. My appointment is in Sandton medi so it's close. I'm driving while enjoying my ice cream, I'm at the robots and the robot is closed so now is the best time to enjoy this ice cream, I take a few bites and the robot opens for me. As I drive across, out of nowhere I hear the sound of my car window shuttering, the car is moving out of control, I don't know what's happening, my baby... Just then it was lights out

*Nathi's POV*
It's been sometime since we moved to Joburg, Amahle is due to give birth anytime between this month and next month, she's been such a nag lately but at least my job has been my only escape.

My mind still wonders off though, Ayanda is still the woman that holds my heart and it breaks me to know that we cannot be together, I know this is all my fault and even after all the promises I made to her I went on to marry Amahle, but my family didn't give me much of a choice.

I'm sitting in my office and my mind has wondered off as usual, my phone starts ringing and I instantly get annoyed because I'm thinking it's probably Amahle telling me about her new weird cravings, I sometimes feel like shes overdoing this whole pregnancy journey of hers.

The call is from an unsaved number "Mabaso Hello" I answer "ndodana" it's Ayanda's dad, I wonder what could be the issue "sawubona baba ninjani?" he takes a deep sigh "ey akuhambi kahle ndodana, if it's possible please come to Sandton med" I froze a bit, could it be my daughter? Or Aya? I genuinely can't afford to lose either one of them.

I hang up, grab my phone and my car keys and run out of the office. I drove like a maniac! I finally arrive at reception and call Aya's dad, he sends Thembi to come and fetch me, she comes up to me carrying Wami so clearly Aya is the one who isn't okay, I  greet her then give her a hug, I try to take wami but she refuses, I guess she has forgotten who I am, which is understandable. We walk in silence, I'm confused now because we are walking towards mertanity and pediatric wards but Wami seems fine. When I get there I find Aya's family there. I greet them and it's a bit tense. "kwenzenjan baba" I ask bab'Gumede. "ey ndodana, she got into a car accident on her way to the doctor this afternoon" I'm confused now, why would Aya drive herself to the doctor if she wasnt feeling well.

I have so many questions, before I could even ask, an Indian female doctor walks into the waiting area "Ayanda Gumede", we all look at her expectantly. "the mother is in a stable condition, she did not sustain a lot of injury, but however we could not manage to save the baby, by the time she arrived here she had already miscarried as we suspect that there was too much pressure on her stomach during the accident, I'm sorry"

Now I just became even more confused, I look around and the family is crying, Aya's dad is comforting her mother. I look over at Thembi and all she says is "I'm sorry" I sink down on the floor trying to process all of this.

So Ayanda was pregnant with my child all along and she didn't tell me? She lost a baby, another pregnancy which I was never there to support her through, I've failed her yet again, I keep failing the one woman whom I truly love.

I feel warm tears down my face, I've never felt so helpless and weak as a man, I failed her. After sometime I pick myself up and wipe my tears off. "ndodana, kuzomele wenze ngokufanele ukuze agezwe uAyanda" he's right, only now does it sink in that she miscarried.

I walk out to call my family and let them know, I know my dad will be even much more upset now that there's a child involved.

We spend a few more hours at the hospital before we are released to leave while we give her time to rest, she's sedated and will probably be up tomorrow morning.

I couldn't sleep the whole night I kept tossing and turning, asking myself why she could hide a whole pregnancy from me for so long, another part of me is sad that she'll wake up to the worst news, I need to be there for her, she needs my full support, it's the least I can do for our late child.