PULL MY HEARTSTRINGS (COMPLETE)

50

                              

     

“Wake up, baby,” he whispered against her ear, reaching over to caress her belly. His touch still ignited tingles along her spine and made her knees weak.
     
“Why? It’s Saturday,” she mumbled, annoyed that he couldn’t spare her five more minutes of blissful sleep after the busy week she had.
     
“It’s also the day of our anniversary.”
     
Shit! She forgot.
     
They didn’t have a promising start, which was part of the reason why Kgomotso thought they wouldn’t last but six months was plenty of time to prove her wrong. She didn’t regret giving Anesu her heart because he always put her first and didn’t hold back his affection, the only thing missing was a ring on her finger and she was expecting it any day now. He was the centre of her happiness and she would still want to wake up to the sight of his face 20 years from now.
     
For the past six months her life was a dream come true and there was nothing she would change. Her relationship with Anesu wasn’t the only thing going in the right direction, M&D was thriving and they signed more clients after Phuthuma Couriers got on board but Hazel was always on the lookout for more business opportunities to accomplish their 5-year expansion plan. It was ambitious and would require the appointment of more staff but they were determined to put M&D on the map.
     
Her bond with Kamo was unbreakable, going to therapy helped even though it wasn’t simple working through their issues because they were forced to look beyond the surface and confront their flaws. The individual sessions helped Kgomotso deal with her gaping wounds and start her journey of healing, which in turn allowed her to become a better partner to Anesu.
     
Tinashe was out of rehab and staying sober this time around by attending meetings, getting a sponsor and being a more present father, he still wasn’t Kgomotso’s favourite person but they kept things cordial because of their common love for Anesu.
     
Caroline was no longer Mrs Diphoko, Sello got fed up and Caroline arrived home one day to find her belongings by the gate thrown into black refuse bags. She found herself back in Soweto living with relatives she didn’t care for when life was still rosy. Kamo kept her distance and Caroline kept in touch with Kgomotso only when she needed money. The sudden turn of events hit her hard she started gambling and the hole got deeper as she blew all the money she got when Sello bought her out and kept their marital home, going from one casino to the next.  
     
The subtle touch of his lips on her neck pulled Kgomotso out of her slumber and the fog cleared from her head.
     
“It’s today?” she asked.
     
“Yes, did you forget?”
     
The weather forecast for the day was sub-zero and Kgomotso planned to stay in bed and indulge her outrageous cravings, she was 4 months pregnant and happy to have made it to the second trimester and didn’t even mind the nausea like she did the first time around, but the same couldn’t be said about Anesu. 
     
Kgomotso turned around to face him. “Only because I have pregnancy brain.”
     
He laughed, throwing his head back.  “Well, are you up to going out today? There’s something I want to show you.”
     
She didn’t want to get her hopes up but her gut feeling was never wrong, she was certain the day would end with a ring on her finger.
     
“Okay, so where are we going?”
     
She wanted to pick his brain and decide on an outfit to wear, so she wouldn’t look shabby while taking pictures to show off her ring.
     
“Go get ready and you’ll find out.”
     
“Excuse me.” She jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom.
     
Anesu followed, breathing down her neck and knelt next to the toilet, rubbing her back as she emptied the contents of her stomach. She lunged forward, balancing her arms on the toilet seat and heaved a sigh of relief when the nausea stopped.
     
“Should I call your doctor?” He helped her up and flushed the toilet. 
     
She shook her head still feeling slightly lightheaded. 
     
“Are you sure?”
     
“You promised to stop hovering, Anesu.”
     
He gave her an apologetic smile, backing away. “I hate seeing you go through this.”
     
Then he should have listened to her and used a condom.
     
“Morning sickness is a normal phase during pregnancy, we’ve talked about this,” she said after rinsing her mouth.
     
He was thrilled the day Kgomotso showed him the positive pregnancy test and all he could think about was the family he’d always wanted and having that with her was an answer to a prayer he never thought would come to fruition. He searched the internet to prepare himself on what to expect and with all the information he found nothing could have equipped him for this.
     
“I’ll ask Macy to add ginger ale to the grocery list because the bottle we have is almost finished,” he said.
     
“Thank you.”
     
She knew his concern came from a good place and his unwavering support eased the fears she safeguarded in her heart all through the first trimester. 
     
“I’ll leave you to get ready, I have phone calls to make.”
                                                                *********