PULL MY HEARTSTRINGS (COMPLETE)

57

                                

     

She didn’t have cancer.
     
Praise God because her prayers were not said in vain, his favour showed up and showed out and also resorted her faith. Her lump turned out to be a galactocele, which the doctor explained was a harmless cyst filled with breast milk and very common in pregnant women who are lactating. It was a relief because the lump felt so big she got worried and thought it was something serious. She didn’t need surgery to remove the cyst because it didn’t pose a threat to her or the baby and the doctor assured her it would resolve on its own without medical intervention once she stopped lactating.
     
Kgomotso was relieved and words alone were not adequate to describe the feeling she was left with once the pent up tension dissolved from her body. Facing this terrifying ordeal almost plunged her back into the abyss with no hope of making it out because it wasn’t easy the last time. She was ready to start enjoying her pregnancy again without the constant worrying, sleepless nights and the loud thoughts she couldn’t ignore no matter how hard she tried.
     
They spent more time than she anticipated at the hospital, getting scanned and probed with a needle big enough to reignite her fear from childhood. She had an early start which turned into a long day and all she wanted was to go home and colonize Anesu’s bed, but the day was far from over because she had one more thing to do.
     
Kgomotso stared at the screen as Dr Motsepe moved the wand over her baby bump and she tried not to squirm as the cold gel spread across her skin. Anesu held her hand, squeezing it tightly as he set his eyes on the screen as well. He was more relaxed than when they arrived in the morning, laughing and talking more but the strain from the last couple of days was still evident in the dark circles around his eyes and his unshaved beard.
     
“It looks like the little one is shy today.” Dr Motsepe smiled, focusing on the screen.
     
It’s what Anesu didn’t want to hear because he was looking forward to this scan after spending a week apart from Kgomotso.
     
“He must be very shy cause I haven’t felt him kicking yet.” She still found it hard to believe there was a human growing inside her body even after the heartbeat already confirmed it and it became real.
     
“Well since this is your first pregnancy, it’s common not to feel any movement until 20 weeks.”
     
“Okay.” Kgomotso turned her gaze back to the screen.
     
“Oh, there is the little one.”
     
Anesu leaned forward for a better look and his excitement went up a notch as the 4D image popped up on the screen. He could make out the eyes, nose and mouth as well as the tiny hands and feet. “Are we having a boy or girl?” he asked, his voice filled with wonder.
     
“Let’s find out.” She moved the wand around again and the heartbeat echoed through the room.
     
Kgomotso failed to hold back her tears, elated to share the special moment with Anesu, considering how their day started.
     
“Looks like we won’t know the gender until your next appointment because I can’t see the genitals with how the foetus is currently positioned.”
     
“You still think it’s a girl? Sounds like it’s a boy to me because he’s already mischievous like one, what kind of baby hides from its parents?” said Kgomotso. 
     
"Yes, it's definitely a girl. I can feel it in my blood."

Anesu’s lips stretched into a lopsided smile as he kept his gleaming eyes glued to the screen, he was clearly mesmerised and Kgomotso quickly realised she was no longer his #1 but hoped she was mistaken.

They weren't going to agree on this until they found out who was right, it was probably best to leave it and be happy the baby was healthy and had all ten fingers and toes.
     
“Is it normal for the head to be so big?” he asked.
     
“Yes. There’s nothing to worry about Mr Luthuli, the head is perfectly fine.” She removed the wand from Kgomotso’s stomach.  “Judging by your reactions I’m guessing you’re going to want pictures to take with you.”
     
Kgomotso nodded. “Yes, please.”
     
Anesu gently wiped her stomach with a paper towel and placed a lingering kiss on her lips before helping her off the bed.   
     
“Remember if you feel any discomfort in your breast you can use a warm compress or take a warm bath or shower. A gentle massage can also help to ease discomfort.”
     
“Thank you, doctor.”
     
Kgomotso liked Dr Motsepe better than the previous doctor she used to see during her first trimester. Dr Motsepe had a pleasant bedside manner, she didn’t talk down on her and she definitely didn’t treat her weight like a contagious disease, and the fact that she was also a Black woman was an added bonus.
     
They walked out of the hospital, holding hands and her smile mirrored his as they got into the car. Kgomotso felt like she had a new lease on life and didn’t plan on wasting a second of it.
     
“It’s unbelievable isn’t it that we created something so special together?” he asked, staring at the sonogram.
     
“Yes, it is but he gets the big head from you.”
     
His laugh was unfiltered and full of charisma. “That’s your fault, you know?”
     
“Me? What did I do?”
     
“You chose a big headed man to be the father of your kids.”
     
She had no comeback for that one because she was unable to resist him from the moment they met.
     
“I don’t regret it though because I made the right choice.”
     
Watching him blush was a rare occurrence and fleeting like a shooting star, passing through the night.
     
“And I’ll make sure you never regret it, I’m not perfect but I’ll do my best to keep you happy.”
     
“You already do. I wouldn’t have made it through today without you.” She confessed, letting her fears out in the open and it didn’t take long to dampen their light-hearted mood.
     
“For better or worse, I’ll stick by your side through it all until the end of time.”
     
Their lips met in a kiss and moved their tongues in a synchronized dance as she held onto his words. Her libido stirred awake and sparked a fire between her thighs.
     
“Eish.” He pulled back and reached into his pocket, taking out his phone and frowned after unlocking it.
     
“Who is it?” asked Kgomotso, fanning her face.
     
He stared intently at his phone, reading through the SMS and she tried her best not to be nosy and look. “It’s Lwazi.”
     
“Is there something wrong?”
     
“I don’t think so, I’ll call him back later,” he replied while typing and put his phone away. “Now, where were we?” He slipped his hand between her legs.
     
“You were about to take me home, it’s been a long day and I’m tired.” She slapped his hand away.
     
“You don’t want anything to eat?”
     
“You know I do. I’m always hungry because you got me pregnant.”
     
He chuckled, starting the car. “It takes two to tango, you know that right?”
     
“Mxm. Keep this up and you’ll tango alone from now on.”

"You don't mean that."

"Do you want to find out?"
     
He shook his head and drove them to a seafood restaurant near the hospital, which she found unfair because she couldn’t eat sushi while pregnant.
                                                               ********

     

She woke up from her nap with a pressing need to pee and almost knocked over Anesu’s MacBook Pro from the bed in her hurry to get to the bathroom before messing up the sheets. She was no Castor Semenya because some of it was already trickling down her thigh before she sat down. She used wet wipes instead of toilet paper and got undressed, changing into her white fluffy gown. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep and the strong smell of garlic was still present on her breath.
     
“Kgomotso!”
     
“I’m in here.” She called out, after rinsing her mouth with Listerine.
     
“Can I come in?”
     
“No, I’m naked.” She said the first thing that came to mind.
     
“Have you forgotten that I’ve seen you naked before?”
     
“No, I haven’t. I just think it’ll be good to set some boundaries before we develop some bad habits.”
     
“Okay, you’ll find me out here.”
     
Five months of living together and Kgomotso still didn’t fart around him so imagine her shock when he walked in on her doing #2 in the downstairs bathroom, thinking he never used it. She didn’t mind him seeing her without a wig or make-up but that was something she couldn’t get over, it even crossed her mind to have separate toilets in their new house to avoid that from happening again.
     
She brushed her hair and moisturized her lips with Vaseline not to overdo it with lipstick or lip gloss. Their plans for the night involved staying indoors and binge watching on Netflix. He was currently obsessed with Squid Game and she couldn't keep up because the subtitles were distracting.
     
The lights were dimmed in the bedroom, scented candles set a sensual mood and Usher serenaded her with his effortless singing. It looked like Anesu had another plan in mind but she wasn’t against it. 
     
“What’s going on?”
     
He pulled her into his arms and started dancing, harmonizing to Nice & Slow without missing a beat.
     
“Thought I’d do something nice for you, I know today wasn’t easy but I’m happy that we get a chance to spend the rest of our lives together.”
     
She prayed to have his kind of love even in her next lifetime because she wasn’t willing to accept anything less.
     
“What did I do to deserve someone like you?”
     
“I’m the lucky one, there’s no question about it.”
     
Somebody pinch her because this didn’t seem real.
     
She got on her toes to reach his lips for a kiss. “Thank you, I really appreciate this.”
     
“You’re welcome.” He squeezed her butt. “There’s so much of you, I like it.”
     
“Haibo, Anesu.” She frowned, glaring daggers at him. “Are you calling me fat?”
     
He quickly shook his head. “No, baby, that’s not what I meant.”
     
“Then what did you mean by that?” She folded her arms across her chest.
     
He scratched the back of his head and stuttered.
     
“Answer me!”
     
“I can explain,” he said, backing away from her.
     
“And where do you think you’re going, Anesu?”
     
“There’s someone at the door.”
     
Was he messing with her because she didn’t hear anything?
     
“Don’t lie to me.”
     
The doorbell rang again, saving him from her wrath.
     
“You see I’m not lying.” He looked at her like she was short a few marbles upstairs but it was mostly confusion because he didn’t understand what was the reason for the sudden change in her demeanour.
     
“Don’t leave this room before you answer me.”
     
This time the sound of the doorbell was followed by loud banging.
     
“But, baby, we can’t ignore whoever is knocking on the door, it’s rude.”
     
“I don’t give a fuck.”
     
Yho! He thought the hormones only made her cry incessantly, not even a single article he read on the internet prepared him for what was happening right now. Kgomotso was possessed.
     
“I’ll be right back.” 
     
Bloody bastard! She blew out the candles but had no way of unlocking his phone to turn off the song, so she sent it down the toilet. The only thing she wanted to do nice and slow, was killing him.
     
There was a ruckus downstairs and through the shouting and crying she recognized Kamo’s distraught voice, there was no mistaking it because she could point it out in her sleep.
     
What the hell was going on?