How To Love

chapter forty-one

I was the type of person who got excited over their birth month from the first day of the month.

The days leading up to my birthday were filled with so much excitement. Everyday, I'd post something on my status about my upcoming birthday. Thuso even had this brilliant idea where he would give me something each day of the week up to my birthday.

It was so sweet, starting in the last days of August since he wanted it to start on a Monday, and I thought to myself, what a wonderful man.

The first little present was a customised explosion box with pictures of us during our time together and all of my favourite little things. The boxes have been trending on TikTok, and now that I could see it in real life, I could appreciate it ten times more. I especially loved the sweet message in the middle of the build up, one thing I'll never do is get tired of his sweet words about his love for me.

The second present was going to a tulip garden date. It was the sweetest most thoughtful gift in the world. He knew how much I loved the flowers, and being able to handpick them myself was a great experience. The field smelled really nice, and the aesthetics were to die for. You already know I had him taking a million pictures of me.

The third gift was a late movie night. I was on maternity leave because I was due very soon and didn't want an accident at work; which is why all of these dates could be had. We watched a romantic comedy that left us in stitches and feeling good. We ate some good food at an Italian restaurant and headed home right after.

The fourth gift was a self care day for me. He booked a grooming appointment for me, wanting me to ready myself for my birthday weekend. After getting my hair did, I chose to do a complex straight up hairstyle in an orange brown hair fibre, went with all white fingers and toe nails, cat eye lash extensions, and threading for the shaping of my eyebrows. The whole process was both uncomfortable and rewarding at the same time. I left the salon feeling and looking very beautiful.

When he came to pick me up at the mall, he took me shopping first before we left. I of course got a few outfits and then a bunch of baby things. Over the months, my collection has gotten extensive. I wasn't minimal at all with my baby's things and I was glad Thuso allowed me the freedom to do as I pleased.

The fifth day, we checked in at the family hotel for my birthday weekend. The suite he got for us had a really sweet surprise. The wall above the bed had the helium letters spelling out 'happy birthday love', which I read out loud in his accent, causing him to laugh. The bed had red tulip petals outlining a heart, with white petals filling up the inside. There were three huge but different in sizes, boxes wrapped in white paper and tied with a gold string. I couldn't wait to see what was inside, but first I needed to show this beautiful man how much I appreciated him.

"Thank you baby," I said, hugging him and leaning up for a kiss.

"Anything for you my love," he replied, kissing me once again.

"I believe those words, time and time again, you have shown me how true they are," I said, staring into his dark eyes. He was really beautiful too. I've known this fact for long, but in this dim lighting, he looked really good.

"I'm glad my actions prove to you just how deeply I feel for you. I love you baby, happy birthday," he said. This time, when I leaned up to kiss him, I didn't stop, instead, I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue explore his mouth. When he moaned, my nether regions quivered in need, and for the next hour, he made sweet love to me.

•••

It was now morning and I was pressed. I struggled getting Thuso's heavy arms off of me, for something that happened daily, I still wasn't quite used to it. After successfully getting him off, I rushed as fast as my pregnant self could carry me. But before I could even reach the bathroom door, a splash of water came out of me.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed, which immediately woke Thuso up.

"What's wrong baby?" His worried voice came. I looked down at the floor, and then at him as realisation dawned on me.

"My water just broke," I said and that man was out of bed and by my side in seconds.

"How you feeling? Any pains?" He asked. Just as I was about to answer, a pain so sharp, unlike what I've felt before, shot to my abdomen. I clutched his arm tightly as a scream tore out of me.

"Call the doctor please," I let out softly. The pain had gone away, but it left me so shook I was scared for the next to come.

For the next hour, I took a shower and got dressed in a loose fitting dress. During that hour, I felt one other sharp pain and it had me feeling like I was dying.

Thankfully, the car was loaded with our hospital bag, we had a few across most of our common areas, so the baby wouldn't catch us slipping. So in that department, we were sorted.

The doctor told us to come if the contractions were five minutes apart and lasting a minute each for more than two hours. We stayed in that hotel room for another hour, with me suffering through 20 seconds sharp pains every thirty minutes.

We were entering the third hour when the contractions were much longer and too close together, and that's why Thuso wouldn't have it, taking me straight to the hospital even though my contractions were 10 minutes apart and lasted half a minute each, the feeling was too much to bear and on more than one occasion, I had begged him to make them stop.

When we got there, he booked us into a private room. A few nurses came to my aid, readying everything. They checked my dilation and I was at 5cm. I asked for the epidural because there was no way I was going through this when the past hour felt like horror and the nurse said they'll have it administered at 7 cm since it slowed down the delivery.

We were in that room for almost 12 hours before I was ready to deliver the baby. The actual process of delivery was tedious. The pain wasn't as much as before especially after I got my epidural, but the discomfort was still there. Thuso, bless his heart, was with me the entire time, holding my hand, wiping my sweat with a wet cloth, doing breathing exercises with me, while also telling me I was doing so well, his words of encouragement carrying me through the ordeal emotionally.

"I love you, for carrying my baby, and for bringing her into this world, thank you so much," he said. And I swear, those words, the weight of them, helped me through my last push, and after the pressure left my body, it was silent for a second. I heard a few slapping sounds and that screeching wail filled the room and I heard the sound of my baby, my new favourite sound in the world.

"It's a girl indeed," someone said and I saw the nurse hand the still naked baby to a shirtless Thuso before he walked over to me, a huge smile on his face with a baby covered in womb particles in his hands.

She was so small, and as he placed her on my chest, I whimpered, my heart filling up with so much love, it overwhelmed me.

"She looks like you," was the first thing I said as she calmed down on my chest. Thuso laughed, staring into my eyes with so much love swimming in his eyes, it warmed me up inside.

"What's baby's name?" One of the nurses asked.

"Rumi-Ezlynn. It's one name, and it means, a beautiful gift from God. Her second name that her father gave her, is Opelong, which means in my heart," I said, smiling down at my baby.

"Those are really beautiful names, befitting a really beautiful baby. Congratulations mom and dad," the lady said, taking a picture of us per Thuso's request before taking the baby to go get washed up.

"Hello daddy," I said, smiling up at him.

"Hello mommy," he said, smiling down at me.

September 4th, 2023. The day our baby was born, 12 days earlier than we expected her, but happy for her arrival nonetheless.