The Mysterious Prince

36. A little prince

36.

𝕬𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝕯𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖎

"I think my water just broke," I confess, and the look of shock on Qhawe's face is not to be missed.

"What? The baby is supposed to be born next week. It's still early. Are you sure?" He's hovering all over me as I sit down because I'm starting to feel pains all over my body and heat.

"It's never early as long as you've passed the eighth month. Call the ambulance." Angie says while fanning me with her hands.

"She can't give birth here. We have to go to the Elephant Kingdom." He says, panicking while taking out his phone.

"Say Elephant Kingdom one more time, and I swear I'll kill you." I turn to the priest who's looking spooked. He probably never saw a woman in labor.

"Priest, is our wedding over?"

"Yes, I now pronounce you, man and wife. I would say kiss, but given the circumstances, I shall take my leave." He walks out before any of us can say anything. He's a coward. Don't tell me he doesn't have children.

"Hi." I heard her voice before I could look. It can't be her.

"Asante?" I hear Angie's shocked voice saying.

"I know there's a—" Before she could say anything, Qhawe interrupted her.

"The jet is ready for us to leave." Thank God. I'm not ready to face her. I just wanna pop out this baby inside me, and I'll think about the rest later.

"I'm coming along. It's not up for negotiations." Of course, Angie is coming. I can't do this without her.

"I guess everyone is coming along," Christian says. He and Qhawe help me to stand up, but my legs feel so heavy and wobbly, I don't think I can reach anywhere.

"Can't you just carry me?" I stare at Qhawe with my teary eyes, and he lifts me. I'm not that heavy because my baby bump looks like I'm only four or five months pregnant, not eight.

We all walk to the jet and get in. The pain intensifies as the jet takes off. How long until the Elephant Kingdom? That's the question I ask Qhawe.

"I don't know." He replies, but I know he's lying. I'm grabbing Angie's hand with all my will when I feel the pain intensifying.

"Stop hurting my hand. I'm not the one who got you pregnant!" She snaps and pulls her hand away.

"Please give me a bottle of water." She opens a bottle of water and helps me drink, then down the rest of the water on my head.

"What the hell?"

"You're sweating." She shrugs.

"Do you think she's our Asante?" I find the need to have a conversation to avoid this pain. Qhawe is busy on the call, Christian is keeping the pilot some company, and Asante, along with Nkosinathi, is somewhere in this jet. When Christian said everyone was coming along, he meant it.

"She is. I'm just wondering where she was. I kept hoping that she was alive, you know, but my hope died with each year that passed." She wipes her tears. Is she crying?

"If she's our sister, then I'm never going to forgive Nkosinathi." I mean it. I've never hated a man like I hate that one. He can never get in my good books. It was enough that he hid Asenathi for years, but to hide that Asante is alive is pretty insane.

"She loves him." Angie defends him.

"He doesn't deserve her—ah!" I yell as I feel an immense pain. "No, take this baby out of me right now!"

"How long until we land? If we don't land in the next two hours, then Addy is giving birth here." Angie tells Qhawe, who looks like he's just seen a ghost. Men are so unnecessary. Why can't they carry babies? I swear after I give birth, this baby is his responsibility.

"She can't." That's all this piece of shìt says. Why couldn't he pull out like other men? His stupid sperms survived my IUD. He told me straight to my face that no contraceptives formed against his baby shall prosper, and now I'm facing the consequences. Yeah, I'm never having sex, again. This is my last pregnancy. I'd rather tie my tubes this time around.

"Then do something!" Angie snaps.

I hold on to the pain, mumbles, cry, and swears until we finally land on this beautiful green land. There's already a doctor with a wheelchair as the jet opens up. I'm put on it, and they take me to the car and then drive away to God knows where.

We finally reach our destination in a few minutes and then I'm wheeled inside this house. I meet Qhawe's mother at the door. I'm taken to the last room at the back where there's a jacuzzi.

"Wait...I'm getting inside that?" I point to the jacuzzi. I never signed on giving birth inside the water.

"Yes, you have to. Quick, there's no time." Another woman wearing all white says. She looks like a witch doctor or something.

"I can't. What if my baby drowns?"

"He won't, my dear." Qhawe's mother assures me from behind me. This room is full of strangers. I miss my mom.

"Can Qhawe come? Or my sister."

"Unfortunately, men are not allowed during the birth of their children, and your sister is a commoner." The mother in law explains. Yoh, I just wanna give birth and leave this place. I'm never coming back.

"Okay, help me up." The woman holding my wheelchair and another one helps me to get inside the jacuzzi. The water is neither cold nor hot it's just soothing.

><><><

After a hundred hours of me screaming and pushing out this big-headed baby, he comes out looking like an alien.

"He's so cute," Angie says while walking around the room carrying the baby who's wrapped inside the blue blanket. I've slept, and now I'm awake but slipping in and out of consciousness.

"He's not. When do babies start looking like their mothers?" She laughs at me.

"Mtasekhaya, you're insane. This one already looks like his dad, by the way." That's unfair. We hear a knock on the door before it opens up revealing Asante, who's pushing herself on the wheelchair.

"I hope I'm not disturbing this beautiful moment." She has always been polite and down to Earth. She looks thin and like a shell of her old self.

"No, you're not. Do you want to carry him?" Angie asks her, and she nods. She gives him the baby.

"I can't believe you're a mother." She smiles at me. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes.

"What happened to you, Asa?" That's the only question on my mind.

"A lot happened. What's his name?" Before I could reply to her, the door opened again, and Milly ran inside.

"His name is mtana Ka Aunty! Can I carry him?" She takes him from Asa before she can even say anything.

"I'm coming back with him." She runs out again with my baby. If she drops him, she better drop with him because I'm going to kill her with my bare hands.

Now it's just me with my sisters. If I'm feeling this emotional, then imagine how our parents would feel when they discover that Asante is still alive.