Love on the brain

All I could do is cry

I looked at Jabari and I couldn't tell if it was genuine or he was being petty. I stood up and walked into the house and she followed me. "Nala wait" she said and I turned to look at her. "So we were fucking the same man" I said as I sat on the couch. I was surprisingly calm, I wasn't overly mad, I was just irritated by her behaviour. "You could've told me instead of keeping it a secret. How long have you been with him?" I asked and she fiddled with her hands. "A year now" she said and I rolled my eyes. "It was on and off and we weren't really together when you guys fucked" she said and it didn't make me feel at ease.

"Moagi. You always judging me and my relationships especially with Kabelo but you're doing the same thing. What happened to honestly and transparency in our friendship?" I asked and she looked guilty. "Naledi I'm sorry" she said and I shook my head. "You weren't sorry all these months why are you sorry now? Cause it's out in the public? You don't even tell me the actual reason why you're here." I stress as I rub my tummy.

"I'm trying to understand why you're so frustrated, besides the fact that I didn't tell you and I'm hiding shit from you. You have your man." She said and I scrunched my face. I have no more words to say to her. I slowly got up and walked to Jermaine who also looked stressed. "Hey" I said as he stood in the middle of the yard. "Hey" answered back as he stopped pacing. "Mom is supposed to be here by now" he said and I looked at him fiddle with his phone. "She probably went shopping" I said and he shook his head. "You're gonna stress yourself" I said as I held his face.

"I'll call her again and if she doesn't answer then I don't know" he said and I nodded. We listened to the phone ring and we waited for her to answer the phone. "Hey baby" she answered and we were relieved. I pat him on the shoulder before walking to the aunts to go sit down. Jabari and Mo were sitting with Jabari's cousins which I haven't met yet, I think Jermaine will introduce us later on. "Baby, aren't you tired of walking around?" Margret asked and I nodded as I took a sip of my juice. "She's on her way" Jermaine said as he walked back in the house.

We waited for another hour, the smell of braai meat made me even more hungry but we were waiting for Nia. The elders were playing some Luther Vandross and on the other side of the house Amapiano was being played. "Let's go meet your cousins" I said distracting him from waiting for his mother. He stood up quietly and I felt the baby move. "There your baby goes, kicking on my bladder" I said and he smiled a bit. "That's my boy" he said and I rolled my eyes. "You and Kabelo need to stop" I said and he shook his head. "You need to stop bringing up that name" he said as he held my hand tightly.

We walked to his cousins, they were all drinking and having fun. Mo and I made eye contact, I quickly looked away and a tall, dark skinned girl walked up to me and rubbed my tummy. I flinched and laughed afterwards, realizing how weird that was. "Hey, I'm sorry I'm just awkward around people and my belly" I tried to explain but she shrugged. "It's okay boo, I understand" she said with a very squeaky voice.

"That's Destiny, Ms Jackson's younger daughter. Sitting next to her is Jackie, ms Jackson's first daughter. That's Kamo, Aunt Keitu's son, sitting next to him is Ethan, Alicia's son..." he got interrupted by his phone call. Alicia has a son probably the same age as Jabari and she's still messing around with him? Jabari is one messy human being.

"Mom where are you?" He answered and I continued to talk to the cousins and shook everyone's hand. We looked at Jermaine's face turn into a horrified expression, we could tell somethings wrong. I walked to him and suddenly I felt a gush of liquid pouring between my legs, like I peed on myself, like I'm going into labour. "Oh my gosh Naledi" Mo said before coming to me. "Jermaine, what's wrong" I asked and he froze. "Mom's in an accident" my heart sank. I hugged Jermaine for a few seconds before he rushed to get his keys. "I'm coming with you" I said and his cousins all refused.

"I either way need to go" I said as I waddle my way to Jermaine. I could tell he didn't know what to react on. He passed the elders, I could tell he didn't want to worry them yet. He helped me get in his car before walking to the other side and jumping in. "You good? You need anything? Must I take you to Dr Moyo" he asked and I held the back of his neck. "Try calm down please, we need to arrive safely" I said and I could tell he was scared, we didn't know what to expect.

The drive to the hospital felt like an eternity. I felt the contractions starting as we arrived, mild but they progressed. "Jermaine, I think labor is starting" I breathed as I called Kabelo. "Hey, can you go home and get my hospital bag? I think I'm going into labour, I'll call Lwandle and she'll call my mom" I said. "Don't worry about that, I'll handle it, make sure you're good" he said and I told him I'm with Jermaine, everything is fine.

We got out the car and the nurses rushed and put me on a wheelchair. "No I need to stay with him, we're looking for his mother" I spoke. "Nia Magnolia Sage" he asked and they told us room 304. We rushed there and we found a doctor who could assist us. "Doc, how is she doing?" He asked and I rubbed on my tummy feeling the contractions.

"We tried everything we could, she didn't make it" the doctor spoke and I felt my heart sink as tears rolled down my face. "What do you mean doc, did you even do anything or try save her life?" He shouted in pain. "Due to the severity of the crash, she died on the scene. Emergency responders tried to revive ms Sage, but unfortunately..." Jermaine crumbled, interrupting the doctor.

I tried to stand up and hold Jermaine. "I'm sorry" I said as I held him to me but the pain was unbearable. "We need to go though" I said as I wiped my tears. We went to the labor ward and that's where we met Dr Moyo and the midwife that would help me. "Evening Naledi, are you ready for this?" She asked me. "We just lost Jermaine's mother, there's a lot going on right now" I explained as we went into the room. "I'm so sorry for your loss." She said as she rubbed my hand. Jermaine was making phone calls, I left it to him.

"Seven centimetres dilated" the nurse announced as she monitored my baby. The pain consumed me, I felt like I couldn't breathe. "I'm here, I'm here" I heard my mom speak, I cried and smiled at the same time. "How's my baby doing?" She asked and I just shook my head.

"We need to focus on Naledi's labor. Seven centimetres dilated, and the contractions are getting stronger." The nurse interrupted my mom comforting Jermaine. Dr Moyo entered, "Naledi, we're going to administer the epidural. It'll help with the pain." I nodded my head as Jermaine held my hand.

Once the epidural took effect, numbing the pain I felt relieved a bit and I looked over to my mom. "I appreciate you being here" I said not finishing the rest of my sentence. "Pushing will start soon" Dr Moyo announced and I felt nervous and excited at the same time.

"Mom, I need this to be Jermaine and I's moment alone. I know you want to support me but I wanna do this with him" I said and she looked hurt. "Okay" she said softly before kissing my forehead. "You ready?" Jermaine asked me, I could tell he was crying. "I'm so sorry" I whispered as I felt the pressure moving down. The contractions intensified, Dr Moyo coached me and I used what I learnt in birthing classes so I don't tear.

"Push Naledi!"

With every push, Jermaine's grip on my hand tightened. Our baby's cries filled the room and I threw my head back as I took time to myself. I took that time to reset and come back into my body and enjoy the moment. I felt disoriented and detached from the situation, I felt like I needed the time. I heard cheering and Jermaine's happy cries as he kissed my cheek, "I love you"he said. I kept quiet as I felt tears fall down my tears.I just delivered a full grown human being.

Team boy🩵 or Team girl🩷?
Congratulations to our newly parents🤪
Condolences to Jermaine and his family😔