Unexpected Turns (Finale)

(…cont. from last week)

Bongani had never felt so helpless and hopeless before. Life had never been so hard on him, watching the love of his life battle with her life. It was a painful experience, harsh, but was it what he deserved? Yes he did wrong to both these women, loved one and lied to another. But was it worth it? Was he worth it? A man to die for? To fight for? He had never loved like this nor loathed someone like this.

He prayed for a miracle, mercies from beyond the galaxies, beyond his own understanding. He needed divine intervention, or more if it counted to believe in more than God.

She had only opened her eyes twice, since Sandra stabbed her. She would look at people but not say a word, then go back to sleep. Or was it the way people in coma behaved? Hard to understand but it was better than nothing. At least there was sign of life, a sign of hope, she was going to come back to them, him, but when?

“I wonder if she can hear me, us. All she does is move her hand or open her eyes for a bit and say nothing.” Bongani said wearily. “This is my punishment.” He proceeded.

“I wish she could just wake up,” Sabrina was in tears looking at her daughter. “I have been sick, battling for my life. And I got better for her, the only reason I live, only reason I battled this cancer was to live and see my little girl be a woman. Get successful, achieve her dreams, I wanted to be there.” The poor lady cried.

She dragged her wheelchair closer to her daughter, lying unconscious, took her hand and held it in hers. This was unfair, how can her daughter give up her dreams so she could get better only to for her to get better and watch her daughter fight for her life? It was somewhat a punishment.

“The moment I could finally stand up, I am stronger baby, talk to your mother please.” Sabrina begged like her daughter could hear her.

Annetta and the nurse walked into the ward. Annetta went straight for Sabrina to comfort her.

“Sabrina, please promise me you will be stronger for our children.” Annetta said, more like she was preparing Sabrina for bad news.

“Mrs Majawa, there is a complication, not fatal but it could be fatal if not handled as soon as possible.” The nurse said, trying to be calm, trying to find a better way to explain what she had to tell the mother and Bongani.

“What do you mean? You people said my daughter will be fine.”

“What’s the problem? Anything you can’t fix?” Bongani asked, standing up taking slow steps towards the nurse.

“I’ll have to wait, the doctor is the one to explain this, it’s very complicated.” The nurse was nervous.

Bongani stopped the nurse, his face was as scary as that of an angry beast looking for his lost children. She stammered, there was no easy way to tell this angry man what made Duwa’s situation complicated and fatal if not carefully handled.

To her rescue, the doctor walked it.

“There is something we need to discuss and it will require serious decision making.” The doctor said.

“Just say it already!” Bongani shouted.

“The day we operated on her, the day she was stabbed we told you she was with child right?” The doctor calmly spoke.

“And? What does that have to do with fatality or complications?” Bongani asked angrily.

“Bongani, please.” The mother pleaded.

“She is not strong enough to keep herself and the baby alive. Her body is rejecting treatment, she is too weak, unconscious and vulnerable since she is sharing the little life she has with the baby.” The doctor explained and paused.

“Doctor, my Duwa is a strong girl, please she is a strong girl.” Sabrina cried.

“We can’t keep them both comfortable, it’s out of our hands. Its either we save one or lose both. The baby is barely five weeks we could save her and remove the foetus.” The doctor said in regret.

Bongani turned around and punched the wall, tears rolling down his eyes. What wrong did he do to deserve this? He had a child by a psychopathic woman who tried to kill the woman he loved. How much more could one heart take? Now he had to make a decision that Duwa would hate him for making if she woke up. How could a man get rid of his own child without the mother’s consent?

****

He stared at her in disgust. How the hell did he even sleep with her and made her pregnant? Who was she? A demon sent to destroy him? God’s punishment to his reckless life? Why did it have to be him of all people?

“What made you come here baby daddy?” Sandra asked laughingly.

“I wanted to see if what your father said was true, mentally unbalanced or just a way to protect you from going to jail.” Bongani said calmly but wishing strangling someone was legal. Give her a taste if death itself, till she begs to live.

“Have you seen it then? Will that help you sleep at night? Because this is all your fault.” Sandra mocked Bongani.

“You surely are looking for a quick way to get out of this mess right?” Bongani laughed, then his face changed, got so serious in a wink. “Look at you? House arrest, seeing a psychiatrist, you can’t even see our child, God forbid. Is this what you call victory? Because as long as I am alive you will never come near my daughter.” Bongani laughed again.

He was baiting her. The woman he loved was unconscious, hanging on the balance with his unborn baby. Now he had to make a tough decision to save her life.

“How is she? Ready to admit she is a man stealer?” Sandra kept mocking.

“Are you ready to admit you are a sick headed killer? You wanted her dead, this your games, pretending to see a psychiatrist is a lie. That’s why you will rot here, alone. Because it’s over my dead body you will be allowed to see Ekari.” He said, assuring Sandra.

“You named her well, I actually was worried you will name her Duwa.” Sandra laughed.

“I did, that’s her middle name. Ekari Duwa Moyo.”

Sandra’s mockery quickly faded into serious anger. She grabbed a glass and threw it to Bongani it landed on his left arm. Hit so hard and went smashing on the floor.

“How dare you Bongani continue insulting me to the extent of naming my daughter after that witch? Hasn’t she taken enough from me?” Sandra cried, grabbing a table and lifting it, all the plates that was brought with her food smashed on the floor.

“You tried to kill her. She is still unconscious and battling with her life, she has my baby Sandra. How evil are you?” Bongani said attending to his left arm where she threw the glass.

“She is pregnant? Well, I missed I see. Should have plunged the knife into her stomach not her waist.” Sandra said walking towards the broken glass. She took a butter knife and held it firmly, facing Bongani who was now near the door in case she charged and tried to stab him. “I loved you, for years I did. Even gave you a beautiful little girl and she took it all away. Should have finished her before your mother came to stop me.” She proceeded.

“That’s what you wanted? You wanted her dead?” He asked making sure she doesn’t see what he was up to.

“If I can’t have you, why should a house maid of all people have you? Yes, I wanted her dead. She got so lucky.” Sandra admitted it all.

The door flew open and Bongani stepped outside, stood there for a moment and smiled.

“Your psychiatric issues are no longer going to save you. Thank you for giving me a case Sandra, you are going to jail and you will never come anywhere near my daughter or Duwa.” He took his phone and stopped recording running down stairs.

“Bongani please she is my daughter too, you beast!” She yelled behind him trying to catch him but he was too fast. “I didn’t mean what I said in there, please.” She watched him get into his car and drive away with her confession. She was done for now, she was going to jail.

*****

“They are prepping her for surgery. It’s now or never, that’s what the doctor said. She is getting weaker by the day.” Sabrina wearily said.

Bongani knelt before her on the wheelchair and took both her hands. The young man was in tears.

“I know she will make it, and when she does I want to be there next to her with a promise of my love. I love your daughter more than anything else.”  He said drying his teary eyes. “I need your permission and blessing to ask your daughter to marry me as soon as she can walk out of this hospital. Please ma’am.” Bongani asked humbly.

Sabrina instead just started crying hearing Bongani say that. It was what she ever wanted, a good young man to marry her daughter. But how could he be so sure she’d make it? She was sacred for her only child’s life.

As she nodded, giving Bongani her blessing, doctors and nurses ran into her daughter’s ward. Bongani helped her move the wheelchair towards the ward but they closed the door on them.

“What’s going on? Why are you all in there? What’s wrong with my girl in there?” Bongani asked trying to get inside the ward.

“Sir, please step back. We will address the situation and get back to you.” A female doctor said pushing him back and closing the blinds on the window.

He saw a glimpse before the blinds closed. She seemed to be seizing. He felt helpless, he dropped to his knees praying for a miracle.

His father and mother were just arriving from home bringing him and Sabrina food. His father reached for him and helped him up while his mother comforted poor Sabrina. He couldn’t talk, he felt numb. Something was happening to the woman he wanted to marry and there was nothing he could do to help her.

****

The doctor came after thirty minutes to the waiting room. They all stood up hoping to hear good news from the young doctor.

“I have never dealt with a case so delicate and scary like this one. She was seizing, we sedated her but,”

“But what?” Bongani interrupted. “Is my girl and my child inside her alright? Please tell me Duwa is alright, doctor please.” He cried, turned away to wipe his tears.

“She talked, she is asking for her mother and you Mr Bongani.” The doctor said smiling.

“Wait, what? You mean,” Bongani grabbed the doctor’s hand.

“My daughter is awake? Somebody take me to her please.” Sabrina asked with excitement.

Bongani drove the happy mother of the woman he loved into the ward. And there she was, his love, alive and well.

“Duwa,” he whispered as he sat beside her. He took her hand and kissed her palms, then held it close to his chest.

“Mother, you are out of bed.” Duwa said in a low voice.

“Yes honey, mother is out of bed now.” Sabrina said trying to smile but tears were just falling, tears of joy. “You promise your old mother, you will never scare me like that ever again. You hear me Duwa?” Sabrina cried.

“Please don’t cry mother, I love you and I’m here.” Duwa tried to comfort her mother. She turned to Bongani and smiled at her love. “Please tell me you didn’t leave my side, how long have I been here?” She asked him.

“Two weeks, almost three. It got so scary, we thought, I thought I’d lose you. I stayed here, with you and prayed you will come back to me. I missed you, and I love you Duwa.” Bongani kissed her hand again and again.

Days passed and she grew stronger recovering so well. Still it was hard for Bongani to leave her side. Nor did Sabrina. Bongani’s parents visited almost all time.

“Bongani, where is your little girl?” Duwa asked.

“She is home, mother took her home a few days ago. Strong and healthy, sad she can’t breastfeed. Her sick headed mother is locked up.” Bongani’s tone changed.

“Was Sandra arrested? I don’t want to press charges, Bongi we did this her. She was angry and,”

“Tried to kill you? No, do not feel sorry for that psycho my dear. She could gave killed you both, she must get punished.” Chiza interrupted Duwa.

“He is right, we can’t have her around our granddaughter. She can’t be trusted at all.” Annetta supported her husband.

“But,”

“Duwa, there is no two ways about this. She confessed to me and luckily I got her on tape the prosecution will use that to make sure she never hurts you, our baby here or anybody else.” He touched her tummy.

“You know? Is it okay? I was going to tell you soon after your new born daughter was taken home, but then I almost died.”

“The doctors told us. They found out before they could operate to stop the bleeding from the stabbing, thank God.” Sabrina said, this time she was happy. She could finally converse with her child.

“We are going to have a baby, its a miracle. Yesterday we were told you can’t make it with the baby inside you. It was making your body weak they had to save one and since the baby was too small they had to save you.” Bongani explained to her.

“Oh my God, really?” I was going to wake up without my baby?” Duwa touched her tummy.

“And you woke up like you knew.” Sabrina continued. ” Now that you have regained consciousness, the baby and you are both going to live.” There was joy in her voice. “And Bongani has some good news for you.” She winked at Bongani.

“He does?” Duwa wondered.

He cleared his throat, embarrassed that he was going to ask her to marry him in front of his parents and her mother. He knelt beside Duwa and cleared his throat again.

“I won’t say a lot, we have survived a bigger storm than I ever imagined we could. I asked your mother for her blessing and she didn’t say much you went into seizure and now you are awake.” He sighed. “I don’t want to wait no more, please Duwa Majawa, be my wife. Will you marry me?” He popped the question.

Duwa just started crying, she said no word at all. Tears streaming down her face, she looked at her mother who nodded giving her a blessing to accept Bongani’s proposal. She looked at Chiza and Annetta and they were both smiling down at her. But was she ready to be his wife after all she had been through because of him?

She turned to Bongani who was waiting for her answer, a positive one. She touched her tummy where their baby was and she smiled through her tears.

“Bongani Moyo, I am not going to waste anymore time too so, yes.” She sighed as she said yes to him.

“Awww, my baby is getting married.” Sabrina broke into tears again.

“Okay Sabrina, let’s leave the kids to talk now. Come with us you need to eat.” Annetta said dragging Sabrina’s wheelchair out of the ward.

*****

And they exchanged vows four months later, Duwa’s baby bump showing through her beautiful maternity wedding gown.

Her beautiful smile fulfilled him, as he promised to love her in sickness and in health, for better for worse, come rain come sunshine. He finally got it right, a humble, beautiful, loving, selfless woman to call his own, his wife, Mrs Moyo. A woman who loved his daughter no matter what Sandra, the mother of his daughter did to her.

She wanted to cry, let her joyful tears flow as they gave each other rings. Symbols of their love that had seen it all, symbols of their union as one. A symbol of her loyalty to him till death do them part. His wife, the mother of his daughter and his unborn baby. She had him, all of him was hers to love and keep.

The pastor pronounced them husband and wife and they walked out of the church holding hands, staring at each other gracefully. The beginning of a life together.

THE END!!!

**For the complete Unexpected Turns series, click here