When the curtains rose
This was in real-time on a rainy Sunday morning. A tiny voice was heard coming out from the theatre and lo, here comes Mr Greg excitedly making his way into the labor room.
GREG’S POV
My wife and I have been married for over 52 years. I always love to say we have had complications having children. In all these years, we have experienced mockery, pain, castigation, and abandonment from families. Still, in all these, we have had to deal with and go through it together as couples hoping for the lord to come through for us. It took far too long for our prayers to finally be answered.
Hearing a loud voice in my head as I was in a deep sleep and couldn’t let myself out of my dreamland. As I heard my wife shout out I jerked up almost immediately to hear her scream in pain. She was in labor. I looked out the window and it was pouring down heavily. The day was still dark and the weather was cold as ice. Turned my eyes to the wall clock and it was just 3:47 in the morning. I rushed to the bathroom and dragged down the shirt I had hung the night before, making my way back to my wife screaming unto her voice in the bedroom.
Just in a flash, like nothing else mattered, We found ourselves on the way to the hospital. The road was free and everywhere calm and lonely. It didn't take us too long to arrive at the hospital and my wife was immediately rushed to the theatre.
It took my wife and I, nine good months to get to this point but in all these past days, weeks, and months, my mind has never felt this empty on what to do and where I stand. The first day of labor was exciting as I heard from the outside door the doctors and nurses saying she was doing just fine. I never knew how much it meant to hear those words until today. Filled with hopes and a burning sensation, looking forward to welcoming and embracing our little one. All through this day I was left with mixed emotions as I did not know what was happening in the labor room. All I could hear was my wife screaming in pain so loud that I started shivering and calling upon the name of the lord. In all our years of marriage, this was the first time I heard my wife crying and calling out to God with so much anguish.
My eyes teary and I look with keen eyes towards the room my wife was taken into. Too many thoughts ran through my head as it was the first time in 5 decades I was experiencing this moment. What would it be, I said to myself walking up and down the hallway scared and almost breathless. This has been going on for 4 days and as I was told by the doctor, my wife has lost so much strength to push our baby girl out. She is currently on oxygen and has been administered medications to keep her little strength on.
In all honesty, I could see my entire existence flash right before my eyes with so many thoughts going on in my head, would she make it out alive, will the baby be ok? I don't know how far in thoughts I had gone but I could hear my inner self saying out loud to the doctors to save my wife no matter what happened. At this point, I couldn't bear to lose my wife. If we could live in harmony all these past decades without a child, we would go much more without any till the lord finally calls us home. Never did I imagine myself crying out and crashing down like a little child but today was the day I knew I hadn't been mentally strong. It was as if the wall I was leaning on was drastically melting down and I had subconsciously found myself on the floor weeping with my eyes shut.
Betting on my life that God heard my cry and listened to my heart. I saw the doctor come out from the theatre shaking his head in ultimate disbelief, my heart sank into my stomach and I immediately felt my spirit living my body. He walked to me and said we have tried our absolute best but the baby is not forthcoming. He wanted to suggest a c-section and immediately asked me to come to sign for it, I heard one of the nurses calling out to him, and in her words, the baby's head was out!! Just like a flash, the doctor ran back whilst I followed suit. directed my sight to my wife and she was looking exhausted and ready to pass out.
I rushed to her immediately with a crying face but a relieved mind. Rubbing her head and saying all words of appreciation to her. Apologizing for putting her in such a state. She faithfully smiled at me and asked for our child. Looking at the doctor as he pointed to the left side of the room by the wall where my daughter was practically lying on a small baby bed covered with a swaddling blanket. The nurses had taken over to dress my wife as I slowly walked towards the end of the wall with my eyes wide open, my heart clenched and ready to be loosened at the sight of seeing the gift of God's existence. The dream of so many years and hope of the future. Getting closer yet further away from these feelings. as I did not know where to go from here, my heart yearning for the soft touches of the tiny hand I had imagined all through the nine months she was in her mother's womb. This moment standing before the seed I had planted and steering into the face of a being I had dreamed of over this year.letting out with sigh of relief and impulsively voicing into thin air “My dear little DIRA”.
