The car was deathly still. Leila was trying to keep the laughter in but it became harder. She turned on the radio and Kelvin switched it off, grumbling under his breath.
Unable to hold it in any longer, she erupted in laughter. “Fuck you, Leila,” was all he said.
Leila laughed harder. She didn’t reply him till they were at a traffic light. “Yes, Kev. I want you to fuck me but as you can see, I’m driving. I wouldn’t want us to get killed. I don’t want to give you another reason to scream.”
“Shut up!” At his outburst, more laughter trickled out of her lips. She wiped the tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She had always thought nothing scared Kelvin but today, hearing him scream in fear during the zombies attack had proved her wrong. “I hate that game.”
“Really?”
Kelvin stared at his feet. “Yeah. Didn’t enjoy it much.
Saturday was always Leila’s rest day but when her mother called to ask her if she would love to accompany her on grocery shopping, Leila could not say so. Besides, Kelvin was not at home.The drive to the store her mother would be shopping was slow. Leila pondered briefly her decision to get a new house for her mother. She got to the store and her mother was outside waiting for her.Leila smiled. They might look different but she would always see this amazing woman as her mother. She got out of her car and her mother engulfed her in a hug. For a second, she held her breath, expecting to be called by her pet name but nothing came out from her mother.Her mother caressed her chin. “Leilani.”“Mum.”They hugged again. Linking their hands together, they headed to the store. She was beside her mother, helping her pick up groceries and other cooking condiments. They passed an aisle with shelves of bak
The next day, Leila was up before Kelvin. She tried to get off the bed but his arms tightened around her.How was she supposed to get to the hospital?“Kev? Wake up. I need to pee.”His arms loosened. “Okay.” He peeled one eye open and patted the spot she rolled off. “Be fast, I’m waiting for you. I want to cuddle and kiss you, baby.”“Okay, love.”Leila was back in the room within minutes. She needed to leave the hospital but she had to find a way to do it without letting him know. Kelvin’s lips turned down in a pout. He stretched his arms and she crawled back to the bed to join. Today was Sunday, they should be resting but her mind was restless.“You’ve not told me where you were yesterday,” he said into her ear when she was tucked in his arms.Leila slowly turned. Kelvin pushed an arm under his head. He hadn’t bee
Kelvin stood, then sat. He stood again, then sat again. His wife promised everything was fine but he was so restless he could barely do anything. He opened his laptop to work but the words on his screen blurred. He shut down the laptop on his study table and locked his hands behind his head. They had been doing fine for a while now. She couldn’t be sick, he would have known. Wait, what if she was pregnant?He jumped when his phone rang. Startled, he grabbed it from the table. It was his sister, Madonna. A grin touched his lip as he picked. Madonna’s voice filtered into his ear in a high pitch. He kicked his legs under the table and his grin widened.“Mum’s here,” she said after the pleasantries.His smile dimmed. Kelvin ran one hand through his hair. This wasn’t what his mother told him. She would not be in California until a week. His fist met the table. That was his issue with her. Making decisions that cou
Leila sang along to the song playing from the radio, messing up the lyrics without a care. The car from behind overtook her but she didn’t give a shit. She wouldn’t have minded if someone slapped her. In fact, she might have turned her other cheek to them.Nothing had been able to affect her since she saw the result of the test. Positive. She was pregnant with her and Kelvin’s baby. Fifteen weeks pregnant. How did she not notice? The increased appetite. The weight gain. The breasts heaviness. It wasn’t just her getting fat, it was her body adjusting to accommodate their baby. She rubbed a hand over her belly. It was a boy.She couldn’t say for sure but she felt it would be a boy. A boy that would be named after his father. In her excitement, she had crushed the doctor in a hug. They would return later after she told her husband the great news. She didn’t mind waiting to find out his gender but if Kelvin wanted to know it
First try. No result. Second try. No result. Third try. No result. A frustrated growl tore out of Kelvin’s lips. He tossed the phone on the bed and paced the room.He fucked up. Knowing his mother-in-law and wife’s history, he shouldn’t have suggested her staying here to Leila. Was that why she wouldn’t pick his call?His phone rang and he rushed to it. His chest sagged. It was his mother, not Leila. He didn’t pick. She was the cause of all these. Leila had been excited, what did she want to tell him? Why wouldn’t she pick his calls? He pinched his nose and growled again.Frustration ate at his insides. He wanted his wife. Kelvin stared at his phone for a long time before it hit him. Freya. She was going to Freya’s. He could call Freya. As he was about to dial her number, his phone lit up with his wife’s best friend’s number.Fate was working in his favour. He wasted no time in
Kelvin waited. He waited for the laugh or smile, anything that would tell him today was not real.A child? Leila had a child? How didn’t he know that?“Mr McKenna?”“What child?” Kelvin finally asked the doctor. “I don’t understand. Are you saying my wife is pregnant?”“Yes. About fifteen weeks gone. We don’t have time right now. We need to save one. Mother or child?”“No.” Kelvin shook his head. They had to save both. They must save both. He pointed to the door of the room the doctor exited and told him in a small voice, “I’m not picking. Now, you will go in there and save my wife and kid. You got it? Both of them will be fine.”“Mr McKenna. It doesn’t work that way.”Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.Kelvin’s head hung low. No, they couldn’t do this to him. He couldn’t p
Morning came faster than Kelvin anticipated it. He got out of bed, took a shower and forced himself to eat. His only goal was to be strong for his wife. He sent Amara a text message before leaving the house. For now, she would have to handle things in his absence.The drive to the hospital was the fastest ride of his life. A nurse attended to him with a smile. Leila was fine and awake, she had asked after him this morning. His grin was dampened by the fact he had to give up their child for his wife’s life but he managed to rein in his emotions and followed behind the nurse.Peeping through the glass, he smiled at his sleeping wife. He didn’t want to be the one to tell her about the baby. The nurse left him alone and he went inside.His need to be closer to her took over his senses and he crawled into the bed to be with her. Her eyes fluttered open. Leila smiled and his heart stopped.“Baby,” he murmured over and over ag
Leila’s heart was crushing. Her heart was breaking and the broken pieces were breaking all over again. What did she do? Was it because she got pregnant? They both wanted the baby. He told her he wanted a son.The door opened after she was tucked in bed. The broken pieces of her heart broke into tinier pieces when her parents, instead of Kelvin, walked in. Her mother came over to her side and hugged her tight.“What happened?” her mother asked. Her father had not said a word. He wasn’t a man of so many words.“I don’t know.” She stared at her nails. She had chewed them out of impatience. “I told him I was pregnant and he started acting strange. I don’t know.”“The nurse told us he has been coming everyday.”“I know,” Leila murmured. Her mother sank into the chair her father pulled out for her and Leila threw him a smile. The nurses on duty tol