Chapter One: The mystery of birth and death
The year was 2025, in a little countryside town called Hillsdale. It was a quiet and peaceful community far from the noisy bustling cities. There was nothing seemingly different about this day except, Marilyn was about to go into labour. She was 7 months in, but the pain had become unbearable. The sun was fast setting behind the hills out in the distance. The hands on the living room clock pointed to 6pm. With the pain slowly increasing and her impatience growing, Marilyn tightly squeezed her husband’s hand. Jeff felt as if his hand was the source of all her labour pains. He pushed back his reading glasses. It seemed they had slowly drifted down his nose and were on the verge of falling off in protest. Drops of sweat were gradually beginning to form on his forehead.
Marilyn tried to keep herself from losing her mind. This was her first pregnancy but it felt like the end of the world. As composed as Jeff could garner, he drove his pickup truck, fast as he thought he could towards Hillsdale clinic. Marilyn begged her husband to go even faster. There were not many cars this side of the country, so Jeff kept his foot on the metal.
The pain was becoming unbearable. She could not take it anymore. She screamed endlessly, her clothes drenched in sweat as though she was lying close to a burning furnace. Her screams were getting louder it was as if nobody could hear her scream. Jeff put his hand on her shoulder and nervously consoled her,
“Honey, just a few more minutes, it will be all right, hang in there”.
She moaned and looked at Jeff with her eyes squinted, you do not understand what I’m going through right now, and it is getting worse. I feel like I am going to give birth to the whole world. She mumbled within her mind.
It was with a sigh of relief that Jeff realised that they had arrived. He pointed towards the clinic sign post and gladly announced to his wife that they had reached. At high speed, Jeff quickly hit the brakes; unceremoniously bringing the piece of metal to a halt, just a few inches from the clinic walls. He stormed out of his vehicle and entered into the clinic, alarming the receptionists as he ran towards the counter.
“Nurse! Nurse! My wife is in labour. She needs a doctor, please where is the doctor?”Jeff panted words out to a round faced young nurse sitting behind the computer.
“Calm down sir, where is your wife now?” the nurse replied
“She is in the car,” Jeff responded.
Jeff and two nurses rushed out of the clinic with a gurney and when they reached the car, they found the door of the car already opened. Marilyn was trying to climb down the car herself. Jeff rushed towards her,
“Honey wait, let us help you.”
The two nurses rushed to help Marilyn out of the car and onto the gurney, while Jeff held her hand, squeezing it gently in assurance. The nurses hurried Marilyn into the clinic and stormed right into the theatre. A few seconds later, the doctor came charging through the doors, paused a bit and looked at Jeff,
“Sir, are you sure you want to be in here?, nurse show him out please.”
“No I’m ok, I want to be here.” Protested Jeff, he was determined to be with his wife all the way.
Eight hours later Jeff was in the hallway walking about like a kid in trouble for breaking his father’s television set. A biting of the nails, a scratching of the neck; characterized the pacing back and forth in the hallway. His wife had been in labour for the past eight hours and it was now 01:30 in the morning.
The doctor came out of the theatre and walked towards Jeff Williams. Jeff fixed his eyes on the approaching doctor. Doctor Gandhi was a professional in his practice. He had worked at Hillsdale clinic for 40 years. Grey hair had taken over his head, but his skin was firm, albeit for little wrinkles on his forehead one might be mistaken to think that the good doctor was in his late 30s.
“Mr Williams, congratulations you have twins,” the doctor said with a half-smile.
Jeff was so excited; he leaped up and gave the doctor a hug. “Thank you…thank you” Jeff repeated.
He almost marched his way towards the theatre room, when the doctor stopped him in his tracks, “But we have some...bad news Mr Williams.” Jeff looked dazed, excitement and fear mingled together. He looked for an answer on the doc’s face, but the doctor’s face gave nothing off. Hands on the head, fearing the bad news about to hit him, he nervously enquired, “what is it doc?”
“We tried all we could but…she…she,” the doctor couldn’t bring himself to reveal the bad news and so looking confused Jeff asked, “she’s…what? Doc what has happened to my wife?”
“She couldn’t make it,” the doctor sadly replied. Jeff’s countenance fell, as a blue sky changes to grey in readiness for a big storm. His tears of joy suddenly bore a frown as they trickled down his face. His feet became heavy as he slowly made his way towards the theatre room, with his right hand over his mouth in disbelief.
He opened the door and saw his wife on the bed, her body lying lifeless. Anguish filled his body and he broke down as he hurried towards her crying, “Baby…baby please wake up! Marilyn wake up…no, oh God no.”
Marilyn had died and Jeff could not accept it. He sat next to her lifeless body for a while, until the nurses informed him, that he had to leave and allow the hospital attend to the body of his wife. He watched in tears as he left his wife’s body lifeless in the theatre room.
A few moments later, Jeff was by the nursery, tears rolling down his face as he stared at his two baby boys through the glass window. The boys lay soundly asleep unaware of the tragic events. He slowly moved away from the glass window, went, and sat in the hallway pondering the new reality. He had come with his wife and now had to leave the clinic without her, but at least he thought to himself, I would be leaving with our two sons.
What a turnout of events, at the beginning of life was the end of another, at the highest point of joy was the beginning of the worst pain a human being could ever go through. It was simply the mystery of birth and death.
