Lucky Blue Smith: How About Two?

14. 'Tears'

Once Deneo arrives home her mother's health becomes a preoccupation. Two days after arriving back from Cape Town, Nate - Deneo and Dolly's younger brother- wakes both his sisters up saying their mother's on the floor finding it hard to breathe. She had picked up a seemingly innocuous cold during Deneo's absence that now seems to have escalated to a critical stage influenza - potentially COVID. They call the ambulance, the phlegm in her chest is making it hard for her to speak, or even breathe. 

Nate, with foreboding, goes off to school once the paramedics arrive. Deneo and Dolly leave with the ambulance calling an older family friend, who is also a doctor, to meet them at the hospital. Since their mother was divorced, took an early retirement, was no longer in contact with her family and also had no friends, Mamakane, the family friend, pays for the admission fee and the surgical procedure they are told the mother will need to stabilise her respiratory system. Mamakane makes the process of opening a file bearable for them both - Deneo and Doll - while their mother is in ICU. Nate joins them at around 17h00. 

After much apprehension, at midnight, Mamakane and the children are told that the surgery was successful. The doctor tells them that the mother will need to stay at the hospital to recover from the surgical wounds, to get her lungs functioning at optimum level and to give the treatment time to work. Dolly cries holding on to both her siblings. They comfort her knowing all is well now. 

Mamakane drives the three home, letting them know she'll take care of the whole hospital bill. The siblings are all relieved, ever grateful to have someone like Mamakane in their lives. 

Nate doesn't go to school the next day since it's the weekend. Deneo is awakened by Doll who says she should get ready for a hospital visit in the late afternoon. Deneo looks at her screen. It's 11h20 and it feels she hasn't slept a wink. She drags herself from bed, takes a shower and eats breakfast. By the time she looks at her phone she sees two missed video calls. It then rings in her hand. Recognising the number she smiles picking up.

"Hey Lucky. Could you call me later today? I'm going- Actually, I'll tell you later today."

"Oh? But the kids are here dear. They wanted to say hi before going to the mall with their grandparents."

"Okay. Let me see them," Deneo says although still feeling a little dejected about her mother. She speaks to them affectionately but it's clear they don't really get what's going on. She even gets to say hi to the alluring Nara who is nothing short of pleasant, and yes, she's dressed elaborately. Her and Lucky are gonna have some alone time Deneo thinks fleetingly, yet with no jealousy. The call ends before Deneo can ask Lucky to call her again. She needed to vent her fears without worrying her family. And since she didn't have other friends, Lucky was her go to person.

The three arrive at the hospital past 5 with changing jammies, food and healthy snacks for their mother. 

When they get to the wards and to their mother's room specifically, Deneo cries seeing her mother in hospital attire, connected to drips. Her mother takes her eyes from the tv monitor and looks at her children. "Why are you crying?" She asks Deneo, a kind smile on her face. This makes Deneo cry all the more, moving closer to clasp her mother in her arms. Her mother returns her embrace telling Deneo to stop crying because she's out of the woods now.

Nate and Dolly have their turn to hug their mother. They also shed a few tears which their mother good-naturedly smiles but does not laugh about. Deneo takes note that her mother must be in pain that she's not laughing. Tears flood her eye beds, but she fights the whirlwind of her emotions. The tears recede. 

Their mother only takes the snacks thanking them for their consideration. She enjoys the hospital's food she tells them, and that makes all three of them smile. The condition of the hospital was good, so they are all hopefully not worried about leaving her here again Deneo thinks, thanking Mamakane in her heart. 

At 7pm Nate, Dolly and Deneo leave the hospital being charged to arrive at proper visitation hours next time - which are from 3 to 5am on weekdays, 12 to 1am and 2 to 4am on weekends. They apologise taking note. Deneo also makes a note to buy Mamakane a present for her birthday early next month. As she does, she has an epiphany: today is the 4th of June! She wants to call Lucky immediately but then thinks about him and Nara having plans for the day. And so, she calls as late as possible, which to Deneo is as early as possible. She falls asleep and wakes up at 3am, so this is when she decides to make the call. 

 The phone rings and no one picks up. Deneo calls one more time and no one picks up again. She's confused thinking maybe she didn't store the right number until she gets a text from the number she called: "Yes? It's late, what is it? Can I call you tomorrow?"

Deneo replies: "Well, it will only take two seconds: Happy Birthday Lucky! I'm so sorry I forgot. It hit me as I was looking over the calendar today. I hope you enjoyed your day?"

"Tomorrow," Lucky responds curtly. This hurts Deneo's feelings, but it's nothing compared to how horrible she feels about her mother being sick; sleeping at home yet not having her mother under the same roof. 

Lucky does call the next day, as Deneo has dinner with her siblings. Deneo excuses herself to the room she shares with her sister, telling Lucky about what has been going on since she got back. Lucky's heart goes out to Deneo and her brother and sister. He confesses he had a fight with Nara yesterday which is why he couldn't talk. Deneo cannot bridle her tongue asking what the fight was about. Lucky is, to Deneo, unexpectedly transparent. He says "The only thing we ever fight about. Nara wants me to get a vasectomy."

"Oh," Deneo replies deceptively - as if this is news to her. "You want more children, she doesn't?" She then persists.

"Yes, and she can't take getting on the pill. It has terrible side effects: nausea, migraines, mood swings, and others I think I should not mention."

"Okay. So, what are both of you going to do now?" 

"Carry on as we have been..."

"Against her will?" Deneo asks genuinely sympathetic towards Nara.

"I honestly have no idea what to do. What am I supposed to do Deneo? My parents say I should do what Nara has asked but then I question myself, where in the Bible does any of God's men have their tubes tied?"

"I hear you."

"That's not helping dear."

"Oh. Sorry. But I agree with you?"

"You do? Oh my goodness I'm in so much s*it," blasts Lucky. He and Deneo share hearty laughs. "But on a more serious note, I can't expect her to stay with me if I keep making her pregnant. Labour isn't easy, you know?"

"I do- I mean I get it," Deneo says above Lucky and her giggling. 

"Glad you can still laugh considering all you're going through. Look at me weighing you down with my trifling problems when your mother's in hospital fighting for her life," Lucky remarks and Deneo thinks and wants to say your problems aren't trifling, they are about life, and hers about death; they have equal weighing. But the words struggle to come out. The tubes helping her mother breathe... that image broke her heart.

"You still there dear? Are you crying?" Lucky poses uncertainly.

No reply. Deneo cannot bring herself to speak. And then she cries more audibly. 

"But you said she's recovering quite well. Don't cry dear. She's gonna be fine." 

"I'm sorry Lucky, I can't help it. What will I do living in a world without my mother in it?"

"You're not gonna lose her. She's fine. In a week she gets to go home. In fact she's probably enjoying herself there in a top tier hospital."

"I guess," Deneo expresses comforted. 

"You'll be together again, don't worry so much... Listen dear, I have to go. Keep me updated about your mother, okay?"

"Okay. Bye then..."

"Bye dear."