Lael: Hi! How did it go? Did u see him?

Trinity: Girl! What happened? Lael and I have been thinking of u all day.

Lael: Don’t blue-tick us! Trinity and I are dying here. How did it go???

Trinity: OK. We’re really freaking out now thinking it went badly. Lael is beside herself. Give. Us. Some. News.

Lael: Going to bed now but I’m keeping my alerts on in case you want to send us an update.

***

To: Trinity Luhabe trinityluhabe@gmail.com; Lael Lieberman laelliebs78@gmail.com
From: Nosipho Mamusa nosiphomamusa@gmail.com
Re: Themba

Hi guys,

Sorry to swerve your WhatsApps yesterday. I was feeling a bit emotional. I’m chilling at my aunt’s place this weekend. I’ll be back at Sisulu House on Sunday night. My mom is still overseas and it looks like she won’t be getting back any time soon.

This deal she is project-managing is getting bigger than anyone expected, so she won’t be back for weeks. It’s a good thing, I suppose. I can take care of this problem without her breathing down my neck on weekends.

Anyway. So, I saw Themba. I guess it went okay. The part I’ll never forget is the look on his face when I first told him. Think total and utter horror. But what was I expecting, right? Was there really some dumb part of me that was hoping he might be all like, “A baby? Really? Our baby? But that’s wonderful! Let’s get married straight away.” And then I’d start picking out wedding dresses.

Lame, right? That was NOT the way it went down. And to be honest, I really can’t blame him. I’m pretty sure the look on his face was exactly the same as the look on mine when you came out of that bathroom and told me I was pregnant, Trinity. Not thrilled, in other words.

So, anyway, after the initial horror he was kind of a sweetie about it. He said he would support me whatever decision I made, and that we were in this together. I could tell he really wanted to push me to find out which way I was leaning, but he didn’t. And it was obvious that he was hoping to hear I’d decided to get rid of it.
But again, I really can’t blame him for that because that IS the way I’m leaning. I’m just a weirdo for feeling disappointed that he didn’t ask me to keep it. So, ja, he gets full marks for being the supportive boyfriend. I don’t know why I’m such an idiot that I started crying after he left. Must be pregnancy hormones.
I feel better now. I just need to decide what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it.

Thanks for all your support, guys. I don’t know what I would have done without you. Lael, I’ll see you in the dorm on Sunday, and Trinity I’ll probably only see you on Monday morning.

Have a great weekend!

Love, Nos

***

The three of us climb out of the Uber taxi and look up at the twin buildings in front of us.

“Which one do we want?” Lael asks.

I consult my phone and point to the one on the right. “That one. East Tower. Gynaecology and Obstetrics are on the second floor.”

We trudge off in the right direction. It’s a grey and gloomy day, exactly matching our moods. We’re at the Raheeda Pelser General Hospital in the middle of town. It is Joburg’s premier teaching hospital. It used to be called the St Mary & All the Saints General Hospital before they renamed it after this old guy who was on Robben Island with my dad. I still remember him coming to dinner a couple of times when I was a little kid. Uncle Raheeda.

He passed away a few years ago. Some people still call it All Saints, but the new signs are everywhere – RPGH. It looks scary and huge. My heart is hammering at the base of my throat. All I can think is that if I’m feeling like this, how must Nosipho be feeling? I give her hand a squeeze, and see that Lael is doing the same to her other hand.

We’re here because none of us has enough money to afford to have this done privately. I mean, obviously, we could get our hands on the money if we were prepared to tell the adults in our lives what we were up to, but we’re not. That was Nosipho’s decision. She wants to handle this quickly and quietly without her mom knowing any- thing about it.

She spent a week thinking about it and decided she doesn’t want to go through with the pregnancy. Which Lael and I support one hundred per cent, of course.

Okay, there might have been a tiny part of me that wished she would have the baby just so I could be its auntie and help look after it, but that’s just me. I love kids and I always have. Babies. Toddlers. Little school kids. I love them all.

When we visit our family in Soweto on the weekends, I’m the only one who never, ever moans about spending hours with our relatives because there are always baby cousins for me to play with.

So basically, it would have been awesome if Nosipho had decided to keep the baby, and I would have been the best auntie ever. And godmother. She would have totally made me godmother, right? I mean, who else?

But I’m not the one who would have to look after this baby for the next twenty-something years. My mom says it’s the hardest job in the world, and I have no trouble believing that. Of course, I didn’t say any of this to Nos. When it comes to babies, it’s the mom’s choice and no- body else’s. End of story.

We’ve been told it can be a long wait, so we’ve come equipped with our phones, our tablets, and our e-readers. I even stuffed a few magazines into my backpack in case we got desperate. We’ve also got snacks coming out of our ears. Nosipho hasn’t eaten since last night, though, and she won’t until it’s all over.

Like I said, we’re not exactly jumping for joy here, but we are very determined. We’re prepared to stick it out all day if necessary.

“You’re sure you don’t want us to call Themba?” Lael ask for the millionth time. And for the millionth time, Nosipho says no.

“This is what he wanted,” she says.

“He didn’t come right out and say so, but I know this is what he was hoping I’d decide. So it’s not like I need to inform him of my decision before I go through with it. I can tell him after- wards. He’ll be relieved.”

“And you don’t want him here to support you?” I ask.

“No, I’m fine with you guys. You won’t leave me, will
you?”

We squeeze her hands even harder. “Of course we won’t.”

***