Kamvi stared at Litha. She was choking! She must have vomited up the milk and now she was struggling to breath. She rushed to the bed and picked her up. She pressed her against her shoulder and patted Litha’s back, panic flooding through her. Then Litha made a small sound and Kamvi knew she was breathing again.

She sat down on the bed and burst out crying. What if she hadn’t heard her cry? What if she hadn’t come to the room in time?

“Shh baba, mommy’s so sorry,” she hummed. “Shh shhh shhh.” Litha had started screaming and hiccupping now, and wouldn’t stop. Kamvi remembered one of Gogo’s tips for hiccups: put a piece of paper on the baby’s forehead.

She did, but the hiccups and screaming went on and on and on. Eventually Kamvi was desperate and ran with the baby next door.

“She won’t stop hiccupping and crying and I don’t know what to do,” she told the neighbour, between sobs.

The woman took Litha from her and rocked her gently back and forth. Then she put the baby on her left shoulder and bounced her gently.

“What happened?” MaGumede asked. She was a good friend of Gogo’s, though younger than Gogo. Kamvi knew she would know what to do.

“I went … to … put water. I was …was … going to bath–.” Kamvi didn’t need to finish the rest of the story. MaGumede kept rocking.

Eventually Litha stopped crying and Kamvi was relieved. MaGumede handed Litha back to Kamvi – but Kamvi wouldn’t take her.

“What if it happens again?” she said, drying her tears.

“I’m right here,” MaGumede said.

Kamvi looked up and the older woman had a knowing and kind smile across her lips. She again handed Litha to Kamvi, who took her and whispered, “Mommy’s so sorry,” to her.

Litha had fallen asleep. MaGumede told Kamvi to put her in the bedroom, and that nothing bad would happen. Over tea, Kamvi told MaGumede that she never planned to have a baby. What if she was a terrible mother? What if she couldn’t take care of the child?

“Babies do grow, Kamvi,” the wise woman said. “They get used to things that they know and easily adapt to them. You’re not the first teenage mother, and you have two strong women to help and advise you. You’ll be a great mother.”

As Kamvi left MaGumede’s house, she felt like a load had been lifted off her shoulders.

When Gogo returned Kamvi didn’t share the story of what had happened to Litha. What she doesn’t know won’t get me shouted at, she thought.

The two women sat in the kitchen and made dinner as Litha slept.

Then Kamvi’s phone rang. She had no idea where she had last put it down and searched for it in the house, following the ringtone. It sounded like it was coming from the living room.

“Hawu, Litha has you so busy that you lost your phone,” Gogo joked.

When Kamvi found it, it had already stopped ringing. She checked who it was and her heart almost stopped.

Yanda.

She hadn’t heard from him since the night of the braai, two months ago. Why was he calling now?

Kamvi was relieved that she missed the call. She didn’t know how she would’ve coped talking to him again.

Litha woke up before supper was served. “Zisa umzukulwana wam, bring my grandchild here,” Gogo said, sitting down happily on the couch.

Kamvi brought Litha to Gogo. As she handed her over she kissed her on the lips, Yanda’s lips. But he wasn’t there and he didn’t care, Kamvi thought.

We are better off without him, little light of my life, she decided, feeling a rush of love for her child.

***

Tell us what you think: What does Yanda probably want? Should Kamvi call him?