Chapter 142
Jojo:
How could I stop? How could I turn around? When the last person I told myself I had wanted to set my eyes on was inside that room, and the son to a woman I had come to take as my second mother. How did someone even come back from that? What was I supposed to do next? What was to be my next step? This had to be some kind of cruel joke. I tried to tell myself. Why did it matter that he was here? Why did I care that he would find out I was pregnant if he saw me? He had barely given me the chance to speak after all? Why was I not angry enough to match to him and tell him the type of arrogant and ignorant man I thought he was?
Why did I feel a strong mix of anger, fear, and… hope?
I did not know, all I knew was that I continued to walk as briskly as I could. Until it happened.
It suddenly felt as though my intestines were being pulled out of my stomach. Something sharp, too harp to ignore cut through my lower abdomen and attacked the upper part. I stood still, unable to move or do anything at all. I lowered myself and placed my hands on my knees. I saw salty and colourless drops of liquid drop to the in front of my eyes.
My head continued to spin. The floor beneath me felt as though it was turning. I parted my lips to suck in deep breaths, and exhaled almost immediately. I sucked in, and exhaled again, repeatedly and continuously, just as the doctor had taught me to do when I felt any form of discomfort at all.
It seemed to stop for a while. I sighed and pulled myself up, in order to continue my journey. I had barely gone three steps when the contraction came again, sharper and twice as painful as the former one. It rendered me immobile, paralyzed. Cold sweat broke out from every part of my skin, I could even feel my elbows sweat. I did not understand what was happening, it was beginning to scare me.
My expected date of delivery was fifteen days away, nothing could happen to my baby now! I could not lose this baby after all this time. I continued to breathe in and out, pumping air into my body. Fear was beginning to creep in, accompanied by a very dangerous panic. All the while, I was still trying to keep my cool. I turned my head backward, but the restaurant door seemed too far for me to walk back to. The only hope of shield and shelter was the small bench underneath the cinnamon tree in front of me. If I could just reach it…
As I started to walk, slower than I had before, my hands scrummaged my two side pockets for my phone. When my left hand found it in my left pocket, I placed my right hand on my right hip to ease my movement. I dialed Anthony’s number with my left hand and pressed the phone to my ear.
“Please goddess, please let him pick up. I need him to pick up.” I muttered to myself, while sucking in and blowing out air through my parted lips. I needed Anthony now, I needed his help.
Just as I prayed, he picked up after the first ring.
“Jojo?”
I would not be lying if I said I had never been this relieved and happy to hear his voice. My chest rose and fell heavily in response to my ragged breathing, but I had to keep my tone stable, I did not want him to be too alarmed.
“Where… where are you now?” I asked.
The noise from the background told me he must have been busy, but I needed to be sure.
“I’m at the art gallery. Some foreign buyers came in today. I’m trying to show them out very best. But I was thinking of stopping at the restaurant later, for some late lunch.” He added the second sentence like it was supposed to be some kind of bonus.
My sweat had already began to trickle down my face like I was being drenched by the rain
“How many… how many more minutes would it take for you to get here?” I asked, now exasperated.
He took some time to respond, but he finally did.
“I do not know when exactly, but I believe I’ll have rounded off in an hour. Why? You needed me to come?”
I knew that if I said I needed him here, he would abandon everything about the gallery and be here in a heartbeat. But I did not want that, he had something very important to do and I did not want to worry him.
I just had to get through this – whatever it was – on my own. Alas! I arrived at the desired bench and settled into it. The heat between my legs was almost unbearable, felt as though I was being scorched with a hot burning metal. I parted my legs and flagged the hem of my dress up and down, to create a flow of air between my legs.
Everything was happening all at once, so fast that I felt like I was losing myself. While the valley between my legs was on fire, my stomach’s contractions continued, while my head felt like it was being hit by a tractor over and over again.
The pain was becoming unbearable. I leaned back, against the wooden bench and dug my teeth into my lower lip, in order to stiffle my screams. They became loud whimpers instead.
I needed help, and I needed it now.
Like an angel, Mel ran to me, just when I needed her.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
“Jojo! Jojo! Are you alright? I tried to call you then but you wouldn’t…” She stopped talking when she looked at me. She placed her right hand on my shoulder and lowered her face to mine.
“Jojo, is everything okay?”
I shook my head as a sign for no.
She looked away from me. There was a lot to say, but I could not bring myself to open my mouth.
“Is it the baby? Is it coming?”
I shook my head vehemently. The baby could not be here, it was still fifteen days!
She let out a small laugh and cupped my cheeks with her palms.
“The baby is here, okay? I just need to get help from the restaurant. Wait for me, alright?”
Streams of hot tears ran down my eyes. She moved away from me and I heard her footsteps as she ran back into the restaurant.