SUNSETS AND SUNRISES (Season 3): Chapter 2-It gets more complicated

The nurse tries to help him up, but he violently throws off her hand. She awkwardly stands by him for a minute before she decides to give him some space. He continues like this for several minutes until his voice is so hoarse it’s not audible anymore.

He finally leaves the tiny office and makes for his car, by now, it is almost 7 in the evening. Kupa calls him before he gets to the car, she is at the hospital. He wishes he can avoid her, fully aware of his bloodshot eyes and hoarse voice. She runs into his arms once they spot each other at the entrance.

‘Is she okay? What is happening? Can I see her?’ ,she doesn’t stop to breath, too consumed by a worry for her mother’s health. Surprised by her reaction she realises the extent of her care for the woman who adopted her, the deepness of which she had no knowledge of. Because of their bumpy relationship, Kupa had until now thought she had no deep connection with Tanya.

‘Hey, calm down baby. Let’s go to the car.’ Dylan figures he might as well break the news to his daughter.

In the car, he takes a moment to go over the statement in his head, to make sure it sounds right.

‘Your mother is pregnant with twins, there is a small complication but she will be okay.’

He avoids saying the babies, too, will be okay.

Kupakwashe receives the news with feelings of betrayal.

‘Why didn’t you tell me all along?’, there is a sting in her voice.

‘Baby…I didn’t know’, Dylan realizes how easily this sounds like a lie. A husband going for months without noticing such a change on the wife he claims to love. He wants to explain to Kupa, to let her understand how he really had erased the idea of Tanya ever becoming pregnant from his possible realities, the doctors had made him believe that.

‘Trust me, I had no idea’, he is pleading.

Kupa wants to ask if this means they’re no longer needed. She knows this will sound silly so instead she says, ‘Does Gogo know yet?’

She is fishing for any indication of how things may progress now.

‘Not yet, I will just call all of them and let them know’.

Telling his parents is not going to be an issue, they have since relocated to the UK , where they are living with his sister. Although they had not liked Tanya, there hadn’t been any strong disagreements over their adopting. Now he imagines, they will be over the moon about having another set of grandkids.

Thinking about telling his mother-in-law made him nervous, there was  no telling how she would react. He made the calls, first to his parents. They both took turns to talk to him. It was a curious conversation, the joy of their son finally siring kids and yet the realization that there was a possibility of this dream being very short lived.

Dylan did not reveal to them that he had had to make a decision between his wife and kids. His sister was not around for him to talk to her, she still despised Tanya and would receive the news with an indifferent coldness. He would text her.

The next call was to his in-laws. Because they shared a phone, a preference to only speak to his father-in-law was unlikely to happen.

‘Hello? Who is this?’

His heart dropped at the sound of the female voice. He found it odd that his mum-in-law would ask who it was, as if his number was not saved. After the short and brisk exchange of pleasantries, he got right into it.

‘Tanya is not feeling well Mhama, she has been hospitalized.’ He didn’t wait for her to ask anything,’ She is pregnant, with twins. There is a slight complication, but she will be fine.’

She clears her throat, he readies himself for her poison.

‘Pregnant? Are the children yours?’

The question is asked, seemingly, in innocence but it leaves Dylan so confused he remains silent.