2 Chapter 2

Nwabisa gave Loyiso strength and courage to face this cruel world who took his parents at his young age with a smile every day. However, their love was innocent and came from two teenagers who hadn't yet experienced the hardships of life and didn't plan anything. And before they knew it, matric was over and done with, now they had to pursue different lines of careers. For the first time in their lives, they could not help noticing that their relationship would now be threatened with life's demands.

As they were about to go study in different cities; They naively believed their love was a magic that could overcome anything; also believing that even if God's indignation could be poured down to devour this earth, if there was life on the other side, they would meet again beyond ruined ashes of this world and share that life together. So, therefore, they made vows to never break up no matter what circumstances would try to pull them apart

Loyiso went to the Western Cape Province to study at the University of Cape Town where he enrolled for a Bachelor of Science (BSC) degree; while Nwabisa went to Gauteng Province to study at the Witwatersrand University and enrolled for a Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com) degree in Accounting. The first two years of their university life was very great, academically they both performed well. The distance could do no harm to their relationship. They had built something substantial, strong and powerful to bridge the distance that was between them. They wrote letters as much as they could every week, these love letters kept their hope alive.

Then on a June Holiday, while they were together at Loyiso's place, Nwabisa got sick and he took her to the nearest clinic. After the nurses ran some tests, they discovered she was pregnant. When the nurse told them this great news, they were so happy, and their hearts were drawn even closer together. These young adults were very excited and could not wait to see the beautiful embodiment of their perfect love. Because they were both good looking, people would always tell them how beautiful their baby would be; and they too could not stop imagining how pretty their baby would be.

Early one morning, and just a month before Nwabisa was due, she was caught by labour pains. When Loyiso took her to the hospital, they were told that she would give birth prematurely. She was then admitted to Living stone Hospital, Loyiso went home after some time because it was getting late. He went back to the hospital the following morning with his friends, so full of excitement and joy to meet his first-born baby.

His friends waited outside while he entered into the labour ward, as he opened the door the first thing he noticed was his gorgeous woman starring at the white hospital walls without blinking an eye, a heavy stream of tears covering her face and pillow. Just before Loyiso could receive his own dismay, his heart was deeply moved by this sight. There and then tears plunged out; he could feel them dripping down on his cheeks because he knew something was wrong. He stood there perplexed and afraid of what he was going to hear, his eye sight getting dim and his view of the room was a blur.

A nurse that attended to them when he brought Nwabisa the previous night, took him by the arm, directing him to see the lifeless body of his beautiful little girl. Immediately, everything went blank, he blacked-out and his own body went numb. The only thing he could feel was a hurtful pain of his heartbeat, it was like a thousand needles were pricking him in the heart. He could not hold himself any longer; he just broke down and crumbled, as he cried out bitterly. Nwabisa could recognise the voice of cry from her bed and she was pricked to the heart by this bitter grief because she knew it was her darling; with a little strength that she had, slowly as weak as she was, she came out of bed and went to him. She hugged him with one hand to make him find solace in the comfort of her touch, while she was drying up her own tears with another hand because she also couldn't stop crying.

Kneeling down at the pool of their tears while deeply mourning, she started praying for him with a shivering crying voice, "father you are always in control I know; however, you allow these things to happen to us so that we can be moulded and be developed into better characters. We are not crying hopelessly dear Lord, because we know you are up there somewhere. I am wounded Lord deeply inside because I miscarried our first-born child. Nevertheless, I have spent eight months of an intimate bond with her. I have felt attached to the life that was miraculously growing inside me, whereas Loyiso was patiently waiting to hold and have her in his loving arms and bond with her but that chance has been stolen by this ruthless enemy called death. I cannot stand dear Lord to see the pain he feels in his eyes, (crying) please God give him comfort and take away the hurt from him. I am begging you to erase all the horror of pain which binds him to grief because it hurts me even more".

Loyiso was pierced by a sharp pain when he heard this sorrowful prayer and he could not believe the strength and compassion she had for him, "how can, she be so selfless and so considerate when we actually are affected both by this afflicting predicament?" he asked himself that question because he was shocked. He hugged her so tight and cried on her shoulders, she felt the warmth of a sad hug from him and she could not continue praying, the pain was just too much to contain, she just raised her voice and cried her lungs out. It was just a loud siren of their painful cry in the labour ward. They could not believe their world could come down like a bulging wall that burst and fall to crush on them when they have built it to be so strong.

Those days were like a deep dark hole, like a black cloud hanging on top of them. It is true that life is so unpredictable, one minute you can be chilling on the beach, busting in the sun under the umbrella, the world is just so kind and full of laughter, but the next moment you are out there in the cold of a stormy weather, the very same world has turned against you, it is just so bitter and sour. This was a very hard time for them, their strong bond was now tested, they felt powerless and broken, and they felt their hearts being ripped off the chest and torn into many pieces.

Each day they took baby steps moving on, knowing exactly that no matter how many times a heart could be broken, it could still mend itself. Time was moving on very slowly, a day seemed to be one dark hour in the middle of the night, a twenty-four hour circle with no light in it, it was just dark throughout the day.

Nevertheless he was so grateful for having Nwabisa alive after the complication of giving birth to their late child because the doctors had already declared that she also was in a terrible condition that was out of their hands; and proclaimed that anything could have happened, however by God's grace Nwabisa's life was spared, so she could be there to comfort Loyiso.

Loyiso was thinking, "What if I were in a similar situation but it was Nwabisa who died, and my baby had lived?

How would I bear the pain and the torture of looking at my beautiful little girl and be reminded of her mother who had just passed on? How would I share this difficult time and those precious moments I used to share with Nwabisa with my daughter? How would I receive comfort from a little baby when I am confronted by so much pain and be able to bear the burden of raising her up alone when I am in distraught with grief? Yet, God has afforded us an opportunity to be together to wipe up each other's tears and try for another baby when the time is right".

This divine providence that enabled this thought to strike his mind and interpret a horrible experience into a positive way gave him strength and more comfort but above all, it gave him thankfulness because he realised that he could have lost both. It seemed like Nwabisa's painful prayer has been heard and answered by God, as it is written in the Bible "He will hear the prayers of the destitute and He will not reject their pleas. Let this be recorded for future generations so that people who are not yet born will praise the Lord. Tell them that the lord is looking down from his heavenly sanctuary. From heaven did the lord behold the earth to hear the groaning of the oppressed and to lose those that are appointed to death"! So, even though they were bereaved, he was mindful of the blessing and mercy that God had granted him.

In those cold and dark days of a horrible trail that left them feeling empty, frustrated and in despair, their love was just a little spark but strong enough at a very weak state to carry them through to the next minute, to the next hour and ultimately the following day. As time passed, their hearts were healing and getting comfort.