April 25

Ding dong—the doorbell rings and Thembi waddles from the kitchen to the front door. When she opens the door, Chi is standing there with Rose who has her makeup bags next to her

"Hey Thembi, you look like you're about to pop"

"Gee thanks Chi" she rolls her eyes

"I'm sorry mama, you still look beautiful"

"Whatever. Anyway, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"Damn, so we're not allowed to stop by so we can see you?"

"That's not what I meant, you usually let me know when you stopping by so this was very unexpected"

"Well, Kofi sent us to get you ready for your special date"

"Oh, he didn't tell me that he was taking me on a date"

"That's because he wanted to surprise you"

"Okay, come on in"

"Did he tell you where he is taking me?" She asks, making Chi and Rose look at each other because they hadn't prepared themselves with all the responses they'll need to keep the surprise from her.

"He didn't say much"

"Okay..."

"So where can I set up so I can start doing your makeup?" Rose asks

"Follow me"

She leads them upstairs to the guest room she turned into her studio. She sits in the chair and lets Rose work her magic on her hair and makeup. Her hair is sleeked back into a low ponytail that touches her lower back due to the use of extensions. Once her makeup is done, she gets dressed with the help of her cousin. The dress is a simple, lavender chiffon wrap gown that flows to the ground.

Being dressed up, having her hair and makeup done makes her feel beautiful for the first time in a while. All she has been wearing are oversized t-shirts and sweatpants so her being done up makes her feel good because she's been feeling insecure as of late.

"You look beautiful sis"

"Thank you, I haven't felt this good in a long time"

"Well, we should get going"

"Where are we going? I thought you guys said you didn't know much about what Kofi has planned"

"We don't know every detail, we just know the small things"

"Mmmm okay"

Chi and Rose drive her to the unknown location and she almost cracks her head trying to figure out what the occasion is. She has been having a serious case of pregnancy brain lately so she goes through her reminders wanting to see if today is a special day of some sort but she doesn't find anything.

"I have to put this blindfold on you" Chi tells her when they get to their destination

"Fine, but don't ruin my makeup"

Once she is blindfolded, she is carefully led into the venue. The blindfold is removed and she finds herself looking at setup for her baby shower. There's a long glass table with white roses in the middle, small lavender boxes on the tables, her maternity pictures all over the garden, a table with a small cake and some cupcakes. Looking at the decor you'd think that she had a part to play in planning the baby shower because it's Thembi to a T. It's simple and elegant, her kind of thing.

"Surprise!" Her friends and family exclaim

"You guys are sneaky" she says to Chi and Rose

"We had to come up with something, we couldn't tell you that we were bringing you to your baby shower"

"You did a great job, I'm very surprised"

She goes to her seat because she can't stand for long nowadays and her family and friends come around to talk to her. She gets compliments like 'you're glowing,' 'you look very radiant,' 'you look very beautiful' and she can't help but feel warm inside due to the love she is receiving. She's surprised to see her mom standing in front of her because she spoke to her earlier and told her she was home

"Ma, I thought you said you were at home with dad"

"I was in Chi's house, I couldn't say anything"

"Well, I'm glad you came"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, this is my granddaughter we are talking about"

"Excuse me ladies, can you please take your seats" Chi interrupts her guests who are all over the garden

"Hey ladies, I would like to welcome you to Thembisa's baby shower. Before we start, I think we can all agree that Thembisa has been carrying this pregnancy well and that she looks absolutely stunning. We came together as her family and friends so we could shower baby girl with our love and gifts as we wait for her arrival soon"

After the opening words, they get into playing what's mommy craving—a game where Thembisa describes a certain food she has been craving and they have to guess what the food is, guess the baby food and who knows mommy best. She feels absolute joy as she is surrounded by the women in her life who do nothing but support and show love to her.

"Hey ladies, I'm Mrs Abel-Obi, Thembisa's mother. I remember having this feeling that she was pregnant before she even told me and when she confirmed what I was thinking, I felt overjoyed. As a young girl, she would take care of her dolls and even as an older woman she has always loved taking care of children so I know baby girl is going to be in amazing hands. I'm so excited for you to experience this journey of motherhood and I cannot wait to meet her. Thank you" Ma takes her seat as Jasmine gets up to say a few words

"Hi everyone, I'm Jasmine, Thembisa's best friend. I remember being so overjoyed when Thembisa told me she was pregnant because I knew this is something she had been wanting for long. I'm so excited to meet baby girl and I know she is going to be the most spoiled girl on earth because we know how you and her daddy are. With a mom like you, I know she is going to be an outstanding little girl and I can't wait to meet her. So lets raise our glasses and toast to baby girl"

"Thembi, would you like to say a few words?"

"Okay. Firstly I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out today. The last nine months have been extraordinary, to say the least. Watching my body change, listening to the heartbeat for the first time, seeing baby girl in 3D and experiencing the kicks have been amazing and I can't wait to hold my baby girl in my arms. You all know how much I have been wanting to have a baby and I am beyond blessed to have experienced this. As the African proverb says, it takes a whole village to raise a child, I am beyond grateful for my husband, my cousin, my parents and my friends who I know are going to help raise our baby girl into an amazing woman. Once again, I appreciate you all for joining me today. God bless"

Meanwhile...

"Congratulations Mr Anani, the car is all yours" the sales personnel tells Kofi as he hands him the car keys

"Thank you Dave, you have been amazing help"

"I'm glad I could help, I hope she'll love the car just as much as you do"

"She fawned over this car the last time we saw it so I know she is going to love it. I should get going now"

"Alright, take care"

He gets into the firenze red sports utility vehicle and he pushes to start before the engine comes roaring to life. Thembi scratched her car about a month ago and that was the perfect excuse for him to get her a car as a push gift. He knows nothing on earth will ever be enough to thank her for carrying their princess but this is a start.

He pulls up to the venue at 4:58pm and texts Chi to let her know that she should bring Thembi outside for her surprise. The guests come out first, with their phones in hand, ready to capture the moment before his wife is led outside blindfolded. She removes her blindfold and breaks into a smile when she sees her husband and the car

"Surprise babe!"

"Babe" she says excitedly

"Do you like it?"

"Is that even a question? Of course, I love it"

"Well it's all yours"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you" she repeats as she hugs him

"Can you help me get inside so I check it out?"

He helps her get inside the car and she instantly falls in love with it. She saw this car on the road while coming from a doctors appointment a while ago and she spoke non stop about it, not knowing that Kofi was taking note of it. She loves luxurious feel of the interior, she loves that it's a spacious car which is ideal for her and the baby's car seat

"Thank you so much babe"

"You're welcome but I should be thanking you for carrying our little princess. There's nothing on earth that would suffice how much I appreciate you for allowing your body to go through all those changes but this is definitely a start"

"Aww babe, don't make me cry"

"I don't mean to make you cry, I'm just speaking from the heart"

At home...

"So, how was the baby shower?"

"It was great, I had so much fun"

"I'm happy you enjoyed yourself"

"Thank you for helping organize the baby shower"

"You don't have to thank me babe, you deserve it"

"Can you help me up the stairs so I can remove this makeup because it's starting to irritate me"

"Alright"

He scoops her up in his arms as if she weighs nothing and carries her to the bathroom. She sits on one of the stools she recently got so she can remove the makeup because she has been struggling to stand for long as of late. Once her face is stripped of all the makeup, she gets up so she can get into the bath Kofi ran for her. She takes two steps before she feels a pop and a gush of liquid down her legs

"Babe" she calls for Kofi, who comes running into the bathroom as he fears that something may have happened to his wife

"What's wrong? Did you pee on yourself?"

"I didn't pee on myself, that was my water breaking"

"Oh shit"