Rejection

Angela’s hospital room looked more like a gift shop and less like a hospital. The room smelled of fresh flowers. Teddies of different colours and sizes were positioned everywhere. The small bedside table was occupied with different well-wishing cards. Gift boxes were littered around the room, beautiful coloured balloons were strapped together, and there was hardly room.

"Congratulations, Angie!"

"Congratulations, my friend. Your baby is a cutie” a lady said excitedly. “You are one lucky girl, my friend!"

The next few days after her delivery, friends and family came trooping in to visit her and the baby in the hospital after the news of her baby’s arrival circulated. She was taken to a private room well situated and up to par with her expensive taste. It was visiting hours and as usual, they had visitors. Angela’s mother had come to see the child every day since the day of her delivery.

Today, a couple of her friends from back home came to see her. However, Angela didn’t seem to share in their excitement at all. She wore a long face.

Natalie had noticed her daughter’s mood since the delivery. At first, she had attributed it to stress but as time went by she noticed it was more than that, she wouldn’t even hold her child. She walked up to her bedside and caressed her hair lovingly, she looked around and noticed everyone was occupied with something and was paying no attention to them. "Angie? Is everything all right? You seem worried” she asked but got no response.

“Say something to me, Angela, I am genuinely worried about you. Is there something you want to tell me?”

Angel remained mute and continued to tap away on her phone.

Natalie roused her gently "Angie?"

"What the heck mother!” she said aloud.

Natalie glanced around, everyone’s attention was drawn to them .“I have been calling out to you Angie, but you didn’t...”

“I heard you mother. I am not deaf!” she cut her off, her tone aggressive.

Natalie and the other visiting guests had a dumbfounded expression on their faces. “Is she okay?” one of the ladies whispered.

Henry who had been silently watching the drama, laid the baby he was rocking in his arms in the crib and then he apologized on Angela’s behalf. "I apologize on behalf of my wife. The doctor said she is under so much stress and needs to rest. The delivery process took a toll on her. We are thankful she and the baby are alive. I think it would be best you left and came back some other time" he explained.

They nodded and wished the baby well before exiting the room, one after the other save for Natalie.

"What exactly is the problem with her, Henry? Did you two have a fight or something?" she inquired, concern etched on her features.

Henry sighed exasperatedly, his eyes were dull from the lack of sleep and stress he was under "Is there a day we don't fight?”

Natalie glanced at her daughter and back at him. “I have never been able to understand Angela. I thought she was happy, she told me she was” she said in hushed tones. “I look at her now and she is so unhappy. I mean she just had the wonderful gift of a child, you would expect she would be happy at least...”

Henry peered at her from the corner of his eye, his lips curled up in a sad smile. “Please, do not worry about her mother. She can be a handful sometimes but it is nothing I can not handle. It is a trifling matter between a couple, nothing that can not be sorted out, you don’t have to worry" he squeezed her hands reassuringly, forcing a smile. “I love her so much and she knows that...” he turned to look at the crib when the baby started crying. He walked towards the crib, leaned over and soothed him. “I can only hope she would put aside whatever she is feeling and be a good mother to our son"

Natalie shook her head. She felt pity for Henry and that was because she knew her daughter. She had thought Angela was finally happy and ready to live her life. Natalie hoped her worst fears would not be realised, she hoped Angela was doing the right thing. She stared pitifully at Henry, he looked like he had an unbearable weight on his shoulders. "You are a good person Henry. Thank you for loving her even though sometimes it is hard to, I would know because she is my daughter. Hopefully one day you will figure it out and it would be a lot easier”

He chuckled, "Thank you, ma'am”

“I should be going now, I will come tomorrow again"

Henry nodded with a smile, “Take care of yourself”

She smiled reassuringly. “And you too” She pulled him closer and kissed his forehead. She did the same with the baby but when she walked up to Angela, she looked away. She sighed.

Henry escorted her out of the hospital “You somehow chased all our guests and even...” he was saying as he approached the room, his voice faltered. The sight before him caused him to see red. He stormed towards Angela’s bed, snatched her phone forcefully from her hand and tossed it on the hard floor with full force. It shattered beyond repair instantly.

Her eyes widened in shock, and then the expression on her face slowly metamorphosed into pure unbridled anger. She sat upright in urgency, "What did you do that for? What is the matter with you Henry”, she shouted.

Henry pointed a finger at her “If you ask me that again Angela I will set aside every last restraint I have in me and I promise you, you wouldn’t like the result” he retorted. “What kind of mother are you to let a baby cry unattended to because you are on your phone”

She stared at him in bafflement. “Is this what this is all about? You broke my phone because our son was crying?”

Henry picked him up and slowly rocked him in a bid to console him. Just then there was a knock on the door. Their nursemaid walked in and took the baby from him. She tended to him in the adjoining room.

"How is it my business if the child is crying, Henry? My job was to give you the child you so wanted. That was all you asked of me. My part of the deal I have fulfilled. I even gave you a male child!” she exclaimed. “Shouldn’t I get a bonus point for that? Why should I be concerned or worry about what happens to the child from here on out? I made it clear I will do no more than this, no more!”

Henry was astounded. He had borne many of her excesses but never would he have imagined she would talk about their child in that manner. He closed the distance between them, he was visibly fuming “How dare you say that about your child? A child you carried in your womb...a child you gave birth to?” he shook his head in utter disbelief. “What kind of mother are you?”

She held his gaze unflinchingly. “I said what I said Henry, I have spoken the truth. I did not want this, I was not ready for any of this. Unlike me, you wanted this. You forced me to carry your baby and that’s all that I can do for you. You should get help because I will not feed neither will I care for that thing...”

"Angela!” he shouted in anger as he rushed towards her but just then the maid appeared from the adjoining room with his son in his arms and that seemed to diffuse the ticking bomb that was his temper.

The maid looked between the both of them with terror-filled eyes before she bowed her head “The baby needs to be fed"

Henry turned to her but she looked away, she pulled the hospital blankets over her and pretentiously shut her eyes.

He let out an exasperated sigh, he ran his fingers through his already ruffled hair, “Deborah”

"Yes, Mr Allen?"

"Take him and feed him with the doctor’s prescribed baby formula. Ensure he is well fed and taken care of according to the doctor’s orders. I will come to check on him later on"

"Yes, Mr Allen" she nodded before exiting the room.

Henry stared at his wife in anger. She was still furious about her smashed phone.

When he thought he had seen the worst of her, she seemed to come up with new surprises all the time, she pulled the sheets away from her and sat upright, "Call the centre and let them get me another phone with all my documents and files restored.

He was bewildered. "Are you talking to me, Angie" he pointed at his chest with his forefinger.

She scoffed "Who else would I be talking to if not you Henry?” she looked around mockingly, “Is there anyone else in this room besides the two of us?”

He let out an unamused chuckle “I see you've gone completely nuts"

"What?"

“Yes, Angela! There is something wrong with you and I fault myself for thinking it was temporary and that you would change eventually”

"You are hurt because unlike all the other people in your life, I do not worship the ground where you walk. I do have a will of my own and you will have to deal with it henceforth!”, she retorted back in anger, “I want absolutely nothing to do with your child and that will not change!”