The pleasure of intercourse; the changes associated with a missed menstrual period; the challenges of pregnancy; the excitement of safe delivery…that indescribable feeling that comes with holding a new arrival, the emotional surge that comes with looking into the face of a neonate, the pride of parenthood, or as it was in my case, automatic god-fatherhood.
The mobile phone rang on the 25th day of June and I answered. Pal told me “a ti bimo o”. That surge of happiness welled up from inside of me. His life got changed with the new arrival, the only thing that changed in my life that minute was the way I planned to use my day. A lot of things were responsible for the thrill, a lot that is not important in this piece.
Dude had finally joined the league of fathers, with that I heaved a sigh of relief. He has effectively left the supposed unrepentant bachelors in the sarewa business. There were lots of reasons to be thankful as the new mother had just breezed into town a few hours before the delivery.
As the only two of us who were easily accessible in the ancient city where the delivery took place made our way to the hospital in the afternoon, a look at the new mother’s dad who came to pick us at the junction revealed a look of gratitude and relief. I appreciated the beauty of having a very wonderful father, I saw my Dad in her Dad. I said a prayer for him at that instant, and again I pray that God makes that kind of father out of me.
Fast forward and we entered the ward where the little bundle of joy was swaddled in clothes, sleeping in her innocence, while the new mother was also asleep, resting from the exertions of labour and delivery. I felt within me, a rush of my emotions. I saw the once big belly now flat and I took a second look at the sleeping baby.
Another child, my friend’s first, his parent’s first of the second generation, the new mother’s first grandchild slept peacefully. We already knew baby was a she so gender was inconsequential. She was handed over to us, as representatives of her father. Now funny part is that the one to whom she was handed is the married one (that means only one thing bro, get set to have one soon *winks*).
There was a rush of something I can’t quite explain in me again. Maybe that is what fathers feel when they hold their products. I had seen a newly born baby before but that was when my cousin had a baby in December 1998 and that baby was almost twelve hours old. This new baby was less than five hours old when we were carrying her on this beautiful Wednesday afternoon.
I looked into her eyes as the friend, who has grown into a brother carried her, representing her dad. I saw the innocence of childhood on the feature of the pretty little one. If I say a person is pretty, then I mean it. This little one looked to me an embodiment of beauty at that instant. I have never seen a baby so pretty. I was lost in my emotional state but I tried to comport myself. My mind raced to different places at that instant, I asked me questions – is this how a father feels? Na so I go do when my piking finally come? How is my friend feeling at work in a faraway part of the country (in pursuit of daily bread)…and many other questions.
I looked at my other friend as he looked at the sleeping baby he was carrying severally, trying to see if he pictured himself holding his own fresh baby. The new mother awoke shortly and greeted us both. I felt good, happier the mother was alive as well. Now that was the start.
The following day, it was my turn to carry the baby and I felt the fullness of what I felt the previous day. After doing the needed running around to get what needed to be arranged for the new mother and child, we sat to spend some time. Baby was awake this time around. I looked into her pretty eyes and the desire to hold my own biological bundle of joy overcame me.
I spoke to the little one, held her very carefully like a fragile piece of golden chinaware before the new grandma told me to calm down. Her eyes were open, looking into mine, although I doubt if she actually saw or knew what was going on around her.
The new mother was up now. A little weak looking but obviously happy, her expression confirmed it. Grateful and thankful, we chit chatted and it was merry but through it all I kept imagining my wife in her state and me holding my biological bundle of joy, as the new one is mine to a reasonable degree by virtue of my friendship with her dad.
As I said words of prayer in my being because of the difference in religious faith, I kept thinking of how demanding and engaging the whole process is, how emotional one gets when the event eventually happens.
Congratulations Seyi and Bisola. Thank God for the arrival of the cute little princess. Right before your eyes shall she grow into a wonderful lady to be proud of in all areas of life. God will enable you both to train her in the way she should go. Neither parent nor child will die untimely and we will all celebrate a lot more goodness together.
Asake, over to you, let’s bring another beautiful one before people finish giving birth to the beautiful ones *wink wink*
OSCARPOEMS 