Episode 24
During the time Sibbusiswe walked from her auntâs house to the bus stop, she had made two major decisions in her head and she committed to delivering on one of them right away.
At the bus stop, instead of getting on a bus, she took a cab and told the driver, âLongacres please, Mirabell Hospital.â
âWhy did you ask me to come to your house doc?â Martin asked Dr Sanjay once they were sited in his living room. âItâs so quiet today,â he noted. âWhereâs everyone else?â
âMy husband and the kids are at the other house.â She was gesturing towards the back of the house where they had built three more houses for their extended family. âHis parents are visiting so everyone seems to be spending more time there.â
âI see,â Martin said. âSo, what was so important it couldnât wait till morning?â
âWe found you a donor,â the doctor said.
Martin grumbled and stood up in frustration. âI knew it.â He said. âWhat was I expecting?â And he started walking towards the door.
âYou need to ask me who the donor is,â the doctor said to his retreating figure.
âI really donât care,â Martin responding without looking back.
âBut I think you should care,â Dr Sanjay insisted. âYou know who the donor is.â
Martin paused and then slowly turned to look at the doctor. The question was written all over his face.
âYour girlfriend, Sibusiswe Hangaala.â She provided.
Martin gaped at his doctor in response. âWhat do you mean by that?â He knew what he had heard, but he hoped he had heard wrong.
Unfortunately, Doctor Sanjay wasnât privy to his heartâs desires and so she repeated, âSibusiswe came to see me at the hospital just as I was knocking off and demanded that I have tests done on her to see if she can be your donorâŠthing is, I already knew she was a matchâŠ.â the doctor nervously added the last part.
âDid you push her intoâŠ.â
Doctor Sanjay waved her hand in the air to deny the incoming accusation. âWe ran a lot of tests on her the last time you came with herâŠI just happened to check andâŠ. I never told anyone about it, not even you or her until today. It was just a by-the-way thing before but now itâs turned out like this.â
Nothing was making sense to Martin. Why would Sibu do that ?
âIsnât she your girlfriend?â The Doctor asked.
âWhat?â Martin asked, looking extremely disturbed.
âYou asked why she would do that?â Dr Sanjay answered.
âOh,â he said, âI thought I said it in my head.â
âWhy donât you sit down?â
Without protesting, Martin went back to sit.
âShe never mentioned whether she wanted to keep the donation private or notâŠI assume she would have preferred the former but since I know you, I figured you would want to know lest you threaten to shut down my practice again.â
Martin stood up again. âThis is very confusingâŠit doesnât add up,â he said. âI have to talk to Sibu first. I think this is some sort of bad joke. I hope you didnât get her to sign anything.â
Doctor Sanjay winced in embarrassment.
âWhat?â Martin asked upon seeing the doctorâs reaction.
âShe forced me to get her to sign the papers and threatened to inject herself with anything she could lay her hands on in the hospital if I refused to do what she wanted. I asked her if you knew she was going to be your donor and immediately sensed she hadnât since she couldnât give me a straight answer. I suggested talking to you first and thatâs when she went berserk. I really believed her when she said she would inject herself. Her eyes were searching my office for any weapons. She is one scary girl.â
âAre you even a doctor?â Martin yelled at her. âHow can an eighteen year old make you do something like that?â
âShe might be eighteen but her mind is older and wiser than the both of us put together.â The doctor could recall the spineâchilling moment Sibu had looked into her eyes and made the threat. She had never before seen such determination in a teenagerâs eyes. âDo you even know what her IQ is?â
Martin huffed and left the house in furry.
Not wanting to disturb Sibusiswe who was now sleeping in the bedroom after coming in from work in a very bad mood, Sibeso had finished preparing supper and had just dropped her body on the sofa with a plate in hand when someone knocked at the door.
It was not one of those subtle and respectful knocks that people usually get on their doors. This one was loud, irritating and was so powerful it would have knocked the door right off its hinges if it continued any longer.
Sibeso put her plate down on the table and got up to check on the rude visitor in frustration. She could hear Sibu tossing and turning in her sleep from the noise and so when she opened the door, it was not with a welcoming smile.
For a second, Sibesoâs huge frown almost made Martin forget why he had come there in the first place.
âI need to talk to Sibu,â Martin said the moment he recovered and shoved himself passed Sibeso and entered the house.
âWhat are you doing here?â The noise had obviously awakened Sibu.
âWhat have you done?â He fired at her right away.
âWhat do youâŠ.â
âDoctor Sanjay, she told me!â He yelled.
âYou do know we live in a flat, right?â Sibeso reminded Martin. âThese walls have ears so I suggest you tone it down or we gonna have to print tickets next time you visit to accommodate the large audience.â She then picked up her plate from the table and headed to the balcony, closing the door behind her to give them some privacy.
Sibuâs attitude seemed to raise Martinâs blood pressure even more. She simply shrugged her shoulders and went to occupy the same spot her friend had been in.
âIs that the only reaction I am going to get from you?â Martin asked, sitting down as well.
âWhat do you want me to say?â Sibu said nonchalantly. âI have no plans of becoming a widow just after a year of marriage. What sort of fool do you take me for?â
âHow the hell do you expect me toâŠwait,â thatâs how long it took for her words to sink in. âWhat did you just say? Did I hear correctly?â A smile slowly crept onto his face. âIâm I reallyâŠ.â Martin was up on his feet, one hand pressed on his mouth in disbelief.
Sibu instinctively smiled back at him, but unlike his pure genuine smile, hers was riddled with joy and something mysterious. âYes, I will marry youâŠbut only if you agree to have the surgery.â She said.
âŠbecause thatâs the only way I can lessen my guilt towards you and some else. She added silently.
And then suddenly, his smile mirrored hers before completely faded into oblivion.
âWhat are you so afraid of Martin?â Sibu got up and walked over to him. Martin avoided her gaze, looking down at his feet with both his hands now in his pockets.
âThe doctor said you donât want to have surgery because you donât want to live like a patient for the rest of your life; forever taking meds despite having a new kidneyâŠand so you would rather die. Is that correct?â
âWould you live such a life yourself Sibu?â Martin asked.
The question startled her. âFor me death is a luxury I cannot afford,â she said in a very solemn tone, quickly turning her back to him to avoid eye contact. âBut we are not talking about me,â she said, sitting in the same spot as before. âI think you are just being a coward.â
âWhat?â Martin was incandescent in his delivery. There was something else she had said he wanted to address because he had heard it before but her last remark made everything else seem less important.
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