Whispers of Hope

Chapter Two: Unexpected Encounters

I had just managed to snatch another round of my much-needed sleep when a sudden eruption of loud music reverberated through the walls. I groaned, pressing my head between plush pillows in a futile attempt to drown out the disruptive noise. My bedroom was bathed in the soft morning sunlight, filtering through the sheer curtains, casting a warm glow on my room. I sighed, recalling fondly about the last time I had enjoyed a calm sunny morning. Glancing at my phone, I noted the time, it was 8.00 am. "Jabari?" I called out, hoping to count on my nephew's help in addressing the disturbance. However, Jabari was known for his deep slumber. With a sigh, I resigned myself to the fact that my restful sleep was now a distant memory.

I rubbed my slightly aching feet together, slipped on my slippers and shuffled towards my door. As I swung open the door, the source of the commotion became evident. It emanated from my next-door neighbour's apartment. In the hallway, two other neighbours peered from their doors, equally puzzled by the early morning disturbance. I exchanged quick greetings with them, my honey brown eyes scanning the corridor, and then knocked on the noisy door.

"Hello?" I rapped on the door again, my patience wearing thin. I tried the door and found it unlocked. I cautiously pushed it open and revealed a man with his back turned to me, absorbed in arranging his belongings. He appeared to be moving in. "Could you please turn down the music?" I asked, my voice laced with frustration and curly knots cascading down my shoulders as I shook my head in disapproval.

The man continued to shuffle around the living room, moving his hips in rhythm to the music while carefully arranging medals and trophies on the bookshelf beside the booming speakers. 'D.I.S.C.O.' by Ottawa continued to blast loudly through the speakers on repeat. Determined, I waddled towards him and gently tapped on his shoulder, causing him to jerk in surprise. He turned to face me, his handsome face framed by a well-kept short beard and his eyes filled with a mix of confusion and embarrassment. His hair, tightly coiled and cropped short on the sides, added to his manly charm. His dark eyes widened as they met my brown ones, and a faint blush formed on his skin. He then blinked once, seemingly clearing his thoughts.

"Are you deaf or something?" I inquired, growing impatient, and made my way towards the speakers. I pointed at the volume knob and swiftly lowered the volume.

"Oh! Sorry about that," he said, loudly and less bothered which made me think that this might have happened to him often. He then gestured for me to wait a moment, disappearing briefly. Upon his return, he had hearing aids in his ears. I couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish for my last statement. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, I felt a warm liquid soak my white pyjama pants. My annoyance and embarrassment quickly transformed into surprise and a touch of panic as a warm liquid gushed forth. My water had broken right in front of a total stranger. The twins were on their way!

"Oh my God! Are- Are you okay?" He stammered, his eyes wide open.

"My water just broke, I think."

"What? Is the baby coming out now? Right here?" I chuckled lightly as I realized that I was thinking about the same thing.

"I am sorry about the carpet," I pointed at the wet spot on the plush dark maroon carpet. "I'll arrange to have it cleaned after I deal with this," I added, unable to stop caressing my swelled belly as a wave of discomfort washed over me.

"Ooof!" I exhaled as pain shot through me and attempted to put into practice what I had learned in my birthing classes.

"You seem quite composed for this," he observed. "Don't worry about the rug," he reassured. I left his living room and returned to my apartment to find Jabari. I knocked on his door, but he was nowhere to be found. A note on his bed read, At Nina's, see you at the cafe. P.S.: Go back to bed, I'll have everything in order. I smiled at his thoughtfulness.