Surviving ||On Hold

Wife

She only managed to sleep around four am, although she got in bed just before midnight. Her mother's words had kept her awake, tossing and turning. She kept on wondering, what would people say?

During the many hours she had stayed up, she was able to reach a conclusion. Her mother was right. People would judge her and call her names.

She thought about it, the pros and cons of leaving Themba, and she realized that Themba gave her a purpose. He made her something, she felt important - something she had never felt all her life.

All her life she had no tittle. But, with Themba she was someone's wife, she would be Mrs Ndlovu  and possibly someone's mother someday. She could imagine herself having a big white wedding.

Her mind drifted to the loving Themba, the one that was romantic yet genuine. The one who wanted to be something in life, who wanted her to be besides him forever. She realised, she was still madly in love with him.

With her decision made - she was staying, fighting for whatever was left of her marriage - she woke up with a mission. Visit my husband. Like a good wife, who was happily married.

The Johannesburg weather was a bit chilly with cloudy skies, showing the first signs of the autumn giving way for the approaching winter.

She let her dreadlocks loose and dressed in a black darkwash skinny jean and a maroon cotton sweater. With her old, faded black and white beat down vans, she felt like a teenager going on her first date - to the movies.

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She was sitting on the chair next to Themba's bed, caressing his hand softly, while she spoke about the eventful week she had. She had sat there for more than an hour when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in" she answered knowing it was one of the hospital staff. But the person who came strolling through the door was someone she least expected. Mbalenhle, or Mbali as she was fondly called. She strode in, in all her glory with a four year-old in tow.

She was dressed casually, but even with very little effort she still managed to look amazing. Her long weave was swept towards one side, cascading down her right shoulder in small waves. 'Must be Brazilian' she thought.

Her light skin was flawless, zero pimples and dark spots, and the blonde weave complemented her light skin tone. Her grey stonewashed jeans, black ankle boots and long-sleeved purple cotton peplum did nothing to hide her gorgeous hourglass body.

Her jeans hugged her curves well and in the shirt one could make out her ample breasts. Her body was good enough to grace runways yet it also fell into the 'African woman' body. She was gorgeous, that was undisputable.

The last time the two women had seen each other was sometime after Boitumelo wedding, and that meeting did not go very well. She began internally preparing herself for a cat fight, after all Mbali wasn't one for friendly visits.

"What are you doing here" Boitumelo asked, her tone incredulous. Mbali entered the room and closed the door, "Ma told me about Themba and Lwethu wanted to see her dad." Boitumelo's eyes immediately shifted towards the young girl who was standing awkwardly, holding onto her mother's leg.

She mustered a fake smile and with her baby voice she greeted Thandolwethu, "Hello, Lwethu." That seemed to do the trick as the young girl moved from hiding behind Mbali's leg and smiled shyly at Boitumelo. Mbali settled, with Lwethu on her lap, on the other chair - on the other side of the bed.

Mbali looked over at Themba fondly, it was clear to everyone she still loved him wholeheartedly, and that fuelled Boitumelo's jealousy. She had everything, the looks, the job, the child, the family backing - everything.

Mbali had grown up in the same neighbourhood as Themba, she went to the same church as Themba. Her grandfather was a priest, and she was the adorable girl who sang in Sunday school - that was before she got into doing beauty pageants.

While they had gone to the same church for their whole lives they were never close, they properly met at a party one of Themba's friends had thrown. It was love at first dance.

They would have probably gotten married and lived happily if Mbali had said yes to Themba's proposal. She wanted more out of life than to become someone's wife. She wanted to be in fashion shows not a stay at home mom.

She reeled her mind from dwelling too much on the what ifs before any tears escaped. "How is he?" She asked, clearing her throat as an attempt to get her voice to sound strong.

"Fine," Boitumelo answered with a hint of bitterness. She disliked Mbali, a lot, and with good reason - she was the competition, the baby mama, the ex, the mothers in-law's favourite. MaZulu constantly compared the two and, obviously, Mbali was better in every single aspect.

After sitting in silence for more than twenty minutes, staring at Mbali and Lwethu interactions with Themba became too hard for her and she decided to go and get some air. "I'll be back" she said, promptly getting out of the room which was beginning to suffocate her.

As she left the hospital's room one of her mother's words of wisdom popped in, "There are plenty women out there, waiting for you to leave so they can take your spot."

She thought about Mbali. About how her and Themba - together with Lwethu - made a perfect little family, one she didn't have. And in that moment she was certain she had made the right choice.

She was staying, wouldn't let women like Mbali sink their filthy claws into her husband. After all, Mbali was just the baby mama - she was the wife.
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~Bee♡

**I feel like this chapter was a bit crappy but please bear with me, I'm currently going through a lot of heavy stuff. I promise I'll try to write better ones.