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Was Mrs Lizzy truly pregnant? The screen would not lie about the swollen cheeks, nor the way she breathed, as if struggling with each inhalation. Would it? It was a Zoom class meant to cover the last topic in Biology before we commenced the term's examinations.
We were enjoying every ounce of Mrs Lizzy's new, different energy, or as it seemed, until suddenly, the energy began to fluctuate. And she had to pause intermittently to take deep breaths. My eyes stayed fixed on her face, reading everything I could read. I saw her fingers move as if in the direction of her PC keyboard, then everything went quiet and her soft whispers took over the next few seconds.
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“God, please. Preserve this baby. For the first time, please,” she uttered, her eyes full of pain. Three... four seconds passed and one by one, the SS One students of Royalty High School broke into squeals and joyful dances. I was the only one still staring, waiting to understand what I'd heard.
Mrs Lizzy's hands flew to her mouth, then went to her head. She felt like a thief who had just been caught. Embarrassment washed over her dull face, perhaps the embarrassment of blurting out the news of her pregnancy or spilling something beyond it, I couldn't tell. She raised her hands in a weak chuckle, apologising for uttering those words.
“Oh... my God! I'm truly sorry, guys, I...”
“Mrs Lizzy, you mean I'm going to be a big sister?”
“Mrs Lizzy, have you gone for a scan?”
“Mrs Lizzy, please give us a cute little princess.”
Dera, Shalom and Joshua were almost jumping out of their screens.
But was I the only one who'd heard something beyond the revelation of her pregnancy? I waited, hoping that one or two of my classmates would raise a concern, perhaps something close to the question in my heart. Or maybe some words to reassure her that her baby would be fine. But here they were, with their squealing voices growing even louder.
Although we were miles apart physically, the umbrella of the virtual class made me feel the Joy and happiness that laced with their voices. I could bet that Mary and Marvy, the twins in our class, had jumped into each other about ten times now. They seemed to be the most overjoyed.
But... Mrs Lizzy did not utter a word after her weak apology. Was she still embarrassed that she'd revealed the news of her pregnancy? Or was she bothered that she'd uttered something she shouldn't? If I were to be more sincere, Mrs Lizzy's voice revealed that there had been miscarriages and now she was scared.
“Students... hey...” she resumed again, this time trying to laugh and smile at the same time amid the deep pain I found in her eyes.
“I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Things have been crazy here, and I didn't realise I didn't mute properly.”
We all understood. And we loved her. I loved her more.
We advised her to go get some rest while we reschedule our class for another day. After all, we had the whole of the week for the Sallah break.
Immediately the class ended, I made a call across. A video call. I wanted to let her know how much I cared. Her weak chuckle and smiles at intervals made me love her more. How strong could a woman be?
“Mrs Lizzy, if you want, my mom and I could come over to take you to the hospital.”
She smiled again. While she thought her endless smiles would successfully shield her emotions, I saw them behind her mask.
“Don't worry, Regina, I will be fine.”
I did not believe her. Mrs Lizzy was home alone, as her husband was mostly away for business trips. She said he would be back in a couple of days but I couldn't take chances.
Thirty minutes later, my parents and I were at the wide black gate to their apartment. The gateman let us in. In another thirty minutes, we were out driving Mrs Lizzy to her family hospital for medical care.
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Right now, as I write this, I'm the happiest big sister. Mrs Lizzy's pregnancy had not only stayed, but she had successfully brought forth a cute little princess... my cute little sister. She's currently on maternity leave, and her husband is home with her, but I'll be going over to spend the weekend with her family.