New Car, New Baby

I had never driven a brand new car before. I was as excited as a small boy. The company had just acquired 10 brand new Nissan Sunny N16s and I was in line for a promotion. I got a shiny new metallic green one code named “Omega”. It came complete with polythene wrappings on the seats. My partner and I decided that since the wrappings were the only proof that the car was new, we were not going to remove them – at least not just yet. After three days however, we had to remove them owing to the sweaty backs due to the hot Nairobi weather. Our clients were also not too keen to sit on polythene just to please two naive drivers.

I was handed the new car the same month that my wife was due to deliver our second child. It was a double blessing – A new car and a new baby. The rest of my colleagues who also got the new cars were very excited. We had just proved again that ours was the premier taxi company in Nairobi and by extension, the whole of the country. The cars were different from what we were used to however and despite being Japanese, they had a European convention. Their wiper control was on the right hand side of the steering column while their lights switch was on the left. This led to embarrassing moments when a driver would put on the wipers when he meant to flash the headlights in a show-off.

New car aside, I was anxious to get my new baby. I was going through the toughest time of fatherhood. It was that time in the pregnancy where everybody is at the mercy of the unborn child. Every day as I left home for work, I would wonder whether today would be the day. I did not have long to wait. The day came one week after I had been given the new car. I was at work when I got the call from home that labor pains had set in. I was informed that my wife had been taken to a nearby hospital. I was tense but optimistic that everything would turn out well. That was not to be as I received a terse call later in the evening which completely changed the mood.

Apparently, my wife had developed a condition known as cord prolapse. I was told go to the hospital immediately and transfer her to a different hospital since the one she was in did not have the required facilities. She needed an immediate caesarian section operation. I requested the manager to allow me to take the car to go and transfer my wife and he agreed. I drove off and found her writhing in pain on a bench. She was with a friend from home who assisted me to get her into the one week old car. We drove the short distance to the better equipped hospital and the doctor was called from his house nearby.

By the time the doctor arrived, I was a bag of nerves and didn't know what to expect. When the doctor was about to examine my wife, he gave me a look that made me realize why African men are not allowed in delivery rooms. He ordered me out and for once, I didn't mind another man looking under my wife's skirt. I left the room and the next person I saw was bringing me papers of indemnity to sign. In my state at the time, I could have signed anything. My wife was wheeled to the operating room and I was left to sweat the cold night away as I waited. After what seemed like eternity, but was probably about three hours, I was called to see my wife and my new daughter. My beautiful daughter Hellen was sleeping peacefully and my wife was still groggily coming back from anesthesia.

That was the most important assignment I ever carried out in that car and it was now ready to earn me some commission to buy pampers for my baby. It did not disappoint for the few months that were remaining of my life as a taxi driver. For my wife, the whole incident was an extremely close call and I almost lost her. When I look at Hellen today however, I tend to think it was worth it. She has filled our lives with so much cheer.