Three Thundering Roars.

Three thundering roars.

The heavily expectant woman walked in with her husband, Lenku, by her side. Lenku was clad in full masai gear, complete with a rungu. This was early morning war.
Student Sr.Mary was there to receive them at the casualty.
“Please bring a wheel chair,” Lenku barked at the orderlies. “My wife is in labour.
Sr.June, the sister in charge, looked at Lenku and understood the anxiety that the man was going through. Very few locals used the hospital facilities for delivery purposes. They preferred their TBA (Traditional Birth Attendants). The campaign to use the hospital facilities seemed to bearing some fruit.
“Is this your first baby?”
“In my tribe, we do not count children,” he replied, his eyes avoiding Sr.June’s.
The wheel chair was brought and again Lenku took charge, pushing it rather quickly to where his wife was.
“Slowly, one leg at a time,” he cooed as the wife struggled to transfer from the bench to the wheelchair. A few curious patients sympathised with her.
“She will be okay,” Sr. June told Lenku. “Please wait here as we take her to the observation room!”
“No!” shouted Lenku, holding his club as if ready to fight. “I don’t want my wife to die here. I will be with her until the baby is born.” Lenku took charge of the wheel chair and pushed it to the observation room himself. The wife groaned.
Dr. Yiapan was the one on duty. He was one of the success stories of the community. He was born and schooled in all the local schools up until university. After graduating, he had come back to serve in the missionary hospital.
The doctor came with a six students – two of them male.
“Who are all these?” Lenku asked. “This is not a film show!” he admonished Sr. June. “Go away,” Lenku ordered.
“They are student nurses and fellow doctors ready to learn and help at the same time,” the doctor assured Lenku.
“I don’t want other men seeing my wife’s nakedness. Only one is enough,” asserted Lenku with authority and finality.
They all respected the old man’s wish. The two student doctors left the room without a huff.
“A vaginal examination stat,” Dr. Yiapan instructed Sr.June.
“Will you wait inside here or outside there?” Dr.Yiapan asked Lenku.
“A warrior does not abandon his flock in time of need,” Lenku replied.
Dr.Yiapan understood and as the V.E was being done, the doctor engaged the old man in local genealogy. With the mention of each prominent person, Lenku would get excited and give the young doctor a past history of the mentioned family.
“Your father belongs my age-set,” he told Dr.Yiapan. “But he chose to chase paper lions while we chose to chase the real lions in the bush.” Dr. Yiapan knew about morans who abandoned their traditional lifestyles for the elusively ‘richer’ urban areas, only to come back to their motherland after years of toiling as night guards. They often had nothing to show for their stay in the cities and were a constant butt of many crude jokes. Lenku was no exception.
“6 inches!” declared Sr.June, giving her feedback on the extent of dilation.
The doctor explained what 6 inches meant.
“Foetal heartbeat please!” instructed the doctor as he went back to community politics. Lenku’s eyes, however, did not move from the nurse. He was invited to listen to the heartbeats.
“Doctor, there is more than one foetal heart beat,” reported Sr.June.
“What does that mean?” Dr.Lenku turned to his five student nurses.
Sr.Mary was the first one to respond. “It means multiple births – either twins or triplets.”
“Good,” the doctor responded but he was interrupted by Lenku.
“Ai? Twins?” shrieked Lenku. “No twins please. Twins are a curse!”
The doctor let out a long hooting laughter that shocked all in the room.
“Who said that? I am a triplet, all boys. One is a lecturer at the university, another one is the area MP and then there is me,” said the doctor.
Another groan from the woman distracted the group.
“Prepare theatre please,” ordered the doctor to Sr.June, “and call your twin sister for the old man to see.”
Jean, Sr.June’s twin sister, was a tutor at the Teacher’s Training College just across the road. Though twins, the two sisters led a completely separate and independent life. June was training to be a Catholic nun, while Jean was an outgoing worldly and fun loving person.
“I need you as an exhibit,” Sr.June joked.
Within three minutes, Jean and June were standing in front of Lenku.
He laughed. “Aiye, you are as alike as the buttocks of one person!” They all laughed.
Lenku’s wife was wheeled to theatre ready for procedure. Dr.Yiapan explained to Lenku that the hospital regulations did not allow lay people into the operation ward.
“Wait here. It will take about an hour,” Lenku was assured.
The procedure went on well and within an hour, three bouncing baby boys had been delivered successfully.
Lenku was called into the nursery and the moment he saw his sons, he went on his knees and cried. “Thank you God! Thank you for these wonderful people! Thank you for my wife!”
Lenku held his first son and looked into his eyes. “Oloibon Lenana, saviour of the Masai people, and warrior of warriors – you will grow up in courage and out roar all the lions in the forest!
“Oloibon Leshan – you who roars like thundering water from the sky, you will grow to outroar all the waterfalls of the world.
“Oloibon Moipei – you who roar louder than thunder from the sky, you will grow to be president of this country.”
*
The following morning just after 6am, Sr.Mary was woken up by the bleating of goats and angry shouting at the hospital gate.
It was Lenku arguing with the guard. Dr.Yiapan had just reported on duty had to go and sort it out.
“These are for you and your people for bringing in 3 warriors into the world. That he-goat, one she-goat and this cockerel are yours. The rest you will give to the students,” Lenku instructed Dr.Yiapan.
“The he-goat is called Osama. He is tough headed, brave and very clever – just like you doctor. You brought in 3 warriors at one go!” Lenku continued.
In African culture, one does not decline any gifts, however lavish they are.
“It is well, Lenku,” Dr.Yiapan accepted the gifts as he walked with the old man to the ward to see mother and children.