To me, no good news is small or great. They all have equal magnitude in my cite. Leeme put it that way. Even though I have heard a lot of good news this month, like a family member escaping being kidnapped and two close pals getting married. And some other news. But the latest, or the freshest, is that around 5am on Monday, I was still sleeping but almost awake; my phone was vibrating near the chair beside my bed. It was my uncle's name on the screen, and my chest froze before I answered because a call at that time and from that number must be something because most of the calls I have received during those times aren't always good ones. And one of the reasons why I don't like phone calls too.
The phone call was about my niece, who had been put in an incubator since she was born about three months ago, very small like my forearms, some tubes connected to her body doing the work of lungs according to the doctor in charge. Every call in that phase started the same way, my uncle's voice careful, measured, preparing me for something. I had learned to brace before he even finished his first sentence.
That Monday morning, he called me that the doctor said her oxygen numbers are okay, her lungs are now stable enough, and she can be taken home as soon as they are ready. I was still on the call, and I did not give him a response immediately because I was waiting for the rest of the discussion. Because with my uncle, there is always more. But nothing came from him this time.
He had to say, "Dave, are you still there" before I had to give a response to him.
What surprised me that early morning was not the good news I started my day with eventually. But it was how long it took me to give a response to what he was saying because I was waiting for more good news. Some moments of bracing had taught me that relief needed a delay before I could safely believe it belonged to me.
The baby was taken home that Monday. But I don't really know why I still sometimes wait, out of habit, for sentences to continue.
Thank you for reading.
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