Tanatswa remembered the time when he was scolded by his mother about his daily routine of unemployment and especially when she warned him that he would become an irresponsible adult who wouldn’t be able to take care of his family. That memory suddenly creeped into his mind as he cuddled with Shami near the hearth of the burning wood. Her tears had dried up and she had fallen asleep, embracing him in a hug, covered by wolf’s fur as a blanket.

Though he had registered incompetence in his mother’s eyes, he had to prove her wrong by being reliable to his current family. Shami was going to be the mother of his child in the world of Goshem, a world which was relatively new to him and which didn’t have any established medical facilities. As a man, he decided to brace himself for the worst and to protect his love with all his might. Whatever dangers would come, he would definitely face them with an undying resolve.

The following morning, Shami woke up and found her counterpart wide awake and deep in thought. Tanatswa became conscious of her as soon as she darted her eyes at him and he quickly broke out of his trance. He immediately went on to whisper to her, “Good morning Shami.” Shami yawned before addressing him and then paused before asking him, “Were you up all night?”

“Yeah. I had a lot to think about.” he said faintly.

“Well, I guess I did drop a hard bomb on you. If you really think about it, it’s kinda crazy that we are having a baby in the afterlife…” she paused, as she glanced at him to get reassurance, “do you think we will be okay?” Tanatswa heard her question and internalized it as if it was the most important thing he had to answer in his entire life. His old self would have produced a cynical answer, but instead, he squinted his eyes and smiled, telling her, “We will be okay. We will raise this baby that’s growing in your tummy, together and make it through this place. I will do everything I can to make that a possibility.”

Shami was simply overwhelmed by his words and embraced him in a teary hug. Tanatswa was taken aback, not used to this kind of sentimentality, but pulled into the hug to assure her that they were on the same page. Shami even briefly broke off the hug to kiss him. This kiss wasn’t her usual sensual driven kiss, but one that came from the heart. Tanatswa simply experienced it until she stopped.

They then looked into each other’s eyes and then she smiled emphatically. Tanatswa then reached for her abdomen, at first hesitant, but when she realized his intentions, she pulled back her cloak to expose her tummy. She was still in the early stages of pregnancy, thus her tummy looked pretty flat, with just a slight bulge below the naval area. Tanatswa laid his hand on the tummy and said, “We made a person. This is, quite remarkable. I mean, Shami, we are going to be parents.”

“Are you excited?” asked Shami, who was on the edge. She was excited but at the same time very conscious of everything he was going to say. Any misstep in his wording would probably knock her out of her positive spectrum.

“Yeah I am. I wonder if it’s going to be a boy.” he said, ecstatically as he held onto her tummy.

“Seems like a girl isn’t your first choice. Hmm, is the saying that men want to first secure a son to perpetuate their family name, happening right now?” she asked, slightly teasing him.

“Well I am not picky and I am not really bothered by traditionalist patriarchal ways of thinking. In any case, I am just happy that I get to be a dad. By the way, Shami, are you hungry?” he asked, thinking that he needed to immediately play the role of support.

“Yeah, but something light like the fruits will do.” she said. Tanatswa immediately got off the floor and got to work. His ripped muscles and muscular figure appeared more impressive to her as she watched him trot towards the cupboard where the fruits were stored. Knowing that she was pregnant with this strong guy’s baby made her feel a bit more secure. As he returned with the fruits she then decided to discuss about their plans for the pregnancy.

“So Tanatswa, I have been thinking about how we would be able to do this. I would also like to hear your ideas, but I will tell you mine first.” she said, as she munched on the fruits in the clay plate eagerly.

“Yeah, I am all ears.” he said, gleaming with a positive smile.

“So first things first. We need to address the elephant in the room. As far as we know, Goshem doesn’t have any existing medical facilities like hospitals, clinics or any of the above. So, I am trying to stay positive here, but unless there is baby delivery doctor amongst the others, we are probably going to solo this child birth. I will be honest with you Tanatswa that scares the shit out of me.” she said, looking at him with worried eyes.

“I think…” he paused, “I think if we use the custom goal mechanic, we can enter ‘safe pregnancy delivery’ as our goal. Even if we aren’t obstetricians, we are smart people who can figure out instructions given to us by the mechanic. You managed to make a guitar from scratch without any prior knowledge in making instruments, so we can definitely do this.”

“Making a guitar is not the same as delivery a baby you idiot…” she said, a bit agitated by the fact that he compared her making a guitar as something that validates skill in child birth, “I am so sorry Tanatswa. I didn’t mean to say that. It’s the nerves, I am just really freaking out about how we are going to do this. Like are you freaking out?”

“Yeah I am worried, but we have to stay positive and calm. Trust me, if people in the olden days had children without any of the quirks of modern medicine, then we can have a baby too. That will probably be something we will have to face once you’re 9 months pregnant, For now, let’s deal with the preparations leading up to that. The custom goal is invaluable, so let’s figure out what choices we would have to take to make this pregnancy easy for you.” he said, trying to placate her at the same time be the voice of reason. Shami listened to him and calmed down. She breathed in and out to relax herself and contemplated his logic. She then told him, “You’re right. We have to plan this out, stage by stage and not scare ourselves shitless with the finale. Yup, you seem to be handling this better than me. You must have been thinking really useful things all night.” she said, giggling a bit despite her facial expressions exposing her disingenuous glee.

“Yeah, I have to man up to the situation, so I think I will make things easier for you by helping you out with most of the heavy duty labour. Stuff like our mana plant project, the house, cooking etc. I will take over the reins for that.” he said, with a glowing smile.

“Building and placing materials can’t be a one man job. I am beginning to feel guilty that you want to do all that work by yourself for my sake. I can help…” she said, feeling as if she had given him a burden.

“Not an option. You are going to be working on the baby whilst I support you with everything else. Besides I am close to reaching level 4. The stuff that used to give me fatigue is no longer a problem. Trust me, Shami, I am capable of supporting this family.” he said, grinning as he winked at her. His playful antics swayed her and she went from a glum look of concern to a hopeful look.

“You know what, I am kinda glad that you’re the one who knocked me up. I hope you will remain as enthusiastic about taking care of me in the long run. Just don’t be a sensationalist who makes me think this way now, but later makes me regret.” she said, embracing him once again.

“Yeah, you can count on me.”

“Tanatswa, if we are definitely doing this, I am going to have to change the way I eat and the standard of hygiene. Like a total revamping.” she said, emphatically.

“Sure, I am up for the revamping.” said Tanatswa, who liked her resolve.

“If, let’s say, it turned out to be a girl, what name would you give her?” asked Shami, who was curious.

“Hmm, well, 2 names. A Shona name and an English name. I would call her Tinotenda Theresa.” he said, curious to see how she would gauge his naming ability.

“So you would have our daughter have an alliterative naming structure, like a comic book character? Aren’t you a nerd.” she said, teasing him as she laughed.

“Well it does have a nice ring to it. Do you not like it?” he asked, with his eyes now looking comically droopy.

“It’s not bad, but I believe mothers decide the names of their daughters. Fadzi sounds like a cool girl’s name. I would probably name her that. Man, how corny are we, we are already getting excited about naming the baby before she is even here.” she said, jokingly.

“You are really dead set on a girl aren’t you Shami?” he asked her, with confounded eyes.

“You betcha. Anyways, we are probably going to have to raise them differently. I mean, when they are older, they will probably have to do this crazy leveling up and seeking mana stuff. This is definitely unknown territory for me and you. It’s like we have no point of reference and we need to figure out the right answers for this situation. It’s kinda scary.” she said, grasping him tightly as she played out scenarios in her head about how their lives would go about in Goshem.

“Well I think since it’s new territory for both of us, we don’t have to worry about what example we need to follow. We can be the pioneers who navigate this world. Trailblazers who define how one should live in Goshem. Let’s not fear honey. Wait, I can call you honey right?”

“You know it’s no longer sexy when you assign me a title and then piggy back backwards by asking me whether or not it’s okay. I am okay with honey Tanatswa.” she said, slightly bothered that he almost ruined the mood with him asking.

“Well then honey, let’s begin out quest for a safe pregnancy and warm welcome for our baby.”

Tanatswa and Shami immediately entered their query into the custom goal mechanic. Their desire was to get tips and methods that are appropriate to how they would handle preparing and delivering their child in the world of Goshem. Tichaona had to continuously level up so that he would be able to protect his family from any looming threats. Not everyone was a friend, but hopefully not all of the current inhabitants would be foes.

They had to get adequate food, shelter and power to perpetuate an existence in Goshem without fear. The mana farm was a success and they could self-sustain and grow their own mana on their land. Shami, despite being dissuaded by her boyfriend from doing anything super physical in training, still wanted to explore the depths of her ability, Body dysmorphia.

As Tanatswa would do all the work, especially the construction and carpentry stuff, she would use her university architecture knowledge to guide him. Other than that, she would procure food that she believed was good for her pregnancy. This couple was in for a long line of troubles and pleasures in the world of Goshem, but the best way for them to prevail would be for them to stay together.