Months passed quickly. Sigilai recovered well enough to be discharged from hospital, and Becky's life gradually settled back into its familiar routine. Then her due date arrived, and she found herself once again at Tenwek Hospital—this time as a patient rather than a visitor.
She lay on her back on the delivery bed. The midwife having cleaned the baby and placed him on the radiant warmer, was now working on her.
"Lie still a few minutes," she instructed. "I'll come back and take you to the maternity ward."
The midwife left. Becky turned her head towards the radiant warmer where her baby lay. Her sister Mary stood beside it, intently studying the newborn with delight. She had travelled overnight all the way from Nakuru as soon as she learned Becky had gone into labour.
"She is so beautiful," Mary said.
Becky had barely glanced at the baby when the nurse held it to her face and announced its sex. "Does she look anything like me?" She asked.
"No," Mary replied with a laugh. She turned around and faced the bed. "If only I knew her father. Perhaps she takes after him."
Becky struggled to sit upright. And in two strides, Mary was at the bed holding her shoulders and pushing her against the bed. "Stop," she warned."You've been told to lie still. I understand your urge to see her, but I promise you, you'll have plenty of time with her."
Becky seemed to relax.
"Do you want to tell me about her father?" Mary asked.
The question caught her by surprise. "What do you want to know?"
"Weather or not he a is a good man?"
A rush of emotions stirred within her. "I have never met a better one. Do you remember me telling you how I was denied access to my son at Kararan Academy some years ago?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, he is the teacher who arranged my meeting with Kiplimo without the knowledge of the school administration."
"Really?"
"Yes. His name is Peter Koech."
Mary smiled warmly.
"Oh, Becky, that was incredibly kind of him. You should call and tell him about this."
Becky hesitated.
"You don't think that would be a mistake?"
"How would it be a mistake?"
"You see, I want the assurance that nobody will ever presume to have the right to take away my child. If I let him know, he may grow attached... and possessive. I don't want what happened with Kiplimo to happen to Claudia."
Her tone was firm and unwavering.
"I can see you've already made up your mind," Mary replied gently. "But don't throw away your friendship with him. Every woman needs a man, and every child needs a father."
The smile faded from Becky's face. Mary was no doubt unsettling the certainty she had worked so hard to build. Worse still, she was awakening memories of Koech and the warmth he always seemed to bring with him.
"But it is not only friendship he is looking for," Becky explained. "He wants me for a wife. And you know he can't have that."
"Yes, he can. But for now, let's not focus on that. Just let him know he is a new father."
By the time Becky was transferred to the maternity ward, she had been convinced that it was only fair to share the good news with the child's father. She did not even need to search for his number. Her fingers already knew it by heart as they moved across the keypad.
The phone rang twice before he answered.
"What a pleasant surprise to hear from you."
Koech's warm voice flowed through the phone, and for a moment Becky found herself smiling.
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine. It has been a long time."
"Yeah."
Her brief reply immediately unsettled him.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm at the hospital."
A short silence followed.
"Oh..." His voice softened with concern. "Is your father still admitted?"
"This time it's not my father. It's me."
At once, it clicked in Koech's mind.
"Oh, Becky..." he said softly. "Tell me you have good news."
"Yes, I do. It's a girl."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
His excitement was unmistakable.
It took him only one hour later to arrive at the hospital.
A nurse ushered him into the maternity ward. As he entered, he noticed a woman he had never met seated beside Becky's bed.
Becky saw him and immediately smiled, resisting the urge to stand and hug.
"You came."
"Yeah," Koech replied, shaking the woman's hand.
"My sister, Mary," Becky introduced. "And Mary, this is Claudia's father."
"So you've already given her a name?" he asked.
"I had chosen it long before my second trimester."
"So pleased to finally meet a member of your family," Koech said placing the shopping bag he had brought on top of a drawer beside the bed. It contained baby clothes, diapers, and several varieties of fruit.
Without hesitation, Becky carefully lifted the baby and placed her in his arms.
"Look at her. Isn't she beautiful?"
Koech examined the child closely.
She was beautiful.
And yes—she had his ears, his nose, and his eyes.
"You like her?" Becky asked softly.
He looked up at the Becky and smiled.
"Oh, I love her."
The tenderness in his voice touched Becky more deeply than she expected.
At that moment, Mary's phone rang. Grateful for the interruption, she quietly stepped outside, leaving them alone.
Becky sat watching Koech cradle Claudia. As she observed the gentleness with which he held the child, one of her defenses weakened.
Perhaps Mary had been right.
Perhaps some men were different.
In the weeks that followed Claudia's birth, Koech became a constant presence in Becky's life. He visited often, brought gifts for the baby, and offered support whenever he could. For a brief season, Becky allowed herself to imagine a future less burdened by fear.
Yet Koech wanted more than friendship.
In the preceding weeks and months, he tried repeatedly to persuade Becky to become his wife. He spoke of a home they could build together, of introducing her to his parents, and of the happiness they could find if they fully committed to one another.
But each time, Becky shook her head.
"I haven't divorced Tesot yet."
She said it often.
Koech's patience gradually began to wear thin.
"Why can't you follow up with him?" he asked one day. "How can you remain bound while he's free? If you truly loved me, you would have pushed for a divorce long ago."
"I will not be married twice."
There was a finality in her voice that left little room for argument.
Becky would not bend. Whether it was pride, fear, or simple exhaustion, she could not bring herself to pursue a man who had already walked away from her life.
Eventually, Koech stopped trying.
Not long afterwards, he met another woman and married her.
The quiet that had settled between them slowly became distance. His affection faded, and with time there was nothing left to sustain the relationship they had once shared. Along with that, the financial support he had been providing ceased abruptly, leaving Becky face-to-face with a reality she had never imagined she would have to endure alone.
For most of her life, she had never been without a provider. As a little girl, her father had seen to all her needs. After marriage, her husband's role as breadwinner had allowed her to focus on raising the children and managing the home, though she worked tirelessly on the farm. Even after the separation, her father had stepped in once more, ensuring that neither she nor her children lacked anything essential.