They went to another bank. There weren’t much people there at the ATM section so Margret stopped. They saw a young lady who had just used the ATM, coming out. They asked her how things were. She told them there were three working ATM machines. Mabel alighted and went in while Margret found a good spot to park. She and Cynthia pressed their phones while they waited for Mabel. In less than five minutes, she was out.
“This is what a bank should look like,” Mabel said as she entered the car. “Quick service.”
“You withdrew?” Cynthia asked.
“Yes.”
“This particular bank doesn’t have as much customers as other banks,” Margret said.
“It has nothing to do with ATM,” Mabel said.
“You are right.”
Margret turned on the ignition.
“Where do we go from here?” she asked. “Do we still go to the fast-food restaurant?”
“How many minutes more do we have?” Cynthia asked Mabel.
“From the time we left the lab,” Mabel answered. “We have forty minutes before the results are out.”
“Maybe we can just buy what to eat as take-away when we get to the fast-food,” Margret suggested. “So we can meet up.”
“I think so too,” Mabel said.
Mabel opened her handbag, counted out the money Margret had used to make up for the lab bill and offered to Margret. Margret looked at her, looked at the money and hissed.
“I thought I told you not to bother about it,” she said.
“But…” Mabel began to say.
“But what?”
“But you can give it to me,” Cynthia said.
“Thief,” Mabel said.
They laughed. Mabel put the money back in her bag.
“My dear keep your money o,” Margret said as she drove off. “What are friends for?”
“Thank you for everything.”
“Especially for driving us upandan,” Cynthia added.
“That’s true sef,” Mabel said. “Who has been in your shop since you have been with us?”
“Have you forgotten I have workers?” Margret said. “Even if I don’t come today, they know what to do and how to keep records.”
“What about that thief? Have you fired her?”
“You mean my staff that was stealing my money?”
“Yes.”
“I fired her since. You think I will leave the shop if she was still around.”
“I was wondering.”
“Don’t bother yourself. I already planned to spend a greater part of today with you. I told them to call me if there was a problem.”
“Ok. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
When they got to the fast-food restaurant, they placed orders of what they wanted to take away. When the sales girl calculated the bill, Margret and Mabel reached their hands into their handbags. Mabel was the first to bring out money and she practically threw it at the sales girl.
“You sef,” Margret said and laughed. “Why did you do that?”
“Let me take care of this one,” Mabel said, laughing too.
“Let’s split the bill.”
“No. I insist I take care of this one.”
“Ok oo. If you say so.”
“Do we get anything for Dr Obinna?” Cynthia asked.
“Does he look like he needs anything?” Margret said. “They have canteen in the hospital na.”
“Let me call him and find out,” Mabel said.
Mabel called Dr Obinna and asked him if he wanted anything. He told her not to bother, and told her to hasten up and return.
They took the food in take-away packs and left for the hospital. They got there ten minutes to the time they were told to come back for the result. Mabel opted to go and collect the result while Cynthia and Margret sat back in the car to eat. Some minutes later, she came back without the results.
“They said some are not yet ready,” she told them. “They asked for fifteen more minutes.”
“What about the scan?” Cynthia asked.
“Everything will be written together.”
“Ok. Did you tell Dr Obinna?”
“He was attending to a patient when I went to his office.”
“Ok.”
Mabel sat in the car and started eating her own food.
“This back pain will not let me enjoy this food,” Cynthia lamented as she ate.
“In fifteen minutes we will know exactly what the problem is,” Mabel told her.
“I hope it is not something serious.”
“I doubt.”
They ate in silence for a while.
“We have not spoken with mummy since the last time she called,” Cynthia suddenly remembered.
“It is true,” Mabel said and reached for her phone.
Mabel called their mother. She asked her the situation of things. Mabel told her how far they had gone. She told Mabel that her phone battery died so there was no way she could call them, that she just charged it in a shop close to her office. Mabel told her that they would come to the house from the hospital. She gave Cynthia the phone and Cynthia spoke with her in a worried manner. She reassured her that she would be okay. Then she cut the call.
“She must really be worried,” Margret said. “First it was you, now Cynthia, in less than a week.”
“Yes she is worried,” Mabel said. “As much as she tries to hide it, I know she is.”
From the rear mirror, Margret saw Dr Obinna waving at them, trying to get their attention.
“I think the doctor is calling you,” she told Mabel.
Mabel came out of the car and waved at him. He gave her a sign to come.
“He is calling us,” Mabel told Cynthia.
Cynthia came out, Margret locked the car and they went towards Dr Obinna.
“The main results I need to have a diagnosis are out.” He told them when they got to him. “I can see you with them.”
Cynthia’s heart beat faster as they followed him back to his office.
(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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