FED UP [xLi]

(...continued...)

                They took turns to freshen up. Then Mabel massaged Cynthia.
  “Are you still feeling the pain?” she asked.
  “Yes but not as bad as it was yesterday,” Cynthia replied.
  “That means the treatment is working.”
  “Yes it is. You really tried for me yesterday.”
  “You also tried for me over the weekend. One good turn deserves another.”
  “What are sisters for?”
                When they were done, they ate their food, then Cynthia took her drugs. There was no light so they just sat in the parlour, gisting.
  “Did you tell your friends that you are not feeling fine?” Mabel asked Cynthia.  “So they can cover up for you in school.”
  “Yes. I sent Chidinma a chat message. She will inform others who should know.”
  “I hope they are not coming here? I don’t have the strength to arrange this parlour for anybody.”
  “They are coming,” Cynthia said laughing.
  “What!”
  “Yes o. They should be on their way any moment from now.”
  “Ooohm who will now arrange here?”
  “This place is better than their houses. We don’t need any special arrangement. It’s already swept and cleaned.”
  “But your hair is untidy.”
  “This hair is getting old.”
  “You need to loose it.”
  “Not today. I can’t go to the salon today.”
  “Will your back allow you to sit for a while so I can loose it for you?”
  “Who taught you how to loose this type of hair?”
                Mabel laughed loud and said, “You forgot I learnt hair making before I got a job.”
  “That’s true,” Cynthia said.
  “So when you are ready, let me know.”             
  “Let me lie on the floor and stretch my back for a while, then we can start.”
 “Ok.”
                Cynthia made to lie on rugged floor.
  “Wait let me get the foam,” Mabel told her.
  “Don’t worry. I will feel more relaxed on the bare floor.”
                She lay face-up. Mabel checked her phone and saw missed calls and some messages.
  “How come you don’t know when you get these calls?” Cynthia asked her, puzzled.
  “Most times, I put the phone on ‘silent’ especially in the night when I want to sleep.”
  “So what if the call is important?”
  “I always call back or send a message?”
  “What if there is an emergency?”
  “It can still wait a little longer. I don’t like being disturbed with calls whenever I want to rest, especially from people who don’t have anything doing and decide to call without any tangible reason.”
  “Ok that’s true.”
  “I actually started doing this when some friends started calling in the midnight because they couldn’t sleep. With sleep in my eye, they will be telling long story. I kept on so as not to make them feel bad. When I saw it was not helping me, I began putting the phone on ‘silent’ if I didn’t want any disturbance.”
  “I see.”
  “While you are still resting your back, let me reply the text messages.”
  “I even forgot to ask, did you speak with mummy last night about what you should do?”
  “About what?”
  “About Segun and the repeated heart break.”
  “Yes we spoke about it.”
                Cynthia tried to sit up, “so what did she say?”
  “Lie down,” Mabel said. “I will gist you when I am done replying the messages.”
  “Ok,” Cynthia said and lay back down. “Hurry.”
  “It won’t take time.”
                When Mabel was done replying the messages and speaking with some on phone, she told Cynthia all she had discussed with her mother the night before.
  “So when are you seeing Pastor’s wife?” Cynthia asked when she was done.
  “I will send her a text message first to know when she will give me an appointment to see her.”
  “Ok. It has to be before Sunday abi?”
  “Yes. Definitely.”
  “What if Segun comes back begging now?”
  “I will not make the same mistake mummy made. I will not let any man ride on me and treat me like trash. I will not give him face until I see he is truly sorry.”
  “Serves him right.”
  “Who says he is even coming back. He has moved on.”
  “I think so too. Kemi is finer and curvier than you.”
  “You are not serious.”
                They laughed.
  “I am kidding,” Cynthia said. “Any man who misses you has missed a big thing.”
  “He has had me. What is there to miss again?”
  “Let’s leave that matter for now. Can you lose my hair now?”
  “Hold on. I will tell you when I am ready.”
                As they talked, NEPA brought the light.
  “Yeeee,” Cynthia said and made to sit up.
  “What is there to watch in this house?” Mabel asked rhetorically.
  “Movies,” Cynthia replied. “We have lots of them in the movie rack.”
  “You don’t have any reasonable movie here. The absence of Cable in this house is not good.”
  “It will waste. It is only in the night that either mummy or I am around to watch TV.”
  “I will go to my house later to check how things are and then bring some of my movies.”
  “Will you leave me alone here?”
  “No. Maybe when Chidinma and co come.”
  “Better.”
                While Mabel flipped through the local channels on the TV, Cynthia went to the refrigerator and brought some fruits. After searching for a while, Mabel was fed up.
  “All these News and talk shows sef,” she said. “No one wants to do something interesting. Not even music.”
  “Check the Movies there. You could find one we can manage till you get from your house.”
                Mabel checked and reluctantly slotted in one of them. They watched for a while and NEPA took the light.
  “I really miss my house,” Mabel said.
  “Let us go na. We will come back in the evening.”
  “No. You don’t need to stress yourself. Moreover, your friends are coming to see you.”
                They talked for a while and Cynthia’s phone rang. It was Chidinma calling to find out if she was home and told her she was on her way.
  “Start with the hair na,” Cynthia begged Mabel.
  “Ok. Sit up.”
                Cynthia sat on the floor. Mabel got the tools she needed and started loosing the hair. Before long, Mabel was done.
  “Do you need to wash it immediately?” Mabel asked her.
                There was a knock on the door.
  “That should be Chidinma. She will help me do the rest.”
  “Ajibo Chidinma will do what?”
  “She does not do that ajibo to me o.”
                The knock came again.
  “Let me get the door,” Mabel said and went to the door. She opened it and saw Chidinma and another lady. They exchanged pleasantries and Mabel let them in. As she was closing the door, she saw Chuka waving at her. She waved back. He gave her sign with his hand asking her whether he could come and see Cynthia. She replied with a sign that he should check later.
                Cynthia and the ladies exchanged pleasantries. They looked worried about her.
  “You are really looking sick,” Chidinma said.
  “True,” Kate, the other lady said. “Look at your hair. Scattered.”
  “I am getting better.”
                Cynthia made to stand and felt pain in her back.
  “Lie down for a while,” Mabel told her. “You have been sitting for a long time.”
                Chidinma helped her lie back on the floor facing upwards. They sat on the floor beside her as they discussed.
  “Let me leave you people to gossip,” Mabel said and went into the room.
  “You can join in the gossip na,” Cynthia said.
  “Remember I have to go out soon. Let me get my cloth ready.”
  “Ok.”
  “I am still around in case you need anything.”
  “We will help her with whatever she needs,” Chidinma said.
  “We have cleared our schedule for the whole day to stay with her,” Kate added.
  “That’s nice of you. Thanks.”

Mabel went into the room to get the cloth she will wear to her house ready, while Cynthia and her friends gisted in the parlour. Then suddenly, Cynthia began to cough.

 (...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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FED UP [XL]

(...continued..)

  “What!” Mabel shouted and sat up on the bed.
                Cynthia stirred and opened her eyes.
  “Mummy good morning,” she greeted.
  “Morning,” her mother replied. “How are you feeling?”
  “I am fine.”
                Mabel got her phone and confirmed the time her mother had told her.
  “We slept too long,” she said.
  “You need the rest,” their mother said. “I have done all the morning chores.”
  “Why did you bother yourself doing everything when I am here?”
  “I came in severally to check if you are awake but you were sleeping peacefully. I didn’t want to bother you.”
  “You mean you washed the plates I forgot to wash last night?”
  “Yes.”
  “You swept everywhere?”
  “Yes. I also mopped the kitchen and toilet.”
  “You wouldn’t have bothered yourself. I would have done them whenever I wake up.”
  “Who does them when two of you are not around?”
  “But we are around.”
  “Don’t worry yourself. Your breakfast is on the kitchen table.”
  “Breakfast too?” Cynthia asked.
  “Yes,” their mother replied. “And it’s your favorite.”
  “You are the best mummy in the whole world,” Cynthia said.
  “Thank you.”
                Mabel yawned and said to her mother, “You need to start going so you won’t get to the office late.”
  “I am leaving now,” her mother said going towards the door. “Take care of Cynthia.”
  “I will.”
                As their mother got to the room door, she turned and asked Mabel, “Are you going out today?”
  “I don’t have plans to go out unless something comes up,” Mabel said getting up from the bed and following her.
  “Ok.”
                Cynthia followed Mabel to see their mother off to the door. They said goodbye as she left. Chuka was outside and heard them biding their mother good bye so he left what he was doing and came to them.
  “Your love is coming,” Mabel told Cynthia and smiled.
  “Who even told me to come out this morning?” Cynthia asked rhetorically. “I will just go inside now.”
  “You will do no such thing. He has seen you already. So wait and see him.”
                Chuka came close and exchanged pleasantries with Mabel. Then he asked Cynthia how she was faring. She answered him as casually as she could. Mabel went inside and left them standing at the door. When Chuka had exhausted all he wanted to ask, he still stood there thinking what next to ask to keep the conversation going. Cynthia on her part kept wondering how to dismiss him without appearing rude.
  “Should I come in?” Chuka blurted out.  
                Cynthia was taken aback. She didn’t expect that question.
  “Huh?” she said. “I thought you were busy with something?”
  “It can wait,” Chuka said. “You are more important to me than any other thing.”
  “I need to do some things now, take my drugs and rest.”
  “I will come later then.”
  “Ok oo.”
                Chuka left shyly. Cynthia went back in and met Mabel eavesdropping.
  “What were you listening to?” she asked Mabel, laughing.
  “Love nwantinti,” Mabel said laughing.
  “I don’t like him. Period.”
  “Then let him know so he will stop trying.”
  “That will be cruel of me to just shatter his hopes like that.”
  “It will not. Every man deserves to know the truth about how a lady feels about him.”
  “Even if I like him, what will I be doing with him now? He is not ready for marriage any time soon and I don’t want any boyfriend.”
  “Yea yea…”
  “Leave me joor.”
                They laughed and went to the kitchen.
  “Won’t you brush before eating?” Mabel asked Cynthia.
  “Who said I am eating now?” Cynthia asked. “Let me see the breakfast mummy kept for us.”
                They saw two plates of food already covered. Cynthia was the first to open hers.
  “Yam and sauce,” she said. “Nice.”
  “Mum is such a darling,” Mabel said “As if she knew what I wanted to eat.”
  “Me too.”
  “But you are not feeling fine and you are on drugs. You are not supposed to have appetite for food like this. I can help you”
  “Story for simbi. Even if I have to eat it through my nose, I must eat this yam and sauce.”
                Mabel covered her own plate and turned to leave.
  “Let me freshen up,” she said. “I counted my yam o. Don’t even remove anything from it.”

                They laughed.

(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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FED UP [Xxxix]

(...continued...)

                When there was nothing more to say, her mother said she wanted to go to bed.
  “Are we done for today?” Mabel asked her.
  “Yes I am feeling sleepy,” she replied. “Moreover, I need to wake up very early in the morning.”
  “Ok. We have not yet prayed o.”
  “That’s true. Bring a bible let us do so now.”
  “Should I call Cynthia?”
  “No. Leave her to rest. We will put her in prayer.”
                Mabel got the bible, put off the television and sat down. They sang worship songs for a while, Mabel read scriptures her mother quoted and they prayed. Her mother concluded with a heartfelt plea to God to help her children weather the storms in their lives. When they were done with the prayer, Mabel made sure all the doors were properly locked while her mother made sure everything in the kitchen were in place and went to her room.
Mabel lay on the couch in the parlour and switched on her ‘data’ to surf the internet. She received many chat messages. She read them and replied the ones she wanted to. Some of her chat friends wanted to engage her in a chat when they saw she was online but she dismissed them and chatted with only Margret and Glory. They asked her for updates on what had happened since the last time they communicated. Mabel told them what they wanted to know, they chatted about other things for a while till Mabel began feeling sleepy. She bade them goodnight and switched off her data. She went into the room. Cynthia was fast asleep, spread out in the middle of the bed.
  “Ooohm how do I push you now?” She said to herself, a bit frustrated.
She thought about nudging Cynthia but she didn’t want to wake her up and cause her pain. She touched her neck to know whether she was having fever, but she was not. She stood for a while wondering what to do to create more space for herself on the bed. She decided to manage and squeeze herself in the little space available on the bed.
  “Bad posture even while sleeping,” She lamented as she lay on the bed. “Mcheew.”
Mabel lay like that for a while but she was not comfortable. Then she decided to lie on the floor. She got a small-sized foam they rolled up and kept in the wardrobe. She spread it on the floor and lay. She soon fell asleep. She did not have any nightmare that night.
                In the middle of the night, Mabel was woken up by a tap on her shoulder. She opened her eye. It was Cynthia.
  “What is it?” she asked.
  “What are you doing on the floor?” Cynthia asked her.
  “Ehh?” Mabel asked, still feeling sleepy.
  “Why are you not on the bed?”
                Mabel rubbed her eye.
  “You were sleeping on all the bed na,” she said.
  “You would have woken me up to lie well na?”
  “I didn’t want to wake you and you will not be able to sleep again.”
  “Oh ok.”
  “I don’t want to do nurse work in the middle of the night.”
  “Thanks for your consideration. Now come up to the bed.”
  “It is almost morning. I am comfortable here.”
  “No. Come up. I can’t stay here alone.”
                Their mother came into the room.
  “What is the talk about?” she asked. “Any problem?”
                They were startled by here question as they didn’t hear her enter their room.
  “Mummy you are still awake?” Cynthia asked her.
  “How did you know that we were talking?” Mabel asked.
  “When you become a mother you will know,” she replied. “Is there a problem?”
  “No problem,” Cynthia said. “I woke up and saw Mabel lying on the floor.”
  “Why on the floor?”
  “Cynthia occupied the whole bed and I didn’t want to wake her,” Mabel said.
  “Cynthia you should be the one lying on the floor to rest your back,” their mother said.
  “Not today. From tomorrow.”
  “Ok. Let me go back to bed since there is no problem.”
  “Goodnight mum.”
                Their mother went back to her room. Mabel got up from the floor and rolled up the foam.
  “Leave the foam on the floor,” Cynthia told her. “You can put it back in the wardrobe in the morning.”
  “Let me keep it by the side so it will not trip someone in the morning,” Mabel said.
Mabel shifted the foam to the wall and lay on the bed beside Cynthia.
  “Are you still feeling how you were feeling yesterday?” Mabel asked her.
  “Not really,” Cynthia replied.
  “Ok.”
                They were quiet and soon slept off.
                It was their mother who woke them up in the morning. She opened the window so the ray of the sun would enter the room and smart their eyes. Mabel was the direct person to be hit by the ray so she was the first to stir.
  “Good morning mum,” she greeted when she opened her eyes and saw her mother.
  “Morning dear,” her mother replied. “You people don’t want to wake up?”
  “Is it not too early to wake up? Why are you already dressed for work?”
  “Do you know what time it is?”
  “Ehh?”
  “It’s past 8am.”

  “What!” Mabel shouted and sat up on the bed.


(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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FED UP [Xxxviii]

(...continued...)

                Mabel looked at her mother’s face. Her eyes were teary with a ball of tear about dropping down her cheek.
  “You really suffered o,” Mabel said.
  “It was not easy,” her mother said. “My parents helped me a lot. They accepted you and your sister.”
  “We are their grand children na. So they didn’t have a choice.”
  “Yes you are, but the manner which you came, they initially saw it as shameful.”
  “I understand. Their daughter did not get married officially and had not one child out of wedlock, but two.”
  “Yes. Even though with time, everybody forgot about the shame. We lived with them for a while.”
  “Yes, I remember growing up with them.”
  “While they helped take care of you girls, I was able to finish up clearance in school and got my certificate. I couldn’t go for Youth Service because of you girls, so I left it. My father then helped me get this civil service job I have been in since then.”
  “Eiyaa.”
  “When I saved enough money, I got this apartment and moved out of my father’s house. They didn’t want us to leave but it was the best thing for us to do. There were many people living in the house at the time; cousins, and so on. So I needed to get my own space and free space for them too.”
  “How did you cope?”
  “From time to time, they still sent me money and food stuffs.”
  “The life of a single mother is not an easy one.”
  “Dealing with heartbreak is worse; much worse.”
  “Men are just heartless.”
  “Not all of them. At least my father is a wonderful man.”
  “Yes, grandpa is.”
                It was News Hour on the TV station that was on.
  “Do you want to listen to the news?” Mabel asked her mother.
  “I am not in the mood for that now,” her mother replied.
                Mabel reduced the volume of the TV set.
  “Remembering those days gives me chills,” her mother said.
  “Thank God it turned out for good,” she said to her mother. “At least we are consolations to you,”
  “Yes my dear. I am glad whenever I see you and Cynthia. You are bundles of joy. That is why I feel bad when I see you go through pain.”
  “So, how did you handle your issue with men?”
Her mother thought for a while and said, “I did not do anything particular about it. I just made up my mind that men were all the same and not worth wasting time on. I focused on making ends meet and raising you and your sister.”
  “What about your feelings for men?”
  “It was a struggle then. Before I made up my mind about men, I got into some relationships, hoping they would lead to something meaningful. Most of them withdrew when they realized I already had two kids. The few who hung on just wanted to sleep with me.”
  “That’s terrible.”
  “When it was difficult settling down with a man, I decided to forget about it and raise you girls.”
                Mabel sighed and sunk into the couch. Her mother cleaned her eyes with the back of her hand. They were silent for a while. It was Mabel who broke the silence.
  “What do you suggest I do about this?” she asked.
  “I think it is too early to block him off totally,” her mother replied. “You never know what really went wrong. The other girl could have bewitched him.”
  “I don’t think so. He has been acting strange long before now.”
  “How?”
  “He stopped calling me. He hardly picked my calls. He only spoke with me and visited when he wanted…”
  “…to sleep with you,” her mother finished for her.
  “Yes,” Mabel said shyly. “I am a bad girl right?”
  “Not at all.  He was someone you wanted to settle down with. That is not to say it is right to do it before marriage. It is not.”
  “I know. Just couldn’t help it. I truly loved him.” 
  “Then just hold on and find out what exactly happened.”
  “Are you suggesting I call him?”
  “Well…”
  “Even though I still have feelings for him, I will not bring myself as low as to call him. For what na?”
  “Don’t mind me. I am thinking like I was thinking in those days. Just move on with your life for the next few days and let his friends and your friends handle the situation.”
  “Ok. What if he comes begging?”
  “When we get to that bridge, we will cross it. Just don’t take permanent decisions in the state of mind you are in right now.”
  “But this is not the first time this is happening to me.”
  “I am aware. That’s why I get worried when I see you going through it over and over again. The way things went on in my life and are now repeating in your life is not good at all. Pastor will always call it vicious cycle.
  “Meaning?”
  “Meaning things that happen to people and continue with their children.”
  “What causes it?”
  “Many things could cause it.”
  “Things like?”
  “Spiritual problem, personal mistakes, and maybe the way we present ourselves.”
  “I don’t really understand what you are saying. Can you explain further?”         
                Her mother paused for a while, then answered, “Pastor’s wife will be in a better position to explain.”
  “That means I will see her within the week.”
  “Let’s explore both options in dealing with this matter. Let friends handle Segun while you see pastor’s wife and know what she will advice.”

                Mabel nodded in approval.

 (...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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FED UP [Xxxvii]

(...continued...)

                They suddenly heard noise in the room.
  “What was that?” Mabel asked.
  “I don’t know,” her mother said.
                They paused and listened. They heard the noise again. This time Mabel heard Cynthia call her name.
  “It is Cynthia,” Mabel said.
                They rushed to the room and almost collided with Cynthia at the door.
  “What is the problem?” Cynthia asked them. “Why are you rushing?”
  “We heard a noise,” her mother said.
   “I hit my leg on the foot of the bed, lost balance and supported myself with the chair. I think that was the sound you heard.”
  “Hope you did not wound yourself?” her mother asked touching her.
  “Don’t worry, I am fine.”
  “You did not use your phone light?” Mabel asked her.
  “I was sleepy-eyed then,” she replied. “But I am seeing clearly now.”
  “Where are you going now?”
  “I want to ease myself.”
  “Hold on, let me fetch water for you.”
  “Has the one I fetched finished?” their mother asked.
  “Yes I used everything,” Mabel answered. “I am coming, let me fetch water.”
                Mabel took a bucket and went outside to the borehole in the compound and fetched water. Cynthia thanked her when she came back with the water and then went into the toilet. Mabel and her mother stood at the door of the toilet waiting for Cynthia.
  “Don’t lock the door o,” Mabel told her.
  “Why are you people standing there?” Cynthia asked. “Any problem?”
  “No problem,” her mother replied.
                They waited for her. When she was done, Mabel flushed it for her while her mother helped her back to the room to sleep. When she lay down, they went back to the parlour.
  “Now back to what we were discussing,” Mabel said to her mother.
  “What has been the reaction of your friends to your issue?” her mother asked Mabel when they sat down.
  “They have been calling and sending text messages.”
  “Have they been coming to see you?”
  “Most of them want to see me but I have not been in the mood to see them. I have only seen few who I met suddenly, just the way I met Maggie.”
  “The thing about friends in this kind of situation is that you really can’t tell who feels for you and who is happy about what you are going through.”
  “You are right. Even the stories they are telling are exaggerated. I don’t even know who to trust again. If Kemi could do that to me, anyone else can do worse things.”
  “What about the man who left you for her?”
  “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
                Her mother sighed.
  “I hope you have not called him?” she asked.
  “Call who?” Mabel asked.
  “Segun.”
  “God forbid. For what? Why should I call him?”
  “Good. He left you and should be the one to make contact if he values you and the relationship.”
  “Exactly. He should be the one calling and begging me. Even if he does, there is no guarantee that I will accept him back after all the humiliation he put me through. ”
  “Yes. No need selling your pride as a woman and appearing desperate. That was the mistake I made with your father. I appeared too needy.”
  “Really?”
  “Yes.”
  “What exactly happened?”
                Her mother sighed.
  “I was in my early twenties at the time and he was the best man I saw,” she said. “He was my everything. The things he said to me and the way he pampered me made me think he was for real. When he broke my heart the first time, I went running after him thinking it was my fault that he walked away. I found out I was pregnant for him and told him. He denied and abandoned me. My parents were ashamed of me. I was in school then so they could not reach me to do anything to me. They just stopped sending money to me. It was one of my senior cousins who took care of me until I gave birth to you. Your father did not contact me. From time to time, I would still write letters to him but he did not reply or even bother coming. People advised me to move on with my life. I tried.”
  “Why did you keep trying to get him back after what he did to you?” Mabel asked.
  “I thought I would never meet any other man like him.”
  “Was he that special?”
  “With the eyes of a young girl then, yes. But now, nothing special at all.”
  “Ok.”
  “I was really desperate to have him back. Then about 2 years later, he came back to me. He begged me and told me several stories that I later found out to be lies. I heard he had actually broken up with the other lady he was dating. I immediately took him back without hesitation. I was foolishly in love with him. Family and friends were disappointed in me. I lost most of my friends because of him but I didn’t care as long as I had him. Then he impregnated me again and ran. This time, he ran for real.”
  “You were still in school then?”
  “I had just graduated. I couldn’t continue doing my clearance in school so I got a menial job to take care of you and my unborn child.”
  “You really suffered o.”
  “My dear, it was not funny.”
  “So the man you call my father never asked after you again?”
  “No. Even when I gave birth to Cynthia, he did not even send me a dime to buy baby food. That was when my eyes cleared and what people had been telling me dawned on me. I took care of my medical bills from the money I saved from the menial job I was doing.”
  “Did you try reaching his family?”
  “Yes.”
  “What did they say?”
  “They said they are not aware of anything going on between me and him. They shut me out completely. I think it was because I didn’t have a boy. If I did, they would have claimed him immediately.”
  “Your parents did not accept you too?”
  “My father made sure no one in my family came to see me or send me money. Things become so difficult for me that I couldn’t afford to take care of you and your sister. I had to sell some of my clothes and belongings to buy food for both of you. People I turned to for help turned their backs on me. When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I had to reach out to my mum. I told her everything and she softened. She spoke to my dad day after day, telling him that I am still their daughter no matter what, that they can’t afford to lose me because a randy fool (as she called him) decided to deceive me and put me in the family way. He eventually forgave and accepted me back.”
  “You have not told me these details before. I only know that our father abandoned us for another woman.”
  “Yes I don’t want you girls growing with bitterness in your heart. You would end up hindering yourselves while the person you are bitter against is likely enjoying his life somewhere with his family.”

                Mabel looked at her mother’s face. Her eyes were teary with a ball of tear about dropping down her cheek.
(...to be continued...)
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THE UNCLE NEXT DOOR




 AGAINST THE TIDE


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FED UP [Xxxvi]

(...continued...)

Her mother got up, locked the door and went towards the room.
  “Are you going to sleep?” Mabel asked her.
  “No,” her mother replied. “Let me check on Cynthia.”
  “We have not finished discussing o.”
  “About?”
  “About finding a solution to the issue at hand.”
  “Ok. I am coming out immediately.”
                She checked Cynthia who was still fast asleep, killed a mosquito on her body as softly as she could so as not to wake her up, and then went to the kitchen. She dished food and went back to the sitting room to eat.
  “You have not yet eaten?” Mabel asked her.
  “No,” she replied.
  “So you are still doing this thing you always do.”
  “What is it?”
  “You don’t eat until we have eaten.”
  “Yes o. You girls come first.”
  “When you checked Cynthia, did you touch her body?”
  “Yes.”
  “Is her body hot?”
  “Like fever hot?”
  “Yes.”
  “I don’t think so but I am not very sure.”
  “Let me check.”
                Mabel went into the room, touched Cynthia’s body and came back.
  “Her body temperature is normal,” she told her mum. “She is not having fever.”
  “She can’t have fever after taking the drugs,” her mother said.
  “She was sweating. I just opened the window a bit.”
  “Ok. Hope the net is still intact?”
  “Yes I made sure of that.”
                Mabel checked her phone. It had charged enough to be put on, so she put it on. As soon as the phone came on, she received several text messages. Most of them were unsolicited bulk messages.
  “All these messages from these four and five digit numbers sef,” she said still standing. “Who told them I am interested in what they are saying?”
  “My dear I thought it was just me that receives those messages o,” her mother said.
  “It’s not only you.”
  “How did they get our numbers?”
  “I don’t know for them o.”
  “It is annoying.”
  “When you are expecting text messages like credit alerts, you will be getting messages to subscribe for one thing or the other.”
  “I heard there is a way to stop them.”
  “I heard too but I have not tried it yet.”
                Mabel deleted them and then read the messages from people she knew. She stood for a while replying the messages.
  “You will not allow the phone to charge now there is light,” her mother said.
  “Let me reply the messages now I have the time,” Mabel replied.
  “Then sit down and do it.”
  “I am almost done.”
                When Mabel was through, she sat beside her mother.
  “You have not yet finished your food.” she said.
  “What am I rushing it for?” her mother replied. “Is there any competition going on?”
                They laughed.
  “No competition, but it is not good to eat late at night.”
  “I am not looking for slim tummy o. That one is for young ladies like you. At my age, nobody is looking at me.”
  “Is not about slim tummy o,” Mabel said laughing. “It is not healthy to eat late. You eat early so your body system can digest it so as you are sleeping, your body is also resting from all the work.”
  “I know about that but I can’t help it sometimes. Sometimes I don’t have appetite for food. I just eat so I won’t eat in the dream.”
  “Too much thinking causes loss of appetite.”
  “Is not thinking o. I resolved long ago to live a joyful life. Especially, after the last blood pressure attack.”
  “You are right.”
  “And you girls are not living lives that will make me think. You make me proud.”
  “Awww.”
                Mabel hugged her mother.
  “So it has nothing to do with thinking at all,” her mother said.
  “Ok.”
                Her mother ate the last spoon of rice remaining in the plate and dropped the plate on the center table.
  “So, about the issue we were discussing yesterday,” Her mother said.
  “Hold on,” Mabel said. “Let me return the plate in the kitchen.”
  “Help me get some fruits from the fridge first.”
                Mabel went to the fridge and brought out two peeled oranges. She also poured drinking water in a cup for her mother.
  “Let me get knife for you in the kitchen,” she said.
  “For what?” her mother asked.
  “To cut the orange.”
  “What happened to my teeth? Don’t worry, I will use my teeth.”
  “Mummy, you have refused to upgrade o.”
  “Old school is the main school.”
                They laughed. Her mother cut the orange with her teeth, sucked the juice and ate the flesh. When she was done, she dropped the waste in the plate and drank the cup of water Mabel had poured for her.
  “Back to what we were discussing,” she said Mabel, relaxing on the couch.

                They suddenly heard noise in the room.

 (...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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FED UP [Xxxv]

(...continued...)


Mabel looked around the sitting room but did not see it.
  “Let me try flashing it,” her mother suggested.
  “Ok,” Mabel said. “While you are doing that, let me check my handbag in the room.”
                Mabel went into the room and soon came out with her phone.
  “It is switched off,” she said.
  “Battery low?” her mother asked her.
  “Yes, the battery does not last very long.”
  “Why didn’t you remember to charge it since you came back? You know we can’t trust NEPA people.”
  “It totally escaped my mind.”
  “I don’t blame you my dear. You have been stressed lately, both physically and emotionally.”
  “As if you know. It has not been easy at all.”
  “All will be well.”
                Mabel got her charger and plugged her phone. Then she sat and flipped channels in search of which station was giving the news that her mother wanted to watch. As she was doing it, NEPA took the light.
  “Ooohm,” she lamented.
  “They will still bring it back,” her mother said.
                Barely two minutes after the power outage, there was a knock on their door.
  “Who is it?” their mother asked.
  “It is me,” they heard a male voice reply.
  “That sounds like Chuka,” Mabel said as she went to answer the door.
  “What is he looking for by this time?” her mother asked in a low tone.
                When Mabel opened the door, she met Chuka.
  “How is Cynthia?” he asked a bit breathless.
  “Did you run?” Mabel asked him.
  “Answer me na?” he said, smiling like a kid whose secret had just been exposed.
  “She is sleeping.”
  “No need putting on the generator then.”
  “There is need.”
  “How will she know I was the one that put it on?”
  “When she wakes up I will tell her that it was you that put it on.”
  “No it will not carry weight. I will prefer doing it when she is awake.”
  “Please.”
                Chuka put his hands akimbo and thought for a while. Then he agreed and went to the backyard where the generator was.
  “Please come with a torch light,” he said to Mabel as he went.
  “Ok,” Mabel replied.
                Mabel got torchlight and went to meet him at the backyard.
  “Did the generator go off by itself last night?” he asked her.
  “No. Cynthia put it off.”
  “I need to check the level of fuel and oil left.”
                As he tried to check, NEPA brought back the light.
  “Up NEPA,” Mabel said, excitedly.
  “Wasted effort,” Chuka lamented. “Chai.”
  “At least it saved you the stress of looking for what to do and even going to buy fuel if there is none.”
  “I would have done it gladly as long as Cynthia would be happy.”
  “Eiyaa. Thanks for trying.”
  “No problem. I will still see her tomorrow.”
  “Sure you will.”
  “Please tell Cynthia I tried to put on the generator for her o.”
  “I will.”
                Mabel briskly went back inside to plug her phone to charge while Chuka covered the generator and went back home. She met her mother with her phone and charger, trying to plug it to charge.
  “Mummy what are you doing?” she asked.
  “All these new phones,” her mother said. “How do you plug it? Where is the mouth?”
  “Don’t worry,” Mabel said, laughing. “Let me do it myself.”
                Mabel plugged in the phone, confirmed it was charging and sat down.
  “Children of nowadays and big big phones,” her mother said.
  “It is called civilization,” Mabel said. “You are still ancient.”
  “I agree. As long as I can make calls and send text messages with the one I have, I am okay.”
  “You need to be taking clear pictures and browsing.”
  “Not for me.”
  “Mummy you need to upgrade o. Some of your mates are doing Skype sef.”
  “Which one is sky? They can enter airplane all they want. I entered it in those days.”
                Mabel burst into laughter.
  “Mummy you will not cease to amaze me,” She said. “Skype has nothing to do with flying airplane.”
  “My dear don’t bother yourself o,” her mother said laughing too. “There is nothing you will explain now that I will understand. So just forget about it.”
  “Ok o.”
                Mabel put on the TV.
  “There is no reasonable film for us to watch now,” she said.
  “There is this new season film everybody is watching now,” her mother said. “I even forgot to buy it.”
  “I will bring movies from my house tomorrow.”
  “Nollywood movies or seasonal movies?”
  “Some good home videos, not all these rubbish people are acting. Then one seasonal movie I have not yet finished.”
  “Ok. Help me check the local stations whether anyone is doing something interesting.”
                Mabel flipped through the channels. She did not see any program she liked so she just left it at a station that was doing a News roundup.
  “Did you lock the door?” her mother asked her.
  “I forgot,” Mabel replied. “I will do that now.”
  “Don’t worry.”
                Her mother got up, locked the door and went towards the room.
  “Are you going to sleep?” Mabel asked her.
  “No,” her mother replied. “Let me check on Cynthia.”
  “We have not finished discussing o.”
  “About?”
  “About finding a solution to the issue at hand.”

  “Ok. I am coming out immediately.”

 (...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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