Their mother went back to the
kitchen. Cynthia went with her while Mabel went into the room to lie down. She
held the wall as she staggered towards the room.
When Mabel got to the room, she
fell into the bed like a heap of cloth. The room was spinning round and round. She
had to close her eye for a while. Cynthia came into the room and saw the way
she was lying and went to her.
“Have you also
committed suicide?” she asked, nudging Mabel.
“I am feeling
dizzy,” she said, smiling.
“Since you came
back, you have neither eaten anything nor rested.”
“Yea. Things
happened so fast that I forgot about that.”
“That Chuka is very
stupid. See what he has caused. He thinks the world revolves around him.”
“Leave the poor guy
alone.”
“What do I do for
you now?”
“Is the food ready?”
“No o. Mummy just
put it on fire now.”
“Check those things
Ejike brought and see if there is anything I can chew now.”
Cynthia
brought out the nylon bags and checked them.
“There is bread and
juice here. The other ones will take a long process to prepare.”
“Ok. Pour some juice
for me.”
Cynthia
got a cup and poured juice for Mabel. Then she gave her two slices of bread.
While she was eating it, her mother came in.
“I hope you are ok?”
she asked Mabel.
“Just a bit dizzy,”
Mabel replied.
“Dizziness again?”
“She has not eaten
anything reasonable since morning,” Cynthia said.
“Ok. The food I am
cooking will soon be ready. Just rest well. You will be fine.”
“Ok,” Mabel said.
She
went back to her room.
“Should I get your
medicine for you?” Cynthia asked Mabel when she was done eating.
“Am I not supposed
to eat something that has oil in it before taking the medicine?” Mabel asked.
“I don’t think it
matters.”
“Ok. Check my hand
bag.”
Cynthia searched her bag and got
the medicine. Mabel took them and lay down.
“Do you want to
sleep?”
“No. I have not
eaten.”
“But if you lie
down, you will soon sleep.”
“Wake me up when
food is ready. I have to eat something that has oil in it and then bath.”
“Ok.”
Cynthia
went to the sitting room and lay on the couch. From time to time, her mother
would come out of her room to the kitchen to check on the food.
“I will check it,”
Cynthia said to her after she came out the third time. “No need going up and
down.”
“Ok,” her mother
said. “When it is done, let me know.”
“I will.”
It
didn’t take much longer and the food was ready. Cynthia called her mother who
came out to the kitchen.
“Wash a food flask
for Chuka,” she told Cynthia.
“Ok.”
Cynthia
washed one and gave to her mother who dished food for Chuka.
“Take this to him,”
“Let me call Mabel
first.”
“Ok.”
Cynthia
went into the room to wake Mabel and saw her phone beeping. She checked and saw
missed calls. She nudged Mabel to wake up. She opened her eyes, closed them and
continued sleeping.
“Mabel!” Cynthia
called.
Mabel
did not respond. Cynthia called her again and nudged her.
“Mmmmm,” Mabel
answered,
“Don’t you still
want to eat?” Cynthia asked her.
“I don’t know,”
Mabel said and turned. “I just feel like sleeping sef.”
“No. You need
something oily in your tummy.”
Mabel stretched and sat up. She
shook her head like she was shaking something off her head.
“The dizziness?”
Cynthia asked.
“No,” Mabel said. “Just
sleepy.”
“Ok. You have some
missed calls. ”
“I will check that
later.”
“Let me go and give
Chuka food,” Cynthia said as she left the room.
“Ok. Don’t get
emotional o.”
“Trust me. It’s just
food delivery.”
Mabel
checked her phone. The missed calls were from Ejike and Coker. She returned
Ejike’s call. He said he just called to know how she was doing. She reassured
him that she was fine and hung up. Then she called Coker who apologized for not
checking on her for a while. He told her he had some work-place issues which he
was trying to sort out. He wanted to gist but she told him that she just woke
up from sleep, that they would gist the following day. He told her he would come
and see her. Then she hung up.
Mabel
went out to the sitting room where her mother was already eating. The lantern
was on at a corner of the room.
“Where is Cynthia?”
she asked her mum.
“I am here,” Cynthia
answered from the kitchen.
“Have you gone to
give Chuka the food?”
“I went to his house
but the place was locked.”
“Are you sure he did
not lock it from behind?”
“No. Someone told me
he is outside the compound with his friends.”
Cynthia
came out to the sitting room with her plate of food.
“Should I put for
you?” she asked Mabel.
“Yes please,” Mabel
replied. “A little.”
Cynthia
kept her plate on the table and went back to the kitchen to dish for Mabel.
Mabel started eating Cynthia’s food while waiting for hers.
“Ooohm,” Cynthia
said when she came out and saw that Mabel was eating her food.
“Sorry,” Mabel said.
“Take from my own.”
“I took my own from
the bottom pot. Your own will not be as
sweet as the one I took.”
“Sorry.
Cynthia
gave her the plate of food. Mabel wanted to pour some of hers into Cynthia’s
plate.
“Don’t worry,” Cynthia
said. “I will collect another bottom pot later.”
While
they were eating, they heard the voice of Chuka and his friends coming into the
compound.
“He is back,” Mabel
said to Cynthia.
Cynthia
kept her plate and brought the food flask.
“Wait until his
friends leave,” their mother said to her.
“Ok,” Cynthia said.
Cynthia
peeped through the window. It was dark outside but she could make out Chuka’s
frame and that of his friends. When she saw him shaking his friends and them
turning to leave, she took the food flask.
“Don’t waste time
there o,” her mother told her. “Just give it to him and come back.”
“Ok”
Cynthia
went outside. As she went closer, chuka was opening the door.
“Chuka,” she called.
He
stopped and looked in her direction without saying anything. She went closer
and stood still, expecting him to say something. He just looked at her without
saying a word.
..to be continued
Nedu Isaac
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