Some
minutes later, Mabel felt somehow and rushed into the bathroom. She almost
pushed her mother down outside her room. Her mother dropped the bathing kits
she was holding and Cynthia dropped the plate she was carrying. They rushed
after Mabel and met her bent over in the bathroom, vomiting.
“What is wrong?” her
mother asked her.
She
just shook her head and threw up again.
“God, what is this
na?” their mother said with her hands on her head.
She
brought water to pour on Mabel’s head and neck.
“Mummy stop,” Mabel
managed to say and ducked the water splash. “You will spoil my hair.”
Cynthia
bent over to help Mabel and felt a sharp pain in her back. She shouted and
stood straight up.
“What is it na?”
their mother asked, going from one person to the other. “Why are you people
doing this to me this night?”
She
helped Cynthia stand upright.
“Don’t worry about
me,” Cynthia said. “Help Mabel.”
Mabel took
water from a bucket, washed her face and stood up straight.
“What happened?” her
mother asked her.
“I don’t know,”
Mabel replied. “I think it is the malt and milk I drank. It upset my system.”
“Or you are truly
pregnant,” her mother said.
“Vomiting in the
night does not indicate pregnancy.”
“Tomorrow will tell.”
“Mummy relax na,” Cynthia
said, hands on her waist.
Mabel
felt like throwing up again and bent over but nothing came out. She stood
straight and hissed.
“If I had known,”
she said. “I would not have taken that malt and milk.”
“But it helped you
with the dizziness, didn’t it?” her mother asked her.
“It did.”
“So no need to
complain.”
Mabel reached behind the door and
brought out the mop stick and bucket.
“Go out of the
bathroom,” she said to them. “Let me clean up this mess.”
“I will take care of
it,” her mother said. “Go and rest.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to. Two of
you, go now?”
“Ok. Thank you.”
Mabel
went out and pulled Cynthia with her.
“How is the back
pain,” she asked Cynthia who was still holding her back.
“It is better now,”
Cynthia replied. “It was the way I bent that caused the sudden pain.”
“Sorry.”
They
got to the parlour and sunk into the cushions.
“Are you still
feeling like throwing up?” Cynthia asked Mabel.
“No I am fine now,”
she answered.
They
were silent for a while as their mother washed and mopped the bathroom. When
she was done, she came out to the parlour and sought to know how they were
doing. They reassured her that they were feeling better.
“Let me take a
bath,” she said and went back in.
“Ok,” Mabel replied.
“Do you want
something to eat now?” Cynthia asked Mabel.
“Not now.”
“You need to eat
something since you have vomited the malt and milk and everything else you ate
today.”
“My mouth still
tastes somehow.”
“Drink water and
take fruits then.”
“Must I eat
something this night?”
“Yes you have to o.
So you will feel better.”
“Do we still have oranges in the fridge?”
“I think so. Let me
check.”
“Don’t stress
yourself. I can do that myself.”
Mabel
went to the fridge and brought some oranges for her and Cynthia.
“Should I dish the
food now?” Cynthia asked when she was done with the orange.
“Ok,” Mabel replied.
“Not much o.”
Cynthia went to the kitchen and
dished some food for both of them.
“I can’t finish this
one,” Mabel said when Cynthia brought the food.
“Eat as much as you
can,” Cynthia told her. “I will pour the rest back into the pot.”
“That is not
hygienic.”
“You are not an
outsider na.”
“Even at that, it is
not right.”
“Don’t worry,” their
mother said. “Whatever you remain, I will finish it up for you.”
“Ok ma.”
While
they were eating, their mother joined them in the parlour. Mabel ate the much
she could and handed the plate to her mother.
“Are you ok?” her
mother asked her.
“Yes mum,” Mabel
replied. “Thank you.”
Their mother went into the kitchen
and added a little more to the one Mabel remained and ate. When they were done,
Cynthia packed the plates before her mother could insist on doing it.
“Don’t bother about
washing them,” their mother said.
“Ok,” Cynthia
replied.
She went
ahead and washed the plates and kept them in the rack. Then she took her drugs.
“Who will massage
me?” she asked holding the balm.
“Manage yourself
like that,” Mabel told her. “I don’t have the strength to that now.”
“Neither do I,” her
mother said. “Tomorrow I will do it for you.”
Cynthia
put the balm back in the drug bag.
“Nobody is even
talking about watching TV today that there has been light,” their mother said.
“Nobody is in the
mood for that,” Mabel said.
“Mood or no mood,
always make yourself happy,” their mother said.
“There is nothing to
watch,” Cynthia said.
“I came with some
movies,” Mabel said. “But I am not in the mood for that now. I need to sleep.”
“We will pray then
before you sleep,” their mother said.
“Where are the
movies?” Cynthia asked.
Mabel
told her where the movies were. Cynthia got them and selected one. She went to
slot it into the DVD player.
“Leave it until we
pray,” Mabel told her. “I am feeling sleepy.”
“Oohm, we have to
pray fast o.”
They
heard a knock on the door. Their mother checked. It was a neighbor who came to
ask for sanitation levy. She settled the neighbor and locked the door.
They
sang some songs, read some scriptures and their mother led them in prayer. That
night’s prayer was the longest they had ever done. At a point, Cynthia opened
her eyes and looked at Mabel. When their eyes met, she gave her sign that she
was tired, that their mother should round off the prayer. Mabel gave her sign
to close her eyes and concentrate.
“Let us begin to
summarize our prayers,” Cynthia said when they finished a prayer point their
mother raised.
“It remains three
prayer points then we will summarize,” their mother said.
Cynthia
feigned annoyance and closed her eyes. Their mother rounded off the prayer.
“Mummy this long
prayer you chose to pray this night,” Cynthia said.
“Are you not seeing
all that is happening?” her mother said. “Don’t you know that the longer you pray,
the more problems you deal with and the faster the solution comes?”
“Says who?”
“That is what pastor
says sometimes.”
“It is about what
you say and the state of your heart when you are praying.”
“He also says that
too.”
Cynthia
slotted in a movie to watch. Mabel bid them goodnight and went into the room.
Their mother watched the movie with Cynthia for a while and went in.
“Are you tired of
watching?” Cynthia asked.
“I don’t understand
this type of film,” her mother said. “Let me go to bed.”
“Ok. Goodnight.”
Their
mother checked on Mabel who was fast asleep and then went into her own room.
Cynthia watched some episodes of the movie and fell asleep on the couch. It was
her mother who came in much later, switched off the Television and woke her up
to go into her room. She sleep-walked into the room and lay beside Mabel on the
bed. When their mother was sure they were okay, she went into her room and lay
down.
They
slept that night without any incidents.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
No comments:
Post a Comment