The following morning, they all
woke up early but Mabel and Cynthia remained on the bed. Their mother came into
their room and asked how they were doing and they reassured her that they were
feeling better.
“Are you still
feeling dizzy?” she asked Mabel.
“No,” Mabel replied.
“Do you still feel like
vomiting?”
“A little.”
“Ok.”
They briefly said their morning
prayers there in the room.
“What will you eat for
breakfast?” Mabel asked Her mother and Cynthia when they were done.
“The leftover of the
vegetable yam yesterday will do,” their mother said as she left to freshen up.
“Don’t bother about
me,” Cynthia said, pressing her phone. “I will cook noodles later.”
Mabel went
to the kitchen, warmed the left over yam and dished for her mother. She hadn’t
freshened up so she did not bother dishing for herself. She went back to her
room, put on her network data. She surfed the internet and chatted on social
media for a while. When their mother was done freshening up and dressing up,
she went to the parlour and saw the food Mabel left for her.
“Who has this food
here?” she asked.
“It’s your own ma,”
Mabel replied from the room.
“Please come and
turn it into a food flask for me. I will eat it at the office.”
Mabel
left her phone and went to turn the food from the plate into a food flask. When
she was done, she put it in a nylon bag and her mother carried it, set to
leave.
“You will still see
Dr Obinna today right?” she asked Mabel.
“Yes,” Mabel
replied.
“Don’t fail o.”
“I won’t.”
“I want to see the
test result by myself, so come back with it.”
“Ok ma.
Cynthia
joined them in the parlour.
“Take care of
yourselves,” their mother said as she went towards the door. “Call me if there
is need.”
“I will,” Mabel
replied.
“Let me see you off
to the road,” Cynthia offered her mother.
“Don’t bother
yourself. Chuka may see you in this skimpy thing you are wearing and carry you
on his head and run away.”
They
laughed.
“I will tie wrapper,”
Cynthia said.
“Don’t worry,” their
mother said and left. “See you girls later.”
Cynthia
and Mabel stood at the door and waved their mother goodbye. Then they went back
in.
“By what time are
you going to see Dr Obinna?” Cynthia asked Mabel.
“It should be in the
afternoon,” Mabel replied. “After I have gone to my house.”
“I will go with you
then.”
“But you said
Chidinma will be coming to make your hair today.”
“I can reschedule.”
“It is not
necessary. What will happen to your hair?”
“My hair can wait. I
don’t have a date.”
“Ok.”
“I have to collect
my lab result too, and besides I want to be with you when Dr Obinna tells you
whether you are carrying a baby or not.”
“My mind skips
anytime I hear that. Can you not talk about it right now?”
“Ok, sorry.”
Cynthia
kept quiet for a while and then said, “I can’t wait to carry my neice sha.”
“You can carry your
daughter this year for all I care,” Mabel said. “Chuka is ready to be her
father.”
They
laughed.
“Will you eat
noodles?” Cynthia asked Mabel, going towards the kitchen.
“No o,” Mabel
replied. “I don’t want anything that will upset my system again. I will eat yam
when I am ready to eat.”
“Ok.”
Cynthia
prepared noodles and ate. Then she took her drugs.
“Can you massage
me?” she asked Mabel when she was done.
“My tummy is paining
me,” Mabel said.
“Sorry. Since when?”
“Yesterday. I don’t
think it is something serious though.”
“It had better not
be. So that means I am not getting massaged this morning again.”
“Ok hold on, let me
finish checking this stuff on the internet.”
“Ok.”
When
Mabel was done, she massaged Cynthia, and then she went to bath in preparation
to go to her house. While she was bathing, her phone began ringing. It rang
repeatedly. Cynthia had to check who was calling and informed Mabel.
“Mabel your phone
has been ringing repeatedly o,” she told her.
“Check who it is,”
Mabel told her.
Cynthia
told her that it was mama Risi.
“Why is she calling
me like that?” Mabel asked. “Hope there is no problem.”
“Should I answer the
call and find out?” Cynthia asked.
“Don’t worry. I will
return the call when I come out.”
While
Cynthia was keeping back the phone, she mistakenly touched the message button
and the text messages in Mabel’s inbox showed. She wanted to tap ‘exit’ when
she noticed a message that didn’t begin well. She listened to know if Mabel was
coming. She heard Mabel still pouring water and then opened the message. It was
Kemi’s hate SMS. She read the message in shock over and over again. When she
heard the bathroom door opening, she closed the phone and kept it back.
“Mama Risi has never
called me like this before,” Mabel said in thought as she came to the parlour
still tying her towel. “Is it Risi’s school fees I promised to help her with?”
“You promised to pay
the girl’s school fees?” Cynthia asked passively, still thinking about what she
had just read.
“Yes o. I didn’t know
when it fell out of my mouth.”
“If you have the
money, you can help na. I kinda like that girl.”
“They are nice
people, and the school is a state owned school.”
“So it is not
expensive.”
“No it’s not.”
Mabel
returned the call. When Mama Risi picked, she talked in low tone.
“Why are you talking
like this?” Mabel asked her. “Is all well?”
Mama
Risi asked where she was.
“In my mother’s
place,” Mabel replied.
Mama
Risi told her she needed to be careful.
“Why?” Mabel asked,
getting tensed.
Mama
Risi told her that some rough looking young men had come to her place that
morning and had asked few people about her but no one answered them. Mabel was
scared and kept quiet for a while. Mama Risi asked whether she was still there.
“I am here,” Mabel
said. “Have they gone?”
Mama
Risi told her they were still hanging around in the neighbourhood. Then she asked
her if she had offended anybody.
“None I can think
of,” Mabel said.
She asked Mabel what she planned
doing about it.
“Don’t worry,” Mabel
said. I will be careful.”
She
told Mabel to inform the police, and if possible, stay away from her house for
some days. When they were done talking, Mabel hung up.
“So this girl was
serious,” she said, with her hand on her waist.
“Which girl?”
Cynthia asked.
“Kemi.”
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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