“How many weeks are
you?” she asked, looking at Mabel.
“Weeks what?” Mabel
asked, puzzled.
“Pregnant.”
“How do you know I
am pregnant?”
“You look pregnant.”
“If it is a joke,
please stop it ma,” Mabel said, a bit offended.
“Is it not good news
if you are pregnant?” the woman asked, surprised.
“Not now.”
“Oh, you are not
married.”
She
took the lab note from Mabel and went into an inner room.
“She is kidding,”
Cynthia said to a tensed up Mabel.
“She had better be
o,” Mabel said.
The woman came out with what she
needed to carry out the test.
“Madam, are you
serious about what you said?” Mabel asked her.
“Relax,” she said. “The
test will tell. Even though you look pregnant but I could be wrong.”
“Ok.”
“Even if you are, it
is not a big deal. It is a joy to have children.”
“Not when you are
not…” Cynthia began to say.
“…ready” Mabel
finished it for her.
“The nine months are
not fun but when you carry your baby in your arms, you forget all the suffering,
no matter the circumstances of the birth.”
“So I have heard ma.
But it had better not be the case here.”
“I would have used
the kit but since you want to be very sure, I will have to take your blood.”
“Ok. No urine?”
“It is usually early
morning urine but it is afternoon now.”
She
thought for a while and said, “I will take urine too and check everything at
once.”
“Ok ma.”
“Come with me.”
She took Mabel into a room and
collected the blood samples from her. Then Mabel came out.
“Should we wait or
should we go and come back later?” Cynthia asked Mabel.
“Let me ask her,”
Mabel said
She
went back in and asked the woman who told her she would notify Dr. Obinna when
the result was ready. Mabel and Cynthia left. They got to Dr Obinna’s office
and the crowd was still there. More people had joined the few that remained
from those that were there earlier.
“If we enter there
now, these people will bite us o,” Cynthia said.
“Let me just call him
and inform him,” Mabel said.
“Better.”
Mabel called Dr Obinna and informed
him. He told them to hang around until the result came out.
“Where do we stay
now?” Cynthia asked Mabel.
“Do you want to eat
anything?” Mabel asked her.
“No. We are not going
out of that gate until we are done with what we came here for.”
“We can stay in
their staff canteen or that kiosk under the tree over there.”
“I prefer the kiosk.
I don’t want any embarrassment in that canteen. We are not hospital staff.”
“Embarrassment from
who? When I am here?”
“Let us stay in the
kiosk under that tree.”
They
walked towards the kiosk. Mabel’s phone rang. She checked it. It was Glory. Mabel
picked. Glory teased her about not caring to call her to know why she had not
come around to check up on her for some time.
“It is not like that
o,” Mabel said. “Several things have happened.”
Glory
told her she just heard about the incident with Segun and Kemi the previous day.
“Who told you?”
Mabel asked.
Glory
told her that information flies and asked where she was. Mabel told her they
were in Dr. Obinna’s hospital. She shouted and asked what she was doing in a
hospital. Mabel told her it was because of Cynthia. Cynthia childishly eyed
her. Glory told her that she was not too far from there and that she was coming
there immediately. Then she hung up.
“Glory is angry I
didn’t call her,” Mabel said after Glory hung up.
“You are not the
calling type na,” Cynthia said. “The last thing you will do is to call somebody
on phone.”
“My dear, I have
been trying to change but it is not working.
“It is not good.”
“My job has so taken
my time that to call people is now difficult. I only call when extremely necessary.”
“It is not as if you
don’t have money for airtime.”
“That reminds me
sef. Let me recharge and pay back the one I borrowed.”
“Ok.”
They
got to the kiosk, Mabel bought airtime and recharged.
“These people don’t
waste time to collect their money o,” she said after checking her account
balance.
Cynthia laughed.
“There is no way to
avoid paying back,” she said.
They sat on the bench outside the
kiosk. The owner asked them if she should bring any drink for them. Mabel told
her not immediately. About ten minutes later, they saw Glory walking into the
hospital.
“See Glory,” Cynthia
said, pointing in her direction.
Mabel
waved at Glory to call her attention. Glory saw them and walked towards them.
When she got close, she hugged them and they exchanged pleasantries.
“What is wrong with
you?” she asked Cynthia.
“Nothing serious,”
Cynthia said.
“I thought I told
you she was sick?” Mabel asked.
“I think we chatted
about it but I was sleep-chatting that day,” Glory said. “I was not really
following what you were saying.”
“Ok.”
“Are you through
with seeing the doctor?”
“No.”
“We are just
waiting…” Cynthia began to say.
“…for one of
Cynthia’s results to come out and we collect drugs,” Mabel finished it for her.
“Ok,” Glory said. “How
soon will it be out?”
“Anytime from now.”
They
made space for her on the bench and she sat with them. The owner of the kiosk
came again and asked if she should bring anything for them.
“Madam oya bring
bottle water for us,” Mabel said, laughing.
“This woman sef,”
Cynthia said laughing.
“She has to sell her
market na,” Glory said. “Will you occupy her sit for nothing?”
She
brought the water. Glory told her to change hers to a soft drink. She did.
Mabel paid her and she went back inside.
“Ehe,” Glory said. “I
wanted to ask you whether what I heard is true.”
“What did you hear?”
Mabel asked.
Glory
told her all she had heard about the previous day’s incident and how Mabel and
Margret had put hand together to beat Kemi which made Kemi to be admitted in
the hospital, and how Coker had caused Segun to have accident. While she was
talking, Mabel looked at her in shock. When she was done, Mabel and Cynthia
burst into laughter.
“What’s funny?”
Glory asked, looking confused.
“People can add salt
and pepper to story o,” Cynthia said, still laughing.
“That’s not how it
happened,” Mabel said.
“Really?” Glory
said.
“Yes.”
“So what exactly
happened?”
Mabel
told her the true story. She reduced her voice so only three of them heard what
she was saying. When she was done, Glory shrugged and shook her head.
“Margret took a big
risk there,” she said. “What was she thinking?”
“She was just trying
to help,” Mabel said.
“It would have gone
awry o.”
“If it had gone awry,
Margret would have borne the consequences na. Na me carry myself go there?”
“If I hear. This story I told you is
spreading fast o. Imagine if it really happened, you could be locked up and you
would have to answer for what you did not initiate.”
“Well, thank God it
did not.”
Cynthia
saw the lady doctor walking and looking around as though in search of someone.
She called Mabel’s attention to her.
“Maybe she is
looking for us,” Mabel said.
“Let me find out,”
Cynthia said and got up from the bench.
Cynthia
walked towards the lady who told her that Dr Obinna was calling them. Cynthia
beckoned on Mabel.
“The doctor wants to
see us,” Mabel told Glory.
“I will be going,”
Glory said.
“Why? We will not
stay long.”
“I was on my way to
somewhere when I called you. I just wanted to confirm the story I heard.”
“Ok. Now you know
the truth.”
“Yes. Let me go and
spread the true version.”
They hugged and Glory left. Mabel caught
up with Cynthia and they went to see Dr Obinna. When they entered his office, Mabel
tried to read his face but she couldn’t explain his expression. If he was
smiling, she would have concluded that the result was negative but he was not
smiling. He just held her result paper and swiveled on his seat.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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