FED UP [LXIII]

(continued...)

                Mabel brought out her phone and called her mother. She told her mother the test result and her mother was happy. While she was still on call with her mum, another call was coming into her phone. She ignored it the first time, but the second time, she checked. The call was from Segun. She rounded up her discussion with her mother and hung up. Then she allowed her phone ring without picking up Segun’s call.

  “Can you Imagine,” she said to Cynthia.

  “What is it?” Cynthia asked her.

                She showed Cynthia the missed call on her phone.

  “Segun is calling you?” Cynthia asked, puzzled. “Why?”

  “If you ask me, who I go ask?”

  “He should leave you alone na. What does he want again?”

                Her phone rang again. The call was still from Segun.

  “Should I pick?” Mabel asked.

  “No,” Cynthia answered.

                Mabel did not pick. The call came two more times but she ignored them.

  “Who knows why he is calling me?” she asked when there was no more call coming.

  “Maybe he wants to apologize and ask for a second chance,” Cynthia said.

 “I don’t think so.”

  “Anyways, forget about him. We had better be going so we don’t get to the office later than your appointment time.”

                They stopped a keke, told him where they were going, bargained and agreed on a price and entered. As the keke went through the bumpy and gallop-filled road, Mabel was lost in thought.

  “What are you thinking?” Cynthia asked her when she noticed how silent she had been for a while.

  “Just wondering why he was calling,” Mabel said softly.

  “You are still thinking about Segun and his call sef.”

  “I don’t know what to do again.”

  “Better not worry yourself because of that…”

                A text message entered Mabel’s phone. She checked it. It was from Segun.

  “He just sent an SMS,” Mabel told Cynthia and sighed.

  “Na wa o,” Cynthia said. “He doesn’t want you to rest at all.”

  “Let me see what’s in the message.”

                She opened the message and read through with Cynthia. The SMS was not a long one. Segun just asked how she was doing and exonerated himself from the earlier purported threat. Then he ended by telling her to take care of herself.

  “At least this does not look like an apology from someone seeking a second chance,” Mabel said.

  “Since when did he start caring about how you are doing?” Cynthia said. “I sense something in that message.”

  “What?”

  “A subtle declaration of interest.”

  “There is nothing there.”

  “If you say so.”

  “There is no point replying his SMS abi?”

  “For what? Ignore it joor.”

  “Ok.”

                She made to put her phone back in her purse and then said, “Ehe, Let me call Coker and know whether he is back from his journey.”

  “Is it now you and Coker?” Cynthia asked.

                Mabel gave her a what-is-wrong-with-you look.

  “You are not serious o,” she said to Cynthia. “I don’t want it to look as though I only call him when I have problems.”

  “Ok oo,” Cynthia said. “I dey look all of una.”

Mabel spoke with Coker on phone. He told her he would be coming back the following day. She told him that Segun called and sent SMS. He was surprised but then he told her to do whatever she felt was comfortable for her. He told her that Timi had been asking after her and would not let him rest. She smiled and told him to greet Timi for her but to also tell him to stop bothering about her and move on with his life. When they were done talking, she hung up.  

  “Coker’s brother is a nut case,” she said.

  “He is still asking after you?” Cynthia asked.

  “Yes o. Coker said he is not letting him rest.”

  “He is cute and looks rich.”

  “So?”

  “Shift him my way if you don’t want him.”

  “You have big eye o.”

                They laughed.

                When they got to the church, they alighted, paid the keke man and he left. They walked into the church office section and met the pastor’s wife standing outside the door with another church member. They greeted them.

  “Mabel and Cynthia, how are you?” she said, hugging each of them.

  “Very fine ma,” they replied.

  “Mabel it’s been long you came to church,” she said to Mabel.

  “It is the nature of my job ma and some issues ma,” Mabel replied.

  “It is well. How is your mother?”

  “She is fine ma.”

  “Wait a little while. I will see you shortly. Let me attend to some pressing matters.”

  “Ok ma.”

                She strolled out with the church member, while Mabel and Cynthia sat in the reception area.

  “Let me go and buy something we could eat,” Cynthia said.

  “Hei!” Mabel shouted.

  “What is it?”

  “We did not bring anything for Mama.”

  “It is true. What do we do?”

  “The shops around won’t have something presentable for her.”

  “If we go far, we may not meet up and we will end up keeping her waiting.”

  “Maybe next time I will just explain to her.”

  “It is not as if she is asking for anything.”

  “But it shows honour.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Kai. How could I have forgotten it?”

                Cynthia got up to leave. Mabel called her back and gave her more money.

  “Get recharge card for Mama,” she said. “We can’t just see her empty handed.”

Cynthia left and soon came back with the snacks, drinks and recharge card. They ate and waited. A while later, they heard a familiar voice calling their names. They looked towards the entrance and saw their mother.

  “What is mummy doing here?” Mabel whispered to Cynthia as they got up to welcome their mother.

(...to be continued)

Nedu Isaac