She
folded the paper well and put inside her hand bag and they moved out. Outside,
they saw people, in groups chatting and getting set for the service. Others
were going into the church hall. They exchanged pleasantries with those they
knew and went into the church hall for the service.
Almost immediately they went in,
the service started. They participated in everything in the service with full
attention, from the praise and worship, the prayer session to the message. At
the end of the service, they were truly blessed.
“So this is how
midweek services are now?” Mabel said to her mother.
“Yes o,” her mother
replied.
“I have been missing
o.”
“A lot.”
“I will not miss Midweek
services again.”
“Me too,” Cynthia
added.
They
exchanged pleasantries with people they knew as they went outside. They met
pastor’s wife outside the church, talking with some women.
“We are leaving,”
Mabel’s Mother said to her as she hugged the other women.
“Ok,” Pastor’s wife
said. “Hope you were blessed in the service?”
“Very blessed.”
“Alright, take care
of my sisters for me.” She turned to Mabel and said, “Don’t forget all I told
you.”
“I won’t ma,” Mabel
replied.
“Ok.”
As they turned to leave, one of the
women said, “Mama Mabel, I hope you are aware of our women’s meeting coming up
next weekend?”
“No o” Mabel’s mum
said. “I was not informed.”
“That means you were
not in the last meeting.”
“No I wasn’t. I was
indisposed.”
“I am sure text messages will still be sent.”
“Ok.”
They
left.
“Can we see people
going in our direction?” Cynthia asked when they got to the church gate. “So we
can join them in their car.”
“No o,” Mabel said.
“I don’t want any embarrassment. I can pay for drop.”
She
went ahead of them and flagged down a keke.
She bargained with him, they entered and left. The church was not too far from
their house but they spent a lot of time in hold up.
“When will this
traffic issue change in this country?” Their mother asked.
“We voted for
change,” Cynthia said. “Let’s keep hoping we will see the change soon.”
As they
got closer to the house, their mother asked them whether they needed to buy
anything.
“What are we cooking
this night?” Mabel asked.
“I cooked soup in
the afternoon,” her mother said.
“You went home?”
Cynthia asked her.
“Yes I did. I left
office a bit earlier.”
“So you can be in
church on time to follow me and see mama,” Mabel said and laughed.
The
keke entered a pothole and they felt the impact.
“Ooohm this my waist am managing o,” Cynthia lamented.
“Oga
take am easy na,” Mabel said to the driver.
“Sorry madam,” the
keke driver apologized.
Mabel
turned to her mother and said, “Since you have cooked, I don’t think we need to
buy anything then,” Mabel said.
“No,” her mother
said.
They
endured the rest of the journey till they got home, paid the keke man and went into their compound.
There was no light.
“What do we do?”
Cynthia asked.
“Is there still fuel
in the generator?” her mother asked her.
“I don’t think so.”
“We will need to buy
then,” Mabel said.
“Who will go to the
main road by this time to buy fuel by this time?” Cynthia asked.
“Call Chuka na.”
“No o,” Cynthia
said. “Instead, I will get it from black market along the street.”
“Let us check the
gen first.”
They
went inside their house and dropped their bags. Mabel and Cynthia went to the
backyard to check the generator. They discovered there was no fuel.
“Where do we get the
fuel now?” Mabel asked Cynthia.
“At the junction,”
she replied. “It is very close.”
“Are you sure we
will not ask Chuka to help us?”
“No please. It will
look as if we only call him when we want him to run errands for us. Forget that
he likes me and can do anything to please me, he is bigger than running such
errands.”
“Ok. If you say so.”
“Let me get the
gallon.”
“Get a small one I
can carry. We don’t need to get much fuel. Just enough to last few hours so we
can charge our phones.”
“Ok.”
Mabel
went inside to get money and also tell her mother they were going out.
“Why don’t you leave
it?” her mother said to her. “NEPA will
still bring light.”
“We can’t be sure,”
Mabel said. “And my phone is down.”
“I thought you have
been feeling dizzy and Cynthia is having back pain.”
“We are feeling
better. Don’t worry.”
“Since you insist,
leave it let me go and buy.”
“No o.”
“Ok. Don’t waste
time.”
Mabel
met Cynthia outside and they left.
“Ehe did you reply
Segun’s text message?” Cynthia asked as they walked.
“For what na?” Mabel
asked.
“I was just asking.
Since Pastor’s wife said you should forgive him…”
“I understand what
she said. She didn’t mean I should put myself in harm’s way again.”
“Ok.”
“Even if he calls me,
I will still not pick. I am not yet emotionally stable.”
“What about Mama
Risi? Have you spoken with her?”
“No. You just
reminded me. I will call her when we get home now.”
“I just hope those
hoodlums are gone for good.”
“They are. If not,
they would have trailed us to the hospital and even to church.”
They got the fuel and returned
back. As they entered the compound, they met Chuka. He exchanged pleasantries
with them and went close to hug Cynthia. Cynthia gave him her hand to shake.
“My wife, what is
wrong?” he asked smiling.
“Is it me you are
calling your wife?” Cynthia asked.
“Yes my love.”
“Chuka please leave
me o,” Cynthia said laughing.
Mabel burst into laughter and
Cynthia joined her.
“I have been worried
about you since I heard you were not feeling well,” Chuka continued.
“Thank you,” Cynthia
said.
“I was so worried
that I lost appetite for food.”
“Story for Simbi. Lost
which appetite? And you are smelling pepper soup pepper soup.”
“It is just this
evening I had to manage and eat something.”
“And you ate it alone.”
“I didn’t know I
will see you. I don’t mind trekking the long distance to get it for you. Should
I?”
“Please leave me o.”
He saw
the fuel can Mabel was carrying and asked whether they went to get fuel.
“Yes o,” Mabel
replied.
“You would have
called me na,” he said, winking at Cynthia.
“It is not far na.”
“Yes but I cannot
allow my wife and sister inlaw to suffer.”
“Buy a car and take
me shopping, then I will consider you.” Cynthia said and walked away from him.
“Only?” he said. “You
will see me in action tomorrow.”
Mabel
and Cynthia laughed as they went towards their house.
“Take good care of
yourselves ok,” Chuka said and went to see some friends across the road.
When
Mabel and Cynthia got to their backyard, their mother hurriedly came out
holding Mabel’s phone.
“Mama Risi called,”
she said, a bit tensed up.
“Did you pick?”
Mabel asked her, dropping the fuel can.
“She kept calling so
I picked.”
“What did she say?”
“There is problem o.”
Mabel
rushed and took her phone from her mother.
“What happened?” she
asked.
“When I told her you
were not around,” her mother said. “She said something about smoke in your
apartment.”
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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