While Cynthia was still cleaning
his face, Chuka suddenly held her hand.
“What is it?”
Cynthia asked him.
“I can’t continue
with this,” he said.
“Continue with
what?” Cynthia asked, a bit tensed. “With liking me?”
Chuka
forced a smile.
“Not that,” he said.
“I mean this face-cleaning.”
“Why?” Cynthia
asked.
“It is really
painful.”
“Oh sorry. You have
to endure it until I am done o. I will give you pain reliever afterwards ok.”
“Ok.”
He sat
still till she was sure she was done with the cleaning. Then she gave him the
warm water to rinse his mouth. He rinsed his mouth and poured the water into
the bucket. When he was done, she took the bucket and towel to the bathroom
where she washed them and came back to the parlour. She sat with him for a
while. He tried making conversation but the pain in his mouth did not allow
him.
“Don’t stress
yourself,” Cynthia told him.
“Ehe, where is the
pain reliever you promised me?” he asked.
“You have not eaten
anything na.”
“I ate like an hour
before I went to buy the kerosene.”
“Ok, let me get it.”
Cynthia went to her medicine nylon
and brought an analgesic for him. She went to the kitchen and got a cup of
drinking water for him.
“Are you done?” her
mother asked her.
“Yes,” she replied.
“What do you want to
give him?”
“Pain reliever.”
“Has he eaten?”
“He said he has.”
“Ok.”
She took the medicine and water to
Chuka. He swallowed the medicine and sunk back into the chair.
“How are you feeling
now?” Cynthia asked him.
“Same,” he replied.
“Just give the pain
reliever some time to work. The pain will stop soon.”
“Ok. I just need to
rest. Can I lie on your laps?”
“No o,” Cynthia
said. “My mother will just pour hot water on you.”
He
laughed but stopped the laughter abruptly because of the pain.
“I think I should
take my leave,” he said.
“Now?” Cynthia
asked.
“Yes. I need to lie
down.”
Mabel
came out of the kitchen.
“The food is ready,”
she said to Chuka. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat?”
He
looked at Cynthia.
“Why are you looking
at me?” Cynthia asked him.
“Will you feed me?”
he asked.
She
burst into laughter.
“All because of ordinary
kerosene,” she said.
“You know I am
hurt,” he said and winked.
“Are you eating
through your nose? Or is something wrong with your hand, that you cannot feed
yourself?”
“So what are you
saying?” Mabel asked him.
“Ok. Give me little.
I don’t want you to feel bad for rejecting your food.”
“Ok o,” Mabel said
and turned to enter the kitchen.
Their
mother came out to the parlour as Mabel went back to the kitchen.
“How are you feeling
now?” she asked Chuka.
“I am still feeling
the pains but it is not as bad as before,” he replied.
“Don’t worry. It
will stop.”
She
went into the room.
Mabel
brought the food for him. Cynthia got a stool close to him. Mabel kept it on
the stool and Cynthia mildly stirred it so the heat would evaporate.
“Thank you so much,”
he said.
“Cynthia please take
care of him and make sure he finishes it,” Mabel said. “Let me take my bath.”
“I will definitely
not feed him,” Cynthia said and eyed Chuka.
“This husband and
wife sef.”
“Husband and what??”
Cynthia asked.
“Wife na,” Chuka
replied.
Mabel laughed
as she entered her room.
Chuka took a spoon of the food
and writhed in pain.
“What is it?”
Cynthia asked.
He
opened his mouth and blew air out.
“Is it still hot?”
she asked him.
He
nodded.
“Leave it for a
while na.”
“It will still touch
the wound in my mouth,” he said, managing to swallow the food in his mouth. “Maybe
I should leave every eating until morning.”
“No oo. You will
feel sorer in the morning before the wound begins to heal. It may not let you
eat then. So just try and eat well this night, no matter the pain, even if you
have to swallow it.”
“You are right.”
She
brought a hard paper and ‘fanned’ the food.
“Nonsense NEPA
people,” she said. “When you need light, you will not see it.”
“Our transformer is
bad,” Chuka said. “So forget about seeing light for some days, if not weeks.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“When did this one
happen?”
“In the afternoon.
It blew.”
“Nawa o. Are the neighbourhood association
leaders aware?”
“They are. You know
how slow they are in acting on things like this. Let us wait and see what
happens.”
“I hope it does not
involve flat-by-flat contribution o.”
“I don’t think it
will get to that. The transformer was not vandalized. It may just require repairing
something in the transformer.”
“To get NEPA people
to come and do it is another wahala.”
“My dear.”
“Don’t mind those
people.”
She touched his cheek and said, “With
the way you have been talking, seems the pain has reduced.”
“The pain reliever
is working but I know it will still come back when the pain reliever wears
off.”
“In that case, check
if the food is okay now. So you can eat before the pain comes again.”
He
began eating small small, using the side of his mouth where the injury was
less. While he ate, Cynthia went to the room and met Mabel on the bed pressing
her phone, done with bathing.
“Has he gone home?”
she asked Cynthia.
“No,” Cynthia
replied. “He is still eating.”
“When you are done
with your romance, let me know so I can go and eat.”
“Are we preventing
you from eating?”
“I don’t want to interrupt
anything.”
“You are not
serious,” Cynthia said, laughing. “Stay here and be pressing your phone. The
transformer is bad o.”
“What? Who told
you?”
“Chuka just told me
now.”
“My phone is fully
charged so it will last for a while.”
“Ok.”
Cynthia
went back to the parlour and met Chuka with the plate empty.
“Did you pour the
food away?” she asked him, surprised.
“No,” he replied, smiling.
“I had to try and rush it.”
“Why?”
“So I can vacate the
house for you.”
“Are we pursuing
you?”
“Not at all, but you
need your own privacy.”
“Ok.”
Cynthia
took the plate back to the kitchen and brought drinking water for him.
“Thank you so much,”
he said after drinking the water.
“You are welcome,”
Cynthia replied.
“I will be leaving
now. Where are mummy and Mabel?”
“Mabel is resting in
the room. Mummy is bathing.”
“Help me thank them
for me.”
“I will.”
He got
up and went towards the door. Cynthia opened the door for him and he stepped
outside.
“I wish I will be
wounding everyday just to get this kind of attention from you,” he said and
looked into Cynthia’s eyes.
“Aaww, that’s so
sweet of you,” Cynthia replied.
“I know I have not
qualified for a hug so…” he said and brought out his hand to shake her.
Cynthia
ignored the hand and hugged him.
“Thank you for your
sacrifices,” she said to him.
She
turned and went into the house before he could say anything else. Chuka stood
surprised for a while and then he left, smiling.
As
Cynthia rushed back into the house, she met Mabel standing in the parlour with
her hand folded across her chest, and a grin on her face.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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