(…continued…)
Cynthia carried Mabel’s stuff and entered the house,
then their mother held Mabel’s hands as they entered together. As soon as they
were in the parlour, Mabel sunk into the cushion.
“Cynthia get water,” their mother
said.
Cynthia got
drinking water and Mabel drank.
“What is wrong with you?”
Cynthia asked her.
“I was in my house this
afternoon and suddenly started feeling dizzy.”
“Just like that?” her mother
asked her inquisitively. “Nothing happened before that?”
“I will tell you later. I am
having headache and feeling dizzy now.”
“Let me get something for you
to take.”
Her mother went
into her room and came out with two tablets of analgesics and gave her to
drink.
“You know I hate drugs,” Mabel
lamented.
“You need this to stop the
headache. Then I will get something that will stop the dizziness.”
“Are you bringing more drugs?”
“No. Just something to cancel
out stress in your system and replenish you quickly.”
“I just need to sleep.”
“You will but not yet. If you
sleep now, you will not sleep well and you will wake up feeling worse.”
“Ok.”
“Meanwhile take this drug.”
Mabel sat up
reluctantly, took the drugs and sunk back into the seat.
“Lie down na,” Cynthia told
her.
She lay on the
long couch. When her mother saw that she had taken the drugs, she went into the
room and came out with some money.
“Where are you going?” Cynthia
asked her.
“Let me get malt and milk for
Mabel.”
“Give me the money let me go
and buy it for her.”
“No, stay with her. Remember
you are also on drugs.”
“Tell Chuka to buy it,” Mabel
teased Cynthia and smiled.
“It is true sef,” their mother
said.
“You people are not serious,”
Cynthia said.
Their mother made
to shout Chuka’s name.
“Mummy stop it na,” Cynthia
begged her.
“What is wrong with him
getting it na?”
“I don’t want him to get
close.”
Their mother
laughed and left.
“How are you feeling?” Mabel
asked Cynthia.
“Better than yesterday,”
Cynthia replied. “The drugs are working.”
“Good to know.”
“What did you say happened
before you started feeling dizzy?”
“I don’t want to remember it
now.”
“Does it have to do with
Segun?”
Mabel nodded.
“Segun again? Did he touch
you?”
“Never.”
“So what happened?”
“Wait till mummy gets the malt
n milk. I should feel better after taking it. Then I will tell you.”
Cynthia looked
through the window to know if her mother was coming back. She saw Chuka
outside. As he turned his sight towards her, she hurriedly closed the curtain.
“I think this guy is stalking
me,” she said.
“Who?” Mabel asked her.
“Chuka.”
“I know he likes you. But whether
he is stalking you, I don’t think so.”
The door opened.
“Please don’t tell mummy
anything,” Mabel told Cynthia in a hushed tone.
Cynthia nodded.
Their mother
quickly mixed the malt and milk and gave Mabel.
“This thing is too much na,”
Mabel complained when she sat up and took the cup.
“You need it.”
“If you take up to half and
you are tired, I can help you finish it,” Cynthia said.
“You will like it. Just take
it.”
Mabel gulped the
malt and milk.
“Why not take it small small,”
Cynthia said.
“I don’t want to get tired of
it soon,” Mabel replied.
When Mabel drank
a little more than half the cup, she handed it over to Cynthia.
“Take more,” her mother said.
“No. If I do, I will vomit it.
I am feeling like vomiting.”
Their mother looked at Mabel without blinking her eye
till Mabel became uncomfortable.
“Mummy what is it?”
Her mother kept
quiet.
“Mummy what are you thinking?”
Cynthia asked her, still holding the cup.
“My mind is telling me something
but I hope it is not true,” their mother finally said.
“What?”
She lowered her voice and asked Mabel, “Are you
pregnant?”
(…to be continued…)
-©2015.Chinedu Isaac
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