MY HUSBAND AND I (Part 19)

Lara lay-sprawling on the ground till daylight came, she
remained fixed to her position too weak to move. She was
surprised she survived the night.
She felt her belly; the contractions on her pelvis had
stopped. Maybe her baby ls dead-she thought.
“God forbid” she thought aloud.
She won’t go through all this troubles in vain.
With difficulty, she sat up to survey her surroundings.
She was sitting in what looked like a small farm, behind a
house.
She held her breathe; was she back to square one?
She saw a young boy walk out of the house to empty his
bowels. She shuffled behind some cassava plants…
The shuffling sound got the boy’s attention, he looked
around, walked towards the farm.
“Who be you?” he asked angrily.

Lara kept her eyes fastened on his, too scared to speak.
“I say who you be?” he asked again.
Lara kept mute,what would she tell him.
Her abdomen contracted painfully, she let out a shrill
The boy looked scared. He ran towards the house.
“Maami…maami…come and see o, one woman like that.” he
shouted as he ran.
“Obirin-woman? What is she doing there? Ehn?” a fat
woman ran out of the house.
“Who be you?” she asked bending to peer at Lara.
Lara couldn’t reply, she kept pointing at her abdomen as
she writhed in pains.
The woman got the message.
“Jide! Jide o! Go and call your father.” She shouted at her
son
“Yee! Mo ku!” Lara screamed as she battled.
“So you be yoruba?” the woman asked quitely.
“My waist! My legs…my….yeee!”Lara screamed. She was in
labour.
The woman’s husband came out, and they both helped Lara
into the house.
....
Tony gazed at their mini-gardem from his bedroom window.
Another day without any news from Lara.
He’s been having nightmares lately, everything was filed
with bad omen.
“I wonder why that girl is so ill-lucked.” he said aloud.
He hoped to see her alive.
Some noise coming from the parlour jolted him back to
reality. Some people were quarelling.
“so after all your son did to my friend, he still had to use her
for rituals!” Deji screamed
“Useless Igbo people! Weere! Awon Olori buruku!” Funke
clapped her hands.
“Mum? What’s going on here?” Tony asked his mother.
“These people just came in and…” Amara tried to explain.
“Useless impotent eediot!” Deji spat at him.
“Produce my friend for me oooo!”
“What’s this chaos all about? This shouldn’t be happening.”
Tony tried to be calm.
“May Sango strike you down! Oshi! Who is chaos? If you
know what is good for you, produce my friend o!” Deji
shrilled.
“Yes o! Deji omo mi! Show this useless Igbo people that
Yoruba’s are not cool!” funke gingered her up.
“Please, for the sake of peace, you should leave now.” Tony
said authoratively.
“Leave where? I’ll show you, I grew up in Ajegunle! It seems
you don’t know me wella, I’m the ‘Deji toh badt’, the female
version of an agbero!” Deji demonstrated before them.
“Mum please go inside” Tony told his mother who was
shedding tears.
“You are not going anywhere o! Produce Omolara o! Dead
or alive, we want her now!” Deji ranted.
Tony felt his head spin, he was too weak to face such
trouble. To think that Lara isn’t there to support him..
He slumped slowly to the ground.
“Tony…To…” Amara rushed to her son.
“you’ve not seen anything yet, Sango will strike you down,
one by one.” Deji clapped.
“Lets go!” she told Funke who followed her out of the house.
“Tony, are you okay?” Amara shook him.
He shook his head slowly in pains, sobbing silently. He just
hope his greatest fear won’t surface.
.....
“please help me…I…don’t…want…to…to…die..please” Lara
pleaded with the strange family crowded around her.
She was losing much blood already.
They took her to the hospital, the journey to the hospital
was tedious- Jide’s father had to strap her to his back cos
she couldn’t walk.
At the hospital, she was taken to the intensive care unit.
“Where’s her husband?” the doctor asked the family.
“we don’t know o! We just saw her this morning.” Baba Jide
explained.
“She’ve lost much blood…it’s going to be hard for her…” the
doctor shook his head.
“please doctor help her.” Mama Jide pleaded.
“We’ll try our best, just pray.” the doctor assured, before
proceeding to the room where Lara was.
………
“Nurseeeee….Idon’t have strength again oooo!” Lara
screamed as she struggled.
“Please dearie….I understand, just a little push…please.”the
nurse attending to her soothed her.
Lara wished a million times Tony was with her, she craved
so much for soothing words. Here she was, struggling to
give birth.
“Yes…we’re progressing, put in more effort….” the nurse
urged her on.
“she’s going to have twins…” the doctor whispered to the
nurse.
Lara heard them
“Twins? Haaaaa! noooo! God won’t be so wicked to me!”
she screamed in terror.
“The baby’s head is out.” the nurse announced.
“Push harder!” the doctor ordered.
Successfully, she gave birth to twins, she soon forgot her
pains.
The nurse gave her a baby wrapped in some clothes.
“Its a girl!” the nurse told her.
“the other one?” Lara asked.
“It was a boy.” the nurse said sadly
“Was?” Lara queried.
“I’m sorry…he died few minutes after delivery…” the nurse
explained
“Take heart.” patted her back.
Lara smiled, she couldn’t cry, why would she?
She hugged her baby.
“I’m happy to have just her.” she whispered to the nurse.
“Your family are here to see you.” the nurse told her.
“Family?” Lara looked confused.
Just then the door opened…
“Congratulations.” they chorused
Lara smiled. Family? Yes they were her new family! They
brought her to the hospital, they saved her life!
“Thank you sir, Madam.”
“o ga oo! This baby big gan!” Jide’s mother peeped at the
baby.
“We didn’t have enough time to introduce ourselves earlier.”
Jide’s Father smiled.
“My name is Shina, this is my wife Ronke, and my son
Jide.” he said quitely.
“we’re from this village, kokotoro” he explained.
“My name is Omolara Popoola,” Lara began.
“I don’t know where I am, but I used to stay in Lagos with
my husband… Before…I was kidnapped” Lara explained in a
tired voice.
“Kidnaped? Haaa! When? how?” Ronke shrilled.
“Its a long story…” Lara shook her head.
.....
Lara shut her eyes in pain, as her baby’s mouth took hold of
her nip-ple.
“Kpele.” Ronke said gently.
Lara nodded, they were indeed a family. The family could be
termed kindness itself. The food she ate, her baby’s clothing
had been free, she enjoyed her stay with them for the past
two weeks.
“You don’t want to name your daughter ehn? You’re just
calling her baby.” Ronke complained.
“uhn” Lara grunted, as she rocked her baby.
“That’s not how to do it.” Ronke collected the child from
her, and began rocking it till it burped.
“Baba Jide and I, had a discussion this morning…” Ronke
shifted closer to Lara.
“We’ve decided to take you back to your family.”
“I suppose, you still remember your address.”
“Thank you, but I don’t know my way out of here.” Lara
explained.
“Baba Jide’s friend has a car, we’ll take you when ever you
are ready.” Ronke said again.
“Thank you very much.” Lara was elated. The thought of
going back home was enticing.
“Thank you ma.” she hugged Ronke.
She imagined what it would be like to be with Tony again.