[b] **EPISODE 22**
I laid on the bed, deep in thoughts.
I was really sressed out from the journey back to John's place. My abdominal pain had increased, making me really weak. I was also wondering why mark was calling my name when he was crying through out yesterday.
"Nancy" John said, jolting me out of my thoughts.
I was thinking that I didn't know when he entered the room. He removed the pillow, sat on the bed placed my head on his laps. "I had been knocking" he said in a low tone, caressing my hair.
"Am sorry" i apologized.
"I understand. You have been through lots of stress. I must admit you are really strong, you should have fainted" he replied dryly.
John was really bad at cracking jokes. I appreciated his efforts to cheer me up but I couldn't bring myself to laugh.
"You must be wondering why Mark was calling your name when he cried" he's smiled and continued.
"Yes" i quickly replied, i was eager to here this one. "What else? My cousin is impotent and you are the only ray of sunlight in a deep dark tunnel" he said "so, he wants the baby?" I asked sitting up. "Yes he does. He doesn't know how to ask so he kept crying. Just give him his baby and come back to me, i really wanna marry you" he said smiling.
"Are you trying to crack a joke in this kind of situation?" I asked stunned, he wants to marry someone that had a child for his cousin?
"Go back to your thoughts while I go prepare dinner" John said and headed for the door.
I smiled and laid back on the bed.
"Oh, and don't forget you promised me you would see your mum" he added and left the room immediately without waiting for me to say anything. I sighed and closed my eyes. It was not a bad idea marrying him though, but it felt absurd no matter the angle I viewed it from.
The pain i felt in the lower region is my stomach become unbearable as minutes went by. I still tried to endure the pain but before long I started crying profusely holding my stomach.
"John" I said with all my might but it just sounded as a whisper. I moved closer to the door, feeling very weak.
"John" i voiced out again. I knew he couldn't hear me. I screamed out in pain, clinging to the door.
"Nancy, Nancy" John hurriedly came closer to me. My vision became blur and that's all i can remember until hours later when i opened my eyes and found myself on the hospital bed with John by my side, holding my hand.
I opened my eyes still lying on the bed with my back. I scanned the room, all painted white, dirty white precisely like it has been painted for long. I was putting on a blue hospital ware, i hated the small of hospital. The ward was large, it had four little beds vacant. I was the only one in the room. "Nancy, are you okay" John asked but I still kept mute.
I had this feeling something had left me, that I was no longer pregnant, I felt i lost my baby. I placed my hands on my stomach trying to find answers.
John cleared his throat with a slight cough. "You lost the baby" he said. I stared at him not knowing what to say.
"I don't know if I should say congratulation or accept my sympathy or am sorry" he said scratching his head with his index finger in a hilarious way. I smiled cause I was confused too. I was happy I lost the baby, aleast I was free but i was also sad, I carried the baby for months and I didn't get to see what the baby looked like. "So all the suffering for the pregnancy these past months were just for naught" i thought.
"Hey! Are you with me" John asked waving his hand in front of my face.
"He--ey" I stammered, to prove i was with him when actually I was away. "You don't look okay" he said placing his hands on my forehead with concern. "Do you feel pain anywhere?" he asked. Just then i burst into tears, I could not hide my feelings anymore. John was confused, I bet he couldn't tell if it was tears of Joy or sorrow. But I kept crying, opening my big mouth. Tears rushed from my eyes to my ears so i poked my ear with my index finger at intervals still sobbing and wailing like a three years old throwing tantrum. This time John was laughing. He was really something else..
I was discharged two days later with the doctor still insisting I rest and avoid any strenuous job.
"John, I would like to go see my mum this weekend" I told John who was busy washing the dishes. It was a Thursday afternoon. John agreed to do the dishes we used that morning while I made lunch of jollof rice. "Cool! Now you are talking" he replied like he didn't understand my fears, he still continued rinsing the plates. "I don't know how you manage to make serious issues look like a trivial one" i teased.
John has this nonchalant attitude. Just last two days a mad bull dog entered the compound. The owner who was a veterinarian was away, we shared the same fence with him. Till date no one knows how the dog was able to scale through that fence.
The dog frighten all the neighbors and it even chased those who were outside. I happened to be outside too, hanging the clothes I washed, suddenly I heard screams "chinekemee" "holy ghost fire eeh". I peeped from the back yard to know what was causing the chaos even though i could hear barks of a dog but I just wanted to be sure.
"Jido eh, nkite ala ko bu" (hold it oh. It's a mad dog) I heard mama Paulo, the fatest woman in the compound say. She was crawling on the floor. I guess she attempted to run but her weight hindered her. I left the bucket full of wet clothes and ran for my safety.
I met John sitting on the single sitter, using a pillow to rest his back. "There is a mad dog in the compound" I said gasping for breath. "A big mad dog" I described, but John picked up the remote to change the TV channel. "Yeah, judging from its bark I can tell it's a really big one" John said and drank the last content from the glass cup.
"You know it's a big one and you still sat down here?" I was shocked. "Take, fill my cup with chivita" he replied giving me the glass cup. I was baffled, he didn't even ask how the dog entered the compound talk less of what damage the dog could cause. [/b]
[color =red] happy Sunday guys.... I would post the final episode after your comments [/color]
