Glory held his gaze. “Leila wasn’t in the house? I mean, after I left for the hospital, you guys didn’t see Leila?”
Chuks could see she was serious. “Honey, Leila is not in town. Remember they left to bury her father in-law two days ago. She cannot be back yet. They are Muslims.”
“I know that,” she interrupted him. “Which was why I was surprised when the doorbell rang and it was Ada at the door. At least you heard the bell ring right?” he shook his head in the negative giving her a strange look. Glory sighed. “Now I am getting scared,” she said as her eyes watered up. “First I wondered why Ada wasn’t with her key. I didn’t even know she stepped outside.”
“Ada and I were upstairs,” Chuks put in.
“So I thought,” Glory said. “But then, she said something was about to happen that will unravel things and that I could stop it. That was when the phone rang and she quickly asked me not to answer it until she was done explaining because it was connected to the call. I laughed it away and was going for the phone and she yanked me back with so much strength, I almost fell. She insisted it was the hospital calling and that I shouldn’t come in this evening no matter what the emergency was.”
“Honey, are you sure I shouldn’t call the doctor? Ada couldn’t have been with you when she was with me. And Ada has never taken such a tone with you.”
Glory nodded. “That was why I was surprised when you guys came down and I looked behind me, and there was no one. It was at that point I realised it wasn’t Ada. It was Leila.”
“Glory? But of course you can tell them apart, and Leila isn’t in town. Aren’t you imagining things?”
Glory shook her head. “No honey. I am not. Because I thought I was as I drove down here. But on getting to the hospital, I think I knew why Leila or whoever that was – whom you guys didn’t see – didn’t want me to come here today.”
“What are you talking about?” Chuks asked.
“Where is Ada?”
“She is not here.”
Glory nodded. “Good. Don’t allow her come into the hospital.” She raised two weak fingers. “There are two of them. Two.” she told him. “I don’t think, Ada should see them.”
Chuks pondered her words. Glory sounded so serious and scared all at once. “What are you talking about?” he asked gently.
Glory hesitated to collect her breath. She was still very weak. “At the hospital entrance,” she began. “I saw the woman. I could have passed, but I was strong.” She sighed. “The emergency patient,” Glory shook her head. “A little girl. She looked at me Chuks,” her voice broke and she couldn’t hold the tears anymore.
Chuks was now very attentive. He used his fingers to wipe off the tears “I don’t understand.”
“Tell Vivian to show you the girl I was called in to attend to.”
Chuks hesitated, but she urged him on and he went.
*****
Omah watched Funmi. Her daughter was sleeping peacefully. Omah knew she had come close to losing Funmi and the development has left her very confused. The whole thing made no sense to her. What sort of life was it? Whether she loved Funmi or not, what would happen would happen. Her belief that putting Funmi at arms’ length would lessen the pain when Funmi was gone was destroyed. As best as she could, she’d start showering all her affection and love on her daughter. Let Funmi know she’s loved. And Omah will do everything for the girl.
What actually happened was like an attitude transformer. It was just a convulsion and Omah knew how to handle convulsions but what Funmi went through was beyond her, something Omah couldn’t explain. Out of fear, Omah had walked out of the hospital. Scared of hearing news she’s awaited for so long. Then the lady doctor arrived. Omah didn’t see her. She came back into the hospital minutes later to find everyone running around the lady doctor who fainted. Instincts told Omah something was amidst. The doctor had hurried into Funmi’s room, so Omah heard. Instincts told her the doctor’s fainting couldn’t be further from seeing Funmi. Another dread Omah lived with; afraid someone will see her daughter and recognize the face – which was actually impossible unless the person was from Ciri. Omah had wished Funmi had taken after her father in looks. It would have made her life so much easier.
Thinking of the doctor, Omah remembered the girl in the waiting room. If that girl came over to see the doctor, then the doctor knew the girl. If the doctor knew the girl, then it was understandable why she fainted on seeing Funmi.
Nothing ever scared Omah in all her years as that girl in the waiting room did. Not even the fear she felt all those years back, when Mohammed Adamu locked her up, could compare to what the sight of that girl inflicted on her today.
Omah had been in the waiting room, trying to take her mind off latest event, when the girl had walked in with a young man and they sat opposite her. Petrified, Omah had watched the pair, the girl mostly, as each seemed lost in their own thoughts. The resemblance pulled at her memory, trying to reveal a story that was buried. As scared as she was, her eyes never left the girl. Omah kept staring and blinking, hoping the picture would disappear. But, it was real. Sitting across from her was a younger version of herself. Omah then made a mistake of glancing over at the girl’s companion. He too must have noticed what she noticed because he had looked at the girl again, then back at Omah.
That was when she fled. Omah was scared. She is still scared. She couldn’t take her eyes off Funmi, who was sleeping. Omah wanted a doctor to come in and tell her she was free to leave with her daughter. Definitely time wouldn’t delay her. Already past mid-night or not. Omah doesn’t know what will happen if she saw that girl again, so she must run. She stopped thinking suddenly, and turned towards the door. A man stood there. He was looking at Funmi, his face expressionless. Thinking he was a doctor, Omah rose to meet him. “Good morning doctor,” she said. “Do you think she’s alright now? Can we leave?”
He stared at her quietly in hesitation. He nodded towards the bed, not taking his eyes off her face. “Is that your daughter?” he asked gently.
Omah nodded. “Yes doctor.”
“I'm not a doctor,” he told her, returning his gaze to the girl on the bed. “I'm sorry. I walked into the wrong room.”
Omah looked disappointed. “Oh.”
“I hope she gets well soon madam,” he told her kindly.
“Thank you.”
Without other words, Chuks turned and walked away. He’d be damned. He wasn’t sure if he should return to Glory now. All he could think of was Ada who wanted answers about her origin. He had no clues to offer her. And here at the hospital, were two clues they could explore. He was glad Ada wasn’t here. He wanted to ask questions first before bringing his daughter into it. His daughter, he thought.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Omah refused to be delayed. When told they needed to watch Funmi for some few hours before discharging her, she promised to come back with the girl for checkup later in the day. The doctor walked with her out of the room giving her instructions, while he dropped Funmi’s file on the nurses’ counter. Omah nodded to everything she was told and walked to the door with her daughter. At the door, she stopped and looked behind her. The doctor was gone and the only person in the waiting area was sleeping. Omah asked Funmi to wait, as she walked to the counter and took Funmi’s file. It had been a mistake coming to this hospital.
As Omah led Funmi through the doors into the open air, she knew she wasn’t coming back here. Omah was very afraid. She didn’t want things to begin to change. Not when she was about to begin the next chapter in her life. She looked down at Funmi as they walked further away from the hospital before attempting to get a taxi. Funmi had hardly spoken anything all morning. They hardly spoke to each other unless it was very necessary. But in a situation like this, Omah wanted the girl to say something. Anything.
Omah sighed. She knew her relationship with Funmi was about to take a new angle. She wanted to get to know her daughter. They will talk like mother and daughter. Share idea
s and play together. All what she never did with her mother she’ll do with Funmi. It’s another era that Omah was looking forward to. They crossed the road at the junction from the street where the hospital was located, as a car was turning into the street.
As they stood there waiting for a taxi, Funmi looked at her mother’s hand that was holding her wrist. It was tight. She wished she could withdraw her hand but Ma will yell at her, so Funmi bore the pain. Her head went up and she looked at Ma closely. Funmi could tell from the drawn expression that Ma was troubled. In fact, Ma has been troubled for as long as Funmi can remember, which is as long as Funmi has known her.
Earlier at the hospital, when Funmi was having breakfast, Ma had fussed around her, making sure Funmi was okay. It was strange. Funmi wasn’t used to such attention from Ma. At first, she thought Ma just wanted the nurses to feel she loved her daughter, but even after the nurses left, Ma didn’t stop. It worried Funmi and made her a little afraid, especially when Ma referred to Funmi as her darling daughter. Funmi looked up again at her mother and wished this new Ma will not disappear once they got home.
Omah was also thinking of Funmi and regretted all the time they have wasted in their relationship. They don’t eat at the same time, so they wouldn’t have to sit at the table together. In the sitting room, Funnmi had her own sofa.
“Always sit there, Funmi. Don’t sit on the others and I won’t sit on yours.” She had told her daughter. When Funmi started school, Omah had registered her somewhere else, so Funmi wouldn’t be a pupil in the school she taught. All these Omah did so she wouldn’t grow too attached to the girl. Omah looked at her daughter and saw her staring at Omah’s hand that was around her wrist.
“Are you alright?” Omah asked.
Funmi wanted to step back, but couldn’t. She was hoping Ma’s hand would come down on her. Funmi wanted her mother to hit her. She has wanted this for a very long time, but Ma never did. She knew that Ma doesn’t love her. She wasn’t like their neighbours who beat their children and pet them afterwards.
She needed Ma to beat her once. She looked at Ma.
“Are you alright?” Ma asked again.
Funmi nodded.
“Why are you crying?”
Funmi’s eyes popped open. Was she? Her free hand reached up to her face. She touched her wet cheeks on both sides and looked at Ma, then down at the hand that was still gripping her wrist.
“Oh mine!” Omah dropped Funmi’s hand and watched the girl rub her wrist slowly. “I'm sorry,” Omah apologized.
Funmi just stared at her new mother. She apologized.
Omah not knowing what to do turned around and was on time to catch a taxi before it sped past. She faced her daughter again and offered her hand to her. “Let’s go home.”
Without thinking, Funmi place her hand in Omah’s open palm.
As the taxi pulled away, Omah remembered that Funmi wasn’t being too quiet. She brought up the girl that way so Funmi would never depend on her, and never have anything to say to her. Not even about her academics. Funmi was a bright student. Whenever she needed anything, she wrote it down on a piece of paper and left it on the table for Omah to see, when Omah got back home from school. They’ve gotten so used to this routine that Omah was always looking at the sitting room table, after checking the other room to make sure Funmi was home. She didn’t check the table yesterday.
Omah turned her attention to her daughter who was sitting at the far end, looking out of the taxi’s window. Omah couldn’t remember them together, talking for more than five minutes. At times Omah would go into Funmi’s room and look through the girl’s things to see what needed to be replaced. At other times, the girl would simply write down her needs. The last one Omah could remember was Funmi requesting for a new school sandals. Omah had hated herself then, for not remembering the girl was growing and had probably outgrown her sandals. She also bought shoes and very expensive house slippers. Like always, when she had new items for Funmi, Omah had called Funmi to the sitting room and handed over the goods. Quietly, Funmi had tried on everything and had said ‘thank you, Ma’. Those were always the words. And Omah always loved them. It gave her a feeling that she was pleasing the child, because she wanted the girl to have everything and be happy.
But yesterday changed it all. Not only did she realise that staying away from the girl wouldn’t reduce any hurt that would come her way, if there’d be any. She also realised that Funmi probably had never been happy but just contented to have what she could. She looked away and brushed quick tears away. Everything about her past has taken the best out of her, including how she treated people, especially the only person she has a strong connection with – Funmi.
Omah reached out and touched Funmi on the shoulder. Funmi turned and looked at her. Omah saw her surprised look. And that hurt her. Things she has never done. Like touch Funmi without a reason. “Are you alright?” Omah asked for the seventh time, since they left the hospital.
Funmi nodded.
“Good,” Omah smiled at Funmi. “Ma wants you to be happy. Do you understand?”
A surprised Funmi nodded.
She won’t speak, Omah thought. “Funmi, if you want anything at all, you’ll let me know, won’t you?” Omah waited. “Come on, talk to me. You’ll let Ma know, won’t you?” Omah added anxiously.
“I will,” Funmi said softly, too surprised. She couldn’t tell what was happening. Her friends at school once said, when things were becoming too strange, something bad was in the house. Was Ma going to die? Funmi looked at her. She doesn’t want Ma to die. There’ll be no one to take care of her or buy her things, like Ma does. That’s what Funmi liked her mother for; Ma gave her everything except herself. If Ma died … she suddenly felt afraid and she couldn’t look away. And her eyes filled with tears. She looked away quickly as her tears dropped.
Omah saw all that happen. Funmi’s surprised look to the frightened one. She moved closer and dried Funmi’s eyes with her open palm, her other arm around the girl. “Am I hurting you?” she asked anxiously.
Funmi shook her head. “I don’t want you to die Ma. Are you going to die?”
For an instant Omah felt the world stop around her. “Why?”
Funmi hesitated. Then she talked about what she thought, of what her friends at school said about strange things and Ma had been behaving strange and she was scared of being alone. Then through tears she begged Ma not to die. She promised to be good so Ma will treat her like their neighbours treat their children, so that Ma will beat her, so she’ll know Ma loved her.
Omah cried with her, forgetting where they were. She couldn’t believe her daughter had suffered so much, observing people and reaching wrongful conclusions. The taxi stopped and she realised they were home.
As Omah closed the front door behind them, she led Funmi to the sofa. Funmi looked at her and Omah nodded. “You can sit anywhere you want.” They sat down together and Omah took her hands in hers. “I am not dying, okay?” Funmi nodded.” I love you. I didn’t know I did, but I do, it’s the truth and now that I know that I love you so much, I want you to be happy.” She stopped. “Do you believe me?” Funmi nodded. “I'm so sorry for not being the mother you deserve. And I will never lay a finger on you to correct you. That wasn’t how I was raised; I will not do that to you, okay?” Funmi nodded and Omah sighed.
Things will be alright now, she knew. She will not think of the girl at the hospital, or the doctor. Nobody will find her, if they cannot find Funmi’s file. She will not think of Ciri and what should have been. Once school closed, she was moving away to a new place that this new beginning deserved.
But at the back of her mind, she knew it could all change at the blink of an eye. The girl in the hospital waiting room was the reminder sent to her.
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