Caught In between

Chapter 5: An Almost Loss

Marlise stepped under the shower and pretended that the water was washing away all of the stress in her life including when she said yes to Levi. The day she said yes was the day she said no to her value to abstain from sex until marriage. It was a foolish decision to agree to the proposal that she gets pregnant so his family would have no choice but to accept her.

She was now four months pregnant and all alone. Under the water, she screamed, cried and beat against the air. She heard her phone ringing but ignored because it could be Levi. Eventhough she was living in one of his guesthouses, she had shut him out and not let him step foot in the house.

For the past three weeks, he had been coming everyday and knocking until he left. When she finished bathing, she threw on a light gown and went to the living room to pick up the phone.

14 missed calls from her mother!

Why was she calling continuously at 7pm?

She immediately dialed back.

"Ma?" She said

"So your plan is to leave me stranded in Yaounde?" Mado asked angrily.

"Ma, I don't understand. What do you mean Yaounde?" She asked.

"Stop asking stupid questions. Send a taxi to come and pick me up from Chez Felix," she said impatiently.

"You're in Yaounde?" Marlise asked confused.

"No, I'm in America," she replied sarcastically and cut the call. Marlise felt fear creep through her body. She thought of ignoring her, maybe then, she would find another relative to stay. But if she tried that, Mami Mado would finish her. She quickly called a taxi. In about 30 minutes, she heard a frantic knock at the door and her heart resumed its racing.

"So this is where he hid you?" Mami Mado said, dropping her travelling bag at the door and marching into the house.

Marlise opened her mouth to respond but common sense got to her tongue.  She bit her bottom lip and remained silent. Picking up her mother's bag, she went back into the living room where the woman had already made herself comfortable on the long couch.

"Ma, welcome. I didn't know that you were coming." She said softly.

"How will you know when you have been avoiding my calls?" She fired back.

Marlise looked away from her mother's condemning eyes. After putting the travelling bag in the bedroom, she came back to the living room where Mami Mado sat with arms folded.

"Ma, do you want something to eat?" She asked almost in her stomach.

She didn't wait for a reply but went into the kitchen and dished out rice and stew which she'd cooked. She placed the food on the table for her mother alongside hers. Mado came and sat down then took out a green bottle and extended it to Marlise.

"Drink, it is good for you especially in your condition," She commanded.

Marlise shook her head in denial. Her mother's glare bullied her and she took the bottle with shaky hands.

"What do you think I will do, poison you?" she snapped.

Growing up, their mother used to give she and her twin sister concoctions for health. They were always bitter as this one was. She twisted her face as the bitter liquid entered her mouth then quickly took orange juice to dilute the bitterness.