Too Good to Be Real

chapter 34

She contemplated asking Asher the password for his WhatsApp but thought against it. She didn't want him to know she was going through his chats. She breathed again and told herself she was just being overly dramatic. Giving up, she dropped his phone back on the bed, undressed and wrapped his towel around her body.

"Hurry up and get out of there. You've wasted enough time and I need to go."
He opened the door and drew her inside, making her yelp.

"The shower is big enough for the two of us." He said and before she could argue, his mouth swept over hers as she was wriggled free from her towel.

***

The ride to the hospital was different for both girls. While Asa was scared of seeing her mother in worse condition, Oma was more bothered by the fact they were going to a hospital. She hated hospitals. The last time she'd been to one was when she had to accept Phil's passing. It was something she never wished to experience again, but somehow, somewhere, a part of her was convinced she was going to see someone else pass on again. She shuddered.

The bus went over a gallop, bringing the two girls back to reality.
"Martin memorial hospital! Next stop." The conductor called out. A few people including Oma and Asa filed out.

The hospital building stood tall and intimidating, bringing a feeling neither of the girls wanted. With a slight nod, Asa moved in and Oma followed. She showed her card to a young man sitting in front of a computer.
"Family or friend?"

"Daughter. Family." Asa replied.

"Third floor, room seven." He said impersonally, without even looking up.

As they moved up, the smell of the hospital got more and more concentrated. At the second floor, a woman who was probably giving birth was screaming really loudly asking God to let her die. A male nurse yelled at her asking her to stop being stupid and push like other women easily did.  
It brought back memories, bad ones. But luckily, she hadn't pushed Phil out so she couldn't really relate.

They stopped at a door labelled 'seven'. When Oma noticed Asa was stalling, she patted her back and pushed the door open for her.

The sight that greeted them was horrible.
Asa's mother was skinnier than was considered healthy. Her body was sprawled on the bed, hooked up to numerous machines. Her head was tilted to the left, making Oma wonder if she was awake or not, or even alive.
"Asa nwa m." The woman suddenly said in a very stretched, throaty voice. At once, like a switch had just been flicked, Asa was at her side, wailing away like someone whose bag of tears had just burst.
Oma just stood there awkwardly, watching the scenario in front of her unfold. The nurse who was there before they came in had a look of concern that Oma wondered if it was real. Surely the woman must have witnessed a lot of worse cases.
She excused herself from the room, giving Oma a sour look before she left.

Oma was sure minutes had passed and she began to get restless. She didn't know what to do with herself. Asa and her mother were still having a heart to heart and luckily, the former had calmed down.
She thought of her own mother and for once the reality of the situation hit her. If her mother was ever in this situation, she didn't know what she'd do. Nia was all she had, the only family she knew. If she ever died suddenly or if her health suddenly started detoriating, she knew she would never get over it. Just a while ago she'd wished to exchange mothers with Asa, but not anymore. At least Nia had changed, a lot. Watching Asa cry over her mother's bed made her realise how much she missed her own mother, and was lucky to have her in perfectly good health.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Nia. She promised herself she would call her once they left the hospital.

"Oma. I need to pee. Will you watch my mum for me? I'll be right back." Asa said without meeting her eyes and ran out almost immediately. Oma had a feeling she wasn't just pressed. She probably just needed to go and cry somewhere else. She'd never seen Asa this way and it sickened her.

"My daughter. Come." The figure on the bed called for her and she froze.

"Me?" She asked and then realizing how stupid the question was as she was the only other person in the room, she moved to Asa's mother.

"Sit." She said.

"I know you're Asa's best friend and I want to thank you for being there for her. She's always talking about you." She began, managing an uneasy smile. She couldn't really call Asa her best friend but she nodded to urge the woman to go on.

"I know I don't have much time left. I wanted to wait till Asa was done with her exams before telling her but I doubt I'll last till that time." Oma said 'tufiakwa' in her mind. Something Nia always said whenever someone wished bad upon themselves.
"I know you're wondering why I called you. I need you to help me with Asa. I don't want her to get depressed. I just want to be sure she'll be in good hands when I'm gone. And I trust that those good hands are your hands. She doesn't have any other person I know of, so I'm begging you. I hope you don't feel like I'm placing so much responsibility on you."

She suddenly thought of Femi. Femi was basically Asa's best friend in her own opinion. She was always with her , doting on her. Oma wondered why Asa hadn't asked her to follow her instead.

"What about her father?" Oma asked instead, wondering why this woman was saying Asa had no one else like she was a freak or something. As far as Oma knew, Asa had the most perfect family ever. She even had more friends than Oma did in school. Her mother's face scrunched up and Oma instantly regretted asking that question.

"Her father? Hah! Since I'm going to die, I'll say it anyway. I can't trust him with her. If he couldn't give his time when I was very healthy, why would he do so now? I'm not a saint either but..." She sighed.
"Her father and I didn't meet under the best circumstances. He already had a family, I mean a pregnant wife somewhere else. I knew he did and I foolishly believed him when he said his wife was crazy and abusive and he was just looking for true love. I was an idiot! I believed him, hook line and sinker. I fell for him and took in for him before I realized he was living a double life. Kept going back to his 'abusive' wife and his new daughter. I initially tried to abort but luckily, I didn't. I was happy when he eventually divorced her and was even happier when he was able to use his influence as a lawyer to extract money from her. I thought I was different, thought I was special. Asa was born and because I'd initially tried to abort her, my womb was destroyed. I still haven't been able to get over it since. But that wasn't his concern. He wanted a boy and I gave him a girl. I was stupid enough to believe he was just looking for 'true love'. He only wanted sons which he finally got from another woman."
She squeezed Oma's hand.
"He only comes around once in a while because Asa is his only daughter. He cheats like women in the world are about to finish and random women are always coming to him with their babies even after he had a vasectomy. Why haven't I been able to divorce him? Because I'm an idiot. Even after infecting me with countless diseases I still stayed there. But now it's almost over. Very soon he'll fall sick too and suffer the same diseases he's given me."
Oma's heart was racing. She missed a minute ago when she didn't have all of this information. On Asa's mother's other hand, Oma caught sight of the brochure she was holding, Living With AIDS.

"Please don't tell Asa any of these things I just told you. She's not a fool. She knows most of what I've said but she doesn't know what I'm really suffering from. Just do what I've asked you to do, please?"

Oma nodded continuously as she moved away from the bed. This wasn't happening. She wanted to feel pain for the woman but she could only feel anger at her and her husband for making someone else's life miserable.

Just like her own father had done. 

In fact this man was just like her own father, a lawyer, never around, always sleeping around, wanted a boy.
Too much even...

Asa was at the door with tears in her eyes at the realization of all her mother had just said. This was more than she'd bargained for.

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