TO LAST A LIFETIME

Patch Things Up

Gennie

"You see? I already told you he was going to bail! I guess it's not yet tomorrow in America!" I hissed, the touches of sarcasm clung to my tone, just as my anger to my face.

Emily laughed, as the nail technician added a silver polish to her nails. That wasn't funny! I was overly irritated.

"He said he needed time to process the news, so give him time. Because he didn't call yesterday and since morning doesn't mean he's not going to call you!" Emily reasoned.

"What if he doesn't?" My voice was flat, as I put my fingers under the UV nail drier.

"Then it's his loss, you'd played your part." She regarded my sullen state. "Stop thinking about things that don't matter, all you need now is to focus on your health!"

"When did you become a therapist?" I suddenly giggled.

"Did I sound like one?" She gasped, "I thought I was preaching!"

We laughed.

Soon, my mind wandered back to the little one that was growing inside of me. My mind was now made up, I was now determined to keep my baby, I was going to give my baby all the tender loving care a mother can give and extra, to protect him from the cruelty of the world.

The relief that'd washed through me the other day when I related the news to Wesley was inexplicable. I didn't care if he was going to play the father role, honestly, I wasn't expecting him to. As Emily said, it was his loss.

I looked down at my nails, they were fixed short, before, my nails were the claw type if they weren't long then they weren't my nails. But since I was going to be a mother soon, I have to start behaving as one so it wouldn't be so new to me.

I smiled at the thoughts of feeding the baby, the things I was going to teach her, wait what did I even want? A girl? A boy? Whatever the gender was going to be, didn't matter to me.

I smiled again, this time, Emily caught me, she smiled as well.

"You're happy right?" When I nodded she added, "I still want you as my maid of honor!"

"I can't play two roles at a time!"

"For me, you will definitely play!"

Daniel picked us both for lunch. This was against my will to interfere with their date but Emily had insisted saying it wasn't a date.

Daniel was quite warm and I wasn't frightened at all if Emily was making the right or wrong choice, I was certain they were their perfect match. It was very clear.

We talked about random stuff, Daniel was a funny piece, I and Emily couldn't stop laughing at his jokes.
Daniel was in the Nigerian Navy, so he wasn't home quite often. They had met a few years ago from a mutual friend, Emily's ex-boyfriend but then they'd started dating ending last year. Emily couldn't just stop talking about him then and now that she had gotten her wish, I was happy for her.

Later that night I called my mother, it was some weeks now I had talked to. I didn't have anything in particular to tell her, I wasn't planning on telling her the news yet until I heard from Wesley, I knew the first question she was going to ask. Who is the daddy! My God!

I held my phone looking into the screen as it rang. Then it came up, my mom came through in the video call.

She was in the living room reading one of those novels. I knew quite well. She gave a contagious smile into her phone.

"It's late you should be sleeping!" I grinned.

"Then why did you call if you knew I'd be asleep by now? How are you?"

"Your girl is fine, mom!" I smiled.

"You look very happy since you returned from Yankee!" She eyed me suspiciously.

"America!" I corrected. "It still feels like yesterday, it was indeed once in a lifetime experience!" Yeah, indeed!

"Once in a lifetime? Aren't you planning on going some other time?"

"Nigeria is just perfect! A Nigerian should be in her country!" I laughed.

"You should come home one of these weekends, I want to see you!"

"If work would permits I will mom!"

"Has your father called you?" She raised an inquiry brow.

My smiling face dropped at the mention of my father.

"Why would he call me? Who gave him my number?" I frowned. "What does he want?"

"He called me during the Christmas time, he wants to patch things up with you Gennie!"

"There's nothing to patch, I'm not interested after all there's nothing he'll do for me now, he's good as dead to me?"

What was he going to do now for me? Pay my school fees? Attend PTA meetings? Compete in the father and daughter race? Teach me how to drive a car? And the mile-long list of other things I had always wanted to do with my father.

"Don't say that he's your still your father no matter what!"

Was that actually coming from my mother? What had gotten into her? Had she gotten over her anger towards him?

"He was, before he walked out of my life, of our lives years ago! Tell him not to bother calling, I don't have room for the extra headache!"

My mom laughed.

"Extra headache? You're the silliest girl ever!"

"I know, speaking of silly, how's Ofon?"

"He's asleep now, I'll tell him in the morning you called!"

We talked for a while before saying our goodbyes.
After the call ended, I went to bed.

As I lay with my back on the bed, hands on my belly, I wondered how much longer it would take before a bump appeared. What I'd look like as a pregnant woman. I wondered who the baby would look like! Of course, I wanted him to look exactly like his father, my word! Wesley was so handsome!

Wesley came back to my mind. It didn't bother me at all if he didn't want to be a part of my child's life, I kept on saying that, but deep down, I wanted a complete family. I didn't want to raise a child single handly as my mom had raised me. I wanted my child to have a male role in his life. The distance was quite large if Wesley wanted this child, that would be enough travelings for him, but for sure my baby would be raised in Nigeria where I knew the norms and traditions by heart, not another man's country where I barely knew where terror lurked.

Why didn't he call? It's been two days now since he said he would call. Should I just call again?

No, he needed time, so it was best if I had just wait.

I prayed, hoping Wesley would accept to raise this child with me, it would be tough if I was going to be a single mother.

'He wants to patch things up'

My mom's words filled my thoughts again.

My father had abandoned me when I was twelve, I could still remember the fear and the bile that rose in my throat the minutes he walked out the door leaving my unconscious mother on the floor, while I was by the doorpost, bruised. My dad was abusive, both to my mom and I. The scars he left was deep so it couldn't heal soon, it would never heal. Never for once had I wished he should return.

Now he wants to patch things up, patch what up? The love of a father he never gave? The school fees he never paid? Accommodation or shelter he never provided?

Since he left for greener pastures with his mistress, he should enjoy it, I had nothing to say to him. Absolutely nothing.

~

This chapter is dedicated to @MostDeals, she's always the first to read and leave comments! Thanks for sticking so long! I hope one day I'll read from you as well!🤗
Tehil!