Not Alone

Chapter 1

The evening wind was mild and the weather was gloomy, it was 5:00pm but it looked like it was already 8:00pm. Trees rustled, subtle music could be heard from Joe's place, the event centre along the road which was linked to Chief Onugu's street. From Chief Onugu's street one could see a lady sitting at the balcony of a storey building with blue paint, attractive and big. She seemed lost, lost in her thoughts and one could see that she wore a sad expression. The sound of cars screeching along the high way which was not so far from Chief Onugu's street could not disrupt Nkem's thoughts. She had been in this mood for over a week, after she had returned from the clinic where she had spent her horrible seven days. The doctor's words stung like a bee in her ears on that fateful Tuesday morning which marked the beginning of her sleepless nights. She had thought that Tuesdays were supposed to be her lucky days of the week just as she had read on google according to her star sign which was Scorpio. That particular day was her worst nightmare. She was depressed and she knew it but she couldn't help but think about the situation over and over again despite series of advice from her elder sister Adanne and her parents. She stopped visiting her therapist as well because she felt that seeing her only made things worse, besides she wasn't one to talk about herself with 'other people'.
"I'm sorry, but you lost the baby" the doctor had said "You fell really hard and the baby could not withstand". Nkem had watched the doctor's expression and couldn't hide the devastation and pain which seeped into her like a magic spell. She had been brought in unconscious and according to what the doctor had told her, she had bled heavily. The doctor had rubbed her legs after passing the news to her with a sorry expression on her face, looking down to Nkem while she laid on the bed having burst into tears. She had never imagined that this would happen to her. She remembered her friend Tolani had advised her against being in touch with Ken while she still had his child in her womb, if only she had listened. I guess some things were bound to happen. It wasn't the first time that Ken had hit her, she had lost count. Some days the bruises were heavy, other days they were lighter, as long as she could make up a story to cover up the assault she was good to go. He loves me. She convinced herself with those words each time he bought her a new gift after a terrible fight. Yes. He would always come back to apologize with gifts, the present one more expensive than the previous. Gold earrings, diamond bracelets, Fendi designer bags and dresses from top notch brands...even her first ever Toyota Venza car. Oh God! He knew she loved that car.
      Nkem was so deep in her thoughts that she barely noticed when Adanne took a seat beside her. She came back to reality when she perceived the familiar 'Red door' perfume which belonged to her that her sister always sneaked into her room to use.
"Thinking again are we?" Adanne said "I still don't know what to say or do to make you happy. Perhaps I should invite Mum and Dad and we can tell them everything". Nkem shot her sister a you-wouldn't-dare-to-do-that look. She shook her head and looked away.  Now there were tiny drizzles of water pouring from the sky, the weather wasn't helping her mood. She was utterly destroyed on the inside and she felt so sad.
"The reason I told you about my situation Is because you're my sister and I trust you. Dont betray that trust Adanne" Nkem said. "You've never lost a child before so you have no idea how I feel right now"
"I understand you Nkem, but you should be more focused on yourself now" Adanne stood up now, she moved to stand in front of Nkem "Nothing you do now will bring the baby back because..." She trailed off as Nkem burst into tears forcing her sister to retain her words. This was getting more complicated with each passing day, but she knew that Nkem would get over this sooner or later. Growing up together Nkem had been the stronger sibling, emotionally, physically and mentally but whenever she cried, it was because the situation had hit her very hard. Losing her 3 months old baby last week was one of those situations, it tore her apart!
      She had called Adanne the day after she had gone for a pregnancy test, it was her first time being pregnant. She never imagined that she would get pregnant out of wedlock, coupled with the fact that it was Ken's baby. Adanne was shocked by the news but she had covered the shock up with encouraging words. It was then that Nkem told her never to let their parents know. She knew Adanne would do anything necessary for her to be happy. "You will keep that baby" Adanne had insisted as she heard Nkem blabber about the child coming at the wrong time. "Pregnancy is not a bad thing whether before or after wedlock. Every child is a blessing and gift from God". Nkem rolled her eyes as she listened to her sister's 'preaching'. She found solace in her sister's words of encouragement "We're in this together".

Later, Nkem had travelled over to Owerri to stay with her sister since that was what her sister wanted. "You will live with me till you give birth" Adanne had told her. Two months gone, Nkem had spent time with Sean and Stephanie her sister's children of six and three years respectively. She enjoyed watching them argue over petty things like toys, most times she was the judge of the arguments they brought to her desk. Adanne's husband John was hardly ever with his family due to the nature of his job as a Marine Engineer. He spent most of his time on high seas. She would always wonder how her sister was able to cope in that big and luxurious house with two children and her maid Chika.

That evening, Nkem's phone rang while Adanne was still trying to calm her down. It was their mother calling. Nkem ignored the call, instead she looked towards the direction of the highway which could be seen from where she sat. She had summoned up courage to tell her parents about the pregnancy three weeks before she lost the baby, surprisingly, they never scolded her. Her mother had held her hands and repeated the same words as Adanne "Children are gifts from God". On the other hand, her father had asked if the baby was Ken's and she had nodded. In summary, that day had been even better than what she had pictured it to be. She had imagined her mother making a fuss and her father tapping his right foot on the ground as he would always do whenever he was worried, annoyed or tensed. She thought the reason why they accepted the baby without much ado was either because she was more of an adult now than the little Nkem she used to be, or because they were aware of how serious her relationship with Ken was. On the other hand, she felt that the pastor at the new church where her parent's worshipped also had something to do with the new behaviour. She had always known her parents to be judgemental over the littlest things like choice of clothes and hair colour.
"Hello mum" It was Adanne speaking as she ignored the faces Nkem made at her "she is here I'll give her the phone"
"Why did you answer the phone?" Nkem mumbled grabbing the phone and hanging up. "I'll call her when I am in the mood to talk"
"How long will you ignore them?" Adanne asked as she watched Nkem run her hands through her thick unkempt afro hair. Earlier that day, Adanne had suggested that they go to her hair stylist to get her hair treated and styled but Nkem had insisted that she was not interested.
"Ken is a beast!" Nkem said with a groan which startled her sister "I'll never forgive him". Adanne was probably used to this statement already because Nkem would always mutter them after each fight with Ken that left bruises on her body. Nkem's phone was ringing again and this time she didn't hesitate to answer. It was Tolani on the phone. From the conversation, Ken had just visited the two bedroom apartment she shared with Tolani back in Port Harcourt. "I told him you're in Owerri, at your sister's place" Tolani said over the phone which was on loud speaker to the hearing of Adanne.
"How dare he visit after what he has done?" Adanne chipped in "Does he have a death wish? I hope you told him that she's not coming back anytime soon?"
"Ah ah, how long will she stay there? " Tolani asked, she sounded a bit displeased by the news.
"Don't mind Adanne, I'll be back in soon, maybe in two weeks" Nkem said.

Nkem flung her eyes open abruptly, she had just woken up from a nightmare where she found herself bleeding profusely on what looked like a hospital bed. She laid still for some seconds and realized she was sweating. She sat up, climbed down from the bed and turned the light switch on. Her attention darted to the bed, blood! She looked down on herself and realized that her yellow night dress was soaked with blood and she immediately remembered why. She had dozed off that night while forgetting to pad herself up after taking her medication. The doctors had informed her that the bleeding would last for about three weeks. She quickly changed the sheets, showered and padded up. She checked the time and it was 5:54am. She didn't want to miss the 8:00am mass she loved to attend at St. Mary's Catholic church whenever she came to Owerri which was close by. She found herself attending church more often now ever since she got pregnant and after the loss than other times when she would stay back home with Tolani to do chores or hang out.