"Fola you need to wake up", Mrs. Obed cried. "It's four weeks already. I can't take this anymore. Please wake up my dear."
"Mummy, Fola is a strong womanhood. She will be fine", Bolu consoled.
"School has resumed already and my daughter is still here laying lifeless. I am exhausted."
"Bimbo, it's okay. Let's be thankful that there is still hope for her survival", Mr. Obed remarked.
"I did not talk to you Wole so let me be", Mrs. Obed uttered with a high pitched voice.
Bolu quietly excused the couple.
Iremide was discharged two weeks ago but they all made An Nur hospital their new home. Mrs. Balogun and her son makes sure to visit everyday but always go back home to spend the night.
Iremide didn't know how best to take the issue. The woman he loved was laying lifeless in the hospital even after several assurance from the doctor that she will soon come around.
A week was turning into a month. He was scared they would spend another month in the hospital without any improvement from Fola.
He went to meet the doctor to ask some questions and he became more scared from the answers he got.
'Ignorance sometimes is a blessing', he mused to himself.
He was told a patient can be in a coma for a year or two or even 10 years.
He couldn't help but tear up in front of the doctor.
"Fola deserves better than this", he told the doctor.
"Everything happening is for a reason", the doctor told him with assurance.
"She is supposed to be in her 300 level now", Iremide complained.
The doctor chuckled, "You sound like an unbeliever. Her survival at the moment is what matters the most. The advice I can give is for you to help her process how to defer a semester or even a session. God is merciful and we have no idea the wonders he wants to do in her life."
Iremide felt guilty and ashamed of himself as he shuffled away with his crutches. Trials were making him lose his faith in the Almighty. He was mad at himself.
"Why are you being harsh to me like I am the reason for all that happened?", Mr. Obed questioned the angry woman.
"Aren't you responsible?", she barked at him.
"You want to turn the tables around right? I am supposed to be angry at you for allowing her to go without doing a thing."
Mrs. Obed warned: "Wole, you are pissing me off."
"You think I care? I was in the hospital for 2 good weeks but you couldn't even come check up on me. Bimbo, I almost had stroke. What sort of a wife are you?", Mr. Obed yelled.
"Oh really! You are a horrible man. All you can do is take up my one mistake and keep emphasizing on it like you are perfect. You don't appreciate my good deeds so how do you expect me to keep doing the good deeds when my so called husband doesn't give a shit whether I do them or not."
"Is that your problem?", he requested.
"Wole, don't......."
"Mummy", Bolu rushed back into the ward where Fola was laying.
Mr. Obed and his wife turned to look at her.
"What is it?", Mrs. Obed asked with anger at the interruption.
"Femi just called me now. Rachel has been arrested and she says Mr. Garba is responsible for the kidnap."
"What?", Mrs. Obed screamed standing up.
************************
Olamide got back from work looking tired and hungry. But he was in a good mood because his wife promised him sex and he couldn't wait.
He got home to meet an empty house. "Bisi", he called.
Bisi came out of the kitchen and answered, "Yes sir, welcome."
"Where is everyone?", he asked.
"I saw your father going out with your wife some hours ago. I prepared lunch for them but they aren't back yet", she told him.
"What did you cook? I am famished", he said dropping his bag and sitting on the dinning chair.
"I cooked yam porridge and fish sauce."
"Oh! Please get some for me", he said.
Bisi rushed to the kitchen and quickly microwaved a small portion of the food for Olamide. She dished it out on a small plate and went out to serve him.
Olamide ate hurriedly and gulped down the fruit juice Bisi kept on the table. Satisfied, he belched and stood up to go to his room while Bisi came back to clear the plates.
Exhausted, Olamide got to his room and laid down on his bed. After some minutes, he stood up to go freshen up when his phone beeped. It was a text message.
"This mtn people and their useless messages", he muttered picking up the phone.
It was a message from his wife and he quickly tap on the message to view it.
The message reads: "Darling, your father wants to kill the baby and I. He is responsible for your impotency."
"What!", Olamide exclaimed as the phone crashed to the floor.
Just then, he heard his father's car drive in.
"Olamide", his father called.
Olamide picked up his phone from the floor and went out of his room to meet his father.
"Olamide", his father called again.
Olamide appeared and Mr. Garba asked. "Where is that crazy wife of yours?"
"Dad, what is the meaning of this?", he asked his father showing him the message on his phone.
"What is the meaning of what?", his father asked back in pretense.
"You want to kill my wife and the baby? I told you to let Rachel go dad, why won't you listen to me?"
"She told you that and you believe it? You are a bastard", his father shouted.
"I know you would deny it. What about the fact that you are responsible for my impotency? You couldn't even tell me that I can't father a child. You kept me in denial all along, what kind of a father are you?"
"Keep shut Olamide. Don't believe that witch."
"I would rather believe her than believe you. I know what you are capable of. You are a wicked man and I regret ever knowing you."
The statement earned Olamide a slap from his father. Olamide flared up and he retaliated.
"You bastard, did you just slap me?", his father barked and punched him on the face.
They both ensued in a fight and Bisi who was close by all the while but afraid to interfere quickly rushed in to separate the two angry men.
She got in between them and Mr. Garba pushed Bisi away with force.
Bisi slammed her head to the wall and fell down.
Blood was gushing out of the back of her head as the two men realised the damage they have caused.
********************
"You see your life Wole? I am highly dissappointed at you", Mrs. Obed continue. "I told you but you wouldn't listen. See what you have caused?"
"How do you mean?", Mr. Obed asked ready to continue with their earlier fight which was interrupted by Bolu.
"I warned you severally about this man, didn't I? But my opinions do not count. Anything I say to you enters from the left ear and goes out through the right. Your daughter is here lifeless because of your stupid mistake."
"What has come over you woman?", he asked unable to deny the fact that this was unlike his wife.
"I told you there is more to everything that man has been doing than the eyes met. I am beginning to hate. I loved you with every fiber in me but what do I get in return? You never showed me loved. You reduce my self esteem and made me a complete housewife who doesn't know what she wants. You refused to let me work. How many of your friends know that your wife is a graduate of psychology? Tell me, how many? They won't know because of the way you treated me. I hate you Wole for doing this to my daughter", she cried as Bolu excused them once again unable to say any word of consolation to any of them.
"Bimbo, you know that is not true. I love you too. Because I don't show it to people that I love my wife doesn't mean I don't. I do. I wouldn't have married you if I didn't", he said moving close to her.
Moving his hands away from her, she said: "You told me you would send me parking if anything happens to your daughter."
"I never meant it. I said that out of anger", he replied with remorse.
"Wole, I have had enough so I want a divorce", she announced.
"What?"
"Yes, I want a divorce", she repeated.
"You don't mean......."
"Mummy.......", Fola called opening her eyes a little and moving her fingers.
Mrs. Obed rushed to her side and yelled at her husband, "Get the doctor."
*******************
"Rachel how could you do this to me? I spent 4 weeks in this cell all because of your own misdeed", Laide said to her crying daughter.
Rachel was already in a cell in the police station while her mother was released.
"I'm sorry mum. I never meant to hurt you. I did all of these for us", Rachel uttered with tears.
"For us? Or for yourself? How could you do evil things for us. Can you even hear yourself out?", her mother asked.
"I'm sorry mum. I wasn't my fault."
"Whose fault is it then?"
She stared at her mother and said: "I know the reason for the separation between you and dad. Most parents do not know that these separation causes emotional trauma to their children. When you got seperated with Dad, I was traumatized. You never bothered, you were only bent on making me forget about him."
They were both silent for a while before Rachel continued. "One day, you sent me on an errand to the market and on my way coming back home, I saw him. I saw dad with a lady. I was devastated and I started crying in the middle of the road. I didn't want him to see me so I moved away. I was still crying when a car drove pass me. The person in the car reversed back and asked why I was crying but I refused to answer. He offered to drive me home after much persuasion and I gave in. He kept on asking me the reasons for my tears on our way home but I refused to say a word to him. When he dropped me at the gate, he gave me some money and his business card. He asked me to call him the next day which I did. He invited me over to his house and that was when I met his son whom I fell in love with instantly. Mr Garba offered to help me with whatever problem I was facing. He said he would pay me monthly if I was capable of running some little errands for him. He was still new in politics then so we spend most times together. His son, Olamide who was in Kaduna State University then never showed me attention and it hurt."
"One day, while I was preparing to go home, Mr. Garba came home a bit tipsy. He met me in front of the door and he took advantage of me even though I was no longer a virgin then. I lost my virginity to Olamide. I seduced him to get his attention but it never worked. I felt bad after what happened between Mr. Garba and I. It happened again and again and I couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to turn me to his sex slave so I told him I wanted out. During that period, his son graduated from the University and left for America for his Masters program. That when I started working with Mrs. B. When Olamide came back, I had to go back to the house for him. Finally, I started getting his attention but that was only when he was horny. He would call me whenever he wants sex and whenever he sees me, all he thinks about is sex. He couldn't resist me and I thought it was a good thing since I have always longed for his attention."
Rachel sobbed and looked at her mother. "Olamide derieves pleasure from beating a woman. Everytime we have sex, he makes sure to beat me mercilessly but I endured the pain because of the love I had for him."
"What? What stupid love? Are you crazy? Where are the religious ethics and morals I taught you? You threw all of that to the winds right? How could you Rachel?", her mother questioned as a tear roll down her eyes too.
"Mum...I ain't finished yet, listen to me", she told her mother who only eyed and hissed at her.
Rachel continued: "Things turn around when Fola came in. The lady I told you I had a fight with when I was working for Mrs. B. I had always wanted to deal with her for what she did to me that day. Mr. Garba started talking to Olamide about getting married to Fola and I become angry and mad at them. I was no longer getting Olamide's attention not until Fola refused him sex. He wanted to have sex with her but she wouldn't let him. She left him and he called me over to satisfy his urge. I was dating Tunde then and he was also a sex freak but he loved me. I didn't love him and I made it known to him."
"Mr. Garba sent me to Zaria to go and find out who was getting Fola's attention. It was in Zaria that I discovered I was pregnant but I didn't know who the father was. I also discovered Iremide was going out with Fola and Mr. Garba instructed us to kidnap him. We did as told but I wanted to punish Fola a little so I delayed Iremide's death. I asked his people for a ransom and I told them I want his girlfriend to bring the money to us. Tunde and I had sex that day and before we were done, Fola and Iremide were already trying to escape."
"Rachel", her mother gasped.
"Mum, I know I have not been a good girl to you but I want you to take this pregnancy as a gift from God."
"What pregnancy? I won't take it. You are a shame to womanhood."
"Mum, everyone has a purpose in life. I believe my purpose is to clean your tears by giving you this baby. This baby will do all I was unable to do for you."
"What baby? A baby you don't even know the father?"
"Tunde is the father of my baby. I didn't want to admit it to myself because I wanted it to be Olamide's baby instead."
"Look for Tunde then and give him his baby", her mother muttered bitterly.
"Mum, Tunde is dead", she stated.
Her mother looked at her and quickly looked away.
"Mum", Rachel continued looking down. "I got married to Olamide 3 weeks ago and his father wanted to kill me. This baby is indeed a gift because I almost lost the pregnancy on three different occasions. The first time I almost lost the baby was when Fola pushed me away while I was trying to catch her. I hit my belly on a stone and I bleeded profusely. The second time was on our wedding night and Olamide whipped me till I lost consciousness. The third was yesterday when I accompanied Mr. Garba to an old man's house. I ran away from there and went to look for you at home but I was told you were arrested weeks ago. I had no choice than to submit myself to the police because I know if I didn't, I will die in the hands of Mr. Garba", Rachel explained.
"Die in the hands of Mr. Garba?", her mother questioned.
"Yes. I eavesdropped on his conversation with the old man. He is responsible for his wife's death and his son's impotency because of his stupid political aspirations and materials needs. He got me married to his son because of that. I never knew that was the purpose for the marriage we did with little or no preparations. I thought my prayers were about to be answered. He was filthily rich and marrying his son means we will never be poor again. I wanted to build you a house and buy you a car mum", Rachel broke down into tears.
"He took me to the old man so they could kill me and the baby", Rachel completed.
"What?"
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