Episode 3
Twisted Identity
We waited long time in the reception. Mrs Bassey was sobbing while the older women comfort her. She leaves for the restroom every now and then.
Through the corner of my eye, I noticed Mercy was watching my eye movement. She probably was trying to know if I was exchanging eye contact with Mrs Bassey.. she needed more evidence to back up her claims.
She will be shocked today. I thought to myself and smiled.
After a long wait, a nurse came out to announce we were being summoned to the doctor’s office.
We all followed as she led the way to the office.
“You’re welcome, all”. The doctor announced, as soon as we took our seats. He stretched out his hand to me, with a paper, but before I could get a hold of it, Mr Bassey snatched it from the him and unsealed it.
I watched as he glances through it, shook his head and hummed.
“What?”. I bent over to take look.
My wife stretched her hand and snatched it from him.
She looked at it and frowned.
“Doctor, what does this result say?”. She asked.
“Your husband fathered the child”. Mr Bassey replied.
“What nonsense?”. I exclaimed and snatched the paper from her.
“Tell me this is not happening”. Mrs Bassey lamented on the shoulder of her comforter.
“Your voice is the last I want to hear right now?. Mr Bassey quarrelled
…. hold your sister, just hold her, before I do something everyone here will regret?”. He was saying to the women.
” God in heaven knows I am innocent”. She cried.
I sat on the chair, studying the results like a course.
I suspect foul play, here. How can I father the child of a woman I didn’t know?.
I looked up and saw Mercy staring at me in disdain. Then looked back at the paper in my hand.
“No!. I found myself screaming.
….. I’m’ not accepting this results, someone must have tampered with it”. I said, placing it back on the table.
“Fidelis, do you know you’re heartless?, you’re a very evil man”. Mercy spat.
I wasn’t surprised by her accusations….. like even if there’s anyone that I expect to believe me, it’s definitely not her.
“You connived with the technicians to do this”. I accused Mr Bassey.
“You don’t only lie, you’re a fool too. I connived with the doctor to change the paternity of a child I have fathered for the past six years, does that even make sense to you?”. Mr Bassey asked, appearing calm.
“I won’t accept this result, the test has to be conducted again”. I stated.
“For what?”. He asked.
“It has to be reconducted, but not in this hospital anymore…I will pick a hospital myself”. I suggested.
“You must think I’m a fool to allow you chose a hospital for me”. He said.
“I am not accepting this results and that is final”. I declared.
After much argument, he finally agreed to let me pick.
Mercy and I left the hospital but when we got to the car, she picked some money from the pigeonhole, and left without shutting the door
I watched her started walking out of the hospital premises.
I closed the door and drove slowly to catch up with her .
“What’s that you’re doing?, get in the car”. I begged.
But she didn’t even look at me. I continued begging until she got to the main road, waved down a tricycle and directed it towards an opposite direction.
I shrugged and drove off.
The incident at the hospital continued giving me high BP until I got home.
Mercy came back later at night. I guessed she went to report the matter to my elder sister because she called me early the next morning and demanded to see me.
I booked an appointment with a different hospital and before 9am on Monday, we were already seated in the hospital.
This time, Mr Bassey came with five children. The boy and four older girls.
“I’m taking a DNA test for all my children”. He had told the nurses.
The day the results were read, Mercy refused to go with me but I was surprised when I got into the reception and saw her sitting a distance away from others.
Mrs Bassey was there too, sitting between the two women from the other day.
After some minutes, she stood up and walked out… going the latrine again, I guess.
As soon as she was gone, an elderly woman ran into the reception, panting.
“Where is Idara?”. She asked the other two women.
They pointed towards the restroom.
She dropped her handbag and started pacing up and down the hall. Something seems to be troubling her.
I fixed my gaze at her, following her every movement.
After some times, Mrs Bassey came out from the bathroom and the woman ran to her. I think she tried to hold her hand, but then, a nurse came out to summon us.
We all went to office together.
The doctor read out the test results to us. He first of all, read that of the four girls… theirs matched with their father’s. But when Edet’s was read, it turned out to be negative for Mr Bassey but positive for me ..again?.
What could this mean?. I wondered.
“Not again!, not again!”. Mrs Bassey fell on the elderly woman and cried.
“Enough of the pretense!, how long do you think you can deceive your husband with your crocodile tears?”. That was Mercy, to Mrs Bassey
“What do you have to say this time?”. Someone manipulated the results again?”. Mr Bassey turned to face me.
But before I could say any word, he pounced on me.
“Stop!, stop that, not in my office”. The doctor tried to stop us.
I tried to push him away but he seemed to be stronger than I am. He pushed me on top the doctor’s table and started giving me blows after blow.
“Randy, please stop!”. a female voice pleaded but Bassey wasn’t listening
… Can you all listen to me?”. The voice screamed again, with bitterness this time.
That was when he released me. I got up with my hands held onto my cheeks to behold the owner of the voice…it was the elderly woman….
4 loading….
ยฉ Joy Ifunanya
