Episode 7
Twisted Identity
Very early, the next morning, I received a call from madam Bridget, pleading with us to come over to her house.
“Why don’t we go with the police right away?”. Mercy suggested.
“No, let’s go there and listen to whatever she has to say first”. I pleaded.
We drove to the house later in the day… I had to report to the office.
“Idara finally responded to my calls yesterday night. I pleaded with her to release the child to the parents, but she won’t stop crying over the phone. Please, I beg you, this is a delicate matter, let’s handle it without involving a third party”. She further pleaded.
“This is nonsense. I hope this is not all you brought us here to listen to?”. Mercy quarrelled.
“What do you want us to do now?”. I asked.
“Though, she didn’t tell me where she has gone to, but I suspect one place. I will lead you there but first of all, I want you to promise me you’re going to take things easy with her. Don’t fight her or force her to release the child to you, please, be gentle to her”. The woman advised, looking at my wife.
I looked at Mercy and when she wasn’t saying a thing, I stepped in.
“We won’t force anything”. I promised.
Surprisingly Mercy still didn’t say a word.
But on our way to the location, she spoke in our native tongue, so the woman would not understand.
“I hope that woman won’t try anything stup!d over there, because I won’t be coming back without my child”
“Mercy, don’t try anything funny over there oo, remember we just made a promise to this old woman”. I advised.
“Did you hear me say anything to her?. You made a promise, not me. And I am promising you now that there would be only vawulence in that house if she refuses to release my child to me”. She threatened.
“Is everything alright?”. Madam Bridget asked from the back seat.
“Yes”. I nodded.
“Everything is not alright, ma. We are talking about that nurse, the nurse that did the swapping. That was Mercy.
…I need to see her and applaud her for a job well done”.
“Justina is still at St Theresa’s hospital. I am totally against her actions, you can get her arrested it you wish to, I’m not stopping you. But I advise that you take things, one step at a time”. The woman advised.
No word was said for a long time after that.
The journey was a very long one, More than two hours drive before we got to a remote area.
“This used to be our family home. Her mother was married from here”. The woman was saying before we drove into a compound.
“Wow”. I responded, while mercy hissed silently.
“Please, you have to stay back here while I go inside to talk to her”.The woman begged, after I halted the car.
“Why?. We can go together”. Mercy argued.
“Please, stay back”. The woman begged.
Mercy tried to argue further but I pleaded with her. She finally agreed and Madam Bridget left.
After she was gone, I seize that opportunity to speak some sense into my wife, but everything I said, seem to have fallen into deaf ears.
“Remember that I promised you I won’t be leaving this place without my boy?. I’m not going back on my word”. She concluded and threw her face away.
The woman wasted a lot of time inside the house and Mercy was getting very impatient. She tried so many times to open the door and go down, but I kept stopping her.
“Calm down”. I would be pleading
After about an hour or thereabout, the woman finally came out, with Mrs Bassey. They were followed almost immediately by Edet, who was walking playfully behind them
“Look, over there, my son!”. Mercy exclaimed and tried to run out of the car, but I was fast enough to hold her back.
‘Please, wait. A little patience will not harm you”.I advised. Though she sat back, but she was, restless.
“Fidelis, look at our boy, our son”. She was saying, excitedly.
The two women stood there for a long time, talking and this made my wife grew more and more impatient. Before I knew it, she opened the car door and dashed out of the car.
“Mercy!”. I called out to her, but it was already late.
I also got down from the car and walked down to them. Mercy was already squatting besides Mrs Bassey with her hand stretched out to Edet.
“…my baby, come to me”. She was saying when I aproached them.
But the child moved back in fright, clinging tightly unto Mrs Bassey.
“Come to mummy”. Mercy begged.
When the boy was not making any attempt to move forward, she stood up and tried to drag him from the mother, making the boy to cry out in agony.
‘Mummy!”.
“Mercy, stop that!”. I screamed.
But she wasn’t going to listen to me. She forced the boy from the mother and started going towards the car, with the child crying out so loud.
“Fidelis, let’s get out of here!”. She called.
But Immediately she put the boy into the car, he opened the other door and ran all the way back to Mrs Bassey, who has been busy sobbing as she watched the drama between Mercy and the child.
She lifted him up and consoled him.
Mercy ran back to carry him, but I dragged her back to the car. And pinning her back to the trunk, I tried to calm her down.
“Mercy, calm down, calm down”. I pleaded.
“This is my son we’re talking about here”. She was breathing fast.
“Is he not my son too?”. I asked.
“Then, you do something. Don’t just stand here and watch them take him away”. She pleaded.
“They won’t take him. But you cannot just snatched a child from a woman he has been calling mother all his life”. I explained.
“But that woman is causing it. She must have said something to him, she should allow him come with us?”. She insisted.
“Okay, let’s look at it this way. What if someone comes out tomorrow and started claiming Junior as hers.Will you easily let him go?, just like that?”. I asked.
And I think that did the magic, because she broke down in tears.
I led her into the car and went down to have a word with Mrs Bassey and madam Bridget, after which we left.
Mercy sobbed until we got home.
first of all, I dropped her at home before I drove madam Bridget to her house.
“Please, beg your wife to calm down. Idara will release the child to her in no distance time”. She assured.
By the time I got home, Mercy was on bed shivering…..she has fever.
It was I who made dinner for Junior, after picking him up from a neighbor’s house.
She didn’t talk about the boy again, even after she recovered from her sickness. She became calm and there was peace at home once again.
I did not trouble madam Bridget again. I believe she can handle the situation as an elderly woman she is. She said we should give them time, and time we shall give to them.
One Sunday evening, I was in the living room with junior, when the door bell rang. I stood up to get it and was surprised by the guests we had.
Wonders!…
