(Episode 13)
Christmas in November
When Jane dropped from Audu’s car she headed straight to her neighbours. Emma and Tochi ran out to meet her. She hugged them with tears in her eyes,
They chorused, “Welcome, mummy Jay!”
Jane: “Thanks, boys!”
Amarachi came out too,
Amarachi: “Welcome,ma!”
Jane: “Thank you,dear!”
Jake didn’t come out, maybe he was asleep or mad at her for abandoning him for a week. That was how she felt. Every day in detention, she cried with the feeling that she had failed her son. And there were nights were she wouldn’t sleep and Jake wouldn’t sleep too. He’d be up all night asking for his mother.
Before she could finish her thoughts, loud mouthed Tochi said,
Tochi: “Jake is at the hospital! Mum and dad went there!”
Emma and Amarachi yelled at once, “Tochi!”
Clutched, Jane screamed!
Jane: “Hospital! Where? When? How?” she knew it. The feeling that maybe something might be wrong with her baby was true.
Jane ran into the hospital like a mad woman. She still had the prison smell. The state she was in wasn’t one for bathing or cleaning up.
Jane: “Where’s my baby? Where’s my Jake?” she ran like a troubled hen looking for its missing chicks. All eyes tore at her, she kept on crying and jumping, “my Jake o! My boy! My husband oo!”
Two security men ran to her, the nurses had called for their attention when she had refused to listen to them; they were dragging her out, she fought with her last strength, unable to match their strengths she was crying bitterly, a voice called out. It was Mrs. Jones, they were coming out of the doctor’s office.
Mrs. Jones: “Jane! Mummy Jay! Leave her alone!” she ran to them and they let her go. Jane on the ground was crying. Mr .Jones ran to them and turned to the security who wore sorry faces,
Mr. Jones: “is that how you treat a human being. A woman for that matter!” he screamed, “nonsense!” the men disappeared. The incidence occurred by the entrance of the hospital. People were busy casting eyes on them; those waiting to be attended to, those entering and the people leaving.
They helped her up,
Doctor: “bring her to my office!”
They sat down in the doctor’s office; the three of them,
Jane: “where’s Jake, big mummy? Where’s Jake, big daddy?” tears stood aghast even in the eyes of the doctor.
No one had the boldness to tell her that Jake was dying. How was she going to take the news?
Doctor had to ask for clarification,
Doctor: “who is she please?”
Mr. Jones: “Jake’s mother,” Mrs. Jones couldn’t say a word, she held Jane sobbing.
Doctor: “Oh, “he sighed.
Jane: “where’s Jake now? Someone should talk to me!”
Doctor dragged Mr. Jones to his inner room and they were whispering.
Jane continued quizzing curiously, “talk to me, ma! Okay tell me if he is dead. I won’t be hard on myself I promise. I won’t do anything stupid!” Mrs. Jones shook her head, “see I’ve stopped crying,” quickly wiped her eyes, “but my Jake can’t leave me oo! He can’t die,” she giggled then started sobbing again,
Mrs. Jones: “he isn’t dead,” she managed to say. The doctor and her husband came out with sulking faces,
Jane: “Doc,what is it,please?”
Doctor heaved,
Doctor: “the thing is,ehm, Jake is very ill!”
Jane: “Oh my God!” she placed her hands on the head and started sobbing.
Mr.Jones: “hear the doctor out please!”
She tried catching her breath; doctor rubbed his face with the hands,
Doctor: “he has cancer….Lymphoma!”
Immediately he said that Mrs. Jones and husband burst into tears.
Jane: “what!?” she screamed
Doctor: “we’d do our best by giving him the best care to manage until…”
Jane sat morose; not crying nor saying a word. Everything was blackout to her. The voices of the people around her were distant. The final words the doctor said she couldn’t hear
………
Jerry was at the gate knocking, staggering and whistling. He was high,
Jerry: “Open this damn door!!!”
John was startled by the noise. It was eleven thirty at night. He checked the time and hissed. The knocking continued,
John: “who bi dat fool wey dem come knock by dis kin ungodly hour?”
Jerry staggered back to the car and honked the horn. It was loud that Audu could hear it. He wasn’t fast asleep but he was up browsing and reading ALF Late Night News updates from his favourite blog, Adelove.com. The horn went out again,
Jerry: “open this door before i…” as he was talking he started the car, John was struggling with the door, reversed, charged at the gate, it was half-way opened and he ran in almost knocking John off,
John: “Chineke!” he screamed as fear landed him on his butt, “Devil o!”
The bedlam woke Iya loja up, jumped out of the bed in chagrin. Audu was at the window looking at how Jerry was misbehaving. He had parked the car and opened its doors, from it came loud music. Audu shook his head couldn’t hold his disgruntlement.
Iya Loja joining him at the window,
Iya Loja: “who that?” said in a croaky and a sleepy voice.
Audu shook his head again,
Audu: “who else? If not for your rascal of a son!” he shot, from the window they could see him dancing and singing on top of his voice, “I have enough of this trash!”
Iya Loja: “Wo! My h’enemies is at work ooooo! ah !Jerry!! Jerry!!”
Audu looked at her, irritated, went back to bed, slugged ear pierce into his ears played his favourite Don Williams song. He did that anytime he was vexed but that day it didn’t work for he was worried, very worried.
Audu: “what have I done wrong? Where have I gone wrong as a father,” the worried mind thought.
The music and dancing went on for hours; Iya Loja was sitting at the edge of the bed crying. Audu tried to distract himself. He scanned through different thoughts but none seemed a good distraction. He flashed back, thinking the good s*x of Esther but there was more of whining than the good memories. He wasn’t ready to be more perturbed. Jane, the thought of the young beautiful woman crept up. He smiled to himself. He imagined, her been in his arms. With a son she looked beautiful and more attractive than most beautiful girls even Esther who was gold to him.
Audu: “first thing tomorrow morning. I’d go get her!” he thought. As the thought died down so did the music, the car alarm tweaked. Jerry had shut the doors.
Audu and Iya Loja were about sleeping when they heard footsteps coming. The footsteps were disharmonized. A knock blared; they looked at each other,
Jerry: “Open this door before I break it down!” he hit the door. His parents looked scared, “I said you’ll open this door before I crack some heads! Momma! Poppa! Open this damn door!”
They clung to each other on the bed; there was an instance where he was really intoxicated and he almost threw his mother off the stairs. Chief wasn’t happy when he came back and heard of the incidence, he sent him packing. It took the pleadings and crying of Iya to get him changed his mind.
Jerry went on, “are you deaf or what?” he started sobbing; “nobody loves me. I’m treated like crap in this house. No one loves me! Damn it!” he hit the door and sat at the doorstep, Iya Loja was moved, almost getting off the bed when Audu held her back.
That was where he slept.
…..
Israel and Comfort had recovered very well. It was days after they had been discharged. They were watching a movie when Comfort took the remote and paused,
Israel: “Oh,oh!”
Comfort: “chill, man!” he tickled her to get hold of the remote but she ran. They were both giggling. She came back and sat on him,kissed him for a second and broke away, “In the hospital. I was thinking about us. What if we had died? That would have been it right?so…” she paused,
Israel: “so?” who was a little aroused,
Comfort: “I don’t wanna wait until that night. I want you to have me now!”
Israel: “but we cou…”
She made for his lips and kissed him with fire and passion in her eyes. They both gasped for air but didn’t stop. Israel was mourning. She was in charge, paused and removed her gown revealing just her bra and panties, took off his shirts too, “we can wait!” he said but she wasn’t listening made for his lips again; he caught the fire as his hands played around her every part producing a perfect harmony. They were now au naturel on the bed. It was time to get the job done. He mounted her and sprawled her legs opened. ACTION started!
