RED FLAGS
EPISODE 11
I woke up confused and disoriented. Looking around the large room, I found myself lying in bed. I got the strong smell of medicine and I knew at once that I was in the hospital. I looked beside me and saw Gabriel holding my hand asleep beside me on the chair he sat on. I hissed quietly at him before I yanked my hand off him making him awake. He quickly stands on his feet and touched my forehead asking me ‘ if am okay, if am this and that ‘ like as if we didn’t just have a fight earlier that landed me on the hospital bed. I was getting tired of his pretense like nothing happened because if anybody were to comes in and see him doing like the caring husband, they would have thought he can never raise his hands to beat me talkless of shoving me off.
I yanked his hand off my forehead as I sit upright on the bed and said:” Enough of the pretense Gabriel, your colleagues are not here yet and I hope you didn’t inject me with benzodiazepines(Injection to forget an actual memory) because I can remember everything that happened between us vividly ” I told him with a disgusting look.
He quickly went on his knees in front of me and held my hands making me look more confused. I was about to talk when he interrupt me and said:” I am so sorry for all the stupid things I have said and done, please find it in your heart to forgive me, Anisha. I didn’t know what came over me to sprout out that rubbish. I am so sorry baby and I promise it will never repeat itself not when we are having our child ” He told me and I asked him to repeat his last statement.
” We are having a baby Anisha, you are four weeks gone ” he replied me back and we both burst into tears at the same time with different thought going through our minds.
Joy overwhelmed me when I realized I am going to be a mother too. ” I have been waiting for you for a very long time and Mummy can’t wait to hold you in her arms, ” I tell my unborn child as I touched my stomach and rub it gently as tears spilled down my face. Gabriel and I later reconciled before we left the hospital and everything went back to normal. Since that moment, Gabriel has been nothing but patient, accommodating, empathetic, and helpful. He made sure I never lacked anything, he remained at the ready for those midnight cravings, to offer me a back or foot rub. My mum and Gabriel’s mother were very happy when we break the news to them.
I was overpampered by Gabriel, my mum, and mother law like I was the first woman to ever got pregnant. Gabriel wanted me to stop working but I told him I can’t just sit down at home doing nothing and I was just two months gone. We had an argument about it for days before he later gives up but promises to be the one to drive me to work and pick me from work everyday and I had no choice but to agree .
I never had any morning sickness during my pregnancy, I only gained weight, my b****t was fuller and I eat a lot. You will never know I am pregnant unless I told you because I had a flat baby bump. It was only Bimpe and my CEO that knew I was pregnant at work and they were so happy the day I break the news to them but I told them to please keep it private till I give birth and they respect my decision.
When I was five months gone, I started having this nightmare where I was been chased by a scary dog in a thick Forest. I would run and run screaming for help till it catches up with me and bit me then turns into a human but I could not see the person’s face. The most terrifying of it all is that I always had a mark on my body when I wake in the exact place the dog bite me. I started losing weight gradually that I am always scared of closing my eyes talkless about sleeping because anytime I tried to dose off, I entered into that nightmare and get bitten by the dog . I have talked to my mom and husband about it but they thought I was just having a pregnancy fever so they never take it seriously. I was having high blood pressure already but when I complained to my doctor, he said It’s normal to have trouble sleeping at any point during pregnancy, that many expectant women experience insomnia starting in the second to third trimesters. He gave me some drugs and told me not to worry about it that it’s going to stop with time.
I dread nighttime because I would make sure I open my eyes throughout the night while my husband was sleeping soundly beside me. I have prayed and prayed but I kept having that same nightmare anytime I sleep or mistakenly doze off. I could not wear any revealing clothes anymore because of the marks inflicted on my body by the dog. I never knew Bimpe have been watching me at work all this while not until she confronted me and said:” Anisha, you look pale this past month I hope no problem? because you have been very distant and you have lost a lot of weight. What’s happening? Is it the pregnancy?” She asked me with concern.
I decided to tell her the nightmare I was having every night maybe she will believe me since my mom and husband were thinking it was just a baby fever. I explained how I constantly had the dream of a dog chasing me to Bimpe and showed her the marks on my body. Bimpe opened her mouth in agape after I was done explaining to her and showing her my body.
“Anisha, why did you have to keep this kind of thing to yourself? Don’t you know this is spiritual and if care is not taken you might die ” She told me angrily?
” What should I do Bimpe? When the mother that gave birth to me doesn’t believe me anytime I tell about the nightmare and my husband thought I was just been paranoid ” I replied her trying to control my tears.
” I am taking you to my pastor right now so he can pray for you, ” Bimpe told me, and we both head downstairs to her car after taking permission from our CEO that I need to get to the hospital and Bimpe offered to drive me since I am so weak and he permitted us immediately.
We headed to the pastor’s place and it doesn’t take us up to fifteen minutes before we got to his place. Bimpe parked the car in the compound premises and we both alighted and head to the door entrance. Bimpe knocked on the door and it was opened by the pastor. She and the pastor exchanged pleasantries before he allows us in after he greeted me briefly. We sat down on the two cushion chair while the pastor sat on the one-seater cushion opposite us.
Bimpe told the pastor about my predicament after introducing me to him as her best friend. The pastor told me to kneel as he prayed for me. After he finished praying for me, he told me to have my sit and said: “Madam, you should be very thankful to God because he loves you so much. You should have been dead four years ago but God protected you and kept you alive with his power. I won’t say much for now but if you still love your life and wish to still be alive, I will advise you to leave your marriage immediately because the nightmare you are having is just a little out of the things that will happen to you”.
” Sir, as you can see I am carrying my husband’s child and how do I tell him am not marrying him again without no reason,” I asked the pastor with concern.
The pastor shook his head pitifully at me and said:” Obedience is better than sacrifice and the husband you are talking about ” do you even prayed about him to know if he is truly your husband? ” The pastor asked me and I had no reply to give him about it.
“Madam, I will advise you to leave your marriage immediately if you still love your life because what am seeing is not good at all,” The pastor told me and excused himself inside leaving me and Bimpe in his living room. I looked at Bimpe after the pastor was out of our sight and I guess she too doesn’t know what to say because she was just staring at me.
“God, What should I do? ” I asked myself because I was confused right now. I think of how people will mock me and my mother when they come to know I have divorced my husband saying they knew I can’t last long in my marriage since my mother is a single mother too. Is this a curse or something? Because am I not about to be a single mother like my mom? I asked no one in particular as tears streamed down my face. If the pastor even tells me the reason why I should leave my matrimonial home, I would have been happy to at least know the reason but he just kept saying if I still love my life I should leave. Why didn’t I see someone to tell me this before I got pregnant at least I would know I didn’t end up being a single mother like my mom.
“God, why me of all people ?”
