THE LAST GIRL (2)
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A month after the incident, she was pregnant.
The shame, the pain and the fear demoralised her. Two times, Eunice wanted to swallow poison, but Lilla was lucky to rescue her. There was nobody to support them; all they had was the rugged house their parents left behind. But Lilla insisted they keep the pregnancy.
Nine months later, the labour pang came while she was peeling cassava at home. Lilla quickly supported her and they made their way to a local midwife; they didn’t have money for the hospital.
By the following day, she had not given birth, she was tired, and no more strength was in her bones. She started feeling like her body was not hers. They eventually went to the hospital. The nurses were reluctant.
They were talking about a caesarean section. ” Ah, the money! ” Lilla thought.
As fate would have it, she gave birth almost immediately after being put on the bed. But she was too frazzled to live to nurse her baby; she died.
Lilla was left with the baby, Esther.
Lilla had a difficult life as she was responsible for caring for her deceased sister’s baby. But Esther was always falling sick due to that poor environment.
Several months passed and she finally decided to sell the old and worn-down apartment that had been left to her by her parents. With the money she earned from the sale, she made her way to the bustling metropolitan area of the city.
She decided to start a different life different from peeling cassava, it not for anything, sit at she wouldn’t lose the baby.
She got a room in the city. Two weeks later, she started a petty business and lived on.
Life was a bit favourable; everybody called her Mama Esther. She finally got a shop close to her house.
A man came into her life, and Lilla’s story changed. It started one night. Lilla was closing her shop with little Esther holding her bag. A black Corolla stopped, wound down, and a man in his forties begged to get a loaf of bread.
Lilla reluctantly reopened the shop. The man was grateful. He left for his car without getting the change.
It began on a fateful evening. It was dark and Lilla closed up her shop for the day. By her side was little Esther, holding tightly onto her bag. Then a black Corolla car drove and stopped before her shop. The window slowly rolled down, revealing a man in his forties with a desperate look in his eyes. He pleaded to buy a loaf of bread.
Reluctantly, Lilla reopened the shop. As he departed towards his vehicle, he neglected the remaining change.
Lilla gave little Esther the change to give him while she closed the shop, but the man would not collect the change.
It became regular; the man would always come, buy and tell her to keep the change or buy something for Esther once he bought something in the evening.
It appeared like he was a godsend in their lives, and they established a friendship. He was a pastor, a widower, he lost his wife a couple of years back and he had just a son.
After some months, friendship became feelings. Later on, Lilla would follow him to church.
Well, they did a close-door wedding. Not many were invited as Lilla had no close family.
The new family was glorious; everyone was happy. Daddy, as the pastor was called, seemed to like Esther. Daddy’s son liked Esther, too; you would think they were siblings.
But after three years of marriage, they had no children. They were not disturbed. To Lilla, she had a son and a daughter. Daddy had two children too.
They lived, but six years later, Lilla was pregnant too.
On the ninth month, the pangs of labour came on her. It came heavily. The doctor had told her that she would need a caesarean section because she has a small pelvis, but Daddy, her husband, being a man of pastor, would not agree.
Lilla outright rejected this remembering how her sister passed away. But she had no option; Daddy had the final say.
When the pangs of labour came, Daddy drove her to a church midwife. She was there in labour for two days.
On the third day, it was unbearable, and she was eventually taken to the hospital. They didn’t inform the doctor about how she had laboured for two days.
She was booked for a caesarean section, but just before she was wheeled into the theatre for the operation to start, She requested, “Please, I want to see her, Esther.”
Her voice has no bass, it was low and faint.***
Watch out for episode 3
Written by ๐ Tosin Ezekiel
