Episode 14
TOO HARD TO LET GO.
“What do you mean by me?”. I asked.
“I think you may be the father”. She said.
“How?. Did you not see the test results?, Let me remind you. You were five weeks gone while our wedding was barely three weeks old”. I told her.
“Yes, I remember. But there’s something that happened before our wedding”
“What happened?”. I was being really curious now.
“Before that phone incident, do you remember that night I brought home a bottle of wine?”. She asked.
“Yes, I remember”. I nodded in recollection.
“I spiked your drink that night”. She confessed.
“How?!. I exclaimed.
…. make me understand you”. I added.
“I spiked your drink, and made love to you”. She continued.
“How? why?”. I asked, confused.
“You were starving me with your principle. I couldn’t take it any longer. I had spike your drink so I could have my way with you, without you knowing.”. She confessed.
That’s explained it all. The strange sensation I felt all over my body when I woke up that morning.
I didn’t remember going to bed that night, but I woke up with Lucy, sleeping, soundly beside me.
“That drink is strong oo”. This was the first word that came out of her mouth when I woke her up.
“I don’t remember coming to bed”. I said.
“Same here”. She had replied.
*
“Lucy you’re ev!l. I cursed the day I met you”. I spat, and stood up to leave.
She didn’t say a word again, until I went back to the car.I watched her some times through the glass, before I drove away.
Her confession keeps disturbing me for weeks, I thought of the possiblity of being the father of that baby. But each time such thought came to my mind, I wade it off. This will be followed by a loud sigh.
Even at work, I lack concentration. I opened my office every morning to heaps of files on the table, waiting to be corrected.
“Anything the matter?”. Came Deborah’s voice, when I came home one night, and slumped on the bed, still on my work cloth.
I looked around and saw her standing close to me. I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn’t even notice her enter.
I sat up, and feigned smile.
“Nothing is wrong”. I replied.
“So why do you have tears in your eyes”. She pointed out.
“Do I?. I asked, wiping my face with my palm.
….it has to be sweat”. I lied.
She sat down beside me, and placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Douglas, do you still see me as a stranger?”. She asked.
I held her hand, very tight between my shoulder and my jaw.
“I never see you as a stranger, you’re my God-given wife”. I replied.
She forced her palm out from my shoulder.
“So why do you still keep things from me?”. She asked.
I shook my head.
“No, no, don’t say that, I am not keeping anything from you. Whatever I didn’t tell you, is not worth your time. I’m very hungry now, do you have anything for me?”. I asked, trying to change the topic.
She shook her head, and smiled sadly.
Months later, we were having dinner one night, when Lucy’s call entered my phone. I declined it three consecutive times.
“Why are you not taking the call?”. Deborah asked.
“It’s not important”. I replied.
“Who is it ?”. She asked.
“Someone unimportant”. I replied.
Before I went to bed that night, a message dropped into my coolvalstories phone. I knew it must be from Lucy, so I ignored it, and went off to sleep.
I was at a mechanic workshop, the next morning, trying to fix some minor issues in my car, when I remembered the text the other night.
“Why does she not want to leave my life alone?”. I asked myself, as I unlocked the phone. My heart beat increased when I read through her message๐
‘Douglas, please, don’t say ‘no’ this time, I don’t know what is wrong with my daughter..she is dying’
Since the mechanic has not started working on my car, I got in and drove off, heading straight to Lucy’s apartment. I called her number severally on my way, but it wasn’t connecting.
Lord, please, don’t let anything happen to that child. I was praying in that my heart.
When I got to her apartment, I found the door locked from without.
I knocked at a neighbour’s, and was informed that she rushed out of the compound with her baby that morning.
“I think the child has developed fever, So I guess they have gone to the hospital”. The young woman said.
“Do you know the hospital?”.I asked.
She shook her head.
“Okay. Where is the closest hospital around this area?’. I asked.
She directed me to a clinic instead. And sure enough, Lucy was there, bathing the sick child with her tears.
“Douglas”. She whispered, immediately I entered.
“What is wrong with the baby?”. I asked.
“I don’t know, I don’t know..”. She sobbed.
“How did it start?”. I asked.
” She convulsed two nights ago, then yesterday evening she started started running temperature. I gave her some syrup to calm her temperature, but she started having constant hiccups instead. Look at my baby, she is very weak now”. She cried.
“So what are you doing here?, why did you take her to a hospital?”. I asked.
“There is no money on me”. She lamented.
I quickly drove them down to the hospital, made the necessary deposits, and treatment commenced immediately.
One I arrived home later that day, my mother was sitting in the living room with Deborah.
“Lekwe, Douglas nwam oo”. She exclaimed, excitedly as I entered.
“Mama, when did you come?”. I asked.
“Since afternoon, dear. I have seen the way you’re taking good care of Deborah your, wife. She is getting fat, I’m so happy. Keep it up, my son”. She was saying, holding my hands.
I just smiled, and went inside.
After work every evening, I woud drive down to the hospital to check on them (the baby, precisely), before going home.
As God may have it, she started responding positively to treatment.
“Thank you, thank you”. Lucy would always be chanting.
“I’m doing this for the child. It has nothing to do with you”. I would always respond.
They were discharged, three days later, but before that happened, I planned a secret DNA test with the doctor.
The results came out two days later.
