CHAPTER 25


    What?!” bimbo roared.


    “You can’t be serious” Florence’s face was as pale as sheet.


    Nurse Chinwe blew out her bubble gum, making a pop sounds as she scribbled something on arge


    hospital book, looking totally unconcerned. “Well, I am very serious, madam” she said nonchntly.


    “Well, it can’t be. Doctor Johnson can’t be on a trip; the doctor himself told us toe today” bimbo


    barked as his eyes shed in rage. He fisted his palms by his side, hoping he wouldn’t fly into pieces


    from excessive anger.


    Nurse Chinwe raised her eyes slowly from the journal in front of her, looking up bimbo with an irritated


    look on her face. “See mr man,e and be going. Ahan, what is it? I told you the doctor has travelled,


    what do you want me to do?” She hissed.


    Florence’s eyes watered as she hopped nervously. She nced back at IK who was seated on one of


    the hospital benches, then looked back at the nurse with a pleading look. “But… but my son is very ill…


    he grows weaker every minute. He needs to be treated, nurse, please”


    Nurse Chinwe red at bimbo for a prolonged moment, then nced at Florence before resuming


    chewing her bubble gum. “We have some student doctors in the hospital”


    “What? I am not putting my son’s life in the hands of some quack untrained doctors who don’t even


    know the definition of mria” bimbo raved, his voice rang out, attracting stares from some people in


    the hospital.


    “bimbo…”


    “Bia take yourself and your son’s life out of here, before I throw you out; ogini?” Nurse Chinwe red


    up.


    “Oh no, please…” Florence pulled a raving bimbo aside, casting a worried nce at the nurse and


    another nce at IK. He was now lying on the bench, not looking good at all.


    bimbo was beside himself with rage. “How can people be so heartless?” he stared at Florence, not


    really seeing her. “that doctor told us toe today knowing fully well that he would be travelling… So


    callous”


    Florence pulled closer to bimbo, lowering her voice as she spoke. “You have to calm down bimbo, you


    can’t consistently lose your temper like this, IK’s best interest is at stake here”


    bimbo shifted ufortably. “What do we do, then? You don’t expect me to leave IK here, in the hands


    of God knows who, do you? And just look at that nurse. She’s the same as the other heartless nurses


    in this hospital”


    “But what other choice do we have? We have to. And no, we are not leaving him in their hands, we are


    leaving him in God’s hands. It is not up to them to heal IK, it is up to God.” Florence ced her palm


    gently on his chest. “Please bimbo, we can’t afford to be destabilized now. We have to remain calm for


    IK’s sake. He is feeling really bad that he is putting us through so much struggles, we need to hide our


    anxiety from him, bimbo.”


    bimbo swallowed and nodded.


    Florence smiled faintly. “Everything would be fine, bimbo, we just have to keep our faith strong.”


    Florence was right, of course. He was allowing the tension to get to him, especially considering the fact


    that he had just put his three children in the care of his pastor friend. He knew Pastor Peter well


    enough, but then, one could never really know someone, right? Frustration ate away at bimbo’s


    insides. He hated being unable to do anything about this terribly unpleasant situation. If only he had


    money enough to take IK to a standard private hospital… But no, this was all he could afford, or try to


    afford. Even the expenses in this government hospital seemed like an uphill task for him. But he would


    make things work; he had to make things work for IK, for his family, for everyone.


    bimbo turned towards the nurse busy chewing gum at the reception desk and felt extreme anger at his


    own helplessness. ‘Give me the strength, oh God’


    *****


    Selena’s eyes slowly pushed open. It was just the crack of dawn. Why was her bed so hard and


    unfamiliar against her skin? She wondered. Her head pounded slightly as her eyes roamed the room in


    the shifting darkness. Amanda and Solomony asleep on a mat on the floor. Selena didn’t remember


    ever seeing a mat in their house. The room was very unfamiliar; and why? why didn’t her mum wake


    her up for school?


    Selena frowned, several questions ran through her mind within splits of seconds, then the reality of the


    past day dawned on her. Selena blinked, remembering all that happened the previous day. They were


    not in their house anymore. Her parents were gone; she wouldn’t be seeing IK anytime soon… She


    sighed andy back on the bed. She felt sick. Selena ate next to nothing the previous day, Amanda


    and Solomon were not any better. Since Mr Simon’ two children were off to boarding school, Selena


    and her siblings were the only children in the house. Selena couldn’t help but think they would have


    been better with Aunty Naomi. She was like a second mother to them and surely, Amanda and


    Solomon would have been much livelier with her than they were here. The previous night, they had


    been as quiet as a mule. Selena didn’t know till now just how much she depended on their yful


    chatter; it went a long way in diffusing the tension. But then, Selena wasn’t sure anything could diffuse


    the tension she was feeling.


    Steps drew closer to the door. Selena raised her eyes to the door as it creaked open.


    Mrs Simon entered and frowned at the sleeping children till her eyesnded on Selena. “Selena dear”


    she called.


    Selena stood from the bed and knelt. “Good morning ma” she greeted.


    “Why are you still in bed?” Despite her soft tone, her face looked displeased. “Don’t you do morning


    chores in your house?”


    Selena blinked. At home, IK mostly did all that needed to be done while they prepared for school; she


    couldn’t say that now, could she? “Yes ma” she answered shortly.


    “Good. Now, go and wash the dishes in the kitchen, and be fast so you can prepare for school”. She


    turned to leave, then nced at Amanda and Solomon who were still fast asleep. “Amanda is not too


    small to sweep, is she?”


    Selena frowned. “Dust affects her”


    Mrs Simon was about to say something then decided against it. She opened the door and walked out.


    Selena released a relieved breath and sat at the edge of the bed for a few seconds. So much had


    changed within so short a time and she was having trouble wrapping her young mind around the


    spinning ball of change.


    With sheer will and determination, she stood up and pushed her small feet into her rubber slippers. It


    wouldn’t do to have Mrs Simone back to meet her on bed now, would it? A smallmp lit the sitting


    room, driving away the darkness. She lifted it, taking it with her to the kitchen.


    tes fromst night sat in the sink, together with three pots. Selena scanned round until her eyes


    She smiled when she thought of what IK would say if he saw her now. He always teased her whenever


    she climbed a stool to do the dishes at home. Her smile wiped off. IK wasn’t there and he wouldn’t be


    there for several days, she would have to get used to it.


    Selena always sang happily while doing the dishes, but not now. For the first time, Selena stacked the


    tes inplete silence.


    *****


    The foul stench of hospital woke IK from his dreamless sleep. His eyes popped open and everything


    swam as a wave of dizziness engulfed him. He blinked severally until his eyes settled fully on the dirty


    white ceiling overhead. The hospital smell grew stronger with everyboured breathing he took. It was


    a direct contrast to the nice and homey smell of their home. IK wondered if he would get used to it;


    wondered if he would get used to the smell of drugs, of blood, of everything thatbined to give


    hospitals that awkward sickening smell. He missed home… He missed the softness of his bed against


    his back.


    IK felt someone beside him and saw his mother beside him. She sat on a chair beside him and her


    head was on the bed beside him as she slept off. Tears burned at the back of his eyes and he couldn’t


    stop them from rolling down his cheeks. Thest thing he ever wanted was to put his mother through


    so much pain and struggles. IK didn’t see his father anywhere around but he knew undoubtedly that his


    father must be going through so much in trying to see that he was okay. Why was he the source of


    some much pain and turmoil? His siblings were gravely unhappy and it was entirely his fault. IK could


    not wipe away their sad faces from his head. He didn’t want to think of the tears he saw in Selena’s


    eyes the previous day. The tears that she had fought so hard to keep at bay.


    He swallowed as he raised his hand weakly. He lightly brushed off the hair that fell over his mother’s


    face, the way he had seen his father do so many times. Worry lines etched Florence’s face even in her


    sleep, making IK feel even guiltier.


    Florence felt the hand on her face and opened her eyes. IK’s face came to view and she jumped up,


    snapping out of her slumber.


    “IK?” she said in rm. “Why are you crying? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she stuttered, hoping at


    IK’s tears with shaky fingers.


    IK nodded then shook his head. “I’m sorry, mum” he muttered as his eyes teared up again.


    “Sorry? Sorry for what?” Florence muttered in confusion and worry.


    “I caused all this? Everybody is worried about me… Everyone is suffering because of me… I..”


    “Stop it, IK” Florence rebuked softly, sitting beside IK, on the bed. “Don’t ever me yourself for


    anything, do you hear me?” she wiped at IK’s face.


    “But mummy…”


    “But nothing. I don’t want to hear you saying it even thinking it, do you hear me? You did not bring this


    sickness upon yourself and I won’t have you ming yourself, do you hear me?” Florence’s voice


    shook.


    IK blinked and nodded stiffly. Florence bent and kissed his forehead. “Thank you, mummy” IK muttered.


    “Thank you for taking care of me”


    Florence blinked back tears as she smiled. “Just be fine for me, okay? Be fine for all of us”


    IK nodded. “Where is daddy?”


    “He went to get… something. He’ll be back soon” Florence answered.


    *****


    Jamal smiled at himself as he sat behind the desk at Adona Properties. He hadn’t been this happy in a


    while. Truly one man’s misfortune is another man’s fortune. He felt so sorry for his cousin; IK was such


    a sweet boy and an exceptional drummer even at his age, he couldn’t imagine anything bad happening


    to him. But boy! Doesn’t it just feel so good to sit in an office for the very first time? Though the office


    was bimbos, Jamal felt a sense of entitlement as he sat facing therge table filled with documents.


    The ss sliding door provided a good view of the road. Till now, Jamal didn’t realise just how good the


    office was. Jamal rxed his back against the backrest of the wooden chair and breathed a sigh of


    contentment.


    It had been years since he had been searching for a decent job for himself with his Secondary School


    Certificate but it had all been fruitless. The struggle had multiplied when he impregnated his girlfriend


    over two years ago and had to marry her. He barely had enough to feed himself, his wife and their two


    years old baby girl; it could only get worse now that his wife was already three months pregnant for


    their second child.


    Though Jamal had told bimbo that he wouldn’t take any share from whatever he made, Jamal knew


    that he wasn’t going to pull through with that. He was in charge of this office now and he intended to


    make something for himself in the process.


    Someone approached the office and Jamal adjusted himself on the chair. A couple entered into the


    office and Jamal smiled at them.


    “Good morning” he greeted.


    The man looked at him cautiously as he and his wife responded to his greeting. “Are you Jamal Uba?”


    “That’s me. You can have your seat.” he gestured to the chairs in front and watched as the couple sat.


    “What can I do for you, sir?”


    “Well, I’m Mr Ish. Pastor told me that he won’t be in the office for some time but I would meet you


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    here” Mr Ish exined.


    Jamal smiled. “That’s correct. I’m in charge of the office in his stead, is there anything you need?”


    “Actually, he was working on a particr apartment for me, but I want to take my wife there to be sure


    she likes it before we pay.”


    Pay! The word rang in Jamal’s ears as he thought of what it would feel like to have real money in his


    hand. Not even a day yet and he already had a client! God is good. Jamal blinked and nodded


    suddenly as he remembered something. “Yes… yes, he told me about you. It’s the apartment at Ilupeju


    bus stop right?”


    Mr Ish smiled, visibly rxing. “It is”.


    “Okay, are you ready to see it now?” he looked from Mr Ish to his wife who had been watching them


    mutely.


    “Yes, of course.”


    Jamal nodded, opened the drawer and pulled out the keys to the apartment. It was the only building


    bimbo was fully managing, so he had the keys with him to show potential tenants. Jamal stood and


    walked around the table. “Shall we go?”


    The couple stood up and walked ahead as Jamal followed closely behind with a big smile on his


    face.