BABY TUNMISE

Chapter Four

Modupe didn't let it go. "Let's call Alhaja and tell her, abi? Maybe she can come and take this boy to the hospital, since he's not feeling fine."

Bisola spoke up, "I don't think so. There's no need to give the poor woman hypertension, and there's no point of her just coming here for nothing. It's not as if we can open the gate."

"So we should just keep her in the dark?" Modupe asked.

"I really don't want her to worry about us," Bisola answered.

"Hm, okay then."

They all sat in silence, just staring into the distance. The air was too uncomfortable for Dipo. It felt heavy and...damp. He rose up.

"Ah, I'm so tired. This place is stuffy," he said, while everybody looked at him. He walked to the door and opened it, crossing the threshold and going outside. It was the first time he would taste the outside air since yesterday when he received the call. Outside, he felt better. He stood on the tiled pavement outside the building, resting his hands and weight on the silver rail. The sun was overhead in the horizon, shining brightly and casting its rays on the earth warmly. Today could have been a good day. The air there was refreshing, instead of the one inside that had been tainted with the different body odours of the people inside, and sadness. Uncertainty. Mystery.

He looked into the distance, gazing at the buildings that surrounded his. He wondered if they had the slightest idea of what was going on in his own household. Surely, they saw the police when they came.

Outside, life went on. Nothing seemed different or out of place.

Where is my baby?

He still couldn't wrap his head around the whole thing. Was it a mistake for him to have left his wife alone with Hameed? He knew, after all this cleared, if it ever did, his sister would have something to say.

He tried to imagine what could have happened yesterday. Which one of his family members took his baby? Or was it one of the helps. He didn't know when his fists clenched in anger. If he found out it was them...God knew he would have a murder or two on his hands.

And if it was one of his family members...which one of them could it be? What would Bisola, his wife's senior sister want to do with his baby? She was six months pregnant with hers and she had a child already. It couldn't be Tiwa either, she was only a student.

Modupe.

Secretly, Dipo thought of Modupe as barren. She had been trying with her husband for a child all these years, but all their efforts had proved abortive. What if she was the culprit?

Dipo clenched his teeth. This was a new possibility. He decided to inform the police of this and tell them to come and interrogate her.

But his heart ached, for a lot of reasons. He missed his baby...and he hated that he did. He was supposed to be a man. He had to be strong for himself and his wife. Maybe this was preparing him for any worse future crisis.

Still, he needed his baby.

* * *

The next day, Tiwa was in a sour mood throughout. Today was her mathematics paper. It dawned on her that she was literally going to fail and possibly have a carry over, all because a stupid person among them stole her sister's baby. The ridiculousness of it all made her laugh mirthlessly.

Then she figured, if she was going to be made to stay here by force, she would make her stay worthwhile and have some fun. Since everybody doesn't want to have sense.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Mainland, in Magodo, Kola, Modupe's husband was seething.

He ordered his wife to come back home to him yesterday...and she dared to refuse. Modupe had never gone against his will before. Who was giving her liver now?

He looked around the living room where he sat. It was around five thirty and he had just returned from work, with an empty stomach. He didn't know how to cook well and besides...his wife's meals tasted far better than anything he could ever prepare.

She had been gone for three days and the house was now dirty. He couldn't possibly carry a broom and start sweeping when he very well had a wife, could he?

An irresponsible wife.

He decided he would show her pepper when she came back.

* * *

"Come and sweep this place," Bisola ordered Titi, the housemaid. It was around seven in the night. For what felt like the first time, Dipo had taken his wife inside the room. It was only Bisola, her husband, Dami, Titi and Tiwa that were in the living room. The driver was outside with the gate keeper.

The silence was so uncomfortable, as well as deafening. Even the air was getting heavier for her to breathe. She just hoped the police could do their work quickly, find out which of them took the baby, and let this case clear up so she could go back to her house.

Titi, a tall, lean girl nodded at Bisola and walked towards the kitchen, where the brooms were kept.

As she entered the kitchen, she saw the lower door of one of the refrigerators ajar and someone bending inside it. The person rose up and Titi saw Bode opening a bottle of cold water.

"You want to drink from the bottle Mummy and Oga drink from?" She asked.

Bode shrugged, "I'm keeping it for myself."

Titi pressed her lips into a thin line and went behind the door to take a broom. She left Bode the kitchen and went into the living room.

Titi was too shy to tell everybody to stand up and clear the place for her to sweep, so Bisola told them for her.

"Please stand up," she said. "This girl wants to sweep."

They all murmured but got up anyway. Most of them went into the dining room, while others went outside.

Titi started sweeping the room. While she was doing this, she remembered seeing Bode in the kitchen and wondered why a sick person was drinking cold water.