It all began in 2020

CHAPTER SEVEN🚑

CHAPTER SEVEN🚑

ROMOKE

I woke up to no one by my side. I wasn't okay with it, but I knew I couldn't drag an 87KG man on the floor, just so he could sleep beside me and I would wake up to him all dressed up, ready for work, telling me good morning with that beautiful smile of his. Anyway, I got up from the bed and got dressed for the morning. Deborah and I had planned to meet together the previous night and I was more than excited to see her. She and her husband came from Lagos for a friend's wedding ceremony in Abuja, and we decided to cash in on the opportunity.

I washed my hair, took my bath, trimmed my nails, shaved my legs. It had been long since I properly took care of myself and I didn't want Deborah throwing questions my way about my appearance. I dressed up, picked up my bag and took out my phone from my drawer. When I got to the living room, my husband was still stretched across the couch. Guess he had too much to drink then, I still planned on questioning him about it though.

I also went to check my children's rooms and also to my surprise, Tunde was still in bed. I went to meet and bent down, tapping him as he stirred awake. "What are you doing still in bed?" I asked him. He told me that he wasn't feeling too good and would love to take the day off. I placed the back of my palm on his forehead to check his temperature, but he was perfectly fine.

"You seem perfectly fine dear." I commented.

He let out a cough that I knew was fake, but remembering how we came into the house yesterday, I decided to leave him be. A day out of school couldn't hurt. Right? Besides, they just resumed schools like last week, definitely, they weren't learning anything important just yet. I patted him and placed a gentle peck on his cheek, then told him to get well soon. Of course I knew he was well, but I didn't want him to know that. I did my last check which was in Aanu's room and she wasn't there. She was always the good one anyway.

Everywhere and everything was perfectly fine, and so I stepped out of the house and gave Deborah a call. I actually planned on flashing her, but unfortunately, she picked up the phone before I could hang up. We exchanged some hellos and then my airtime got finished. I waited for her to call me back, and she did.

We greeted each other and reminded ourselves how much we missed each other. She told me she was itching to hug me and tell me everything that went down with her in-laws while she was in Lagos. Deborah was one heck of a chatterbox and as unusual as it may seem, that was what I loved the most about her. She told me that she was lodged in Ibeto Hotels in Apo with her husband. Seeing it wasn't too far from my house in Wuse II, I decided to order an uber. At least, my best friend can't know that I still carry kabu kabu to run my errands.

It took some time for my ride to finally arrive, and when it did, I got in. The driver was really friendly and a very open minded. He told me he had a daughter in the university, his only child to be precise. With the way he talked about her, I could see they were fond of each other. If only Aanu were like that. We continued our conversation until unfortunately, it had to come to an end. The man dropped me off at the hotel and there, at the front gates, was Deborah who was waiting patiently for me. Now imagine I came in a cab, what would she have thought?

She ran to hug me and I returned the gesture. She took me by my arm and she started telling everything about how the wedding was stressful and how she couldn't wait to return to Lagos and all that. We finally arrived at a bar sort of place that was situated next to a pool. She also told me that her husband was away with some friends and so we had the luxury to do whatever we willed.

She sat me down and told me about how her mother in law has been threatening her with divorce papers, saying she must have a child and all that. Being the optimist I was, I told Deborah that there was still hope, but even deep within me, I thought it was impossible. I advised her to have a surrogate mother and she started preaching to me about how her husband couldn't sleep with anyone else and all that. Sure I knew there was a much scientific way that would please both parties, I knew that my Deborah would have no interest in my lectures.

We ordered ourselves some bowls of pepper soup with a bottle of juice. We talked and talked and we laughed and laughed. Saying we missed each other was an understatement. It was a very eventful experience and we had to call it a day. She decided to see me off and even help me with my next uber payments. I thanked her and we walked back to the front gate I came in from. Everything was good, that was until I received a very sharp pain in my chest and I found it almost difficult to breathe.

I held my chest in pain, and Deborah, with her confused look, didn't know what to do. My chest seemed to be getting tighter and tighter and my breaths became more difficult than the last. In all honesty, I have had slightly similar experiences before, some little contractions in my chest and a quick sharp pain and that was it. But that day, it was different, it was much worse. The previous incidents weren't as frequent and came around like once in a month or so, hence I paid it no attention, thinking it was one of the things that came with old age or menopause even.

I continued holding my chest, heaving like my life depended on it. Amazingly, the security men around saw me in distress and they came to meet me. They saw I was in trouble and Deborah called an ambulance. Knowing the poor conditions of the Nigerian emergency system, one of the security men told her to forget about the ambulance and that was when Deborah hailed a cab and the security men gently placed me inside. We finally got to a hospital and I was rushed into the emergency ward.

So many things were happening quite fast and as they put me on a stretcher and rushed away, I kept on asking myself if that was how I would die.