room, excitement written all over his face. He just learnt from the gateman that his
'darling' sister's back, they all missed her- gone were the days when they hate having her around.
"Sassy lockie..." he called out again dumping his school back on the centre table.
"Sasha?" his voice turned low as he saw her bag on the floor. He dashed to her room- the door was locked, he ran to cassandra's room,then to his mother's, no sign of Sasha. Was she playing hide and seek? No way! Sasha won't do that.
He walked back to the living room, his eyes scanned the room- the curtains to the dining section wasn't in place
"gotcha!" he said excitedly rushing to the dining section, he looked around;then tiptoed to the kitchen.
"Sash..." he froze at the door eyes popping out.
The sight before him made him scream.
"Sasha..." he whispered covering his mouth.
"what happened to you?" he knelt beside her.
He screamed again at the sight of blood trickling out her mouth.
"What did you do to yourself?" he whispered, shaking her.
"Mummy! Mum...Sasha has killed her self o!" he wailed hugging his unconcious sister.
He turned sharply when he heard something beeped.
He grabbed Sasha's phone
"Hello?" he whispered.
"Hey Sassy...called to tell you I'm com..." Kenny started to say
"it aint Sasha, its Kola."
"Awww...k-boy, what's up where's sassy?"
"Kenny, I'm in trouble, we're in trouble, Sasha is unconcious...If not yet dead." Kola sobbed.
"What?" Kenny screamed from the other end.
The line went dead.
"Sasha, please hold on...." Kola rocked her body, while going through her contacts.
"Hello...Dada mi? Am i dreaming? You're calling my number?" Williams teased.
"Daddy...its Kola, dad...come home..now...i said now! Sasha is...is..."
"Kola? Whats wrong over there?" williams asked.
"Daddy please come now." Kola continued to sob letting the phone drop.
He lifted her face, wiping off the blood from her mouth- he pressed his face against hers, maybe he could resuscitate her.
************
" so Doctor? Is she okay?" Kenny sprang to his feet as a White doctor emerged from the room;where they took Sasha's body to,earlier in a stretcher.
"Ermm...Mr Williams?" Doctor Andrea searched their faces.
"Yes?" Williams rose to his feet.
"I gather she's your daughter?"
"Yes she is! Could you go on please?" Ashley snapped, pushing Kola's sleeping head off her chest, lifting herself from the waiting chair.
"Can I have a word with you- Mr Williams in private please" the doctor ignored her.
"Its confidential..."
"Just say on doctor, we're one family." Williams urged in a weak voice.
"For how long has she been ill?" Andrea asked.
"She didn't show any sign of illness..." Williams replied, glancing at Kenny who nodded.
"Not any atall?"
"just some mild cough and sweaty palms." Kenny replied.
"Okay," the doctor sighed.
"I hate to tell you this...but...the whole thing is complicated, the chances are slim...very slim." Andrea shook his head
"She has what we call..."
"Save the wretched name and tell us what to be done for her to be okay." Kenny stamped his foot, the man was taking all the whole day to talk.
"she's on life support now, if you so will, we'd put her on a 'life flight' to India tomorrow morning." Andrea replied, walking away briskly with kenny Williams following him closely- so they could finish up the discussion.
"and I wonder where the mother disappeared to?" Ashley Complained, punching her phone.
"where on earth are you?" Ashley spoke into her phone angrily.
"at the hospital, Joyce is in labour" barbra replied calmly from the other end.
And your own child is dying-Ashley almost snapped.
"would you come over the general hospital now? There's a serious issue here."
"But I can't leave Joyce like that..."
"Maybe you'd leave her when you hear Sasha's in a coma." Ashley stated wiping away tears.
"which Sasha?" Barbra asked.
"How many Sasha did you give birth to?" Ashley hissed ending the call. Her sister was as irritating as whatsit.
"Is Sasha awake now?" Kola asked rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Ashley simply shook her head.
"But she's going to wake up right?"
"I don't know! Kola leave me!" Ashley snapped walking into the room where her neice lay.
"Sorry..." she whispered to the nurses in the room.
Seeing the tubes and wires going in and out her neice, made her sob uncontrollably. She ran out of the room, into the waiting arms of Williams, she wailed in a loud voice.
"She'll be fine." Williams assured her- atleast after donating one of his kidneys.
Barbra sniffed loudly as her teary eyes scanned Sasha's bedroom. Nothing to indicate a female owns the room, no pink designs, no floral wallpapers; the wall's painted cream, the curtains tom were cream with a few brown dots; then a small table, with neat stack of books and chinese collections. The room looked neat in its own way, just that the owner was absent to add more glamour to it.
Barbra would never forgive herself, what kind of mother was she? Her own daughter? She almost fainted when she learnt Sasha was flown abroad, she wasn't even given a chance to see what her child looks like.
Slowly she buried her face in her palms and her body shook with sobs.
"Iya Kemi, Jide just called that they're fine and also..." Ashley walked into the room, but stoped halfway as she met her sister's sorrowful condition.
"still crying? I've told you all would be well." she felt sorrowful too.
"I know." Barbra pushed her hands away, who was she deceiving.
"wheres Kenny?" she asked. That boy need to explain things to her, how on earth could he not know about her illness all along?
"Need I remind you, that he went with them? Jide went with them too so won't start asking where he is." Ashley frowned, folding her her arms.
"Maybe you should try to be nice! I don't need some mean sister around me." Barbra eyed.
Ashley simply rolled her eyes.
"stop doing that to me! Don't you know how I feel? I know you all are casting blames on me..." she broke into fresh sobs
"Nobody's blaming you, you're the best mother any child can have. C'mon sister mi, I'm sorry okay. But you have to put yourself together." Ashley tried to hold her.
"Fi mi le jor! Wheres Cassie?"
"You asked her to take some food to Joyce!"
"Oh!" Barbra rubbed her aching forehead, while her sister left the room irritated.
She picked a pillow to cuddle it, its softness could heal her heart. Her eyes caught a fancy book beneath the pillow, without a second thought she picked the book.
'SASHA WILLIAMS' was written on the front cover in silver.
"Hmmn" Barbra sighed as she flipped open the pages, it looks more like a slum book.
The writtings looked old, the first page has the handwritting of a little child-it read;
"August-24-2003
Things change in life, your lovers become you haters. Mum doesn't like me no more, she called me stu.pid. I'm scared."
"December-25-2004
Its Christmas day, I am not wearing my new clothes, nobody cares."
"January -9-2005
I have stomach ache, I vomited two times, my leg is shaking. Daddy said I must go to school. I hate dad. I told mum, she patted my head and went off."
"March-1-2005
I am happy, Kenny is in my school now. Thanks to Aunty Ashley."
"June-4-2005
Mum took me to a prophet, they said I am a witch, they want to cut my hair. I am scared"
"December -15-2005
Its my birthday, mummy and daddy forgot, Cassie stole my biro, Kola bite my arm."
"January-1-2006
new year resolution. Not playing with Kola and Cassie anymore, I won't tell mummy any gist, I won't run to welcome daddy anymore, I won't hug Dapo no more, and I still love aunty Kemi and my Kenny"
"April-4-2006
plans working right, I'm now living for myself alone. Everybody sees me as an outcast, who cares?"
Barbra trembled as her fingers flipped the pages open, the writting were getting clearer as it became more structured
"march-12-2009
Daddy sent me packing to Lagos, I hate the Williams"
"July-19-2009
back home now, mum's showing me love, daddy's got a new Missy. I wonder if mum's love is genuine.
"September-6-2009
I'm pains, am I gonna continue like this? Nobody to talk to? My stomach is on fire, God please help me"
Barbra closed the book as tears blurred her vision, she was a 'failure'. She made her own daughter go t through all that, she was the reason behind Sasha's rudeness and illness?
"please my baby forgive me." she whispered as fresh tears flowed from her eyes.
"Mummy! Mum..." Kola ran excitedly into the room with Ashley.
Barbra looked on bemused as they performed some dance steps.
"Sister mi! Ishe toh Oluwa ti she, ko le baje rara! Guess what?" Ashley laughed.
"Joyce gave birth?" Barbra asked unintrested.
"forget that one jor o! Its Sasha! The doctors over there confirmed, she needs no more Kidney transplant o" Ashley shook her sister.
"she's okay now?" Barbra didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"errm....she's still undergoing treatments...she's not yet out of the comatose stuff." Kola sighed.
"hmm...thank God" Barbra wiped her tears.
"Excuse me." she hurried out of the room taking the book with her.
"What's wrong with her?" Ashley asked Kola, who simply shrugged.
"can't wait to have Sasha back home, I'll use all the money in my piggy bank to organise a party for her." Kola said excitedly as he and Ashley shared their joy.
"You should go home now." Jide said slowly, his son'd been staring at Sasha's motionless body for hours without a blink; if his eyes could heal-Sasha should be well.
"which home?" Kenny asked-eyes still fixed on Sasha.
"we should take a cab back to the hotel, you've been here since morning, and its close to 11pm now." Jide replied patting his son- the boy was getting lean by the day, he hardly spoke or smile not to talk of laughing.
"Big daddy isn't here yet." Kenny noted,edging closer to Sasha;like she could stop his father from taking him away.
"He'd be here in a few seconds, Dr Krishna asked to speak with him."
"Dr Krishna.." Kenny echoed. The name reminded him of an Indian movie he and Sasha had seen on cable.
"Lemme say something to her before we leave."
Jide simply sighed, crossing his legs. Watching his son talking to Sasha wasn't a very good sight; as it might force tears down your face.
"Sassy...I believe you can hear me; the 'coma' not withstanding" Kenny began.
"Dr Krishna said; your kidneys are good, but the problem now could be your brain...He said its 'stressed' out. I wish I could share my own brain with you. But still, I believe in God's name, that you'll be fine." he caressed her arm.
"lest I forget, yesterday was my birthday; nobody wished me well...remember our plans? How you promised to buy me something 'special'? Big mummy's been crying, Kola stopped going to school, Big Daddy is so lean...we miss you Sassy. We hope you'll talk to us soon." he concluded steping back.
"she might hear you." Williams said startling him. He had walked into the room to meet Kenny in his 'state'.
"sure" Kenny replied.
"thanks alot...for your support." Williams said to Jide who simply smiled.
"any news?"
"Yea..." Williams avoided their eyes.
"Uhum?"
"he's just saying the chances are getting thinner by the day, he mention something about her nervous system. They might take her off 'life support' soon" Williams said sadly.
"But we aint asking them too." Jide frowned.
"They can't try such! We would hang on for as long as our faith stretches."
"Dad? Did you see that?" Kenny nudged his father bewildered.
"what?" Williams and Jide chorused as Kenny kept pointing at Sasha.
"like... she just tapped her right fingers." Kenny replied with a nod.
"Seriously?" Jided asked with unbelief.
Just then, her eye balls moved though with closed eyelids, she tapped both fingers again.
"Oh my God!" Kenny was gasping.
"Doctor!" the three of them sped to the door.
************
"Sister, you'll have to wait o! This woman's condition is getting worse o" an elderly nurse told Cassandra who was in a hurry to leave the hospital.
"hmm" Cassandra rolled her eyes, who cares?
"the labour is becoming a prolonged one, she's very weak. We might consider 'operation' o" the nurse continued.
"Okay, thanks." Cassandra made to leave.
"You're living just like that?"
"Am I the one who impregnated her? Whats my own there? Ehn? See leave me alone, else I'll unleash my frustration on you o!" Cassandra replied angrily.
"That witch is responsible for what happened to my sister, she...she...made...now my Sister is..." Cassandra sobbed.
Wiping her tears, she stormed out of the hospital. She fought back tears, -just when her family was coming back to its normal stable state...
"God please..." she muttered.
"send me taxi..." she scanned the tarred road.
"Taxi!" she finally flagged one down.
She got in without a word.
"Sisi, where are you going to?" the driver moved the taxi back on the hot-tarred road.
"my fathers house!" she snapped.
"Your father house no get address ?"
"whats your problem now? Don't I know where i'm going? Move this can you call a car jor!" she retorted angrily.
"abeg o! No just put your own wahala for my head o," the taxi driver replied.
"see I don't wanna talk! Puuullease move this thing" she wiped a tear.
"your person no well abi?"
"what kind of raw trouble is this?" Cassandra hissed, she might be forced to strangle somebody.
The taxi driver miraculously kept quite, as he took directions from her.
TBC AT 7:30PM
