...the knock she heard came again-a little louder.
Her husband must of gone nuts;if he thinks, he'd have her dish it out again. Can't he get it that she's easily bored by such things?
"Mummy!" Cassandra pushed the door open.
Barbra's eyes snapped open, Cassie? What's wrong?
"Mummy.." Cassandra called again, walking towards the kingsized bed.
"Cassandra Williams! You have no idea what time it is?"
"Erm...uhm..sorry to disturb your sleep..." Cassandra replied looking excited.
"what's that look on your face?" Barbra asked sitting up.
"Mum you won't believe it, the John I told you about is here again o...they've come to take that witch away." her eyes shone with happiness as she spoke.
"You mean Joyce?" Barbra asked observing her closely.
"Yea..." she replied with a short laugh.
" Cassie? Look me in the eyes and tell me you have no hand in this." Barbra's pierced into her daughter, who was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Mum...I'm sorry..."Cassandra avoided her eyes.
"I got John's phone number from Joyce phone...and I called him to..."
"You have no idea what you've done! That man could be a robber or a kidnapper! Joyce told you she doesn't know him...and you still....Cassandra are you this st.upid?" Barbra said in a fierce whisper.
"No..." Cassandra mumbled, she could feel her mother hot breathe on her cheek.
Without a word, Barbra grabbed her night robe, pulling it over her she sauntered out of the room.
"Mum...wait up!" Cassandra ran after her.
"so Joyce, what have you got to say?" Williams asked.
"I don't know what they're talking about, she is my mother-true! But John? No! He's just an ex!" Joyce replied in a firm voice- she's gradually regaining her composure.
"Shup up! silly geh! After John don finish sponsor you for school, your eye don open, you wan con form ingrish abi?" the old woman scolded.
"Mama, as you can see, I'm pregnant for this other man o" Joyce replied.
"Which pregnancy? That pikin belongs to me!" John slammed his hands on his laps.
"Joyce, for the last time! Who owns that baby?" Willaims asked impatiently
"its you."
"Joy! Before I close my eye and open again, go bring your bag let us waka." the old woman yelled in her shrill voice.
"She's not going anywhere."
all eyes turned, to behold Barbra who must been standing below the stairs for so long.
"she's is not a child, she knows who owns her pregnancy." Barbra noted walking towards an empty sofa.
Joyce sighed, she couldn't be more grateful, who said God isn't on her side?
"who be this woman?" The old woman asked.
"My wife!" williams replied.
"oh, so you even get wife? Shameless man! You marry this kain fine woman, you come dey follow this mumu Joy up and down? Na God go judge you." The old woman cursed.
"I won't have you insult my husband!" Barbra snapped- she wasn't sure she's doing the right thing, but this is her husband they're talking about, his unborn child.
"ohooo! No wonder! So na you mumu pass? Joy jazz you abi? Or you self na like that you take come this house? I no blame you, no be yoruba you be? For our place we dey marry o, Joy get husband, and na her husband be this John wey you dey see so."
"Confirm!" John nodded beating his chest.
"With due respect..." Williams cleared his throat, he's grateful having a wife that understands.
"With due respect, this should be the last time you- Mr John or what ever you call yourself, would come to my own house to cause trouble!" Barbra took over.
"If you have any scores to settle with Joyce, let it be outside my home please." Barbra continued to sound her warning.
"Joyce isn't a child, as I said earlier. She knows the father of her child! Besides we're still gonna test the paternity of the child." she added.
Cassandra pinched her mother, whatever was wrong with her.
Barbra threw her an angry look, before turning to the suprised Joyce.
"Get these people outta my house this minute!" she gave her order, before going back to her room.
Cassandra shook her head in disbelief as she watched her mother mount the stairs, something just wasn't right. She'd call Aunty Ashley right away, her mother's about losing her mind.
Sasha caressed her flat stomach soothingly, if not for anything to appease the 'witches an wizards' feasting on her stomach wall. She rolled her eyes as she heard Kemi laughing across the room, as usual everybody's chit-chatting and laughing their 'hearts' out, all she could do was manage a smile.
That wasn't hunger or menstrual pain or anything related to it, the pain she's feeling is one she's become so used to-that its become part and parcel of her. It came once or twice every month and stays on for few hours each time it 'visited' . At such times, she would remain mute, cos if she dared talk too much; she'd end up coughing out her internal organs.
Its been like that all her life, no one knew about it not even Kenny or her parents, she was good at keeping such secrets- if not for anything but for fear of hospital and its 'applications'. If her family were good observers, they'd have known, because of how sweaty she becomes and how she trembled each time she tried to talk.
"Sassy what's up nah? You've been staring at the ceiling since, or are you missing Joyce already?" Kenny asked with a half smile.
Sasha simply smiled and lowered her eyes.
"don't worry o, we'll be going back home tomorrow, sho gbo?" Ashley joined the joke.
"ehn, she can go. atleast Kenny promised to stay back." Kemi teased
"that's good to know." Sasha croaked wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt, before proceeding to flick away some sweat trickling down her face.
"awww...she've got a frog in her throat." Tunji laughed.
"and don't tell me you're sweating in an 'air-conditioned' room o" he added.
"lockie...you're alright?" Kenny asked looking concerned as Sasha rose to her feet.
"I have a cough." Sasha croaked, walking steadily to the hall way.
"Cough? How comes?" Kenny followed her.
"Better follow your wife and beg her not to fall sick o." Tunji called after them.
Kenny leaned against the wall, hand folded across his chest, as he watched his best friend and 'sister'; lay on her stomach, eyes shut and lips pursed. All wasn't well, he knew that. This wasn't the first time he's seeing her do that, maybe it's one of her numerous 'attitudes'.
"You're gonna tell me what's up now." he stated.
"Kenny, leave me. I'm just fine" she whispered.
"No way!" he shook his head.
"What kinda attitude are you putting up? This isn't the first time you're doing this, each time you just go on saying you have a cough? What sort of cough is it that come up more than twelve times a year?"
Sasha continued in her position, he should bring the whole building down if he could, he isn't going to get her tell it out.
"Com'n Sassy...its me Kenny, when did we start having secrets we keep from each other?" Kenny asked in a low voice.
"I'm fine!" she snapped.
"But..." Kenny stopped halfway, when he saw her sped towards the toilet.
"Sassy?" he followed her in.
There she was clutching onto her stomach whilst coughing continuously.
"Sorry..." he patted her back till she stopped coughing.
Sasha sighed, as she walked out of the toilet, she felt some kind of relief sweep over her; the pains died away, even her seat palms became void of moisture.
That was it! She mused, she should be expecting it after some weeks again.
"you need some tablets for cold." Kenny noted sitting beside her.
"Yea doc." Sasha smiled, her voice back to normal, the croaky sound gone.
"thank me later." he winked.
"I told I was fine, you didn't believe me."
"Why should I? When you're just sweating like what I don't know." Kenny mused.
"Sasha! Kenny! Come over here, a chinese movie is on!" Tunji's voice rang in from the living room.
"Yea baby...its my kung fu! Wu cha!" Sasha said excitedly hopping out of the room.
Kenny kept staring at the doorway, mouth opened. That surely wasn't the girl he saw wrigling like an earthworm few minutes ago. There's more to all that drama, something Sasha had never told him about. But why would she keep anything that strange from him?
"Kenny! Come and see...its Jackie chan starring Jet Li o!" Sasha called out excitedly.
Shaking his head from side to side, he dragged his feet to the living room. She's a strange being he concluded.
*********
Gasping for air; Joyce struggled back to reality from her Dreamland.
"It was a dream..." she continued to pant heavily.
Yet another evil dream? For weeks she'd dread 'sleeping'. It's always two monsters chasing after her, all trying to snuff life out of her.
"who did I offend nah?" she looked around confused.
Its either someone's taken her name to a herbalist or witches are fighting against her- she mused. Managing to sit up amidst pains, she let her eyes travel round the room.
Different sets of baby things hung in different sections, she've spent alot on her unborn child- courtesy Williams. Her unborn child? She caressed her stomach. The child was due delivery, but whatever is stopping it from coming...almost two weeks gone past the normal nine months.
Some people are surely behind her 'condition', - she sighed.
She'd go see a doctor, even if it means her having 'knives' on her, she wants that baby out...she couldn't continue in pains- She thought as she struggled to her feet.
Who knows, maybe the child was scared of coming into a world where he or she won't be valued?
She sighed again, bending to pick the night cap that fell off her head. Just then, she felt the pain she've been expecting for days, her water broke.
.....................
Barbra was laughing heartily with her daughter Cassandra, as she chattered like a programmed machine, telling her all sort of jokes; when she heard someone scream.
"Did you hear that?" she asked
"yea..." Cassandra stopped laughing.
The scream came again, startling them.
"mum its in this house." Cassandra jumped looking frightened.
"ah ahn! Whats happening?" Barbra rose to her feet.
"Where's Joyce?"
"Dunno...should be in her room." Cassandra shrugged.
"Somebody help!" Joyce wailed
"oh my God!" Barbra rushed towards the room.
Cassandra took a step but stood back, who was she going to help? Definitely not Joyce.
"Cassie...get me my car keys, we're going to the hospital..." Barbra rushed out of the room carrying a baby basket.
"why?"
"I said ...my car keys! Joyce is in Labour."
"joyce is in labour? So what?" Cassandra eyed her mother.
"Cassie, if truly I gave birth to you, get my keys from the dresser upstairs." Barbra snarled before dashing back to Joyce.
"lord have mercy on my mother!" Cassandra mumbled agrily as she went to get the keys.
"mum...like seriously? This woman hypnotised you or what?" Cassandra asked in disbelief as she watched her mother help the wailing Joyce out of the house.
"shut your big mouth! Bring that basket along!" Barbra shouted at her daughter who picked up the basket grumbling.
***********
"Sassy...see you later in the evening." Kenny waved, as Sasha walked towards her home, waving back at them as the Cab sped away.
"Mallam, good af'noon." Sasha greeted the gateman who seemed pleased to see her.
"small madam! I welcome o." the gateman tried to collect her bag.
"no...nevermind thanks." she smiled
"mum's home?"
"No everybody I don comot."
"Even Cassie?" she asked.
"everybody! Cassie I comot na for madam motor."
"okay thanks." Sasha replied- disappointed.
Nobody's home to welcome her from the 'journey', not even a welcome hug for doing so well in her post-utme.- she sulked kicking the footmat. Picking the keys, she opened the door...even Joyce wasn't home? She hissed.
"Thank God o, for a wonderful journey. Welcome back to your father's house." she welcomed her self, throwing her bag to the floor. Walking briskly to the kitchen, she began to outline what and what she'd eat.
"To start with.." she smiled opening the fridge. She grabbed a bottle of water and started to gulp it down. Her eyes caught something on the burner.
"Chicken stew?" her eyes shone, as grabbed a plate and started offloading the chicken.
"Ope o! God said I shouldn't die of hunger." she sang happily.
She lifted a chicken lap to her lips, her hands froze, her lips chattered.
Those demons in her stomach were at it again- she mused washing her rembling hands.
She wiped the sweat already trickling down her face, her legs trembled under her weight.
"Not again." she croaked, as she layed down on the tiled Kitchen floor.
Her head felt turgid, she could smell blood, she swallowed hard to prevent it from coming up her throat.
Her teeth continued to chatter as her wet palms caressed her stomach.
"Ease up...pleeease" she croaked.
She felt a movement in her chest, it was coming up faster than she could control...she vomited blood.
She cringed at the sight of her own blood. She struggled to a kneeling position, her body continued to tremble.
"kenny..." was all she could mutter , and everything blacked out.
TBC AT 3PM
