DAY TWO
It was about 5;00 AM when I started hearing painful groans from their room, I knew what is was and right away. I left for their room.
“Where exactly is the pain from?”
“From my chest to my neck and up”, She was screaming, I could hear it from behind the door as though I was right beside her. I knocked and Dad opened to me.
“Thank God you’re here She’s been this way for over 2 hours.”
“My goodness! Lets rush down to the hospital immediately”.
Doctor Dennis approached us, We ran to her and Dad curiously asked; “Is she okay?”.
“Mr Akintayo, She just has 6 more days to go and I advice you let her stay here, so that she wouldn’t have to stress herself and go through all those gruesome pains”.
“I get your point ma, but I have to speak with her and Titi”.
“Its okay you could go and meet her in the ward”.
Mum was looking pale and immediately Dad rose the topic she replied him vehemently. “No! I wouldn’t spend my last days in a hospital!” I was happy with that, the fact that they were her last days didn’t mean We had to live in the fullness of its realization, at least for me the sight, smell and being in the hospital would continually remind me that I’m with a to-die Mum, Its just better at home. Dad sighed and said “Titi what do you think?”
“Dad you asked us yesterday at the table if we would love to spend Mums last days mourning her, if we keep her in the hospital we would constantly be reminded of the sad truth and living as family would be more difficult”. Mum smiled “My baby is always on point.” For the first time in 24 hours we all smiled. Dad told Mrs Dennis about our decision although she wasn’t too happy about it. She gave us Mums drugs and told us to allow her rest well and should be always around her. We packed up and drove off.
A thousands thoughts ran through my mind as I sat there beside Mum, the tears came too, I could still not believe my state or fate. How could everything change in just less than 48 hours? As I wondered, the thought came to Me and I could only imagine how things turned over absolutely for Job, I said to myself “if just the alert of Mums demise could be this devastating how could the notice of the sudden and immediate death of 10 children and all life earned wealth feel? I was caught up in Jobs pain that I almost forgot about mine. I jerked out of the thought and went back to my initial ponder, I was in that when I heaved a sigh which startled Mum and made her ask me what I was thinking about.
“Mum I was just wondering if…..” I burst out weeping. “common wondering if what?”
“I was wondering if this was God’s will” She smiled and squeezed my hands gently.
“Sweetie don’t let the condition we are in make you doubt what you’ve known with assuredness all your life. I would answer your question with a question; could anything happen to a child of God, under the will of God, outside the will of God?” I was just weeping and weeping then Dad came in and held the second hand before speaking. “The bible says all things work together for the good of them that love God and are called according to his purpose, my dear don’t be dismayed, Mum chariot of fire is just disguised under breast cancer. Let’s thank God she’s going and her set time found her in God’s purpose.”
I kept on crying, all they were saying was just boosting my weeping morale and my incessant crying compelled Mum to follow suit. Dad had got enough of our weeping and was ready to bring up something else. “so what are you going to have for lunch? So that while you rest Titi and I would go fix the meal”.
“I don’t have appetite”.
“you had better start developing it from now because you have drugs to take and you are sure going to eat my pounded yam.” She smiled.
We were actually preparing the pounded yam, when Dad brought up a topic he had been working on ever before the ugly event showed up. He was about to terminate the beautiful plan but I encouraged him not to, and so we became business partners, the planning committee. Since we were discussing work was faster and soon lunch was ready. We had a wonderful meal that afternoon and Mum was really proud of her hubby.
I was sitting on my bed staring blankly. Mrs Dennis words earlier that day kept ringing in my mind.
“She just has six more days to go”….. and the second day was almost totally finished, is this how it will all come and go? And mum will be no more? I was about to start crying when I heard my phone ring, it was Chinwe my best friend, I picked it.
“Hey baby, how art thou now? Now enjoy house too much forget about GST 101 test tomorrow ooh”. It was true I had an important mid semester test the next day, I was just mute on phone and I could feel a drop on my neck.
“Titi! Titi!! Titi!!! Are you there?’’
“Chinwe! I’m not okay at all, please pray for me.”
“Titi what exactly is going on?” I could hear a tone of trouble from her voice, I didn’t want to destabilize her with the bad news.
“Titi talk to me”.
“Chinwe, I’ld explain well later, but the truth is all is not well here”.
“Titi God would take charge ooh!, so what about the test?”.
“Hmmn… it would not be possible ooh,”.
“Ah! It is well
I hung up, and I overheard Mum and Dad discussing “Uhhm, Dear how do we tell people about this?”.
“Don’t worry about that, all the people that need to be informed would be, I would take control of that, just don’t stress your head, now go back to bed pretty”. I heard chuckles in the usual playful manner.
2017-01-24