MY HUSBAND AND I (Part 16)

Lara wiped a sweat off her forehead as she pushed a trolley round the
mall. She was shopping alone against Tony’s wish, he always wanted
them going out together.
He becoming a super glue! She thought. She just doesn’t want some
Adam generation hovering over.
“Nice” she said aloud as she examined a baby feeding bottle.
She threw it into the trolley,that was the tenth feeding bottle she’s
buying. Money isn’t a problem like Tony said, their baby deserves
everything in the world.
“What’s this used for please?” she asked a woman close to her.
“Ooh! Its just like a box, you can keep your baby’s feeding items in
it.” the woman explained with a smile.
“Thanks” Lara smile back throwing it into her trolley again.
She made sure the trolley was full before heading to the cashiers
desk, the security men helped take the goods to the waiting car.
She felt hungry, luckily there was a restaurant in the mall. She
excused herself from the driver, before hurrying to grab a bite.
She chewed her food slowly, till something caught her attention.
A dark woman in a blond wig!
She smiled quietly, why can’t black people understand that those
wigs made them look like black mermaids! She thought.
The woman rose from her table, and their eyes met.
“Hey Deji!”
“Hy Lara” Deji replied
“its been a long time, how have you been?” Lara walked towards her
pleased.
“i’ve been like the Deji you used to know!” Deji replied coldly.
“I’m happy to see you, so can you join me at my table!” Lara tried to
hold her.
“No I need to go now!”
“oh c’mon Deji! Are we quarrelling? You’ve been acting strangely” Lara
looked worried.
“Lara please! I beg you don’t start!”
“Okay…” Lara sighed.
“So you’re pregnant?” Deji sneered.
“so who did the job? Tony or your gateman, or your father-in-law, or
your driver or your….come on tell me!” she eyed Lara’s bulging
tummy.
“Did you suddenly forget I’m married?” Lara forced a smile
“oh no! I didn’t forget your husband is an impotent!” Deji quipped.
Lara bit deep into her lower lip.
“Deji…” her voice was low.
“You’re hurting me! Stop that! I thought you were a friend, I
mean..that was cruel…besides Tony's alright now.”
“Oh really! Let me don’t waste much of my time! Wish you all the
best.” Deji turned to leave.
“Deji tell me whats happening” Lara held her hand.
“Nothing! Just that I think….we..we can no longer be friends! You aint
my class, you’re married and I’m not, gerrit?” Deji said carelessly.
“does that matter?” Lara whispered.
“It does! Please stay away from me!” Deji walked away.
Lara watched her friend leave, she hoped Deji didn’t mean those
words, something was wrong.
Do people change so easily? What was wrong with everyone in the
world?
Her mother changed from bad to worse, Tony changed from bad to
good, now Deji is transforming into a being she never knew…
Deji exhaled sharply as she sat in her car.
“So Lara is preggie?” she asked herself.
“Her mum didn’t tell me! I’m sure she needs me!” she wondered
aloud.
She felt jealousy and strife surge through her veins.
She, naturally was never happy ever since Lara got married.
She was beginning to earn some satisfaction when Tony maltreated
her, she definitely want Lara to be single as she is, but had to put up
some shows to cover up. Now she could no longer pretend to be that
‘caring friend’, she was now a jealous friend.
She sure is going to help Funke to make sure Lara is out of that
house.
She nodded as she thought.
She picked her cellphone.
“Hello Veejay?” she said.
“Are you in town?”
she listened for a while.
“okay, I’m coming over” she ended the call.
“I’m sorry Lara…Deji aint a true friend!” she whispered driving off.
....
Lara caressed her bulging stomach absent-mindedly, she could
percieve the aroma of the food her mother-in-law was cooking. Amara
had taken over the kitchen ever since she moved in weeks ago, Tony
had invited his mother over since she-Lara was close to delivery.
She wondered what she could have done without her mother-in-law,
she was all alone in the family. No relations, no mother, no friends-
it’s just her and her husbands people.
“here, make sure you eat it up!” Amara placed a small bowl of
steaming peppersoup beside Lara.
“Wow! Only me?” Lara asked.
“how many people are pregnant in this house? Oya eat o!” Amara
replied.
“I’m not hungry yet!” Lara pouted, she wanted some pettings.
“Please now, Lara, my one and only daughter, the mother of my
unborn grandchild, the…” Amara began.
“Hey! Enough mum! ” Lara laughed scooping some of the delicacy into
her mouth.
“Tastes great” she rolled her eyes.
“mm, I’ve heard.” Amara sat beside her.
“The back pain? How’s it now?”
“not better at all” Lara made a face.
“Sorry” Amara rubbed her back gently.
“I think I need to take a walk.” Lara said quitely.
“Okay, let me get ready now, I’l accompany you.” Amara rose to her
feet.
“Follow? No! I prefer to walk alone” Lara protested
“But…”
“Don’t worry mum, I’l be fine, just a few metres and I’d be back” Lara
assured her.
Lara dragged her feet lazily as she walked, her hand holding her waist
and the other hand caressing her stomach.
She got to the end of the street, traffic was heavy. She listened to the
hooting sounds and watched some aggressive drivers for a while
before deciding to go back.
She took a shortcut route, instead of the previous route she followed.
She walked slowly down a deserted alley, she was used to the alley,
though Tony’d warn her several times to quit taking the route.
She was halfway into the alley when she saw a car waiting at the end,
she looked behind her; a car was at the other end too.
Somehow she felt nervous. She said some silent prayers and walked
on.
Few yards to the end of the alley she felt a hand grab her from behind,
she shrieked in fear.
She saw two men trying to take her to the car she saw earlier.
Were they going to kidnap her?
She screamed with all her might.
“Let me go!” she struggled but she was overpowerd.
...
She felt something wet cover her face and…everything blacked out.
Lara gazed wearily in space, she wished a million times she would
wake up from such a night mare.
She gazed at her tied hands and legs, she would never escape. She
felt her baby flutter about in her tummy; that means she need to eat.
Food was the last thing on her mind.
Who would want to kidnap a pregnant woman? She thought.
Maybe they want to use her for rituals.
But the people who kidnapped her looked like reowned assassins, not
ritualists..
Her eyes moved around the dirty room, littered with beer bottled and
cigrattes, she suddenly felt the desire to throw up.
She tried her best not to vomit, she feared her baby might come out
through her mouth.
“Uhhhhn…uhhhhhn, gbooo.” she vomited.
“Wetin dey happen there?” a male voice said from outside.
“So you vomit?” he asked walking in.
“You do well! Na so you go siddon inside the vomit till the people
wey go kill you go come!” he told her angrily.
“Kill?” Lara’s eyes widened.
“Siddon there dey ask me!”
“Please don’t kill me…” she pleaded
“If you need money, my…my..my….husband would pay any amount
you need.” she was crying profusely.
“you dey form pesin wey get rich husband, we no need una money.
That pikin wey dey your belle go give us money wey we no fit count!”
he sneered at her before leaving the room
Lara wailed, she wondered why she had to go through all these.
She looked around her, no means of escape.
Her baby moved again.
She used her teeth to loosen the ropes around her hands after 30
minutes of trying. She caressed her stomach with her bruised hands.
“Baby…are you there? Can you hear me?” she wept.
The baby continued to move.
“I’d advice you stay still for now!” she tapped her tummy.
The baby moved faster.
She felt its love surge through her once more, she remembered how
Tony become excited each time the baby moves. She wondered what
was going on at her home; maybe they were looking for her.
They might never find her- she was deep in an unknown forest.
part 17 loading........... MECHEZEDEK