Belina

Belina – batch 1

Belina

PROLOGUE :

I entered the house after about an hour of aimless walking.
Strolling had become my second hobby recently and hærdly would you find me at home around 5 o’clock in the evening. On entering the house, my heart raced, my head seamed bigger than its normal size, and i felt dizzy. Something is definitely wrong somewhere, i thought.

I had only felt that way twice, and those are times i don’t want to remember. I went into my room and did not see anything awkward, i instinctively made for my dad’s room, and there, i got the shocker of a lifetime.

For some seconds I stood, glued to the ground with my mouth agape staring at the person I knew to be my father. I just couldn’t understand why, of all the pot-bellied men in the world, I was doomed to answer the surname of this man. The reason why I still call him ‘dad’ remains a mystery to me. I ran out of his room and when I got to the sitting room, I was already crying. The b—h came rushing out some minutes later and ran past me thinking I would do something but I wasn’t after her. Memories of recent occurrences came flooding my mind and I had to quench it quickly. I heard my dad’s footsteps and dried my eyes quickly, not wanting him to see my tears. ‘Who gave you the right to come into my bedroom without knocking?’ he asked as he marched into the sitting room. There is a saying that you can only see the bottom of a chicken when the wind blows. The meaning became clear to me as I glared at my father.

I stood up and faced him. ‘I knew you never loved my mum, you made it so evident, but bringing someone else to her bed barely two weeks after her death…’ I laughed bitterly, ‘ you definitely deserve a trophy.

I hate you and everyone whose gender starts with ‘M’. I HATE YOU’.

EPISODE 1

****
I knelt down by my bed on Thursday morning to pray but nothing seemed to come out of
my mouth. I placed my head on the bed and closed my eyes but I
didn’t have the enthusiasm to offer any prayer. Confusion, worry and anger has
become the order of the day since my mother died two years
ago.

Everything just seemed to go wrong at the same time. I lost
my job two months after her death and my plans to get my own apartment was truncated.
My plan to get another job with my First Class Certificate in Applied Psychology was also
fruitless but the latest
development seemed to be taking a great deal of my patience and self control.
‘Lord, I thank you for today, please Father, make it a good day’ I said and got up when
there was nothing else to say. I washed up my face, brushed my
teeth and went about the house chores.
Breakfast was already prepared before seven, I placed it on the
table for my father and went to take my bath.I went back to the
sitting room dressed and met dad eating. I mumbled a low
‘good morning sir’ and just as I was about to eat, I heard a
knock.
‘Who is that?’ I asked pondering on the same question as I
opened the door. Standing before me was the very person
who made my life a living hell.

****
Prisca woke up to the ringing of her phone and from the ‘I just
wanna say I love you’ tone, she knew who was calling.

She
smiled and picked up the phone.
“Morning baby boy”, she said.
“Hey honey”, Tony said over the receiver.
“Mmmm, it is nice hearing your voice early in the morning”, she
responded.
“How was your night dear?”
“I dreamt of you” she said smiling foolishly.
He laughed and said, “hey baby, before you make me get late for
work, I need to tell you
something.”
“Anything for me?” she asked.
He feigned seriousness and coughed, “Well, tell your friend, what is her name, yes, Belina,
that she should come to our hospital on Monday to start
work”
“what are you saying” she practically scre-med, sitting up
instantly.
Tony laughed heartily, “yes baby, she got the job.”

***************
I stared at Tunji coldly,

“what are
you doing here?”
He shook his head,

” Is that the way you greet your future husband? let me in”, he ordered.
I laughed mockingly,

“you are crazy. I have always known that,
but I didn’t know it was this serious”.
He scoffed.
“Belina”, dad yelled and I
stiffened.

“let him in now”.
I stood with my arms akimbo blocking the doorway.
“BELINA”
I eyed Tunji and reluctantly
stepped aside. I slammed the door after him with so much
force that the house shook.
Dad glared at me but turned towards Tunji and grinned.
“Good morning Mr Badmus”, Tunji said.
“Morning my son. Sorry for her rude behaviour, she is just being
childish”, dad said.
I rolled my eyes in disgust.
Amazing what people would do for wealth and power.

‘why can’t
this idiot take ‘no’ for an answer?” i wondered.
“I am through with the
arrangements sir”, Tunji was saying smiling at me.
Dad nearly jumped out of his skin in excitement. “oh, oh Tunji, you are God sent, God bless you a
million times, ah…”
Puzzled, I asked, “what
arrangement?” Before he could answer, my phone rang, noticing
that it was Prisca, I went to the room to answer it. Unlike our
usually long chats, the call ended within two minutes. Unable to
conceal my joy, I practically danced round my room after
letting out a loud scre-m of joy.
Dad and Tunji ran into my room.
“What are you doing here?” I asked unable to hide my happiness.
“What do you mean by that? what is all the fuss about?” Tunji
asked.
“Well, I just got a job, and not just a job, a very good one”, I said
grinning proudly.
Dad and Tunji stared at each other. “well, you are not taking the job”, Dad said.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes, we would be travelling to
London on Saturday. The arrangements have been made, so start preparing cos the
wedding would be done
immediately we get there”. Dad said.
I blanched.
;
Episode 2
The tension in d waiting room of best result hospital can be sliced with a knife. The nurses are on their toes doing one thing or d other. The waiting room is unusually rowdy & the people
are busy moving from pillar to post & not even d nurses were able to calm them down.
The reason for d turmoil laid on d bed in the operating room with 3 doctors
attending to him. He had been involved in a fatal accident on his
way out & was unconscious.
We have been told to avoid ‘one way’ in Lagos, but some people
would just not listen. Best Result hospital happened to be close by
so he was immediately rushed there.
Adewale rushed into d hospital like a possessed man. He saw Deji’s family members & some
friends & instantly knew that d news was not a frame up
“No”, he scre-med. People gathered to help him & calm him down but he was violent.
“No, he must not die”, He was coming to see me, I … i …”
The nurses moved him to a chair, “pls calm down young man, everything would be fine”, one of the nurses said.
The 3 doctors came out after about 2hrs. they looked tired & sapped as they made for their offices. Doctor Richærd
headed towards d waiting room & upon entering,everyone held on to him like a lifeline asking all sort of questions. The doctor tried to make out one question but could
not.
Finally, he said, “calm down everyone, he is alive”.
Everyone started talking at the
same time again but this time, they were talking to God
Deji’s father went to meet the doctor & said, “thank u doctor, God bless you, e ko ni ri laburu
“yes sir. He is alive sir but he needs prayers now cos he is in a
coma. The accident affected his head and his survival chances are
slim”, doctor Richærd said.
Deji’s father’s face froze and it seemed like he had seen a ghost.
Adewale who had been
eavesdropping suddenly went to hold the Doctor’s shirt.

“Please,
make sure he survives doctor. He wouldn’t be on that bed if i hadn’t insisted that he come to my place. I would not be able to bear it if he…, if he…”
Doctor Richærd placed his head on his table some minutes later
deeply distressed. Memories which he had tried hærd to blurt out came uninhibited to his
mind; those were the memories that gave him consistent
nightmares.
A tap on his shoulders jerked him from his demons.
“What is wrong Richærd?” Doctor
Tony who was Richærd’s best friend asked.
“I… I am fine
“No, you are not. If you did not hear me calling your name, you are not fine.” Tony said looking
worried.
“It is nothing.. The tension in the waiting room was just more
than i bargained for.” Richærd said standing up.
Tony laughed a bit, “Rich, you are a doctor and you definitely have faced worse.
Richærd sighed, “the accident of the patient occurred when he
was on his way to a friend’s place and the poor guy is almost
ripping his head off in guilt”.
Still not getting his point, Tony asked, “And?”
Richærd glared at him, “Tony,that patient has only 20% chance of
survival and i can’t watch him die. Do you remember that i know exactly what that guy in the waiting room is facing?
Alarmed, Tony stood up,
“Richærd, u are not still blaming urself for what happened then, are u?” he asked.
Richærd looked at him, his eyes haunted, “Tony, i still have
nightmares. i can’t forget. i have tried all i know can as a doctor
and i don’t wish even my enemy would be in my position”, he said
and took a deep breath.
“i would get some air”, he said and left the
office.
*****
The alarm that went off in my head would have definitely woken the dead. I wanted to tell dad to repeat what he just said but I knew that I was not having
problem with my ears.
I turned cold eyes at Tunji and said quietly but firmly, “leave”
“What?” He asked looking like a fool.
I moved towards him slowly & before he could count one to
three, what he heard was ‘kpa’;even though my hand still ached
from the hot slap I gave him, I forgot all about it & dad who
was busy saying all sorts of rubbish as I push
Tunji out of d
house.
After slamming the door forcefully, I turned around to face my mistake of a father but I was
greeted with a hot slap. The slap was so hærd that I practically
started seeing things but I steeled myself against crying.
‘Never let them see your tears, it
makes u vulnerable’, I
remembered d words of my mum.
“You this little brat, you are so stupid. How dare u slap Tunji?
You better go after him now & beg him”. Dad growled.
“God forbid. u have no right whatsoever to think u can control my life. Who do you think
u are? I am not going
anywhere with u & that son of a nobody but you can go if u want to. I am 22 for God’s
sake & I have the right to make my own decisions”, I yelled.
“Not while u are under my roof. You have to do what I tell u”. He shot back.
I almost said something but I bit
it back. I looked at my dad & as quietly as I could, I said
emphatically, “like I said, u can go with him but as for me, u
better think again ‘sir’”. I stormed out of d house.

Tbc

NEXT episode ➡️ 
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