Three generations episode 56

TITLE: THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 56

Chike had told Nwanneka about his diet restrictions and she abided by them seeing her husband was getting better. He drank his spirits once in a while and tried not to overdo it at home. This was at home. But when he was with his peers, he had a good time with meat of all kinds and beer. Nwanneka wasn’t aware of her severe her husband’s health condition was. Suddenly, he began to lose weight which he attributed to the restriction to his diet. He was still active though or so Nwanneka thought.

It was Nwadiuto who received an august visitor one night while she was in class revising for her upcoming examinations. She wasn’t the only one in the class. She had been there reading non-stop for more than three hours and decided to take a small nap. As she closed her eyes, she saw herself being roused. It was her stepfather Chike. He told her to come outside with him. She followed him outside excited to see him.

“My dear, how are you doing? You don’t call except you need something. You have to stop that and call often. Your mother complains you don’t call or come home. She needs your presence in her condition. Did she tell you she is having another son? He will be named Kasiemobi. He will console the inconsolable.”

“I like the name but shouldn’t you be discussing this with your wife instead of me?”

“In her condition, it will be better to discuss with you. I want to tell you something very important and you must not forget it.”

“Ok sir, what is it?”

“There is a black briefcase in,side a metal box under my bed. Listen to me carefully, take the briefcase and give it to Titus Obi who worked with me. Do you remember him?”

“Yes, I do”

“His office is two building away from mine. Ask Njemanze for his phone number, call him and give him that black briefcase. Tell him I said he should open it only when the deed is done”

“Why can’t my mother do this as she is in Lagos with you?”

“I want you to do it. Immediately after your examinations are over, go and do it. Don’t waste any time. Give Titus Obi the briefcase, that’s all”

“I will do as you have instructed”

“Nwadiuto”

‘Yes sir”

“This is between us, don’t tell anybody.”

“Ok sir”

“Take very good care of your mother and two brothers”

“I will sir”

Nwadiuto woke up in a startle. She remembered the dream clearly. What did it mean? What was going on? She had a cold chill and shivered a bit. She called her mother the next morning and she sounded well. She even spoke with her stepfather who promised to send her some money. He didn’t sound anyhow. She kept the information to herself and planned to return to Lagos immediately after her examinations were over.

The evening Nwadiuto arrived in Lagos was the day Chike collapsed at a joint where he was with his friends. He was rushed to a hospital and Nwanneka was called.

When Nwanneka got to the hospital, the condition she saw her husband made her uncomfortable. She called her mother immediately. She was in tears as told her the condition of her husband. He was unconscious or in a coma.

Nwakaego immediately called Chike’s father. She instructed him to arrange to travel to Lagos to bring Chike to UNTH immediately he becomes conscious. She would leave in the morning.

Papa Chike left for Lagos that evening and arrived at the hospital late at night. There was no change. Chike was still unconscious.

Nwanneka was shocked to see her father-in-law in the hospital. She guessed her mother would have called him. She told him what happened. He asked to speak with the doctor. When the doctor wanted to speak with him, he said to Nwanneka, “I will like to speak with him alone. Please.”

It roused suspicion in Nwanneka but she held her peace.

Her father-in-law explained to the doctor Chike’s medical condition and asked him to speak with his consultant. He agreed. They ran extra tests as recommended by the Consultant at UNTH. His blood pressure had skyrocketed, the diabetes was high and then the scan revealed his liver had deteriorated. He was still unconscious.

Nwadiuto joined her mother in the hospital. With what she saw, she understood the dream she had. She realized that desperate times required desperate measures. She called Njemanze and asked for Titus Obi’s number. Njemanze gave it to her. She called Titus and said to him,

“Uncle Titus, my name is Nwadiuto the daughter of Chike and Nwanneka”

“How are you, Nwadiuto?”

“I am fine. Uncle, where can I see you right now. My dad said I should give you something to keep for him”

“Where is he?”

“He is not around but he asked me to make sure you get it today”

“Come to my house then.” He gave her the address. He could sense the anxiety in her voice and planned on getting more information from her.

Nwadiuto entered the room, collected the briefcase, put it into a sack and then left the house. At the junction, she took a bike to Titus house.

When she got there, she asked to speak with him privately. He took her to his study. That was where she brought out the briefcase and gave it to Titus saying, “Uncle, I don’t know what is in,side this briefcase. My uncle appeared to me in a dream, he directed me to where this briefcase was and asked me to come back to Lagos immediately after my examinations and give this to you. I came back today and found out my dad collapsed and has been unconscious, so I quickly did as he said”

“I bought him this briefcase the last time I travelled. He told me to code the lock for him so he can easily open it as he couldn’t think of one. This is shocking.” He used the code to open the briefcase. When he saw what was in,side, he closed it quickly and kept it under his desk. He went to drop Nwadiuto at home and then went to the hospital.

Chike was still unconscious for a week, he wasn’t responding to any treatment. It was at this stage his father had to involve his mother and siblings. They all came to Lagos to see him. Ijeoma had to return to work so she stayed for a few days and left. Nkeiru came around more often. Okey was a permanent fixture. His mother and father stayed with him. They took turns to stay with him in the hospital while Nwanneka refused to leave his side.

Nwakaego had flown in the consultant who had been handling his case. The man said there seemed to be more to this than the conditions initially diagnosed since he hadn’t regained consciousness. There was nothing more he could do. The only thing they could do was keep him comfortable until he passes. This broke Nwakaego’s heart. She was a young widow and now her daughter would be the one too.

His father was well aware of the situation. Nwakaego asked him to take his wife back to the house so she doesn’t witness her son’s death. She wanted to do the same for Nwanneka but she refused to leave his side. She didn’t eat or drink anything. All she did was pray.

Nwakego requested a room with two beds and paid for the entire space. They took turns to sleep while the others kept vigil. Auntie Uloma and uncle Onyedika were regular visitors. They helped relieve Nwakego so she could go home and change her clothes. Uncle Onyedika was the only one who could make Nwanneka eat. She had lost drastic weight and was a shadow of herself.

In the house, mama Chike wanted to lord it over them. She made terrible comments about Nwanneka. She wanted to stop Ada from going to work so she could stay and tend to her. Ada refused telling her she couldn’t afford to lose her job. There was a nanny who attended to Chidindu who could meet her needs.

Mama Chike reigned insults and curses on her. She threatened to throw her out. She made so much noise but Ada was adamant and left. It didn’t go down well with mama Chike. She turned her aggression to Nwadiuto.

She asked Nwadiuto to open her parents’ room so she could check some things there. Nwadiuto was perplexed by that request. Didn’t this woman realise her son was dying? She refused to release the key.

“Why should you have the key to my son’s room? I am his mother and I want access to his room. I want to investigate how my son got sick and is unconscious”

“It is not done in his bedroom; it is done in the hospital. Mama, please let us all live in peace and harmony here. The room is out of bounds.”

“See who is talking. What gives you the right to deny me access to my son’s room?”

“My parents’ room you mean. You can’t enter there. Nobody enters there when they are not around and it will remain so”

“Parents? My son is not your father. I was told you are a child of incest that is why your father was never revealed. Are you sure you are not the one affecting my son? Are you sure you are not the cause of his illness? Since you moved in here, it has been one bad thing or the other”

“Really? You, mama, can say this to me? When I came here good things began to happen. This house and room you want to enter by every means, wasn’t it when I moved in? I don’t know my father but a man stepped up and became one. That man is your son and he is lying critically ill in the hospital while you are here going through the house, causing trouble and trying to steal from your sick son and his pregnant wife. The key, you will never gain access to it. I am taking food to those in the hospital. Bye-bye”

Nwadiuto left. She had tactically avoided confrontation with the woman but now it seemed she was hell-bent on being a pain in the behind. Wasn’t she worried her son would die? She stayed home ransacking everywhere. Was that a priority with the current situation?

Chike had spent three weeks in a coma in the hospital. Early hours of one morning, Nwanneka felt someone tap her. She opened her eyes and saw it was Chike. He had opened his eyes. She wanted to raise an alarm but he stopped her. He told her to come closer to him; she did while holding his hand.

“Nwunye m. You have loved me the way I deserve and don’t deserve to be loved. I love you very much. Thank you for all you have done for me. I know you are capable of caring for our children. See, be prepared to fight for our children. Don’t waste your time mourning, spend it making sure you and our children are always happy and blessed. I have done my own part; the rest is left for you. Please, let me go. Allow me to rest”

Nwanneka began to cry. Her cry woke everyone in the room up. She hugged her husband and cried the more. Her mother took her off him and led her to the other bed so she could sleep but she refused. She said instead, “Nna, how would I cope without you? How? Why do you want to leave me? I’m I not good enough to stay with? Why now? What happened to old age? Your parents are still alive and you want to leave; why? I can’t cope. I can’t be happy. Wake up let us train our children together” she kept talking until she was sedated.

Nwakaego asked if anyone saw what happened but Okey said he didn’t, he kept watch at that time. Nwakaego could sense the end was near. She asked papa Chike and Okey to go home, take a bath, change, eat and get back. Okey was happy to go but papa Chike stayed back.

Papa Chike said to Nwakaego, “You are afraid his time is near”

“He has said his farewell to Nwanneka. He is ready to go”

There were tears in papa Chike’s eyes. Nwakaego said to him, “Be strong. Your family needs you during this trying moment”

“I watched him talk to Nwanneka”

‘You did what?”

“I watched him talk to her. He woke up and talked to her. He spoke to only her. I didn’t hear what he said but he spoke to her. I felt paralysed so I couldn’t stand up or make a move. He spoke with love in his eyes. He is free to go. I release him to go and rest”

Nwakaego looked from his father to son lying unconscious on the bed. Then she walked up to Chike and said, “I appreciate you for all the love you have shown my daughter and me. You have proved to be a man worthy of emulation. Your legacy will never be wiped away. You can go and rest; we will take care of your family for you”

Chike remained unconscious until that evening. Nwanneka was beside him holding his hand looking at him. There were conversations in the room as the visitor were around and later left. Suddenly, Nwanneka observed her husband’s head tilted towards her. He opened his eyes staring at her briefly and then his hand went limp.

“Chike! Chike! Answer me Chike” Nwanneka kept calling him.

Papa Chike sent Okey to call the doctor. When the doctor came, he checked Chike. He told them to all leave the room. He then invited papa Chike and Nwakaego and informed them he was no more. Chike had died while holding his wife’s hand.

How to remove Nwanneka from the hospital without suspicion was the next problem. Papa Chike and Nwakaego thought about it. They had a plan and went back to the group waiting for them.

Immediately Nwanneka saw them, she said, ‘He is gone right. Chike has left me alone in this wicked world. Chike has made me a widow at a young age. Chike has finished me. I have allowed you to go, Chike. What will become of me? What will become of your children? It has ended already to my detriment”

Nwakaego with the help of Uloma took Nwanneka home. When mama Chike saw Nwanneka in the house, she knew the worst had happened. She knew herself on the ground crying and shouting. Nwakaego went to console her while Uloma asked Nwadiuto to open the room door for Nwanneka to enter to sleep. She had to be sedated again.

Papa Chike, Okey and uncle Onyedika came to the house after depositing the body in the morgue. Food was served to them after they had taken their bath. They discussed the way forward. It was agreed papa Chike and Okey will travel back to the village to inform family members of what had happened. Papa Chike insisted mama Chike will have to travel back with them. She refused. She said she would stay back in Lagos until his body is moved to the village. Her husband knew what she wanted to do. He told her firmly, “Either you come with me or the marriage is over. This poor girl needs a break. The comfort she needs only her family members can give her for now. You are going with us”

Nwadiuto was scared that night. She couldn’t sleep. She laid on the bed with Nwakaego while auntie Uloma slept in the room with Nwanneka. She tossed and turned but sleep eluded her and was compounded with fear. Now that he is gone, could she share what she knew with mama? His appearance to her felt so real and he was still alive healthy and strong. What really happened?

She was finally able to sleep in the early hours of the morning. That was when she told her grandmother and auntie Uloma how mama Chike wanted to enter her parents’ bedroom. Auntie Uloma suggested moving valuables but Nwakaego was against it.

“We are leaving this world the same way we came, empty. See Chike now, he has no access to all he had made and left behind. So will it be for every one of us? If they want Chike’s things, let them have them. After all, Nwanneka is working and making a good living. She can take care of the family”

“Chike has children. He has a son too. He is entitled to his father’s possession. They cannot take what doesn’t belong to them. It should be kept for the children”

“Hear yourself Uloma. This was exactly what Anozie did and I was called names because he didn’t follow tradition. Chike’s family will follow tradition since we don’t know if he left a will. The woman in question is covetous. She will want to take both Chike’s possession and also Nwanneka. We will not stop her. Let us see how long that will last with her”

Everything happened so fast. Within two weeks, a burial arrangement had been made. Chike’s boys, both old and new coordinated the burial expenses. Nobody met Nwanneka for anything. The committee was head by Titus Obi. He was the oldest boy that worked with Chike. Chike had helped him a great deal. He surrounded smaller deals to him to help him stand. Likewise, other boys. He was a great boss.

Nwanneka and her children went to the village for her husband’s burial. Nwakaego told her, “Whatever they say to you, tell them it should be done as his father wishes. Not as they wish but as his father wishes. You have to be strong and brave. It will be tough in the village but we will win”

Luckily, Chike had finished the house in the village but he hadn’t furnished it. His father insisted he will be buried in his house. Mama Chike and Okey kicked against. The other close relatives asked Nwanneka what she wanted and she said, “Whatever Chike’s father, as the head of this family, decides is what I will follow”. They were all stunned by her reply. Mama Chike was angry.

Without her knowledge, mama Chike had gone to arrange for the women to question Nwanneka about the demise of her husband. They accused her of killing him. They gathered in the compound calling her to come out to answer their query. Her mother told her to answer them. She told her not to cry or exchange words. She should refer them back to her father-in-law.

These women came prepared. They gathered around her throwing accusations her way. She stood calmly in their midst. She didn’t say a word to them. As the voices were raised higher, the men came outside to check what was going on.

Papa Chike was furious, “Who brought you here?”

“Chike died suddenly. The wife must know what happened to him”

“Ask me the questions so I can answer you.” He turned to Nwanneka and said, “Go in,side the house. If anyone calls you out, do not answer. Where are Nkeiru and Ijeoma? Go in,side at once”. He then turned to the women leader and said, “Chike was very sick and he hid this away from his wife. I was very much aware of his sickness and we knew it was a matter of time before he leaves. It is not his wife’s fault. She is pregnant, allow her to deliver in peace; we don’t need two more dead bodies”

That was how they were dispersed. Mama Chike wasn’t happy about it. She wanted Nwanneka disgraced but her husband supported her.

The next morning during the burial, as Chike was interred, a shovel with sand was given to his daughter Nwadiuto to drop on Chike’s coffin. Chike’s mother and Okey insisted she wasn’t Chike’s daughter. Nwadiuto gave the shovel back to the priest, then she packed the sand with her two hands and dropped it on the coffin and said, “He was my father whether you accept it or not. He called me his daughter” and walked away.

Mama Chike and Okey came to fight Nwanneka and Nwadiuto over what Nwadiuto did at the graveside. Okey wanted to beat Nwadiuto but Nwanneka stood between the two of them. She asked them to be patient and all the issues will be resolved after the reception. Nwanneka was tired of the continuous drama. She was physically and emotionally drained. As she tried to sit down, she staggered and next thing, she fainted.

Once she was revived, papa Chike was called to inform him about what happened. He told them to take her to the hospital. As she walked out of the house, her water broke. She had to go back in,side and change. As she came outside, their cars were blocked in. They couldn’t find the drivers of the surrounding cars. It was a mess.

Nwanneka went back into the house. She went into her room, asked them to tidy up the place. Her daughter and Ada did that. Then she told her mother to call a midwife to come to the house. Her mother was scared. Auntie Uloma and Chinyere were worried.

“I am doing this here. I don’t want to attract attention to myself. Papa is aware and he will keep quiet. Get me a midwife who will deliver this baby here. I need some other things for the delivery and the baby. Start making arrangements now. I must have this baby here and today”

Nwakaego made some calls. A midwife and an assistant were on the way. Baby and delivery things were also on their way. What was left? It was just to wait as Nwanneka was in labour but didn’t show it. She laid down and faced the wall.

The baby and delivery things arrived before the midwife. Without making noise, Nwanneka in the privacy of her bedroom delivered a baby boy on the evening of her husband’s burial. The cry of a newborn baby caused a stir in the compound as he announced his presence into the world. Papa Chike ran from where he was with his brothers closely behind him to Nwanneka’s bedroom. As he knocked on the door, he was greeted with his grandson by Nwakaego. For the first time since all this happened, papa Chike wept. He wept uncontrollably. His brothers consoled him and led him away. As they passed Chike’s grave, he stopped and said to the grave, “You brought forth joy in this sorrow. You have sent us one to console us. Chike, you have done well. Now you can rest in peace”

Tbc