Too Precious Episode 27

TITLE: TOO PRECIOUS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 27

A week after PY’s return to Nigeria, her health deteriorated. She stopped talking. Hope wanted her taken to the hospital Simon refused saying, it was PY’s wish not to be hospitalized for any reason at all. Hope got a doctor to treat her at home.

She smiled at people but didn’t say a word. She nodded her head and shook it and that was it. She slept a lot too and stopped eating altogether. Simon was worried about her. He spent every moment with her.

On the third day, surprisingly, the family received a visitor. Simon’s mother came to see PY. She wept when she saw her. She could see how broken her son was as he couldn’t do anything to help his wife.

The following day, Simon’s father was at the house. PY didn’t say anything but she was all smiles even in her pain. Simon’s father was also pained he was just meeting her. He prayed for her. He met his grandchildren for the first time too. He wept while he held them in his hands. He couldn’t believe how much he had missed out on.

“I want to pay her dowry. Can we do that quickly before she goes? I want her to leave respectfully and fully accepted” Simon’s father requested.

Allen made the arrangements. He explained everything to his father stressing the fact that PY was critical. Initially, Engr Collins refused but Allen went above him to the elders in the family. He brought two of them to Lagos and received the dowry for PY on behalf of the family. PY didn’t have much time and he wanted to ensure she was happy before she lives.

Collins later gave his consent. He came to Lagos to see PY. Allen didn’t want him to see her and had painted the picture of her physical appearance to him but he insisted on seeing her.

When he saw PY, he wept too. Then he saw Simon and the children. He sat down beside his daughter with great difficulty and talked to her. He asked for her forgiveness. He assured her the family she was leaving behind will be well taken care of.

Simon’s father met with PY’s father for the first time. The two men agreed it would have been better if they met under better circ-mstances.

PY passed on peacefully in her sleep three days after the reconciliation of Simon and her family. It was shocking. No one expected it. Simon was sleeping beside her on the bed and never knew when she took her last breath.

PB had a dream that night. She came into the room and saw PY coming out of the toilet. PB was confused and asked her what she went there to do. PY told her she went to ease herself. PB looked closely at PY, she looked very different now; she was a bit plump and her skin was fair and very shiny unlike what she looked like in her illness. PY smiled at PB and climbed back into the bed then said, “Good night, goodbye PB”.

PB woke up in a startle. It was already 5 am. She came into the room to check on PY. The nurse also came into the room to attend to her. PB could see no changes in PY. It was when the nurse tried to raise her that she realized there was no more life in her body. She checked for heartbeat and pulse and there were none. The nurse left to call Dr Hope. PB had tears rolling down her face as she woke Simon up. When Simon saw the tears, he knew the worse had happened. He turned to PY and touched her. He lifted her hand and it dropped.

That was when Dr Hope came into the room. She checked for heartbeat and pulse and there were none. Then she announced to the family, she is gone. PY had died in the early hours of that morning. There were tears but no scre-ming and shouting.

PY’s body was taken to the morgue to be deposited. The sitting room was filled with family members by the time they got back home. Bad news travels very fast.

Simon’s father, mother and other relatives were at the house waiting for their return. They discussed the burial. Simon’s father wanted her buried in his village. PY’s father wanted her buried in his compound. He claimed they only paid dowry and didn’t perform other marriage rites and therefore didn’t have a say.

Simon told all of them to keep away their swords and listen to him. “My wife will be buried in Lagos at Ikoyi Cemetery. There is a private burial ground there which I have looked at and paid for. She wants a very private burial with only family members and very close friends. She has picked out her casket, I will pay for it. There will be light refreshment after the burial to celebrate her life. No service of songs and no lying in state will be done. She has spoken to the priest that will bury her. Everything has been taken care of. You are all invited.”

There was silence. PB appreciated Simon for standing up to them confidently and with finality. There was nothing they could say. Then, they brought up another issue to be trashed. The situation of the children. They claimed he wouldn’t be able to cope with them seeing they were still very young.

“The children will be raised by my wife’s best friend, Precious who is here. All the love and support you want to give them will pass through her. I will visit them every two weeks while they will spend some of their vacations with me. This decision was jointly taken by my wife and me and intend to keep to every decision we took while she was still alive”

Simon’s father didn’t find this funny. Collins, PY’s father was annoyed. Simon’s father spoke first, “This decision is based on what? Are you sure she didn’t make the decision based on sentiments? What is the rationale for giving your children to a stranger while you have family members here? You would have given these children to your mother to cater for. She has done a good job raising you and your siblings. She has always supported you.”

Engineer Collins added, “Yes, I agree. My wife here raised your late wife and did a beautiful job at it. Why would you prefer your children to be raised by a girl who has questionable background? She was raised by a single mother and an addict father. Her saving grace were her grandparents who took over her responsibility. What does she have to offer?”

Simon replied. “My wife, Precious, believed she was raised by a single parent which is your wife. You, her father, hærdly spent any time with them. What was more important to you was your other life outside the family. So, there is no difference between her and her friend; they both had absentee fathers and their mothers were solely responsible for their upbringing. Why I wouldn’t give my children to my mother is because I wouldn’t want my children raised to only imbibe one culture. My parents will enforce that forgetting they also have Igbo blood flowing in them. Giving them to someone who is detribalized, loving and kind should be our main focus. PB is the best person for the job. The love she had for her best friend will be transferred to her children. It doesn’t mean you, as grandparents, can’t have access to them but the person that has full custody and determines when they can visit is PB. This is our decision and nothing will change it. My children are British citizens and she has the legal right over our children. If you decide to keep them longer than she has instructed, Interpol will fetch them from you as it will be termed kidnapping. This is what my wife and I desire and so shall it be”

There was no happy face in the room. PB knew it would be difficult but she was determined to fulfil her best friend’s wish. There was a reason why she was chosen and she would do everything within her power to keep PY’s children safe.

A date was selected for the burial and other arrangements were made.

Engineer Collins tried to convince Simon to have PY buried in his hometown. He said he was a titled man and doesn’t believe his daughter should be buried in Lagos like a lost child. If that doesn’t go down well with him, he should consider his father’s offer. Simon told him not to bother trying to convince him to go against PY’s wishes. “When you die, I hope you will be happy when all you have instructed are rejected by those who are supposed to love you. I loved PY; I still do. She has always been a smart girl. She hærdly ever had friends due to the way she was raised. Her only friend was PB from when she was ten. PB seems to know her better than you, her father. You don’t even have a say in this matter because you rejected her and threw her away like trash. She has forgiven you but I haven’t. Please maintain your lane and respect boundaries.”

Engineer Collins realized Simon couldn’t be manipulated and he still held a grudge against him. He decided to let sleeping dogs lie for now until he plots his next move. He wanted his grandchildren. He wanted them raised in an Igbo home and setting. He believed with Precious death and when the children come to live with them, Hope will chase her younger lover away and they could go back to being a couple. He was determined to achieve that. He met the wrong match.

The burial was a solemn one. There was a free flow of tears. It was very sorrowful. Hope, PY’s mother was inconsolable. PB tried to keep it together but at a time she gave in to her emotions and wailed. Someone held her and she caught a very familiar scent. She smelt her grandfather’s fragrance, there was no way she could miss it. She stood up and turned to check if he was truly the one.

Chief Adeoye was informed of PY’s illness and eventual death by a staff of his granddaughter. He knew she needed moral support especially when he heard the enormous responsibility that was handed to her by her friend and the husband.

Looking at her now, he could only imagine all she went through. She was so slim and looked drained. He was there to help if she was willing to accept his help and advice.

Chief took PB in his arms as he consoled her. She was called upon to drop sand on the casket which she did amidst tears. She spoke to her dear friend in the grave asking for her support to carry out the enormous task given to her. She could feel the dislike from both families but she wasn’t bothered. PY was more important than anyone else. Her grandfather being there was a blessing. She needed the support at that moment.

After the burial, Chief went back to Engineer Collins residence. PB had packed her items and those of the children. She wanted to pick them and then leave. Her grandfather asked her to come back home with him so she can have support while caring for the children until she can cope on her own.

Hope wept bitterly. She begged PB not to take the children away as they were all she had from PY. PB knew this was emotional blackmail. She told Hope she was free to visit the children whenever she liked for now until they had a structure but she had to leave the house right away.

“Why are you doing this to me? If you were a mother you would understand” Hope replied her.

“I am a mother. These two are now my children. I am your daughter too. Why can’t we work with what PY wanted? Why is it difficult to accept her decision? I just lost my best friend whom I regarded as a sister; do you know how much that hurts? If Simon was the one taking the children away, would it have made you happier? Think about it; it is either me or another woman who never met PY and might not have love for her children. You can choose”

Hope stared at PB strangely. She looked like she was confused or processing what PB said to her. PB left her and walked out with the children and luggage.

By the car, Simon k-ssed his children goodbye and also hugged PB. “I believe you will take very good care of them. I will send you a monthly allowance for their upkeep. My daughter will start school soon so I will pay the fees. All we need is your presence in their lives; I will handle the financial burden”

“I can manage for now. You have spent for much on PY’s cancer treatment and I can imagine how much you might even be in debt. The children are still young. I will give you a year to recoup funds and then you can shoulder your responsibility.”

“There will be no need for that. She was covered under insurance; my out of pocket expense wasn’t much. She made it even better by insisting on no further treatment. We had money saved for this. Don’t worry, we’ve got this. I will not allow another person shoulder my responsibility”

“Alright. I agree with you. Thank you for all you did for PY. Thank you for loving her. She is at peace now”

“I know. I will leave for Abuja by the next weekend. I will come to see you before then”

PB moved back into her grandfather’s house. An additional maid was brought to help with the children. PB’s mother’s room was converted to a nursery. Her grandmother was excited about having children in the house. She had retired from her work and spent most of her time at home complaining of her employees and their thievery.

PB transitioned the children easily. When Simon came to visit two days later with Hope and Allen, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Allen told her she had done well. She spent two weeks at home with the children to ensure they were fine before she resumed work. The children were her life.

She created a functional yearly timetable for the children to visit their grandparents and father. It was prepared to put everyone and their circ-mstances into consideration. Simon loved the structure. The grandparents had them twice a month on weekends, shared holidays for three weeks each while summer was spent with their PB and their father. It was perfect and everyone was happy.

Tbc