The Blue House S01 E15

“But the doctor said it was risky. I could die, Solape I don’t want to die!”
“Are you the first woman who will have an abortion? Every operation is a risk, they’ll always tell you that!”
“So you’re saying it’s safe?” Olayinka asked timidly.
“You better go back there now and hope that the doctor isn’t in another operation! You’re not serious at all!” She said and hung up.
Olayinka sighed worriedly. “What if she’s right?” she thought to herself and turned down her indicator as it started to drizzle.
**********
Ayodele lay on his bed shifting uneasily. He had just finished watching a video he had collected from Brother Tunji the barber, whose shop he visited fortnightly. Brother Tunji had told him that the video would make him a man and would teach him what his father would never teach him. It had done all that and more and now his mind was racing, replaying the images of the video. His body was warm and he suddenly felt lonely.
“Posi!” he called from the window of their bedroom to Posi who was playing downstairs with Onyebuchi and Chijioke, Helen’s boys.
“Yes”
“Go and call Peace for me and stay in the shop till she gets back.”
“Why?” Posi asked angrily, upset that he was asked to leave his friends”
“I want her to help me do something.”
“But I don’t know how to sell anything.” Posi reasoned.
“Posi go and do what I asked you to do! Am I not older than you?” The poor boy mumbled all the way to the shop where Peace was tying groundnuts into small nylons.
“What is wrong with you?” She asked the crying boy.
“Brother Ayo is calling you” he said
“Is that why you’re crying?”
“He said I should stay here”
“Why is he calling me?” She asked thinking out loud then said to the boy. “Don’t worry I’ll come back now okay? Stop crying.” Posi was comforted by that but still sat down gloomily on the plastic chair wondering why he had to be the last born.
“What do you want?” Peace asked Ayodele when she got upstairs, still angry about what she had heard him say to Joy.
“Are you angry with me?”
“I heard what you told Joy.”
“What did I tell her?” Ayodele asked surprised.
“You said I’m not fine and I’m not your girlfriend.”
“Are you my girlfriend?” Ayodele asked insolently wondering why he did not call Joy instead.
“But we have been touching each other and only boyfriends and girlfriends do that” She said bashfully avoiding his eyes.
“But we have not done the real thing.” Ayodele said mischievously, Brother Tunji had told him that he needed to be confident to impress girls.
“What is the real thing?” Peace asked then realized it just as she asked her question. “What they taught us in biology? I can’t do that o! Mummy said I can get pregnant.”
“You won’t get pregnant if we use a condom, they gave us some in school on Monday when those people came” he said speaking of the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign officers who had come to their school. He saw the hesitation on Peace’s face then said. “When we do it you will be my girlfriend…”
Peace looked at Ayodele, remembering him kiss Joy and reminding herself that he was the only boy that paid her any sort of attention.
**********
Kunle sat down brooding with his head in one palm and Banke’s phone in the other as she walked into the sitting room with a feeding bottle.
“What is it?” she asked seeing the look on his face.
“An alert just came in on your phone. Your dad sent you five hundred thousand naira.” He said quietly handing the phone to her.
“Ehn…yes… he wants me to handle some things for him on his site.”
“And since when did you become a contractor?” 
“It’s a one-time thing. He just wants me to pay some of the workers, he doesn’t trust the engineer.”
“Ok. And how do you explain the balance in your account?”
“Ehn?”
“Exactly Banke, how do you explain the fact that you have two million naira in your account?” he asked, arms folded on his chest
“Ehn it’s part of the money he wants me to pay to the workers. I won’t lie to you now would I?” Banke asked accusatorily.
“I hope so Banke.” Kunle said his heart believing her story but his mind telling him that Banke had been depending on her father financially because he couldn’t meet her needs.
**********
Posi was getting tired of seating down in the shop while he heard his friends playing but he didn’t want to disobey his brother so he decided to go and ask his permission to go back to his friends. He got into the house wondering why the house was silent. He looked in the kitchen and found no one then decided to help himself to a piece of meat from the pot. He was drinking some water when he heard the cry. It sounded like Sister Peace, was Brother Ayo beating her? He had always thought his older brother was mean and now he was beating the househelp. He strode toward their bedroom where the noise was coming from and decided he was going to save Sister Peace.
“Stop it!” Peace was crying as Posi opened the door. 
“Brother Ayo!” Posi called out terrified as Ayo scrambled to his feet pulling up his trousers. Posi took off running.
**********
Effiong ran into the hospital and headed straight for the counter. “Hello. I just got a call that my wife was rushed here. Her name is Olayinka Brown.” He said to the first nurse he saw panting heavily.
“Calm down sir” the nurse said placatingly.
“Where is she?” Effiong demanded.
“She’s still in surgery, please take a seat and I’ll let the doctor in charge know you’re around.”
“Is she going to be alright?” he asked desperately as one who is looking for a thread of hope.
“We are doing our best sir, but please take a seat.” The nurse said again.
Effiong dragged himself to the nearest seat and sat down with his head in his hands. What was she doing outside her office in the first place? He thought. “God let her be alright, I’ll make amends. I’ll make us work, anything! Just please let her live.” He prayed anxiously.
While he waited he thought of the last thing he had said to her. “I need to sleep.” How would he take care of their children alone? How was he to love another woman if she died. He wished he could take everything he had said and done wrong back and go back to the way they used to be- in love with each other and committed to making their marriage work. She had said nothing happened with the person he thought she was having affair with, why hadn’t that been enough for him?
“Let her live and I’ll make amends!” he prayed again his head bowed.
“Mr Brown?”
“Yes?” He answered, rising up expectant.
“I am Doctor Ogunsola. I’m in charge of your wife’s treatment.”
Effiong nodded and said “Well, how is she?”
“Your wife’s leg was broken in the accident and she had several injuries but we have been able to stabilize her, the surgery was very successful. However she lost the baby…”
“What baby?” Effiong asked confused.
“You didn’t know your wife was pregnant?” the doctor asked surprised.
“No…no I didn’t but I’m sure she was keeping it as a surprise. How long gone was she?”
“She was fifteen weeks pregnant. You’ll have to excuse me, I have other patients to attend to, the nurse will communicate other necessary information to you.”
Effiong stood dazed, Olayinka had been pregnant with another man’s child.
“You shouldn’t have answered my prayer” he finally said.