Kevwe smiled as she walked into her room later that night. She was sure of what Ayo felt for her and she was happy. The only thing she needed to do now was to try and save up some money so she could move out. She had not thought of what else she could do. She had no skills and no education. She lay on her bed contemplating on her next line of action when Tutu walked in.
“Madam, where you go since?”
Kevwe ignored her and faced the wall.
“Madam Kevwe, no be you I dey talk to? Abi, you don dey big since you don get driver boyfriend?” Tutu sneered spoiling for a fight.
Kevwe turned back to look at her. “Tutu, abeg, no vex me this night oh. Na beg I dey beg you.”
“What will you do? Tell me, what? Madam driver boyfriend.” Tutu said as she clapped her hands at Kevwe.
Kevwe ignored her, lay back on her bed and turned to face the wall.
Tutu’s claps and raised voice drew the attention of the other girls who were sleeping. Some woke up and watched the two of them while a few ignored them and went back to sleep.
“Talk nau, Madam driver boyfriend. Wetin you go do if I vex you?”
“Tutu, leave her nau.” One of the girls said.
“Aunty gbeborun, face your front. No be you I dey talk to.”
“Who you come dey talk to?” Oghogho said standing up. She was six feet tall and had a muscular build. She stood and towered above Tutu. “I say who you dey talk to. Look me well well. I look like Kevwe?”
Tutu turned away from her and walked towards her bed.
“Nonsense.” Oghogho said. “Why you no go look for your own boyfriend? Abi, if her boyfriend na driver, how that one take consine you?”
“No mind am oh. E be like say she wan steal the bobo for Kevwe hand cos she use my phone call one man one day like that. She no no say I dey hear as she dey beg the man. E fit be say na Kevwe bobo cos I know say she no get boyfriend.” Another girl said.
“Ehen, so na another person boyfriend she dey steal. Na wa oh. And she go come dey behave as if she beta pass all of us. Shior!” Another girl, Onome who had been lying down on her bed all along said.
Tutu was quiet all through. She stood up and walked towards the door when she couldn’t stand the taunts of her roommates any more.
“Eh, she dey go out. She no fit siddon hear again.” Oghogho laughed.
The other girls burst into laughter as they mocked her. Tutu, angry that she was being ridiculed slammed the door as she walked out of the room.
Ayo and Kevwe continued to see each other. Ayo reckoned that the earlier he got an apartment for Kevwe, the better for them. He scouted around looking for a decent single room where she could stay but all the rooms he saw were pricey and beyond his budget. He could not afford such right now. He however refused to relent as he continued his search.
******
Ten weeks later, on a Saturday morning, Kevwe woke up with a pounding headache and a high fever. Her roommates rallied round her as her breathing became labored and her body temperature rose.
“Sorry oh Kevwe. Make we carry you go hospital?”
Kevwe shook her head.
“But you don weak nau. E go beta make you go hospital.” Onome said.
Oghogho and one of her roommates sat on her bed as they tried to convince her.
“E go beta if you go hospital oh, Kevwe. You wey no dey sick normally.” Oghogho said.
“I no even know as my body dey do me sef. I just weak.” Kevwe replied.
“Abi, make I help you call your boyfriend make e come carry you go hospital?”
“Ah, you wan make Madam kill me finish if she see am?”
“How she go see am? You jus leave that one for me. Sebi na me go tell Madam say I dey take you go hospital.” Oghogho said.
Kevwe nodded; unable to utter another word. She handed her phone to Oghogho and asked her to look for Ayo’s number.
Oghogho placed the call to Ayo and he picked up on one ring.
“Hey beautiful.” Ayo said.
Oghogho coughed to clear her throat. “Sorry, no be Kevwe be this. Na her friend, Oghogho. Abeg, come help us take her go hospital. She dey very sick. She no even fit waka well. If you dey come, no reach here oh. Just tanda for the corner wey dey beside our house, I go bring her come meet you for dia.” Oghogho spoke very fast.
“Okay. Just take it easy. You said Kevwe is very sick and I should come pick her up to the hospital, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming right away. I will call you when I am close to your place. Please keep the phone close to you.”
“Okay.” Oghogho replied.
Ayo cut the call and walked into the main house. He saw Chief’s kids watching a movie and asked about their father.
“Daddy is upstairs.” They chorused.
“Okay. Tell daddy that I stepped out briefly.”
“Okay, Mr. Ayo.” The kids said.
Ayo jumped into the car and drove in a hurry to Kevwe’s house. When he was about to round the bend beside the house, he called Kevwe’s number. Oghogho picked up the call.
“Hello, I am outside; just behind your house.” Ayo said.
“Okay, I dey come.”
Oghogho dragged Kevwe up from the bed. “Oya, make we dey go hospital.”
Onome helped Kevwe up and the trio walked out of the room. Madam was sitting in the living room watching a TV programme. She looked up and was surprised.
“Madam, Kevwe no well. We wan carry her go hospital.” Oghogho said.
“Okay. Make sure they run enough tests on her. I don’t want my clients complaining about any form of sickness or disease, understand?”
“Yes ma.” Oghogho rolled her eyes.
As the three girls walked out of the house, Oghogho hissed. “So na customer Madam dey think about? Ah, we don suffer for this life.”
Onome sighed and shook her head.
Ayo eased out of the car and half-jogged towards them immediately he spotted them. He swept Kevwe off her feet and dropped her carefully in the back seat of the car. Onome eased into the backseat while Oghogho decided to ride shotgun.
******
The doctor walked into the waiting room and called for Ayo. Oghogho stood up to walk towards the doctor but he raised his hand to stop her.
“Are you the patient’s sister?”
“No sir.” Oghogho replied.
“Okay. I will like to see him only. Thank you.”
Oghogho shrugged and turned back to sit beside Onome.
The doctor led Ayo into his office and offered him a seat.
“Doctor, what is wrong with her?”
The doctor sat down carefully and pulled out a sheet of paper from a brown file in front of him.
“We ran some tests on her. The result shows that she has malaria and she has to be properly monitored so that it doesn’t affect her baby in any way.”
Ayo gave the doctor a confused look. “Her baby? I don’t understand.”
The doctor raised his head and looked at Ayo. “You don’t know she is pregnant?”
Ayo’s jaw dropped. “Pregnant? Kevwe is pregnant?”
“Yes, she is. And she is almost concluding her first trimester.” The doctor said matter-of-factly.
Ayo could not believe what he had just heard. He was not sure whether to be happy or sad. There was no doubt in his heart about his love for her but he was unsure of what the future held for him and Kevwe. Could he handle having her for the rest of their lives? Besides, fatherhood was not a responsibility he was ready to shoulder at this time.
He sighed deeply. “Thank you doctor. So where is she now?”
“She has been placed on admission. She is in the general ward. You can speak with the matron if you need to see her.”
“Thank you sir.” Ayo said as he stood up and walked out of the doctor’s office with slumped shoulders.
Oghogho stood up when she saw Ayo’s countenance. “Wetin happen?”
Ayo sighed. The doctor said she has malaria.
“Ordinary malaria. So why your face come strong like this?”
“He said she is pregnant too.”
“Osanobua!” Oghogho exclaimed as she put her two hands on her head.
“Chai! Chai!” Onome lamented. “Wetin we go do now?”
Ayo looked at both of them but his mind was faraway. He had no house of his own, he was still trying to gather enough money to rent a room for Kevwe. How was he going to fend for her and a child? He sighed deeply as he walked towards the nurse’s station. He asked to see Kevwe and he was directed towards the general ward.
He spotted her immediately he entered the ward. He walked towards her and sat on the plastic chair by her bed. She was sleeping peacefully and he felt bad that he had to wake her up.
“Kevwe.” He whispered.
“Hmmm….” Kevwe answered groggily as she opened her eyes.
“How are you feeling now?”
“I no even understand the way I dey feel.” She said in a very low voice.
“It’s okay. You will be fine.”
Kevwe nodded gently as she drifted off to sleep again.
Ayo took a deep breath as he stood up and left the ward.
******
Oghogho and Onome were still seated in the waiting room.
“How she dey now?” Oghogho asked Ayo as he walked towards them.
“She is still very weak. She is sleeping now.”
“You tell her?”
Ayo shook his head.
“E good as you no tell her now. Make she get strength first. Wetin you wan do? Nobody must get belle for our house oh. Na because Madam no want belle, be the reason why she say we no fit get boyfriend.”
Ayo blew air through his mouth. “I don’t know. I will think of what to do.”
“Guy, think quick quick so that doctor go remove am before Kevwe sef know as you neva tell her.” Onome said indifferently.
“Remove what?” Ayo asked; shock clearly written on his face.
“Remove the belle nau. Ahn….ahn…” Onome said.
Oghogho studied Ayo’s face carefully. “You no wan remove am?”
“Why would I do that? She’s carrying my child.”
Oghogho shook her head and followed it with a nod. “You be good man. But if she keep the belle, she no go fit continue this work.”
“I know that and I was trying to get her out of this….” Ayo spread his hands with a disgusted look on his face but stopped when he realized what he was about to say would seem insensitive to Kevwe’s friends.
Oghogho smiled. “No worry. I understand. All of us don tire. We jus no dey lucky like Kevwe wey get fine man like you.”
“Thank you.” Ayo said with a sad face. “Let me drop you at your place. I will come back and wait here till she wakes up.”
As Oghogho and Onome eased out of the car behind the house they lived in, Oghogho looked to the heavens. “Osanobua, make you send me good man like this wey go carry me comot from this house.”
——
The story continues…