TITLE: TOO PRECIOUS
WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI
CHAPTER 25
That night, PY said to PB, “I don’t have long to stay. My hour is very near. As I said, Simon cannot take care of the children and I want him to remarry and be happy. I have told him to allow you to stay with the children and bring them up while he visits and spends his leave with them. They are his but I don’t want them maltreated by another woman. He agreed. He wanted my mother to have them but I know my death will be too traumatic for her to handle when it happens. She will nee-d some time to recover and by then the children would have had a bond with you. To be honest, I don’t want them alone with my mum and Allen’s daughter. I want them with you because you will give them your undivided attention and love them as your own. You will raise them to be strong and resilient. I want them to be like you. Simon has agreed and we have signed a legal docu-mment to that effect.”
“I will do anything you want me to do,” PB replied tearily.
“I want you to be happy. Biodun was the wrong choice. He blinded our eyes with his displa-y of affection and deceived us. Well, he will suffer for what he did to you. But don’t close your heart to love”
“You have been talking to Allen. It is easy to see”
PY laughed and then coughed. “PB, I am at peace. I have accepted my fate. I worry about Simon. He isn’t strong. I hid it from him for a long time. He hasn’t been the same since he found out. What am I to do? Allen can’t handle the situation. He also has my dad to take care of. Elvis is too young and emotional to know what is happening. It will break him. I want to go quietly without any drama and nobo-dy with me. I don’t want anyone crying or being heartbroken”
“We will be with you because we love you. Why tell me when you are on the verge of leaving? When you were stronger, we would have gone to see the world together; had our adventure. Why did you hide away from those of us that love you?”
“I didn’t want pity. Look at me, I can’t walk anymore, I have a catheter connected to me to collect urine. I can’t eat to make faeces and I am bleeding. I look like a ninety-year-old woman. Why would I want to subject you and my loved ones to this? I wanted you to remember me as the Precious you met and became best friends with from J.S.S 1.”
“This isn’t you; that is how I will always remember you. I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I wasn’t with you at this moment and I will be with you until the end”
PY was surprised and asked, “You will?”
“I will be right here holding your hand and telling you how much I love you and I will miss you”
“You won’t be scared? PB, I am scared.”
“You don’t have to be, I am here with you. I won’t leave your side no matter how long it takes”
“Thank you,” PY said in tears while they held onto each other.
Simon had some respite with PB there. He was able to catch some sleep and eat some food. PB couldn’t eat any food yet. She tried to get PY to eat but she refused.
Allen arrived on the same day Elvis arrived. They came together to the flat. PY couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw them. PB had prepared them for what to expect and made them promise not to cry or react negatively. They kept to the bargain.
PY was surrounded by her family and best friend. She didn’t say much but she listened and laughed at jokes. She was very weak and fell asleep sometimes while they were all talking.
PY made known her decision for her children to be with PB to her brothers. She told them it was what she wanted and she trusted her to bring her children up to be responsible individuals.
“Don’t do that. Let mum have the children”
“It is my decision and Simon agrees with me. It is final”
“PB is a great person, I agree with you. But, since Simon didn’t perform the Igbo traditional rites, he doesn’t have rights to the children nor does he have a say”
“My children are British, they are not Igbos. He didn’t nee-d to pay dowry because we are legally married. Even the church wedded us. They are his children and we have both agreed to give them to PB to tend to them until they are old enough to step out on their own”
“What happens when PB remarries? When she has her own kids?”
“I’m sure she will love all of them equally. She will protect them with her last breath. I want her to have the children”
Simon also confirmed to them he was willing to adhere to all PY’s dying wishes. “She has requested I don’t mourn her for more than two years. She wants me to reconcile with my father immediately after she is gone. She made me promise I will provide for the children until they do not nee-d my support. I don’t want to have any arguments about her decision; they will be adhered to. I want to spend the remaining time she has loving her. Nothing else matters”
Elvis spent more time with PY apa-rt from PB. They were very close and seeing his sister in that state was depressing for him. He cried himself to sleep most nights thinking nobo-dy could hear him but PB did and she suspects PY did too.
Simon allowed PB to bond with the children while she stayed over. She got along with Mirabel, PY’s daughter and took charge of Caleb learning the ropes of taking care of a baby. She attended to him sometimes in PY’s prese-nce and sometimes he would pee while the diaper is being changed and his aim will hit PB on the face. It made a weak PY laugh. Those moments were precious to them both.
After two weeks, Allen had to get back to Nigeria and Elvis had to resume work. They appealed to Simon to let PY come back to Nigeria to spend her last days in the home she loved and hadn’t been in for years with her parents she also loved. Simon told them she wouldn’t be able to make the trip to Nigeria as she was very weak.
The brothers asked PB to convince PY and her husband to allow her to be surrounded by love and full attention. At least, her parents would be able to see her before she finally gives up.
“The journey will shorten her days. If she had another month, it would reduce.” Simon insisted.
“But the period she has left, she will have all the love and forgiveness she deserves. She has to leave this earth fulfilled. That’s what I am aiming for. My mother is a doctor and would be able to take appropriate care of her. Trust me on this” Allen replied.
PB thought about it and decided to have a conversation with PY. She agreed she wouldn’t mind going back to Nigeria but the cost and the stress would be too much. She also didn’t want to see her mother broken from her illness. She was certain her mother won’t remain the same.
“Your mother will feel worse if she didn’t get to see you and love you before you left this earth. Let her be the one to decide if you should be with her while you transcend or not. She will never forgive herself if she isn’t a pa-rt of this moment we are sharing with you. And, Simon can go back to work too. He can work from home fly into Abuja when he nee-ds to be prese-nt. Think about it”
“Whatever you and Simon decide PB, I agree to it”
PB spoke with Simon. He was relieved when PB told him it was their decision to make. He broke down in tears knowing all he had been throu-gh. Work would have been a means of escape but staying in London didn’t help matters. Now, he could think about her and also work. There would be a balance.
Allen went back to Nigeria to prepare the ground for them to come back. First, he had to inform their parents. Hope was shocked when her son told her about PY’s condition.
“How bad is she?” she asked.
“She has only a few weeks or even days”
“Where is she? Abuja?” Hope asked almost hysterical.
“Mum, calm down. She is in the UK”
She calmed down and said “What she nee-ds is palliative care right now. Maybe I should go over there and take care of her”
“Or, we could bring her back here to a familiar environment and care for her. I want her to be buried in Nigeria”
“That’s a better idea. When can you bring her back? The sooner the better”
‘What of dad?”
“Who is that? Forget about him and focus on your dying sister”
Tbc