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ZAINAB
Chapter 21
I love you she said and then she pas-sed out, I was scared to my bones, I thought mother had died I quic-kly had to check her up and saw she was still breathing firmly, I quic-kly performed first aid on her, she was revived and I was very grateful, but mother was still very weak. I turned to old mama Sukurats, what is wrong with my mother I asked
I don’t know I have done all I know to do and given her all the herb I have, but nothing seems to be working she said.
I then turned to my father and brother, baba, what is wrong with mother
oh my child ZAINAB, I don’t know what is wrong with her, this has been going on for quite some time, she’s always very tired and weak, very thirsty, always hungry and these wound has refused to heal, mama Sukurats has given us so many herbs but none is working, I looked at mama she was really suffering, from all the explanation father and my brother had given, I suspected she was diabetic,they obviously wouldn’t know because no medical sector was available, even after ten years, nothing had been done about it, it almost was as if the government had forgotten this p@rt of the country.
Nevertheless, I just wanted to be sure, hence I nee-ded a confirmation from a medical laboratory, I quic-kly took mama in my car and my brother coming with us we drove to Lagos, while driving to Lagos, I asked about my two other brothers and I was told they were working in the city, but unfortunately my baby brother didn’t have their address.
We arrived at one of the best hospitals in Lagos, it was an emergency .she was taking care of and some test was carried out, she was later diagnosed of Type 2 diabetes, just like I had predicted, it has been a long time one,and lack of treatment had generated it into this pitable situation.
I asked the doctors to do all they could to take care of my mom,I was with her all throu-gh the way,and each time she saw me,it gladden her heart, obviously she was very happy to have me around.my mother had lost so much weight,I couldn’t hold back my tears seeing her like that,but the hope that she would soon be better and return to her usual self,gave me some atom of hope within, and I knew she was going throu-gh a lot,I didn’t want her seeing my tears,so that I do not have to be another reason for her to worry.
.
Days had ran into weeks and ,she was getting better, Mrs Chioma was always coming to Check on mom.my mother was very grateful to her for all her support and her help,the two women had become very close.After her discharge, I didn’t want her to go home, she was living at Mrs Chioma’s with me, while I looked for a good ap@rtment for my immediate family. my kid brother was very happy to be in the big city, he never thought of been there I guess, Ahmed was very helpful, mother liked him at first sight, I didn’t bother mother with the full details yet, for the sake of her health, I wanted her to get well first.
When I finally got a place for my family, Father c@m£ over to join us, he was very happy being in the big city again, he had been there so many years ago, when he worked for sometime, but he has not been there for quite some time.
Mrs Chioma was always coming over to see mother, when she also heard father was around, she decieded to come over to see him, immediatly she entered the house, my father shouted Madam, while Mrs Chioma replied in shock Fatai,,, apparently they knew each other…
Chapter 22
Mrs Chioma seems very shocked to see Father, just like my mother,I was surprised that they alre-ady knew each other
you two seems to know each other, ma,(referring to Mrs Chioma),meet my father
“your what?she asked
my father ma
“no,no,no,this can’t be, this certainly can’t be, she said as she ran out of the house,father ran after her outside, while I ran after both of them, but before we got outside, Mrs Chioma was alre-ady in the car,and drove off.
Father, what just happened,why did that lady ran off upon hearing you are my father, do you know her
I know Chioma,who I usually call madam,I have known her for a long time,long before you were born actually.
what?, before I was born, but why did she have to run upon seeing you, meeting an old friend shouldn’t call for such anxiety, she practically ran like she saw a ghost.
“Magi da,plea-se what do you know about the lady,and why did she run home upon seeing you? mother asked father “Fatima,just relax,you do not have to bother about me,just focus on your self
but father, Mrs Chioma is a very important person in my life,the shock I saw on her face minutes ago wasn’t plea-sing at all,what do you have to do with that, plea-se father,talk to me
well my child ZAINAB, I am not in the mood to talk about anything, I think you should drop this t©pic, he said and went inside …
I was really getting worried, what could have made Mrs Chioma run away like that I wondered, well, the only way to find out is to go and check up on Mrs Chioma. I told mother I was going to see her, she gave her cons£nt, I also asked father to take good care of mother in my abs£nce.
Getting to Mrs chioma’s house, I met her abs£nce, apparently she didn’t come home when she left my place, I wondered where she would have been ,not having any idea in mind I decided to wait, I waited for some time but when she seems not to be coming I went back home.
Father plea-se you must say something, how do you know Mrs chioma what’s the connection between the both of you and why would she behave that way upon seeing you
“how many questions am I supposed to answer at a time, how many times do I have to tell you that I do not want to talk about it
but father I don’t seems to be able to reach her ,her phones are off and she isn’t home either, something is just not right and this is very much unlike her.
Do not worry my child everything is ok I believe she’s just having a ha-rd time Seeing me after so many years.
But how do you know her father
oh ZAINAB, plea-se,I am tired,I think I nee-d some rest.
The next day I decided I was going to spend the night at Mrs chioma’s house, on
Getting to her place,I saw her still in shock from yesterday, she wasn’t her usual happy self, she had a lot going throu-gh her mind, mom, what’s going on, you seems not to be happy,you left the house yesterday immediately you saw dad, plea-se,what
‘s going on,how do you know my daddy, plea-se you have to say something.
“Well ,I think your father is in a better position to answer all these questions and not me
oh mom, what’s really going on, Father has refused to talk, and now you, someb©dy has to say something. after much persuasion and Mrs Chioma refused talking, I decided to let her be, as I was walking towards the door, her voice st©pped me…
It was many years ago, in the days of my youth, I had to come to Lagos to see my aunt with the address she had given me, unfortunately, she had relocated to another city,I was stranded, not knowing what to do or how to go back to my home town in the Eastern p@rt of the country.i was roaming around the street of Lagos with no one to help, I had no idea were I was going to pas-s the night nor what I was going to eat,I didn’t know the good or bad areas, where I should or shouldn’t go during late hours in Lagos, I was walking gently, and hopelessly, that I didn’t notice two boys behind me,then all of a sudden, the two boys dragged me, they hit me, and pushed me to the ground ,they were trying to r@p£ me,when your father Fatai, c@m£ and defended me.
He Asked me the place I was heading to and I told him I had no where to go,he had compansion,and told me he was going to take me home if I didn’t mind,I was scared at first, because I didn’t know him, and from the way he was dressed and spoke, it was obvious he was from the northern p@rt of Nigeria, I was very scared being that we had heard so many negative things about the northerners, but de-ep down my heart I decided to go with him, because I had nowhere to go and because he had defended me from the hands of those thvgs, something in me had agreed. So I followed him to his place.
Fatai was a very nice person, and very different from most northerners I had seen, one thing lead to another, we fell in love, we started a relationsh!p, we were very happy together, few months on, he had to travel to his hometown, his younger brother was sick and he nee-ded to see him, so Fatai left and never c@m£ back, I was surprised he forgot all about me just like that, I moved on with my life, but was filled with hatred for him,that was the last I saw him until yesterday.
Chapter 23
As she talked, I could feel the anger and pain in her voice, Fatai left me and never c@m£ back, forgetting all we had just like that, he was my everything, but I was nothing to him, all the love I had for him, bec@m£ hate, and nothing but hate, I vowed to have nothing to do with him, and to think I’ve been living with his seed for such a long time, is arching my heart
“mum, are you regretting knowing me and having me in your life, I asked
ZAINAB, it has nothing to do with you, I didn’t mean for it to sound that way, I am just expressing how bad I felt, it has nothing to do with you my child, I hvgged her, and she reciprocated with some tears falling from my eyes to my shoulders.
I could only but imagine what she was going throu-gh, losing the one she loved greatly, only to meet him again unexpected, nevertheless i apologized on behalf of Dad, I didn’t want her to be angry at him, she was also family to me, and I love her so very much..
When I saw that she was in a lighter mood, it was time for me to go home, mother wasn’t fully ok, she was un-der monitoring, and of course I wanted to talk to Dad.
When I got home, mother was the first to ask me how she was, I didn’t know whether or not to tell her about the reason Mrs Chioma run out upon seeing Dad, but she was concerned because she had come to love her as a sister for taking good care of me in a her abs£nce
what did she say ZAINAB, I looked at her, mother plea-se don’t you worry about that, it’s high time you took your medication, and have some rest, I brou-ght some medications and food and made her have them, I also helped her to have a bath,and took her to her room for some rest and then c@m£ to the sittingroom to meet Dad.
Father, Mrs chioma, had told me everything, and she’s greatly hurt
I know she will, father said, she greatly loved me then
if you knew this, why did you not come back for her, I asked
i told your uncle Suleiman about her, but he told me I could not have her for a wife, she was from the Eastern p@rt of Nigeria, he told me she would not un-derstand our culture, and to make matters worse, she was a Christian while Iam a Muslim, I wasn’t sure she was going to let’s go Faith and believe for mine. I un-derstand father
but there were other ways you would have made her un-derstand, abandoning her and everything you both shared, was very wrong, dad you nee-d to apologize to her.
I know ZAINAB, and I shall do that…..
The next day, father went to Mrs choma place, after about 2 hours, he was back, according to him, she didn’t say a word to him, even though he had apologized, she didn’t say anything. Perhaps she nee-ded some time, I had said
no woman can easily forget a man who abandoned her, especially one she loved, mother said coming to join dad and I
we were surprised at her response
mum, you knew about this, I asked out of curiosity
well, father and daughter, I am not stupid, yesterday when you took me to my room, I eveadroped
on your conversation with your father, I heard everything you two talked about, I un-derstand what she’s going throu-gh perfectly as a fellow woman, but she would definitely get over it, moreover she’s a wonderful person, give her time to digest everything, but she’ll be fine, mother said, I agreed perfectly with her, Mrs chioma really nee-ded time. I was calling her daily, but I gave her space .
After about a week, I heard a knock at the door, when i opened, it was Mrs chioma, I was very happy to see her, she wanted to see mum and Dad, mum c@m£ out and they exchange plea-santries, father greeted but she didn’t answer, she said she had something to tell everyone of us, so we sat down, and gave her our attention…..
“Few weeks after Fatai left, I discovered I was with a child, the rent was also due, and I couldn’t renew it, the landlord had asked me to leave, I was helpless and homeless, I went throu-gh hell, I sle-pt on the streets, I didn’t know how to face my family, with a child without a father, I didn’t know Fatai’s hometown, he only told me the state, there was no way to locate him, it was as if my life was at a standstill, but God in his infinite mercy, brou-ght my late husband my way, he loved me so much, but I told him everything about me, that I was pregnant, but because he loved me so much, he was willing to take away my shame of birthing a child without a father, he quic-kly paid my bride price, and took responsibility of the child, he was a good man to the core, he never for once, reminded me he wasn’t the father of my child, nob©dy from my family, nor his family, knows that pearl is Not his child,, I was shocked to my bones.
“Yes ZAINAB,Pearl is your sister, my child with your father Fatai.
“What! Mother shouted,and held her che-st in pains, she had suffered an heart attack, as she was also hypertensive…
(FINALE CHAPTER)
Chapter 24
Mother was very shocked at what she heard, So was dad and myself, we quic-kly took her to the hospital and she was attended to immediately, it was almost beginning to seems like my life was a big joke, one minute everything is perfect ,the other minute everything is upside-down, mother was soon discharged from the hospital.
Getting home, after some days, mrs Chioma c@m£ home, and told her she was sorry for been the reason she suffered a heart attack, mother told her it was no fault of hers,she shouldn’t blame herself.
where is the child now? mother asked
she based in France with her husband and two kids
woowww,magida (my husband)you are a grandfather, she said to father, and my sister, thank you for raising such an amazing child, you have done well, Mrs Chioma was surprised as to how comfortable mother was with everything
you are such a good woman, most women would have been very angry at me, knowing I have a child for their husband
“no Mrs Chioma,not in this case,you met him first before I c@m£ into the picture, my husband didn’t have and extra Marital affair, and even if he wanted too, he’s a Muslim ” mother said
thank you for your un-derstanding my sister, I told him to free my conscience and because he has every right to know.
Father again apologized to Mrs Chioma for everything, and she said right there that she had forgiving him, God replaced him with a good man as her husband,it was only unfortunate that death didn’t allow him to live long, although they can never be together again, he has rights to his daughter..
When mother was strong and okay,it was time to begin the building of my hospital, Ahmed was so very supportive in all aspects, I had not seen uncle Suleiman since I c@m£,I heard he was with his daughter in the city,he has been very sick for some time, one afternoon while I and Ahmed were supervising the work, I saw Halima, she on the other hand had seen me and was trying to hide, when I called her name, she was so ashamed of herself,I greeted her, and asked after her husband, she was too ashamed to look at me, Alhaji has been so sick for a very long time now “she said
what’s wrong with him?I asked again
“he has stro-ke, mama Sukurats has done all she could but he’s getting worse” Halima said
what about big mummy?I asked
she is at home “she replied
ok,I shall come pay her a visit later
ZAINAB, plea-se I am so sorry for everything” she said
oh no problem Halima, it’s okay…
Later that day, I went with Ahmed to see Big mummy, Alhaji’s first wife, she was very happy to see me and the woman I had become, after all the plea-santries, she took me to see Alhaji, who could ba-rely talk, when he saw me ,he smiled, he managed to say he was sorry for everything, that I should forgive him, Seeing him reminded me of all that I went throu-gh in that house ,but those where processes I had to pas-s to be the person I am today, I forgave him, and I felt I should try my best to make him fine, I took some blood sample, thank God I always have my first aid box with me ,to know exactly what is wrong with him, when all results c@m£ out, I found out that Alhaji was AS and I was AS, that explains the lose of all my babies with him, they may have been SS I thought.
Coming back the following week I found out Alhaji had died two days earlier, big mummy thanked me for forgiving him before his death, at least he would rest in peace.
Soon ZAINAB HOSPITAL was standing, it was equipped planning for it opening, I had also built a good house for my family, my brothers had all return, and they were very proud of me, uncle Suleiman who was yet to be fine health wise, wanted to come for the opening, probably to see things for himself, on his way to the hospital for the opening, he was involved in an accident, I s£nt the hospital ambulance to get him from the scene when his daughter called, he officially bec@m£ the first patient of the hospital, when I saw him, I was indeed angry at him for all he did to me, but he was my family ,and also the very first person I would treat in my home town, I took hold of my emotions, with the help of my nurses, we were able to do our best,and uncle suleman was fine days on,while he was still in be-d at the hospital,he called me
ZAINAB,my child,I am very sorry for all I had put you throu-gh,I do not deserve your love and forgiveness,but plea-se find a way in your heart to forgive me, I held his hands, and told him I had forgiven him, he was very happy,and said indeed some female children are worth more than four sons, and every child deserves education.
weeks on, he was discharged, those who saw him when he was brou-ght were surprised seeing him in a good condition, I was happy that my first patient was doing fine, Ahmed was very proud of me too, and the villgers started coming for treatment, I tried my best to charge them very little, especially the women…
Months on, it was time to officially become Mrs Ahmed, for the young man had tried.
my two sisters pearl and precioud had come from France for my big day, after some days of thier return, mom which is Mrs chioma told Pearl about her paternity, and that we were bloodily related, although it was difficult for her to comprehend, but later she accepted father, she was also grateful to her late father for loving her that much even though she wasn’t his….Hi peacemaker +2348037873157 to be added you to the platform
My marriage to Ahmed was a hvge success, and living with him was nothing but a blessing, soon we were expecting our first babies, yes you heard me babies, it was two boys and a girl, and Ahmed said we were very okay with three kids, my both mothers and Ahmed mother were very helpful,I was a very lucky woman having three wonderful women taking care of me, I really nee-ded them for the triple blessings Allah had given us.
At last, all my dream c@m£ true, despite all life brou-ght to me, i fought and won. if I achieved all of mine, trust me, you too shall.
Thank you for your time, that has been my story.
DR.Mrs ZAINAB Ahmed
THE END
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