AMID SECRETS - CHAPTER 45
*Maduka’s POV*
*A week later*
A knock on my door startles me.
Nwanyieze, is that you? I think, suddenly excited. As I move towards the door, I run a hand over my beard, suddenly worrying that it might surprise her and chastising myself for not giving it a trim.
But it is Tasha on my doorstep, swaying. She falls forward, Mõ@?ing. I catch her before she hits the floor and half-drag her inside. She is boneless all of a sudden, her head lolling from side to side.
“What happened, Tasha?”
“I’m dying,” she murmurs, her eyes half-closed. Sweat shines on her forehead, and she is shaking like a leaf.
My eyes move all over her in a quick examination. I freeze for a moment when I see her legs.
Ribbons of blood are on their insides, from her thighs to her feet. There is a large stain spreading in the middle of her light blue shorts.
______
*Nwanyieze’s POV*
“She lost the baby.”
I sit a few metres away from Maduka and the doctor who had treated Tasha. They are speaking in hushed tones, and as the hallway is empty right now I can hear them.
“Your friend had been bleeding heavily after taking an overdose of an abortion drug. She’s lucky she came to you, because she lost blood seriously.”
“How long until she regains consciousness?”
“I think between a few hours and tomorrow, she should be conscious. We stopped the bleeding, and after today’s blood transfusions, her blood pressure should be normal. Her stomach has been irrigated, activated charcoal was administered. From the ultrasounds, her uterus remains unharmed. She is a very fortunate lady.”
“Yes, she really is.”
“What about her family? Shouldn’t they be notified? I understand that this is a sensitive matter, but it was life thr_@tening.”
“I called her mother. She will be here soon.”
“Please, we recommend counselling for her as soon as possible.”
“I’ll convince her to take that up. Thank you, Doctor. You’re a life saver.”
“Please, sir. You’re the lifesaver.”
He laughs a little and says, “I’ll be here until her mother comes.”
I hear Maduka’s footsteps coming towards where I sit. He settles on the iron bench opposite me and sighs. I continue staring at the frayed hems of my jean shorts, picking at them with my nails.
I haven’t spoken to him since that day at his house, since the incident with the photos. It has been torture, picking up my phone to call him and tell him everything (cowardice won’t let me ask for a face to face meeting) and then dropping it. I have had imaginary conversations with him in my mind, seen his hatred, and died a million times.
“Thank you for coming with the provisions. You were the first person I could think of in those moments.”
Hearing his voice addressing me sends a jolt through me. I swallow and drag my eyes up to his face. Maduka has never been one to shy away from eye contact.
He’s been thinking of me.
“You’re welcome,” I reply. “I hope Tasha gets better soonest.”
We spend the next few minutes in silence, with him looking at me while I count anything countable: floor tiles, light bulbs, benches, ceiling boards… But my eyes keep darting to him, to anything associated with him. His hair, his rubber slippers, his hands, the phone he holds, his disheveled clothes.
It’s obvious he had rushed here, not bothering about his appearance. I can still see Tasha in my mind, looking beautiful even in unconsciousness. Seeing her gave me a small blow in my gut. I had thought, So this is his ex? Tasha? This beauty queen?
She was pale, her light skin drawn over high cheekbones topped by long, dark lashes. Her hair was in a rough ponytail, some straight strands pointing in different directions.
Imagine these two in a professional photo $h00t, I had told myself as I arranged the provisions in the small bed-side cupboard. In fact, seeing Maduka sitting there beside her bed after they had wheeled Tasha in, seeing him hold her hand and rub it, seeing the way he looked at her with so much concern, had destabilized me so badly that I kept dropping things- the Lucozade Boost bottle, the Glucose-D tin, the pack of Cabin biscuits.
“Are you okay?” He had asked, turning to look at me where I stood, making a fool of myself.
“Yes,” I had almost choked.
His voice snaps me out of my thoughts and back to the present.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Say it. Say it here.
I nod slowly. I so badly want to leave my bench and move over to his, snuggle close to him and have him hold me. My fingers grip the edge of my bench, and I cross my legs. I feel like the ugly swan. I had just stepped out of the shower after washing my hair to see Maduka’s call. I hadn’t properly detangled my hair, and I know I have to shower again and then detangle. I hadn’t even applied body cream.
“It’s an emergency,” he had said over the phone late this morning. “Come to Eko Hospital, please. Buy essential provisions.”
“Are you okay?” I had replied, suddenly panicking.
“It’s Tasha. Something terrible happened to her.”
I had run around Shomolu market like a headless chicken, buying provisions without bargaining. Then I had dived into the nearest yellow taxi, not yelling when the driver had demanded five thousand Naira for the trip to Eko Hospital.
“This is your first time meeting Tasha,” he states now, his face thoughtful.
“Yes. She is beautiful,” I blurt without thinking.
He smiles and shakes his head. “I’m sure she’ll like to hear that from you when she wakes up.”
How can he even sound like he’s having a nice conversation right now? This is his ex, who wants him back, who probably thinks of me as a usurper! And I’m so tired…
How I sleep off on that hard bench, I do not know, but a gentle touch awakens me. Maduka stands over me, a small smile on his face. A nurse is behind him, holding a folder.
“Tasha is awake.”
“Oh.” My heart starts racing.
Get up and leave.
I obey my mind, get on my own feet, and murmur a goodbye to Maduka. I desperately want to be away from him, from her. I don’t even want her to set her eyes on me. Disoriented from the sleep in my eyes and the tension, I misstep.
“Whoa, wait.”
His hand closes around my wrist. I turn to tell him that I’m useless here, that my help is no longer needed. “Home,” I croak.
The nurse watches us with interest, probably wondering if this is a love triangle and thinking that I, looking like this, am the side chick.
“You’re going in there with me.”
“I don’t want to.”
His eyes soften in understanding. “You’ll be fine, baby girl.”
My stomach flips. All I can do is nod and wipe a hand over my face while he leads me towards the door, into the room where Tasha waits.
“Hello, beautiful,” Maduka tells her when we step in.
She is sitting up in bed, a weak but pleased smile on her face. The smile falters when her eyes land on me. They are greyish in nature, reminding me of the rapper, Phyno.
“Mads, thank you for saving my life,” she says in a British accent.
Oyinbo girl kwa.
“You nearly scared me to death, Tasha. Why did you do this? What if I hadn’t taken the day off from work?”
Tasha’s eyes flicker towards me, and I feel like shrinking further. “You’re Queen, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I reply in my best I’m-not-intimidated-by-you voice. “And you’re Tasha. Nice to meet you.”
“Tasha, this is Nwanyieze, my girlfriend,” Maduka says. My gut somersault again and I suddenly find it difficult to hide my grin. “Nwanyieze, this is Tasha, my friend.”
But Maduka doesn’t call me Queen.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Tasha gives me a smile that I think is too bright. “Thank you for coming here.”
It sounds like a dismissal, like she is trying to make me feel unimportant. Her attention moves back to Maduka. My phone rings and I am grateful for the interruption. Maduka hears it and looks away from Tasha to me, his eyes narrowed. I excuse myself and leave the room.
So, he finally calls to gloat. About time.
I stare at the name for a few seconds, letting it ring, letting him get a bit impatient.
Saheed should be a codename for ekwensu.
“I’m only answering this call to congratulate you.”
“For what? Winning your heart?”
“Saheed, I didn’t expect you to go that low. That was the dirtiest thing you could ever do to me.”
He chuckles. “Are you sure, Queen? Because I can show you dirtier stuff, if you let me…”
“How did you do it? Hire a professional photographer?”
“Wait, what are we even talking about? The incident at Sailors Lounge?”
“This is the wrongest time to play dumb!”
“You sound confusing and confused. Rewind, darling. What exactly are you accusing me of doing?” His voice has gone from seductive to annoyed.
“Are copies of those photographs kept in a secret folder that you can look at for your pleasure?”
I so badly wish I can put my hands into my phone and strangle him. d@mn him for playing dumb with me.
“What photos, Queen? How do I get them, when you won’t wear red lace and strike a fierce pose for me?”
“Saheed, why did you send photos of our scene to Maduka?”
“What?”
I sigh. This man must be having fun right now. He takes those photos, sends them at the right time, lets me suffer for a bit, and calls me to play dumb.
“Queen, that must have been a smart move, but I wouldn’t try that. Regardless of what you think, all I wanted to do was enjoy your company. You must have another not-so-secret admirer. You’re becoming popular, my little queen. Or should I say, quite unpopular.”
______
*Maduka’s POV*
When she returns to the room, her countenance is different. Nwanyieze is restless.
“I’m going home,” she announces. She comes closer to the bed, determination showing in her eyes. “Tasha, I’m sorry we couldn’t meet under more pleasant circumstances. I wish you a speedy recovery. Take good care.”
Before Tasha or I can say a word, she has literally flown out from the room. I excuse myself and follow her.
“Wait.”
Nwanyieze turns in the hallway close to the stairs, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
“Is something wrong?”
“If something wasn’t wrong, would we be like this?” She points at the distance between us, a distance I cover to get to where she stands.
“What happened?”
She contemplates before saying, “Saheed denied sending the photos.”
I feel annoyance seep into my thoughts at the mention of that name. The person who thought it was a sensible thing to kiss her when he knew that she belonged with me. But if he didn’t do it, then who did?
“We shouldn’t talk about him now. Tasha needs you. Go back to her,” she says in a quiet voice.
I just want to hold her. It was only her I could think of calling in those tense moments after Tasha had fainted in my arms. It was her hand I wanted to hold while waiting for Tasha’s ultrasound to be done. It was her arms I wanted around me while the doctor told me Tasha would be fine.
“Don’t be intimidated by her.”
Nwanyieze huffs and I laugh inwardly.
She smells of soap, that black soap and coconut oil. Her hair is tangled, but I still love the way it stands up in coils.
This past week has been difficult, I complain to myself. Can I just…?
Before I know it, I’m cupping her face in my palms. Her eyes spend a few moments on my lips before moving back to hold my gaze. Our lips are almost touching when I realise what I’m doing. I know that the moment I kiss her, my resolve will melt and all reason will fly out the window. I’ll be sucked in again, unable to keep to my word.
“d@mn,” I whisper before releasing her and stepping backwards.
Nwanyieze automatically takes a step to follow me, equally drawn. Her teeth clamp down on her lower lip and she blinks those dark eyes slowly, surprised by my withdrawal. “Bye,” she says breathlessly.
“Remains Three weeks, Nwanyieze.”
And with that, I turn on my heel and walk in the opposite direction.