MY HUSBAND AND I PART 16

Lara wiped a sweat off her
forehead as she pushed a trolley
round the mall. She was
shopping alone against Tony’s
wish, he always wanted them
going out together.
He becoming a superglue! She
thought. She just doesn’t want
some Adam generation hovering
over.
“Nice” she said aloud as she
examined a baby feeding bottle.
She threw it into the trolley,that
was the tenth feeding bottle
she’s buying. Money isn’t a
problem like Tony said, their
baby deserves everything in the
world.
“What’s this used for please?”
she asked a woman close to her.
“Ooh! Its just like a box, you can
keep your baby’s feeding items
in it.” the woman explained with
a smile.
“Thanks” Lara smile back
throwing it into her trolley again.
She made sure the trolley was full
before heading to the cashiers
desk, the security men helped
take the goods to the waiting
car.
She felt hungry, luckily there was
a restaurant in the mall. She
excused herself from the driver,
before hurrying to grab a bite.
She chewed her food slowly, till
something caught her attention.
A dark woman in a blond wig!
She smiled quitely, why can’t
black people understand that
those wigs made them look like
black mermaids! She thought.
The woman rose from her table,
and their eyes met.
“Hey Deji!”
“Hy Lara” Deji replied
“its been a long time, how have
you been?” Lara walked towards
her pleased.
“i’ve been like the Deji you used
to know!” Deji replied coldly.
“I’m happy to see you, so can you
join me at my table!” Lara tried to
hold her.
“No I need to go now!”
“oh c’mon Deji! Are we
quarelling? You’ve been acting
strangely” Lara looked worried.
“lara please! I beg you don’t
start!”
“Okay…” Lara sighed.
“So you’re pregnant?” Deji
sneered.
“so who did the job? Tony or
your gateman, or your father-in-
law, or your driver or
your….come on tell me!” she eyed
Lara’s bulging tummy.
“Did you suddenly forget I’m
married?” Lara forced a smile
“oh no! I didn’t forget your
husband is an impotent!” Deji
quipped.
Lara bit deep into her lower lip.
“Deji…” her voice was low.
“You’re hurting me! Stop that! I
thought you were a friend, I
mean..that was cruel…besidesTo
ny’s alright now.”
“Oh really! Let me don’t waste
much of my time! Wish you all
the best.” Deji turned to leave.
“Deji tell me whats happening”
Lara held her hand.
“Nothing! Just that I
think….we..weca n no longer be
friends! You aint my class, you’re
married and I’m not, gerrit?” Deji
said carelessly.
“does that matter?” Lara
whispered.
“It does! Please stay away from
me!” Deji walked away.
Lara watched her friend leave,
she hoped Deji didn’t mean those
words, something was wrong.
Do people change so easily?
What was wrong with everyone
in the world?
Her mother changed from bad to
worse, Tony changed from bad
to good, now Deji is
transforming into a being she
never knew…
Deji exhaled sharply as she sat in
her car.
“So Lara is preggie?” she asked
herself.
“Her mum didn’t tell me! I’m sure
she needs me!” she wondered
aloud.
She felt jealousy and strife surge
through her veins.
She, naturally was never happy
ever since Lara got married.
She was beginning to earn some
satisfaction when Tony
maltreated her, she definitely
want Lara to be single as she is,
but had to put up some shows to
cover up. Now she could no
longer pretend to be that ‘caring
friend’, she was now a jealous
friend.
She sure is going to help Funke
to make sure Lara is out of that
house.
She nodded as she thought.
She picked her cellphone.
“Hello Veejay?” she said.
“Are you in town?”
she listened for a while.
“okay, I’m coming over” she
ended the call.
“I’m sorry Lara…Deji aint a true
friend!” she whispered driving
off.
....
Lara caressed her bulging
stomach absent-mindedly , she
could percieve the aroma of the
food her mother-in-law was
cooking. Amara had taken over
the kitchen ever since she moved
in weeks ago, Tony had invited
his mother over since she-Lara
was close to delivery.
She wondered what she could
have done without her mother-
in-law, she was all alone in the
family. No relations, no mother,
no friends-it’s just her and her
husbands people.
“here, make sure you eat it up!”
Amara placed a small bowl of
steaming peppersoup beside
Lara.
“Wow! Only me?” Lara asked.
“how many people are pregnant
in this house? Oya eat o!” Amara
replied.
“I’m not hungry yet!” Lara
pouted, she wanted some
pettings.
“Please now, Lara, my one and
only daughter, the mother of my
unborn grandchild, the…” Amara
began.
“Hey! Enough mum! ” Lara
laughed scooping some of the
delicacy into her mouth.
“Tastes great” she rolled her
eyes.
“mm, I’ve heard.” Amara sat
beside her.
“The back pain? How’s it now?”
“not better at all” Lara made a
face.
“Sorry” Amara rubbed her back
gently.
“I think I need to take a walk.”
Lara said quitely.
“Okay, let me get ready now, I’l
accompany you.” Amara rose to
her feet.
“Follow? No! I prefer to walk
alone” Lara protested
“But…”
“Don’t worry mum, I’l be fine, just
a few metres and I’d be back”
Lara assured her.
Lara dragged her feet lazily as
she walked, her hand holding
her waist and the other hand
caressing her stomach.
She got to the end of the street,
traffic was heavy. She listened to
the hooting sounds and watched
some aggressive drivers for a
while before deciding to go back.
She took a shortcut route,
instead of the previous route she
followed.
She walked slowly down a
deserted alley, she was used to
the alley, though Tony’d warn her
several times to quit taking the
route.
She was halfway into the alley
when she saw a car waiting at
the end, she looked behind her; a
car was at the other end too.
Somehow she felt nervous. She
said some silent prayers and
walked on.
Few yards to the end of the alley
she felt a hand grab her from
behind, she shrieked in fear.
She saw two men trying to take
her to the car she saw earlier.
Were they going to kidnap her?
She screamed with all her might.
“Let me go!” she struggled but
she was overpowerd.
...
She felt something wet cover her
face and…everything blacked out.
Lara gazed wearily in space, she
wished a million times she would
wake up from such a night mare.
She gazed at her tied hands and
legs, she would never escape.
She felt her baby flutter about in
her tummy; that means she need
to eat. Food was the last thing on
her mind.
Who would want to kidnap a
pregnant woman? She thought.
Maybe they want to use her for
rituals.
But the people who kidnapped
her looked like reowned
assassins, not ritualists..
Her eyes moved around the dirty
room, littered with beer bottled
and cigrattes, she suddenly felt
the desire to throw up.
She tried her best not to vomit,
she feared her baby might come
out through her mouth.
“Uhhhhn…uhhhhhn , gbooo.”
she vomited.
“Wetin dey happen there?” a
male voice said from outside.
“So you vomit?” he asked
walking in.
“You do well! Na so you go
siddon inside the vomit till the
people wey go kill you go come!”
he told her angrily.
“Kill?” Lara’s eyes widened.
“Siddon there dey ask me!”
“Please don’t kill me…” she
pleaded
“If you need money, my…
my..my….husb and would pay
any amount you need.” she was
crying profusely.
“you dey form pesin wey get rich
husband, we no need una
money. That pikin wey dey your
belle go give us money wey we
no fit count!” he sneered at her
before leaving the room
Lara wailed, she wondered why
she had to go through all these.
She looked around her, no
means of escape.
Her baby moved again.
She used her teeth to loosen the
ropes around her hands after 30
minutes of trying. She caressed
her stomach with her bruised
hands.
“Baby…are you there? Can you
hear me?” she wept.
The baby continued to move.
“I’d advice you stay still for now!”
she tapped her tummy.
The baby moved faster.
She felt its love surge through
her once more, she remembered
how Tony become excited each
time the baby moves. She
wondered what was going on at
her home; maybe they were
looking for her.
They might never find her- she
was deep in an unknown forest.
..watch out for part 17..