Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Mark was in the parlor . He went through the newspaper he bought last week and never had a chance to go through while sipping a cup of coffee slowly, raising his eyes to the television occasionally. In truth, he was not paying attention to what he was reading or what he was watching. His mind wandered from his wife to the promotion he was getting ready for at his workplace.

He raised his head in the direction of the kitchen as he heard light footsteps from that side. Kamsi came in, wearing just a big polo which was not big enough to hide the sculpt of her protruding belly .

"My mum is coming today," She said, bending to clean the dining table.

"Why are you just telling me now? " He asked, keeping his newspapers aside and rising to his feet.

"She just told me today," She replied, going back to the kitchen. He moved to the dining and sat on one of the seats waiting for her to come out again then she came out carrying a tray of food. She placed it in front of him and started walking out.

"Kamsiriochukwu, come" he said.

"Stop calling me like that."

She came back to the dining, carrying her plate of food. It was from her plate of food he knew that what lay underneath the covered plates in his tray was fried plantain and eggs. She settled in the seat adjacent to his.

"I'll be going to work. My mum said , she'll come in the afternoon, " She said.

He nodded. "Do you want to tell me something else? "

She shrugged. "That's all. Did you sleep well ?"

Ignoring the question, he leaned back into the chair and watched her as she ate. It was Tuesday and yesterday she had gone to work then when she returned, She buried herself in a book she said was for her promotion exams till late at night.

"Honestly, if you have something to tell me, you can just say it, " He said.

She took a forkful of plantain and egg into her mouth then she chewed slowly while staring at the white wall in front of her. "My father is sick,'' She said, then she took another forkful into her mouth.

" I'm sorry," he said, placing a hand over hers.

Even though he was surprised, he did not show it. She almost never said anything about her father. She always signed off as deceased.

She shrugged and continued eating. She did not seem sad or bothered about it but he knew something about her had changed the past few days.

"When did you find out? "

"Mummy told me on Saturday night, " she replied then looked at his food. "Eat your food, it will get cold."

He opened the plate of food to be met with rice and not what was in her plate.

"You said, you don't like taking plantains in the morning, " She defended, looking at him.

"I say that when I'm going to work because I get hungry in no time. "

"I did not know you were not going to work, " She said, rising from her seat .

He sighed and began eating his food. It was not like he hated rice but when he saw her with her plate of eggs, it reminded him that his body needed eggs.

He returned to the Sofa and continued looking at the television imagining what his wife would wear to come down. She seemed to have changed her wardrobe after she returned from Abuja.

The sound of her heels announced her presence before she filled the sitting room with her scent.

"I'll come home earlier today, " She said, tapping his shoulder.

"Yes Mum, buy groundnut for me." He said then turned to see her in a blue chiffon shirt gown .

"I love the dress," He complimented, "You look beautiful in it."

She smiled. "Thank you." Then she walked to the door.

Kamsi got to work in less than ten minutes due to a free road and going with her husband's car. It could not have ever been the same if she had to stand at the junction waiting for a bike or bus and then the bus would progress slowly, stopping to pick more passengers as it moved.

She signed her attendance then went to her office. She took her time greeting everyone in the office before she settled into a free spot on a bench. Her dressing contradicted the dressing of her other colleagues who sometimes wore slippers to work. There was a time she too, wore slippers and carried expired bags that wanted to rip apart , now she hugged her new bag which was not of a very superior quality but it was respectable to be held.

She joined in on their jokes. She said nothing but laughed each time something funny was said . She now paid attention to them, noting the people she had not known before even had names. She paid attention to everything and even when the woman who sold Kunnu came to the office, she bought two bottles.

She had always known she was doing most of the things she did for her child. That was the reason she started to work in the first place because after she became pregnant, she felt it was important to be a mother who could provide for her kids. On that Sunday morning, when the baby kicked for the first time, it reminded her that she was not living enough, that she was not as happy as an expectant mother should be.

Close to noon, she went to Madam Ireti and explained her situation to her, begging her to sign off for her at the close of work. The older woman agreed immediately. Attendance was taken very seriously in December and when people did not meet up to the percentage that was expected, their salary would be withheld.

Her stepmother was already in the house before she returned. There was no car outside as evidence of her presence but as she got closer to the house, she could hear her voice. She smiled as she climbed the stairs to the front door.

Her stepmother must have known she was back because she was standing when she entered the parlour and they walked into each other's arms rocking from side to side as long as it took to fill in the gap of how long they had stayed apart.

Each time, Kamsi was in those arms what she remembered was childhood when she had no one and it had only been Genevieve who did not leave even though she was not her biological child, even though she was young and could have easily found another man.

It was when they pulled apart that she greeted Mark who was smiling as he watched them. Her eyes then landed on the young girl who was sitting on the sofa, her mother returned to. She could remember the face because she was the only of her cousins that played with her then before she left Aba.

"Kelechi ?" She called, unsure because people grew and changed their names and people could look alike also.

"It's me," The girl responded in a little voice, smiling broadly.

She spread out her hands, laughing and the girl walked into her arms for a quick embrace. The Kelechi she had left in Aba was a little girl of eight, on low cut and with no breast. At that age even, she still cooked with sand. That was eleven years ago.

"She was the one that called me to tell me about your father. So I decided to bring her along. Her school in Umudike," Genevieve said, pointing to the gate as if the school was at the gate.

"Okay," Kamsi nodded, then went into the kitchen. She had prepared rice in the morning and preserved it in a warmer. It was only a good thing it could be enough for two because she did not plan to see any of paternal cousins as a guest in her home.

Mark came into the kitchen, saying, "Babe, I bought chicken , I did not know you already had plans for them. "

"Thank you, " She replied, dishing out food from the warmer.

He brought out the chicken from the oven then helped her dress it on the food. She carried out the food to the dining and called them over.

"I'll be down in seconds. Let me undress." She excused herself.

As she came down after undressing , she could hear the sound of the cutleries on the ceramic plate. She sat on the cushion opposite the one her step-mother and cousin formerly sat while waiting for them to finish eating. She could feel Mark's eyes on her even without looking at him then she felt his hand on hers in a gentle squeeze. It made her begin to think her father was dead. She did not care yet her heart sank at that thought.

They returned to their seats after eating and after a careful silence like she was weighing her words and organizing how it would be presented, Genevieve started to speak.

"Your father is sick, Kamsi. He has diabetes and also, prostate cancer."

Kamsi nodded then turned to the television which was just showing movements but was mute.

"His treatment is costing a lot. Currently, he is admitted in the hospital . We have already helped to settle the bills for now but we're going to need your help and he has also been asking of you."

"Who's we? " Kamsi asked, her arms folded beneath her breast.

"My husband and I, " Genevieve replied.

"Did he not have children with the woman he was with? " She asked, this time looking at Kelechi to answer.

"Two boys," Kelechi replied, "But they no longer come around. They think he's going to die."

Kamsi nodded. Of course he was going to die if he had all those illnesses.

"So who's taking care of him now? " Kamsi further interrogated.

"My mum. My dad does not want to help out."

Kamsi nodded. "He's going to die. Mummy, stop wasting your time and money. "

After she said that, Genevieve asked to be alone with her. She led her down to the room where she stayed to paint. She sat on the bed while her stepmother went to the table , admiring the paintings there.

"They're beautiful, " She remarked, coming to sit beside Kamsi.

Kamsi nodded then there was silence between the two before Genevieve spoke again.

"Kamsi, I'm asking you to forgive your father so if he dies, he would go in peace. "

"I don't have one. I don't have any forgiveness to give," She replied, staring at the window. How come it was easy for everyone to forget the pains of her childhood?

Genevieve sighed and said nothing.

"Why are you helping him? " Kamsi asked.

"I believe in spiritual manipulations. No man would leave his child in his right senses," Genevieve replied, "It's the same reason you should pray harder for your husband."

The room was soaked with silence after that. Kamsi was in thoughts, not about her father but her husband.