CHORALE SANDERS

CHAPTER 4: WHAT IS THAT?

The sun had come up this morning after two days of on and off raining. For those two days, it seemed as though the whole of Accra was asleep. This morning however, everyone was up and about their businesses.

Mama Rica had not left Kay’s house for those two days. After he had gotten back from Salt-pond, he had refused to talk to and locked himself up in his room. He had not even come out to eat.

She knocked on his door several times but did not get any response. This made her worry greatly.

She had the opportunity of seeing them nurture their love and the kind of bond they had was so strong, it was only natural that he be hurt by Chorale’s sudden disappearance. She understood his pain: she too had loved and lost before, but she feared for his health. He hadn’t eaten much, since that night. The only thing she was sure he had taken, was alcohol because he had a mini bar in the room. This morning, she went upstairs and knocked on his door again but still got no response from him. She was just about leaving when she heard the door creak.

A whimper escaped her throat at the sight of the boy she had grown so fond of. He was still in the same clothes he had worn to Salt-pond two days ago. The heavily-built tough boy she knew was standing before her, looking so sad and tired. His eyes were red and puffy and he reeked of alcohol.

“My son, Kay,” she said, touching his cheek, “can I come in for a moment, please?”

He tilted his head back and looked into the room. It was such a mess, dresses all over the floor- Chorale’s dresses, an open suitcase, pictures, and beer bottles. Mama Rica wasn’t one to be stopped. She had already entered before he could even tell her not to.

She began picking up the dresses that were piled on the floor. They looked like he had slept on them. He stopped her, “Mama Rica, Don’t pick them up. Please,” he begged.

“Your mouth stinks, Kay. Get up and go and brush your teeth.”

He reluctantly obeyed and got up from the edge of the bed where he was sitting. She followed him into the bathroom and stood at the door with arms crossed, waiting for him to finish so that she could talk to him.

"Oh shit" He cursed under his breath. His toothbrush had just fallen down.

"Chorale has a pack of new ones in the first drawer in her vanity set." Mama Rica pointed him in the direction of the vanity in the dressing room that faced the bathroom.

When he got there, he opened the drawer, but with quite some force, making the contents of the drawer scatter everywhere in the dressing room. He cursed again as he knelt down to collect them. There were a lot of ladies' things that he couldn't even name. Mama Rica laughed at his frustration and came to help him. She sat on the stool and was putting the items he handed to her back into the drawer.

He picked up a piece of plastic and handed to her, inattentive.

Mama Rica, who had been humming all along, fell silent.

Kay turned his attention to her.

“This is a pregnancy test, Kay” Mama Rica informed.

“What would a pregnancy test kit be doing here?” he asked under his breath so that Mama Rica did not hear.

A few seconds after, her eyes opened wide and her free hand flew to her mouth.

“What is it, Mama Rica?” Kay asked in confusion. He had no idea how those things worked.

One time, way back early days in college, a girl he had had a one night stand with came crying to him that she had missed her period. He remembered how scared he had been. What would his mother say? He drove her to a pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test kit for her to test. When they got back to his apartment, she quickly rushed into the washroom to check. It was the longest fifteen minutes of his life. He kept picturing his mom’s disappointed face, should he tell her he had gotten some girl pregnant. After what seemed like forever, the girl came out with a wide grin and said it was negative. The happiness and relief that he felt after hearing those two words, “It’s negative” knew no bounds. The girl, whose name he couldn’t even remember, went on to further explain to him how the test kit worked. The only words he heard were 'one line', 'two lines'. He had been too fixated on the "It's negative," he didn't even allow himself to understand what she had been teaching.

His flashback was cut short by Mama Rica who was jumping up and down.

“Whoever took this test got a positive result, Kay. And there’s only one person this test could belong to.” She stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

A second passed, then another. “Are you implying-” he trailed and his own eyes widened as realization hit him. Mama Rica was just as surprised as he was but he had to ask her,

“Chorale is pregnant?”