BABY TUNMISE

Chapter Three

The family was seated in the living room, in silence when Modupe's phone rang.

When she heard her sister's phone ring, it triggered something in Tamilore and she burst into tears again. Bisola, who was sitting beside her held her and attempted to pacify her.

"Leave me!" Tamilore suddenly shouted. "Who do I know took my baby? As far as I'm concerned, none of you can be trusted."

Bisola wanted to be offended by her sister's words but she couldn't. She understood her pain. How could one's baby suddenly disappear over the night, despite the fact that everybody in the house was family?

But, Bisola thought, looking round the room and at everybody, How did Hameed just disappear like that? Which one of us is the culprit?

* * *

Immediately her phone rang, Modupe felt hot all over as all eyes turned to her. She cursed herself for not having put it on silence as she got up abruptly and started walking towards the dining room.

"Don't take phone inside the kitchen oh!" Daddy Dami warned.

"That's not where I'm going," Modupe grumbled.

When she got there, she looked at the caller ID. It was her husband, Tunde.

"Hello?" She whisper-shouted.

"Hello? Modupe, how are you?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "You nko?"

He ignored her question. "What are you still doing there? Wasn't the naming ceremony two days ago? Are you the mother of the baby?"

Modupe stayed silent. She wondered if she should narrate to him the situation at hand, but then she thought of the ridiculousness of it and decided against it.

"Can't you answer me?" Tunde said angrily again, when his wife didn't answer. "I know you love babies. I know you're very obsessed with babies, but it's getting too much now. Don't you have a job to resume back to? Or you think you're on a holiday? What about your monthly gynaecologist visits? Do you not want a baby anymore? Have you become so in love with your sister's baby that you don't want yours anymore? What about me? What about your wifely duties?"

"Tunde, I..."

"Save it. Save it! I want you back home before the end of today, or...something you'll regret will happen."

* * *

"Look aunty Tamilore, I...I have something to say," Tiwa suddenly spoke up.

Tamilore's bloodshot eyes shot up, and every other person paid attention to Tiwa.

"I...I just wanted to say," Tiwa's voice broke, "It's not me. I didn't take your baby. There's nothing I want a baby for, I'm just a student. And I've already missed three test papers...there's absolutely no reason for me to...It's not me." Tiwa was already crying now, shaking her head vehemently.

Tamilore just stared into the distance.

* * *

Meanwhile, aunty Ariyo was feeling perplexed. How did it all go so wrong? And...who took her nephew?

More importantly, she was angry that she would miss Asalatu today. For a while now, aunty Ariyo had been very dedicated to her religion. She didn't like missing Jumat service or Asalatu. How could she even afford to, when she was still begging God for forgiveness over her actions in the past?