BABY TUNMISE

Chapter Six

Dipo woke up with a jump. His brief sleep was plagued with nightmares. He looked at himself, and he was sweating profusely.

His mind wasn't at ease. He knew the danger of what he was attempting to do...

He was about to pick up his phone when someone screamed his name. Then he realised that his wife wasn't in the room. Ever since his baby disappeared, they had been sleeping in the same room. Was she already up this early in the morning? From the curtains, he could estimate that the time was around past seven.

It was Tiwa. "Uncle Dipo! Please come and pacify your wife, she won't stop crying!"

Although he was still sleepy, his heart broke.

Quickly, he got up from the bed. He smelled his breath and it was...foul. He would worry about that later.

He wore his slippers and went in the direction of his sister-in-law's voice. In the living room, was a sight. Daddy Dami was on a chair, looking confusedly at Tiwa and Tamilore. Maybe he didn't know what to do or how to contribute positively to the situation.

Tamilore was on the floor, crying. When he entered the room, she didn't even look up at him. Tiwa was trying to make her stop crying, but her efforts didn't seem to be doing a lot.

Dipo sighed, and went to her. He bent to her level and nodded at Tiwa, who left her alone and stood at their backs.

Tamilore finally raised her gaze, her eyes wet with tears. "Is this the end, Dipo? Will we never see him again?"

Dipo bit his lip, almost drawing blood. His eyes began to water too.

"We will find him. We...we will."

Tamilore's cries reduced to sobs. But she still looked...lost. This was her first child. Her first child. Her son. Oluwatunmise.

Dipo could not possibly put into words how bad he felt. "Sit up," he urged his wife. Slowly, she stood up from the floor and sat on the couch.

He looked at her. Since the beginning of this unfortunate incident, she had only changed her clothes like two times.

"Where is Iya Dami?" Dipo asked Kola, Iya Dami's husband. Tamilore was snuffling, wiping her face with the edge of her Ankara wrapper.

"She's still sleeping, with Dami," Kola said and yawned.

"Sorry her...her cries woke you up man. I know you were still sleeping," Dipo apologised to Kola, referring to his wife.

"That's okay," Kola waved him off, although he fought to conceal a yawn.

"Tiwa? Why are you up so early?" He turned to his sister-in-law.

"I...I had a stomach ache. Cramps."

Dipo nodded. "Well, where is Titi?"

"I don't...know..." Tiwa said, walking in the direction of the kitchen. "She's not there," she announced. "Probably still sleeping."

"Go and wake them up! All of them! They're able to sleep while we're still looking for..." Kola cut himself off, when Dipo and Tamilore glared at him.

"I'll go and wake Titi up. Bode is not feeling fine," Tiwa said, walking towards the stairs that led upstairs.

* * *

Modupe had gone to put her plates in the kitchen, when she started hearing her phone ring. She dropped the plates in the sink and left, heading back to the dining room.

Tiwa, who was still sucking on a chicken bone looked up immediately Modupe entered the room.

"Aunty Modupe, your husband called you," she told her.