MY LIFE

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

                 1998

GENERAL HOSPITAL YOLA, ADAMAWA STATE.

Holding her husbands hands, though eyes closed, the tears rolled from her eyes down to ears because of her lying position. The pain is excruciating. "The pain is becoming unbearable Baba, I don't think I can make it".

Her husband whom she called Baba squeezed her left hand gently saying "lets keep on praying. After 30 minutes without any progress the doctors will get ready for the cs. Don't give up dada bodddo am".

Despite the excruciating pain of labor, Fadima still managed to smile. She loves it when he calls her dada boddo.

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The operation was successful even though the mother looks pale and weak. Alhaji Arabi is smiling from ear to ear. The successful operation and birth of his first male child is giving him an unimaginable happiness. From the first month of Fadima's pregnancy to the past two hours before she was taken to the surgery room, his mind has never been in peace. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing the thought of his sick wife has always occupied his mind.

This was her third pregnancy and the most difficult one. Now that she has given birth successfully to a male child he's beginning to think maybe because it is a male child that was why she went through all those pains. "Alhamdulillah for everything" he said sighing.

Alhaji Arabi together with his two excited daughters approached the room his wife is in with her aunty and younger sister who stayed with her yesterday night after she regained consciousness.

He warned the two girls right from home not to jump or hug their mother  when they come to the hospital because "she has an injury and it has not healed, so if you want mama to come back home soonest behave well and pray for her that is what she needs, your prayers. Hope you understand?" he said this particularly to Zainab(Diddi) because she looks more happier and excited he thought. She has not seen her mother for almost a month. She is staying with his sister Adda Maryam since her mother's pregnancy reached eight months so as to ease her the stress of taking care of two children which Adda Maryam suggested.

His oldest daughter Maimuna is with his mother in law who is also his aunty. The thing is most of them in the family married their cousins. They don't go outside the family, their grandfather Liman Modibbo made sure he betrothed most of them when they were young and Alhamdulillah it it has been working out peacefully, still is though after his death two of their cousins married outside the family and no one said anything opening doors for the younger ones to go to other families.

"Assalamu alaykum" they said as Diddi hurriedly opened the door without waiting for the permission from those inside to enter. Her father shook his head and smiled. He doesn't blame her, she's very close to her mother. He always tease her saying "its not your fault, it is your mother's fault for not giving birth to another baby to replace you" and Diddi will cry saying she doesn't want a baby that will replace her but she wants a baby brother or sister to play with and beat when the child becomes stubborn.

Diddi almost hugged her mother but she stopped remembering her fathers warning regarding her mothers health so she just started crying and calling her mothers name especially when she saw the blood that is being transfused to her  mother.

"Waru ne boddoji am, war laru baby ma"(come my beautiful girl, come and see your baby) her mother said smiling weakly while adjusting the baby's cap. Her elder sister Maimuna rushed and went to their mother smiling from mouth to mouth "mama hami joga mo useni"(mama let me hold him please.

Smiling, Fadima said "you cant greet people and you wont ask me my health all you care about is your baby brother ko? well-done". The two girls closed their eyes suddenly feeling shy of their mother.