Second chances

Chapter two: Off and on

I finished with putting my clothes on and headed to my daughter's room. Christy was just fifteen years old but she looked so beautiful that even I find myself just staring at her most times in admiration.

Her womanly features were so developed, her hips and full breast, oval face and a brown eyes. Her complexion was the same as mine, light skinned.

I remember the first time I saw her after the accident, how happy she was when I woke up. How could I have done something as selfish as shooting myself. Having a daughter should have stopped me.
I couldn't even remember her when I woke up and she was devastated. In a way I felt we were connected because I felt at ease only when she was around.

The shrink had told me to try the things I used to do with her before the accident, that it might help bring back my memories. I tried so many times but nothing happened,I also discovered that prior the accident, I was somewhat withdrawn and my daughter had suffered from that.

I stood at the door to her room, lost in thoughts.

"Mom! Mom! Are you okay?, why are you standing there? You're staring at me in a very weird way"
I was drawn to reality and walked to her bed. I sat down very close to Christy and held her hand.

"My beautiful girl, I'm so sorry I caused you pain. You are just too precious to me baby and I love you very much"

I saw tears form in her eyes and I reached out and brushed it away as it fell on her cheeks.

"I love you too mom, I was so scared when dad said you had been shot, when we got to the hospital, you.. you weren't breathing, mom I think you died. The doctor said your heart stopped, up until a nurse ran to tell him that you jerked up, I've never been as scared as I was that day"

I hugged her tight
"We got another chance baby.. So what are you doing? We were supposed to go to the mall today, I don't know if I can do that, because I have an important errand to run, so can we reschedule to another time "

"Yeah sure, besides I've got important Disney shows to catch up" she replied stretching

I stood up and looked around her room, her bed, the picture on the wall in a frame "love mom", my daughter did have a semblance to me.

Her drawer, and her curtain very colorful. Almost everything in her room had  pink colour.

"Baby, why's there so much pink in this room, don't tell me I decorated this room for you?

She laughed so hard and I joined in
"Not all of us are like you mom, some of us have a favorite color and we didn't borrow from others.
Thank God that gene wasn't passed down to me"

I laughed even harder"well atleast you got very important genes from me, else no boy would look your way, trust me you wouldn't have a boyfriend if you looked like your father"

"Well, well well did you just call dad ugly mother? I'm definitely telling him that"

" He would take it as a compliment, besides are you sure I can remember saying that, my amnesia is back again"

She laughed even harder

I left her room and headed out, I had reached into my diary and brought out a card that I vowed not to use again.

I dialed the number on the card
" hello, good day, I would like to book an appointment for 12pm
No he'll want to see me, tell him it's Mrs Victoria chinedu
Thanks, I'll be waiting

I boarded a bus to convey me to the therapist's. I didn't feel like using my car besides being in the bus gives me the time to look around and observe.

Along the road were hawkers, some children others adults with their different goods. I had formed a habbit of staring too long at people and places to record every detail in my brain because I had forgotten most things.

The passengers in the bus were all hounding a young woman who decided to seat in the passenger's seat next to the driver

" Why she go dey there, old man like this go come stay for back, children of nowadays no geh respect again "A middle aged woman dressed in a white lace blowse which had lost it's right to be called white, started.
There were so many stains on her shirt and she smelled of wood.

The young woman paid no attention to what they were saying and proceeded with payment.

"Driver! Driver!  No collect her money, you dey support evil"
Another woman added

I was simply fighting the urge to speak, how could they think that way.
This was a public transport for God's sake.

"Na ashawo she be, you no see Wetin she rub full face? "A young and quite rough looking man added

This time I couldn't hold it in

"What's with all this fuss about sitting in front, the young lady came in before these men. She should be allowed to sit wherever she wants. There is no sign on that seat that reads" men only". Why can't we just sit down and enjoy this ride to where we are going "

By the time I had finished, the bus was quiet. Except for murmurs from exasperated women and men who were not too happy to be looking at the girl in front.

I actually felt like her heroine and happy that the passengers listened to me.

We sped pass two bus stops before I became the topic of discussion for the two women beside me.
The one with the stained blowse and the other lanky lady sitted beside her.

They spoke in igbo, maybe to shield their gossip from my ears, I had spoken in English and not pidgin, so may be they thought I wouldn't understand.

Stained blowse lady:" ifuro ka o di ka onye mmuo ojoo n'achi, maami water. N'acha Ka onye obara n'adighi n'aru
**she looks like a possessed woman, a mermaid. With a skin colour from  lack of blood"

Lanky lady: eh n'eme ka o kazi anyi mma,  o buru na o ma ihe otu o si eko, kedu ihe mere o nweghi ugboala nke ya, na akpo mmadu fuss"
**Yes, she's acting like she knows it all, like she is better than us, so pompous yet doesn't even own a vehicle, calling us fuss"

I was trying so hard to stifle the laughter in my throat, language was one gift my amnesia left for me

When we finally got to where I was getting off, I got down paid the driver and just before he zoomed off

I called the stained blowse lady

"Madam o I laru o ulo taa, buru kwa akwukwo nso gi, kpewa ekpere maka na mu na ndi otu m, na abia, mbo si ozo I ga ejide onu gi aka"
*** once you get home, get your Bible because my fellow mermaids and I are coming to get you, next time you'll learn to shut your mouth"

I noticed her stiffen and I left, the look on her face was priceless. She was not going to get a good night sleep.
It was harsh and a bit evil, but some people deserve things like that.

I walked down to the building where Mr Ajayi's office was situated. The "ding" sound made by the elevator after I had entered the floor number made me realize that this time I was not going to run out of a session. It was fate sealing my decision to take a long walk down to memory lane and the consequences that might come with it