Against All Odds

Chapter Seventy Eight: When The Dead Are Unhappy

Obi stood at the mall staring at perfumes arranged at a particular aisle with an uncertainty of what to choose. The fragrance she was accustomed to was supposedly not suitable for her anymore and she had to choose another one. At first when Chioma had playfully said Benjamin's ghost was unhappy with her, she paid no heed to the comment and laughed it off as a joke till she affirmed the truth in the said statement.

It all started two weeks after his will was read and after she went with her father in law to a chamber to seek for legal advice on how to Challenge her late husband's will. Prior to that she had been sick on several occasions, vomiting and in most cases losing her appetite which was certainly not good for her baby.

Tobe, the girls and her boys went to a restaurant because he had promised them a nice time after he failed to purchase the gift he had initially promised them for their birthday. Their celebration had turned out to be huge even though she wanted just a small party. Her father in law who was still around knew how to blow things out of proportion. He invited his wealthy friends and several partners like they were celebrating  a closed business deal worth millions .

Her house was practically filled with cakes ranging from all sizes and colors which thrilled the little boys, Old men and women, girls, boys, family and a lot of uninvited guests. Obi had to place a restriction on the quantity of cakes her sons consumed because of their stomach. She ended up giving most of the cakes away.

Chioma and Chukwudi almost bought a boutique in the name of buying her sons  clothes and shoes. Ifenna and Oluebube bought games and toys. Mrs  Obiọma presented two phones to the little boys practically against Obi's wishes  but Obi was forced to ignore her  disregard especially after their last encounter. Something convinced her that she was on the same page with the woman who had initially preferred her China plates to her.

Their seemingly cordial relationship began two days after the will was read and 3days before her children's birthday. Obi had noticed her strange sickness and confided in Chioma who was still away. She promised to go for a medical check up after she made some preparations about her children's birthday. The children were at Jude's, together with her siblings and she had the house all to herself. Obi suspected that somehow the stomach pain and vomiting was often engendered after bathing and decided to try a new soap, having assumed that her previous soap was the cause.

As usual, she came out from the bathroom and brought out her cream and other essentials before the door bell rang. Obi wasn't expecting a visitor and assumed that it was Obiefune who probably came because of the harmful exchange of words they had been consistently having.

She managed to throw on her robe and walked downstairs to fetch her guest. Obi was perplexed when she saw Mrs Obiọma standing in front of her door. She quickly greeted the woman and ushered her into the house before proceeding to her room. She applied her cream and put on her husband's cologne before wearing a maternity gown, one that she had made weeks earlier.

Obi came down to the living room and offered the woman kola. She was surprised when Mrs Obiọma requested for food, she waltzed into her kitchen and started with the job. When she finished heating the food she glanced at her cabinets then saw the plates the woman had previously admired and decided to serve her with them.

It was only a matter of minutes before nausea hit her. Obi took in deep breaths, clenching her stomach and resisting the urge to make another mess. The wave of nausea was momentary and Obi found herself rejoicing in a victory over it, which was also short-lived. The plates were high up the cabinet and she needed to get them down so she used a chair as a ledge. She slowly climbed onto the seat and tried to stretch to get the plates but unfortunately not just nausea but also dizziness struck  her at the same time. Obi groaned when she felt her stomach clench. Her feet wobbled and she held the handle of the cabinet to keep herself still.