Delayed Diagnosis {Book 1 of the Rex Obasi Trilogy}

chapter 19

We got to the Chief’s room and he began to fumble about for the key.

"Adaobi baby it’s alright. You'll be alright." He said this in Igbo.

"Answer me osiso," the woman replied in Igbo. It seemed she could speak any language whenever she pleased.

I used the opportunity to lean into Fomé as we stood waiting for Chief to open up.
"Give me the stun gun"

I couldn't see it on her body but I knew she was with it.

She was quiet.

"Give me the gun now.."

She didn't reply and I thought she was scared. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"What's the hold up? My fingers are twitching o," the old crooner prodded the chief. He opened the door and we filed in.

The Chief seemed to take time to locate the switch.

"Now, pass it now." I whispered in Fome’s ear but still no reply.

"Don't mess with me put on the light," the old crooner shouted, she did something that made Ada gasp out in pain and Chief hastily switched on the light.

‘Why was Fome so scared? she could have given me the gun easily’

The gun in the old crooner's hand was liable to go off and I knew I needed to act quickly and the best chance had been when the room was dark, she could easily have given me the stun gun but she didn't.

Something nagged at my brain, something my subconscious was hinting at but which I did not want to consider before but all of a sudden I had a flash back to about a year ago;

Andy's marriage to Mona had been about 9 months old then and Fome and I had still been our usual 'rosy' selves. The four of us used to go out together a lot.

Andy and Mona were in the early days of marriage and love was shooting out of both their eyes. Me on the other hand had been nursing the idea of marriage and so dragged Fome with me every time. The usual ploy of getting her around married people to make her susceptible to the idea. You'd think at 26 she'd be thinking along those lines but no, I was the one doing all the prodding back then.

Anyway, standing in the Chief’s room that night, as the lights came on I recalled a particular Sunday from one of such outings with Andy and his wife;
The four of us had been at the beach and we were pretty drunk or to be specific I was pretty drunk. Andy was halfway gone too but had been keeping himself in check because he was on driving duty and remember he was super careful with his driving.
Anyway, that day we had been under the shade, just watching the water and enjoying the breeze. I was holding what had to be my 4th canned beer. Andy had been on the phone (he had been trying to cut down on his gambling so he only called the barman of the place he gambled to place bets for him then covered the guy on weekends.)

That day Andy had been making one of such calls and as I waited for him to finish so we could continue our argument about football I looked at Mona and Fome where the both of them sat laughing and talking.

"Wow! Are you guys twins?" I belched loudly feeling very merry. "You guys look soo much alike. Andy don't they look alike?"

Andy had glanced impatiently at me, lost in the betting world.

"Thank God you are not driving us home tonight." Fome had laughed.

"Abi…he's really tanked...how can he say we look alike?" Mona laughed like it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard
We laughed it up and when Andy ended his call we continued arguing Liverpool and man United's dominance of English football.