Cold At Dusk

Fourty Five

Okechuku's hospital was repainted. The change was not obvious except for the three blue lines that were painted at the centre of the wall to run from one end of the building to another end. In the reception, Christmas decorations of  red and green glittery ropes still hung from a pillar to different ends of the hall. As always, people sat with their tallies in the reception waiting for their turn or for a nurse to call them.

There were obvious changes in Okechuku's office. Kamsi noted that the framed picture of him and his daughter had changed to one where he was carrying the little girl who was on a Christmas cap. There were also felicitation cards arranged neatly on the Couch in his office. She noticed for the first time, the carton of teddy bear and toys at one corner of the room and also the color of the curtain which was white, nothing different from the paint.

Other times, she would not have noticed but unlike others times, she knitted her fingers and looked around the office, to note another observation as Okechukwu wrote on the white paper infront of him. She was uncomfortable and covered with little dust of shame after what he had witnessed in the village.

"Do you have pain anywhere? " he asked. He quickly glanced up at her and began searching for something in his drawer.

"No" She replied.

"You would go for ultrasound and  these other screening tests I wrote down here. " He said, handing over the paper he wrote on to her. "It's up to you if you want to know your baby's gender but these tests I recommended are very important "

Kamsi nodded, looking at him trying to know if it was the right time to apologize  for the embarrassment Mark caused him or rather, the one she had deliberately started.

"Do you feel  pain anywhere? "He asked again, maybe because she was supposed to be standing up but she was still seated.

"No, I'm alright " She replied.

"Alright, you can find your way to the lab, yeah? "

Kamsi nodded then sighed. His attitude was same as it had always been but she felt there was something hanging in the air, words that needed to be said. She sighed again and let it out.

"My husband said I should apologize to you  on his behalf . He is sorry "

Okechukwu gave out a small laugh while accessing her. Kamsi understood . It was only ridiculous that the apology  was not coming  straight from the offender and also, it was a lie.

"It's alright. It's just one of those things " He said.

"and I'm  also sorry " Kamsi added and she meant it. Afterall, she was the one who added gasoline to the fire.

He gave out a small laugh again and Kamsi knew it was not because he found anything amusing but because he lacked words.

"It's okay " He said, then tore out a sheet from a little note pad on the desk. After writing on it, he handed it to Kamsi. "Give this to whoever is in charge  so you don't have to queue up"

The small sheet of paper worked the same as a fifty naira note in a road side Police officer's palm. While most people sat around waiting for their turn and some even loitered around the terrace, she was ushered into a room to be attended to.

Kamsi lay on the hospital cot then the lab scientist began to run the machine round her tummy that was wet with lube.  The wetness reminded her of the water  she had poured on Mark's face. It was from the bucket in the bathroom. She had done it without thoughts but she loved the way he closed his eyes as the water ran down from his face.

"We are going back home now" he said. It was the first words he spoke after he wiped his face with his hands.

It had all started with a question that came from  pit of trust issues in their marriage. "Why are you intent on insulting my person? "