Behind the Mask✔

Chapter 9

          "Mabel has been brought in unconscious " Dr Adegoke said and we  looked at her like she had suddenly grown horns. Mum was here yesterday this morning and other than the slight headache she complained about, she was okay.

"Who brought her in? What happened?  Where is she? How is she? "  Aunty Anne attacked the doctor with questions "Anne calm down" Uncle Felix said and turned to the doctor " Please can you take us to her?" he asked her and she nodded

"Can I come? " I asked "Yes" Aunty Anne said and I stood from the bed "Jasmine, what do you want to go and do there?" Aunty Ebere asked  callously. To tell her that I was going to play football was at the tip of my tongue but I said nothing and Uncle Felix glared at her "I'm sure it's your mother and sister that have landed Mabel in the hospital but let me warn you, if anything happens to her, you all will spend the rest of your days behind bars " Uncle Felix warned her and we followed Dr Adegoke out of the ward "Is she in bad shape? " Aunty Anne asked Dr Adegoke on our way "Not at all, she's stable but we need to keep an eye on her for now especially since we don't know what happened to her"

"So,  who brought her in?" Uncle Felix asked "He said his name is Oga Uche" "The driver?" Aunty Anne asked annoyed "Is he still around? "

Dr Adegoke nodded "I told him to wait while I got you all. He's outside her ward" We walked the rest of the way in silence and I prayed mum was okay. Nothing could happen to her, she was all I had.

Dr Adegoke opened led us further and we saw Oga Uche standing outside the door of a ward. I guessed that was mum's ward "Jasmine!" Oga Uche exclaimed immediately he saw me "How are you feeling? " he asked after greeting Uncle Felix and Aunty Anne "I'm fine sir " I said smiling and went in with my uncle and aunt  I was happy to see a face other than the regular faces I had been seeing for the past 5 weeks.

Mum was hooked to drip line and she looked at bit pale but then she was awake "Mummy " I said and rushed to her side. Thank God she was awake and better than I thought.  "Yes dear" she answered me and smiled at her siblings "I'm fine" but she turned  to Dr Adegoke with a worried expression on her face "Please,  how is my baby? " "Baby? "Aunty Anne asked and mum nodded "I'm pregnant. I found out yesterday "

I was shocked to hear that mum was pregnant. It was so strange "I was about to announce that,  but you stole my shine " Dr Adegoke said playfully "Congratulations Mabel. You're six weeks gone ".
"What?!" Uncle Felix screamed and we all laughed and Aunty Anne hugged mum "Congrats sis " " I understand you're experiencing the usual discomfort of the first trimester, but do you think anything could have triggered your fainting other than that ?" Dr Adegoke asked mum

"Yes, I had a fight with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law and they were getting violent and I was really weak " mum said  "Hmmm, hmmm, they are playing with fire in that house o " Uncle Felix said angrily "Felix calm down " Aunty Anne said but honestly, I wanted him to do something about it "Where was Michael when this happened?" Uncle Felix asked "That one?" Mum hissed "Even if he was there , he wouldn't lift a finger in my favour until something like this happens "

The door opened and dad came in. I greeted him and he nodded . I had not seen him for two weeks now  and seeing him now made me scared. He put on that charming smile of his and proceeded to greet Uncle Felix and Aunty Anne "Felix, Anne, it's been a while "Oh please cut that crap. Pretender " Aunty Anne snapped at dad but he remained unfazed. The man was good at acting "Anne, what happened to warrant this insult?" Without waiting for an answer,  he turned to mum "Mabel, Mama said you fainted, why? "

Before mum could speak,  Uncle Felix did "Why won't she faint? When your family has made it their goal to kill her "  "Felix, I've respected you enough. You will speak about my family with respect  else , I'll be forced to ask you to leave" Uncle Felix laughed "You can't caution the women in your own family and you think you can actually do anything to me. Please try harder,  respect your wife and draw the line for your family then you'll be considered a man but now, you're just a boy because any man that doesn't respect his woman is a boy " At this point, Dr Adegoke excused herself. I couldn't blame her,  she probably didn't want to see the upcoming drama.

Dad glared at him and then looked at mum who was smiling at her brother "You're watching your brother insult me and you're smiling about it". Mum frowned "Can't you handle the truth for once in your life? If I had lost this pregnancy today, what would have been my story eh? " Mum lashed back at him and dad frowned "So you were serious about being pregnant? " dad asked her disappointment evident in his voice "

"No, she was practicing stand up comedy" Aunty Anne said sarcastically.  Dad took in a deep breath and sighed "Mabel, we will talk about this later" dad said sternly. Mum furrowed her eye brows "There's nothing to talk about " she replied and dad didn't answer her, he just stared at her for long and left the room "What was that about? " Aunty Anne asked mum and she burst into tears to our greatest surprise "He wants me to have an abortion "

"Oghene! " Aunty Anne exclaimed while Uncle Felix paced around the room and I sat there stunned. How bad were things between mum and dad? I remembered the last discussion mum and I had concerning this and honestly, she was right. Very right. Why would dad ask his own wife to abort her pregnancy?  Why would he want his own child dead? If he didn't love mum and I,  why keep us and hurt us? Why?

"Mabel, honestly why not leave him?" Uncle Felix asked mum
"I can't,  you know how powerful end influential Michael is.  If I file for a divorce anyhow, without having something solid against him if not he will take away everything even Jasmine and I don't want that "
"Mabel, you have a house of your own with tenants living in it, you have a good job. What more do you need to walk out of that hell hole you call a marriage? " Uncle Felix said angrily and he was right.  Mum had acquired a large piece of land and had completed the building earlier this year. She had the house built in such a way that the flats were arranged beside each other and not in a storey building. She rented out five of the six flats but kept one saying she wanted it for herself. I guess it's where she wants us to live after the divorce. I only hoped we'll still be alive then.

"I still need more than that. Michael and I have played the role of the happy couple for so long that if I just say I want a divorce without enough reason that the public can see,  he'll just play victim and end up with everything. I can't let that happen, I still need something solid against him"

Aunty Anne and Uncle Felix seemed to think it through "We can testify on your behalf" Aunty Anne said
"You're my family , you'll obviously want to testify for me. That could be used as a point against me " mum argued.
"I just hope that something solid against him will not be the death of you or Jasmine " Uncle Felix warned
"Exactly! " Aunty Anne agreed

I was just tired and confused. Things were really bad. If dad could do this, if he could be this bad,  what could he not do? I was scared , really scared. My life would be hell if mum didn't get custody of me and I wasn't going to tell mum to wait till I was eighteen before filing for divorce , she had sacrificed too much for me already and besides, by then it won't be just me anymore, but my brother or sister also.

I smiled a little as I thought about it. My brother or sister.  What was it going to be like? How would I feel? I was happy for mum because I know how much insults she had endured from dad's people because she had only  me but then dad wasn't bothered and always told them to ignore it. I remember all mum's tears, prayers, vigils for a child but now considering the kind of person dad was turning out to be, I wondered if he had not beaten mum up and led to her having miscarriages but then, mum never had scars or a limp or a swollen face but then again,  dad shouldn't be underestimated . Even if he didn't abuse her physically,  I know he did emotionally. I had heard him tell her time without number  that she was worthless, useless, a bad mother, distasteful, a slut but mum was too strong. I heard her fight back most times. I heard her retaliate. She never backed down,  not in front of me anyway.  I always asked her how she did it. Her reply was always the same "God is my strength".

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Ogini means 'What is it ?'in Igbo language
Okwa ya means 'isn't it ' in Igbo language
Inugo means have you heard or do you hear in Igbo language
Oghene means God in Delta language  (Urhobo or Isoko tribes)
People, say NO🙅 to abortion
Say NO 🙅to domestic violence
Save innocent lives.
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God bless you