Vagrants

Chapter 30

Mr. and Mrs. Bakare had their affairs pulled together so they left after few days. I missed Mrs. Bakare a little because she was not just a friend's mother but like a mother too. I missed how she gave me advice on how things should and should not be done. She helped me a lot and I really missed her.

New tenants came in after them and I really hated them. Especially the woman. She was just too jumpy and quick to draw conclusions. She never minded her business and she was always poke nosing.

When she noticed the cold shoulder Aunty Kemi and Abisola were giving me. She approached me. "What happened? What happened?"

I hated the way she behaved and I knew that's what she was talking about but I just played dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"Your sister and Aunt, they don't like you?"

"Ehnehn?"

"You didn't know?"

I shrugged. "Did they tell you they don't like me?"

"No, it's just that I observed you people are..."

"There's nothing, thank you." I shove her away.

She went to Aunty Kemi and Abisola, she probably thought the sound of my name would irk them and make them tell her what was going on.

"So Adeola told you to come and meet us." Abisola said.

"No oh." The woman shook her head.

"So why are you here?" Aunty Kemi asked.

"I just wanted to know why you people are distancing yourself from..."

"Family matter!" Abisola hissed.

"But your mother and Uncle are not..."

"Mind your business, please." Abisola rolled her eyes.

"But she said nothing was..."

"Mind your business!" They both yelled at her before she walked away.

Since then she's been trying to find out by listening to our conversations and making out one or two things from them. She could only make out that I did something very wrong but she still tried to dig deeper. Aunty Kemi caught her and insulted her. Then, I figured out that she was barren because Aunty Kemi said, "It's not your fault. If you have a child, you would be busy looking after him and not poke nosing."

She was definitely hurt. "So is it my fault that God refused to give me a child."

"No. But it is your fault that you refuse to stop poke nosing." Aunty Kemi hissed.

*

The following week wasn't good for me. I missed my period and wasn't feeling too good. I kept vomiting but mostly at night so nobody knew because they were always asleep. I didn't do anything about it because I know I've been rather stressed. I kept going about my daily activities. Aunty Kemi made things worse by giving me extra work because she was mad at me. I couldn't do anything to decline even when she gave me Bayo's chores to do. Mother and Uncle Jide were too busy to notice. They thought I was doing my regular chores and were fooled by the fake smile I put on. I thought I could keep up with everything rather than have Mother and Uncle Jide find out about the shenanigans that happened between myself and Damba.

Also, Mother was a highly respected member in church and she was the head of the Women's association. She spoke highly against things like this and if anyone were to find out about it, it could ruin her. Mother loves me so much, that I'm sure of and If she decides to support me, she'd be tagged a hypocrite and someone that has double standards. I really hoped that I didn't get pregnant and if I did, I would be able to abort it on time before anyone found out.

*

Aunty Kemi kept frustrating me with her never ending chores. She would even tell me to wash the tenants clothes and sometimes the neighbors clothes when Mother wasn't around. She didn't mind if her husband was because he obviously wouldn't care that I'm washing clothes.

I kept growing weaker and weaker has time passed by that I fainted one evening while serving dinner to the family.

"Adeola! Adeola!!" Mother was the first to rush to me.

Aunty Kemi and Abisola's eyes expressed shock as everyone gathered around me.

"Jide, start the car!" Mother yelled in yoruba.

"Is she dead?" The tenant asked.

"Bukola, Jo tori olorun, won o ni sepe fun omo e." Bukola, I'm begging you in the name of God, they shall not curse your child. Mother hissed.

"That prayer would have been effective if I had a child." Bukola said.

"Aunty! Please that's not the matter here. A life is at stake." Abisola panicked.

Aunty Kemi and Abisola stayed home with the tenants while Mother and Uncle Jide got me out of the house and Bayo tagged along to the hospital. Mother kept rubbing my head and praying on the way.

*

I was quickly rushed in as Uncle Jide carried me on his back.

"Doctor! Doctor!!" He yelled.

I was attended to and the doctor told them I was stressed and I needed a lot of rest. I slept in the hospital that night because the doctor said he needed to run some tests on me and that they could come for me the next day.

When Mother got home, she was furious at everybody.

"Why did you have to make her work so much?" She asked.

"Sorry ma." Aunty Kemi apologized.

"Ki lomo mi se fun e? So fe pa ni?" What did my daughter do to you? Do you want to kill her? Mother cried.

"Don't be annoyed sister mi." My sister. Uncle Jide sighed. "The doctor said she'd be fine and she's just stressed."

"But why sould she be stressed?"

"Maa mi. E mo pe Adeola o ki n soro. We wouldn't have known what was wrong with her." Mother. You know Adeola doesn't talk... Abisola said.

That managed to calm Mother down and she stayed quiet throughout the night till she finally fell asleep.