Adesuwa - Episode 5

 

Adesuwa:

"Doctor please I'm begging you. Please." Mom sobs as she grabs unto the lab coat of the older doctor. Dara tries to hold her back but she struggles with both the doctor and Dara.
"Doctor, our father is dying inside that room! What kind of medical service is offered in this hospital?!" Kola joins in the chaos. My fingers dig into Gideon's shoulders in anger while I try to keep the kid in check . This is driving me crazy.
"Ma'am I'm telling you I can't do anything for him until a down payment is made." The doctor says like he's frustrated with the likes of us.
"Are you trying to say money is more important than a person's life in this hospital?!" Mother screams at him. She nearly pokes her finger in his eye with her flailing hands but he manages to dodge it.
"I can't perform the surgery without at least a quarter of the payment. It's hospital policy." He steps back as he places his ridiculous glasses back on his nose. He doesn't even seem the slightest bit bothered. I've certainly had enough of this man.
"Hospital policy be damned!" I yell from my perch with Gideon. The man's head comes up to me as I make my way to him, fuming.
"Ade, calm down..." Dara leaves mother to intercept me

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/adesuwa

. Mom uses this opportunity to grab the doctor again and Kola has to physically pull her back.
"Calm down?! This greedy man doesn't care if our father dies on that bed! Look at him!" I point accusing fingers at the doctor who just shrugs.
"But your yelling won't help. All this screaming would only make him nonchalant." Dara tries to reason with me.
"Noncha---girl just shift let me have a go with this man!" I scream at her.
"Ahhh!!!!" Father's painful scream has everyone freezing for a second.
"Daddy!" Gideon screams and the whole of our family race for the room after him to find dad sprawled on the floor writhing in pain. A sob bursts out of my throat at the sight.
"Baba Kola! Kola help him unto the bed!" Mom screams. Dara pushes past me to help Kola and with some effort they get my father on the bed.
"Baba Kola, is this how you want to leave your wife? With four children who still need you? Baba Kola!" My mom sobs into his shirt.
This is too much. I turn on my heels and race out of the room.
"Ade! Where are you going?!" I hear Dara shout from behind me but I continue running. I pass the nurse station and notice two nurses laughing at a TV set in the reception room. They don't give a hoot whatever happens to a poor man. I clench my fists and continue out of the hospital.
"Okada!" I yell for the bike man who just dropped a woman at the hospital's doorstep. He reverses and I meet him halfway.
"Inside town." I instruct him as I throw my legs across the bike.
"Helmet?" He asks when I'm balanced on the back. I take the yellow helmet from him and with this, he zooms off into the darkening day.

****

"Is anyone in there?! Hey! Open up! Hey!" I slam my hands repeatedly into the metal gate at the front of the one storey building.
"Hey--" The gate opens suddenly and I nearly fall face first into the compound. I quickly right myself and straighten up to come face to face with one of the goons at our house with Mr Femi days ago.
"He's expecting you." He says before I say anything and I nod firmly.
"Come this way." He starts walking ahead of me and I fall into step behind him. My hands start to go sweaty as I get closer to the main house inside the big compound. I rub them tentatively on my skirt as the goon pulls open the corridor's gate for me.
"He's waiting for you inside." I nod at the goon as he chuckles deeply at me with a shake of his head before walking away.
I take a step up the small stairs leading up into the house but falter at the last minute. What am I doing here? Coming to this man was the biggest mistake my father made in the first place. Am I really going to marry him? God forbid bad thing. But what if it means signing father's death certificate? My lips shake with the possibility and I take a step back from the gate.
"Are you not going to come in?" My eyes snaps up and of course, the imposing figure of Mr Femi stands above me on his front door step. My face harden instinctively.
"Did I overestimate how fearless you are, girl?" He asks when I don't make a move to answer his earlier question and my stubborn streak comes out to play.
"What if you did?" I snap at him. He eyes me briefly before he clucks his tongue.
"Then your father would die for nothing." He says without blinking. I fall to my knees without thought and bow my head.
"Save us. Please." I sob.
"It's not every day I get interested in something y'know. I really want to see where this will go with the both of us." My head flies up at this, my hand shake with something more than nerves.
"There's no both of us!" When I catch his mouth harden I shake my head quickly.
"Please Sir. I know we're nothing to you, Sir. You won't gain anything if my father dies, Sir."
"Well that's true."
"Yes Sir. So please save him. Please sir, I'm begging you. We'll forever be grateful to you."
"But that's not what I want. I just want..."
"I'll work for you. Till I pay you back. My siblings will work as well." I interrupt him before he talks about marriage again. He pauses and eyes me up again.
"Is it such a bad thing to marry me? You'll be in control of so much wealth. No one will be able to treat your family like this ever again." He comes down the stairs to stand above me.
"You're an intelligent girl, you already know the role money pays in this capitalist government right? Money controls life. Your father's life." His fingers trace up the side of my face and I try not to cringe.
"Please." I sob.
"Money is power, girl. You'll never be on your knees like this for anyone ever again if you take my hand. So what will it be?" He steps back from me a bit and puts his hand out to me. I eye the hand warily.
"Why are you doing this?" I say through my tears.
"You caught my eyes, girl. It's not such a bad thing."
"And if I don't take your hand?" I ask him quietly.
"Then your father dies and your family will have to work to death just to pay off your father's debt to the bank and the church. Think about it. Is getting married worse than watching your father die and your family suffer?" I know he's right. I can't let them suffer. I shakily pull my hand up and put it in his calloused one.
"It's not." I say and shake it firmly.

My phone is faulty guys. I'm sorry for the delay

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