Enjoy the 4^th Episode of The Poisoned Chalice written by Christie Olamide

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 Doyin’s eyes were two huge saucers in her face. Chilling heat suffused her. She bit into her already sore lips once more. Shifting in her seat and wriggling her fingers in the doctor’s office while she awaited her test results, the events of the previous day came rushing at her.Hassan. The look of total disgust in his eyes as he had spoke of Uche. His voice. “I can never forgive a lie” kept ringing in her head, had tormented her the entire night.

Her lies.Her secrets.Her deceit.

Her hand slipped over rounding belly- as was her habit these past weeks – her lie, the biggest lie of all.Once more, her husband’s beloved face flashed before her eyes. Smiling, loving, sweet. Perfect. Just perfect for her. Hassan. Her Hassan. She would go through all the heartbreaks she went through before she had met him again, over and over again just to have a chance at him again. Her Hassan was worth all that and more. He made loving him so easy. He was the answer of God to her prayers. She couldn’t have asked for any better.

Then she remembered his disgust again. Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces and her resolve strengthened. Her Hassan was never going to look at her that way. Hades would churn out ice before that happened.

She had come to, just as Hassan headed for the door, hospital-bound. He had insisted even after she convinced him she was fine. It was a miracle, more like an act of God that he dropped the idea of getting her to the hospital last night and even this morning.

She would rather do this herself.

The doctor took his seat opposite her and she was jerked into the present. She didn’t think her heart could race any faster. He pointed the envelope at her and her doubts were laid to rest. Her heart kicked till she felt physical pain and grabbed her chest. She shook her head. She couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to touch the envelope.

The doctor started to talk. Doyin struggled to hear him over the roarings of her heart. Fifteen seconds down his medical lecture and Doyin couldn’t take it no more.

She steeled herself. “Doctor is my baby going to be sick?”Horror of all horrors. He nodded!

Doyin froze in her seat and felt her world crashing in on her with that single nod. She slipped her hand over her belly again and felt tears burn the back of her throat, tremble on her lids.

“I’ll call you” she pronounced before he could utter another word. She stumbled to her car and drove.

Drove with no conscious sense of direction.

Somehow she found herself in her house. In her bathroom. Her reflection stared her in the face in her bathroom mirror.

“Mrs Doyin Hassan” she said to the distraught woman that stared back at her.

Yes she had had to marry Hassan. She couldn’t have denied herself. And now she’s falling from cloud nine.

She began to shake. Felt….saw the first tears.

She crumpled to the floor and sobbed her heart out.

“What do I do?”

Her baby was a part of her already. Made Hassan so happy already. He teased her every time he saw her fingers creep over her belly. He talked to their baby already. Every day with his head on her belly. Kissed her belly every night before cradling her for the night. He couldn’t wait to be a dad.\

She doesn’t ever want Hassan to look at her with the disgust that crept into his eyes whenever he talked about Uche.

“So what now?” She asked aloud. “More lies? More deceit? What kind of monster would I be to abort my own baby without the consent of my husband?”

But if she got this pregnancy out of the way, there are chances she could conceive a healthy baby next time. And Hassan won’t be any wiser. Hope kindled in her heart.

She checked her wrist watch. She’d been here on the bathroom floor three hours.

Decision made, she stood up, looked herself in the mirror once more and reached for her phone.Time to make that call to Doctor Gilbert.

****************

Doyin was ushered in. No she wasn’t gonna think about this.“Just do this and get out of here. Do it to save your marriage. Do it for a healthy family. You’ll be glad you did.” She muttered to herself.

“You said something Ma’am?” the nursed asked.

“Oh no” Doyin answered with a tight smile.

“Very well then. Pls get on the couch.”

Few seconds later, Doyin felt the cool click of metal as her raised thighs were strapped to keep her in place.

Then they came flooding. Memories. Thoughts unbidden.

The Ultra Scan picture of her baby at six weeks – she had been too afraid to go for another afterwards.Such a precious life.She doesn’t even get to know if it’s male or female.Would it look like her or Hassan?Sweet dimples like hers?Cute smiling eyes like it’s dad’s? Drools and grins?Feedings in the middle of the night?First words?First day at school?In a cute uniform?Wasted. She’s going to waste all that?

She heard a clang of metal and jumped. The doctor was inside already.

“No! No, pls no!  Unstrap my thighs please! Can’t do this. Can’t! Won’t!”.

She dashed out in hiccups. Racing like demons were at her heels.

What next?

OLAMIDE CHRISTIANAH possesses an undeniable thirst for purposeful living. She is a thought leader, social writer and blogger with great panache. She employs the creative use of wit, humour and sass as tools to spread truths that affect our everyday lives. She is on the forefront of the fourth mission to bring home answers to the mystery of the Poisoned Chalice.