The lethal combination of tension and anticipation heavily permeated the spacious office. Out of the three persons in the room, it was clear as day that the root of the tense atmosphere could be traced to the duo of Kunle and Remi Ajibade.
It wasn’t their fault. Held in the doctor’s palms was the result that they had been agonising over. They both wanted to know what it said, but then the fear of the consequences that knowing would bring made them want to abandon the whole proceeding. Although, it was not like they could pull out at that point.
Dr Obafemi cleared his throat in a bid to relieve the tight atmosphere; adjusted the spectacles that sat askew on the bridge of his crooked nose; and flashed his infectious, megawatt smile at the matured couple, in order to help them feel a bit more at ease.
Having been the Ajibade family doctor for almost twenty years, he often felt as though he were already part of them, kind of like an extra appendage that they liked to keep around. As such, he found that he had mastered the ability of reading them. He knew the results already; and although he did not have any concrete assurance, he somehow knew that they would pull through as a family.
His voice came out as clear and authoritative when he finally opened his mouth to address them. “Mummy and Daddy Ajibade, these are the results of the tests we ran.” He slid the slim brown manila envelope over to them. The two of them shared a gaze and proceeded to stare at the envelope as though it were a letter bomb, each making no move to even touch it. Just like he had predicted, Obafemi thought to himself, barely holding back a chuckle. “Or would you like me to tell you the results?”
Remi remained silent, her form fixed into a stock-still position. Her glazed-over eyes indicated that her mind had travelled to farther planes than the present, and truly, her mind was found to be whizzing at neck-breaking speed. However, Kunle replied the good doctor. “Doctor, go ahead and tell us so that we can know where to put our minds. We will not kuku understand your medical jargons if we decide to read it by ourselves.”
“I thought you might say that. Anyway, we ran multiple tests, just to make sure we don’t miss anything important,” he clarified, even though they hadn’t asked. Letting out a quick breath, he continued, “I’m happy to inform you that the Ajibade family will be getting a new addition in a few months time. Mummy and Daddy, the pregnancy tests came back positive.”
Positive. The pregnancy tests came back positive. The doctor’s words could be likened to the sound of crashing glass in Remi’s ears. With no mercy, her attention was yanked back to the present situation, her senses immediately hyper-aware of what was on ground.
Kunle’s sharp intake of breath did not go unnoticed by the other two parties in the room, however, none commented on it. After all, it wasn’t a reaction that was out of place upon getting such news.
Obafemi, perceptive as he was, clasped his hands together, maintaining his silence to give them the necessary berth they needed to process the news. At their prompting, he would bring them up to speed on the remaining information.
Oddly enough, Remi found that she was not too surprised. She could not deny the sinking feeling she felt once she heard what the doctor said, the sensation of her heart dropping from her chest all too real. However, even in spite of those feelings, there lay beneath the covers a quiet but firm resignation to the will of God: surrender.
This plot twist better be worth it, God. Because me, I was sitting on my own jeje when you brought this one to me o. She almost rolled her eyes at Him, but the belated realisation that she was ‘sassing’ the Ruler of the Universe made the said eyes still in their sockets. Sorry sir. Somehow, she could tell that she had amused Him, even if He hadn’t said a word. It was common knowledge that God has a sense of humour, but she wasn’t sure if chuckling was part of His many expressions or it was just a human thing.
As though the direction of her thoughts was just dawning on her, she couldn’t stop the smile that spread itself upon her lips. The Holy Spirit really did have a way of making her feel better. With this positive turn of emotions, her already risen hackles returned to a relaxed state.
Sparing a side glance at her husband, she cleared her throat. She couldn’t completely tell how he was processing the news they had just received; but aside from the initial realisation that flashed on his face, she was relieved to find that he did not seem too conflicted.
“Okay doctor, thank you. How far gone am I?” She asked, her voice coming out firm and put-together. They needed to conclude at the doctor’s office so they could go home and start reorganising their priorities. This new development meant that there would need to be so many changes, and it would affect every member of their family in one way or the other.
Her voice which hadn’t been heard since the beginning of their visit to the doctor’s office that day was the one to return Kunle’s attention to his wife. His large, meaty palm left its place on his right thigh, gently snaking its way into her own clenched fist in a subtle gesture of support. She allowed him take her hand, giving the intertwined palms a quick squeeze in communication of her thanks.
Expecting this question and being slightly shocked by the results himself, Obafemi could already anticipate their reactions. “You’re currently about five months along, ma, judging by what the tests revealed.”
Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline, disbelief painted plainly on her face. “Ah! Ọmọ tí é tí duro dáadáa. How did I not notice this? How?” she asked herself. Remi had always prided herself on her high level of self-awareness so the fact that she missed every vital sign pointing to her pregnancy caused her to feel blindsided in no small way.
She turned to Kunle, “Ife mi, we don’t have time again o, and we still have so much to do...” she trailed off, her mind filling afresh with the great amount of things they would have to do in such a limited period.
Firmly squeezing her hand, her husband drew her gaze back to him. “Remi, pause and breathe okay? Pause and breathe. God will work it out. We’ll be fine.”
Obafemi hummed in agreement and launched into the remaining details. “Due to your age and its accompanying risk factors, your condition is medically termed as a ‘high-risk pregnancy’. This means that we’ll be needing to closely monitor your vitals so that we can know how best to manage you for the duration of this pregnancy.
“Though, I don’t want you to be worried because of this o, Mummy; you know worry is not good for you and our baby. From what I know about your medical history, you shouldn’t have such a difficult time through the pregnancy. God will help us and make it easy for us in Jesus name,” he prayed as Remi’s posture slackened in her seat, her expression subdued.
“Okay, Doctor. Please do all what is necessary.” Kunle replied, looking to his wife for her agreement. Not even up to a split second later, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“Also, à má need láti se scan fun Mummy. We need to make sure that the baby is okay and growing well. If you want, we can also tell you the sex of the baby once we do the scan.”
All that the doctor was saying served nothing but to incite the volatile whirlwind that were her thoughts. New information brought new questions and new questions brought new worries; the whole cycle was maddening and she frankly needed to know where to put her mind. This was why she couldn’t help herself from blurting out how ‘it was doing her in her body’. “Doctor, if you don’t mind, let’s just get into it. All this extra talk talk is making me more anxious. I’ll do all the tests you want me to and the scan as well so that we can take it off the table and know what exactly it is that we’re expecting. Hope you understand?”
Remi could almost touch the sympathy evident in Dr Obafemi’s smile. “Yes ma, I perfectly understand.”
In the same moment, he reached for the white intercom resting on his desk. “Hello. Who is speaking? — okay, very good. Nurse Titi, I need you in here now, please.”
As her gaze slid its way back to the man that had stuck with her for thirty-two years of her life, she found that he was already looking at her, a familiar strength shining through his expression.
No words needed to be shared as the threads of silence between them whispered affirmations that words could never ever hope to describe.
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Soooo the cat is out of the bag📢 She's pregnant 🥳 Well, how shall they navigate this new turn of events? Only time will tell😌 Clearly, there's still more in stock for this series so hang tight o.
My people 😍 How are you doing? I know I didn't write last week but lookie, I finally brought Sweet Mama back so I did well abi🥺 How did you find this part? Lemme know in the commentsss
By the way, we need to choose a community name o, abi what do you think? Let's put it to a vote:
I don't mean to be partial but Ará Àdúgbò is my favourite (my friend actually suggested the name when she gave a review for Gbogbo Ero) Listen to the pronunciation below:
Do you have a better suggestion? Please go ahead in the comments.
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Alrightttt,
Write you soonest,
Mofeoluwa 💚
My final comment.....😂😂
I saved the best for the last 😌
The One thing that is always standing out in the story line is how God is the center of their family, their love and their relationship. How both of them rely on God, trust Him and have relationships with Him. It's so beautiful to see really because they are sure that "come what may, they have a Rock and someone they can always run to at all times" and this is so beautiful to see.
Thank you so much Mo for putting this together. Now, I'm looking forward to part 4🤭
The update I've been waiting for 🥺
I think Remi and Kunle are such a beautiful couple❤️❤️
I kind of wish this was a book I had in my hands so I didn't have to wait till the next update.
God soon