Rosemary33:
EPISODE 37

Amaka tapped her foot repeatedly on the fine polished granite Hospital floor and drummed her finger on the screen of her phone impatiently. She had little time to see the Doctor and achieve what she came there for. The duck mouthed nurse at the reception had told her that the doctor was not on seat yet; that was after she had giving Amaka a thorough scrutiny.

“Are you a patient here?” the nurse had asked her rudely

“No, actually…”

“Then why you wan see doctor this early morning? Some ladies sef, na so them go they follow fine young men for yansh” the nurse hissed

“Madam I only asked whether he is on seat, we are not quarrelling yet” Amaka had gotten angry

“Who dey quarrel with you? small pikin like you why I go quarrel you? I have your type in the house and I can flog her any time? The nurse switched from pigin to pure English

“Thank God you said you have my type so please respect yourself and mind your language. You don’t even know me, is this how you judge all young girls or does your daughter follow young boys for yansh like you said?” Amaka blunted out

The nurse felt offended and would have slapped the young girl if not that she had other patients that were already waiting in line and were already murmuring “Don’t worry, I go soon get your time, Idiot” she muttered angrily “Next person!” she called out.

Amaka looked at the entrance door once in a while for the arrival of the doctor, she knew it would be her only chance of carrying out her purpose as it looked like the bitter nurse would make sure she didn’t see the doctor.

The glass door opened and Amaka stood up immediately as she sighted him walking in, she grabbed the opportunity, stepped in front of him, flashed him one of her sexiest smiles, took his bag from him and walked beside him.

The confused doctor lacked words to say to the beautiful lady that had such daring attitude “Haven’t I seen you before?” he asked

“Oh yes…I was with Elizabeth here when she put to bed” the well planned smile didn’t leave her face

“Oh…I see” Doctor Nkama pointed at her in recognition “You are that her friend” they were at the front desk. The Nurse flashed Amaka an angry look

“Has anyone cleaned my office Nurse Amadi?” Nkama asked

“Yes sir” she looked at Amaka again “Sir, there are many patients waiting sir…The young lady beside you have not paid for card sir…”

“She is with me Nurse, don’t worry about her” He walked off and Amaka followed after sticking out her tongue at the Nurse “Direct some of the patients to the other doctors for now” Doctor Nkama ordered as he walked towards his office.

“So how is your friend Elizabeth?” He asked as he eased his blazers off his shoulder, hung it on the wooden suit hanger and sat down.
Amaka too the empty seat in front of him “She is fine” this was the time she was waiting for, though it came a little bit earlier than she thought

“She is busy right now getting ready for her fiancée’s home coming”

Nkama nearly choked of the spittle that suddenly filled his mouth “Hmm?” he looked up in surprised

Amaka continued “She didn’t tell you? ah ah! My friend didn’t sleep last night o, you know how it is now when you love someone so much and the person left for a long trip, all of a sudden; he is coming back…my friend can’t get over the good news”

Nkama kept nodding like an agama lizard even while his heart was in turmoil, he didn’t understand the whole thing; Elizabeth was sure the soldier left her for good, he was even happy about it and was already planning his way in to her life, what was going on?

“…they are so much in love with each other, a perfect couple if you ask me…” Amaka said dreamingly “…The marriage plan was in top gear before he left and we lost hope, but now…as of yesterday, my friend has gone to the church marriage committee to tell them that he is coming back and the wedding would continue as planned” she wiped out a pretentious drops of tears from her eyes. She has rehearsed the drama before she came, and with the expression on the doctor’s face she knew that it worked

“Did this Soldier boyfriend of hers call her that he is coming back?” Nkama asked

“Doctor, you said call? He spent almost two hours on the phone with my friend! I was there” she started her drama again “You needed to see her blushing, he was telling her all the lovely things a man could tell a woman…oh…I wished I was in her shoes, I love to be loved like that”

The news was a hard one for Doctor Nkama to take, his day was almost ruined by it, but like a miracle; the girl before him had a way of bringing humor in serious issues, by the time she was ready to go, he had laughed so hard that his stomach ached

“What is that your name again?” he asked amidst laughter

“Amaka, please don’t call my Amy…it is so old fashioned. and dont also call me 'Amaka disappoint me'"

Nkama went on another round of laughter “Okay Amaka” he tried to control the laughter “Can I have your number if you don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind, provided you will take me out for dinner someday” she offered her phone

“That won’t be a problem, we can do dinner this Saturday” Nkama said as he typed in his own number “Oya flash me” he handed the phone back to her, and she flashed him “I got it now”

Amaka left the office like a lady that just won a million-dollar lottery. She held her phone tight and muttered “Yes!!!” as she closed the door behind her

Her eyes caught the nurse looking at her with disgust, she rolled her eyes and walked out of the hospital. She would be meeting up with Elizabeth so she could help with the preparation, Ebube would be coming home with the 3 O’clock flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt.

*

“Mummy are you not ready yet!!!” Omalicha shouted from the sitting room where she waited with the twin whom were sleeping peacefully on the baby trolley.

“Give me a sec baby!” Elizabeth shouted back from the room “Is grandma ready?”

“We are all waiting for you Ada m, you are already beautiful, oya start coming out o” Mrs Ojukwu shouted back with laughter. She has automatically gotten well since the day she received the call.

Elizabeth looked at her bed that was filled with the cloths she brought down, “Its only to welcome him” she had told herself but she wasn’t sure what to wear.

Amaka pushed her door open and nearly escaped stumbling on an open box of cloths on the floor “Wow! Girl it is just a welcome party not a wedding” she said

“I know…but I don’t know what he would like”

Amaka looked at her friend in amazement “Are you serious?”

“What!”

“I thought you don’t want to see this man? So why do you care what he would like?”

Elizabeth hid the smile on her face “Amaka please stop abeg, just help me find what to wear, something that will hide my fatness”

Amaka came closer to her friend “It pains my heart each time you look down at yourself, Ebube saw you like this and fell in love with you…”

“then I got pregnant and belly fat came, don’t forget” Elizabeth added

“Where is it? show me” Amaka looked at her friend’s stomach “Girl you have done well in keeping yourself in shape this past five months, look at you…so toned and firm, and your stomach has gone in. you gave yourself hard targets in the gym and the result is glaring” Amaka encouraged

“I am still fat though”

“You are thick, that is who you are…and sometimes I jealous you because you have the fats on the right places that give you that hour glass shape. Look at those hips and thighs…girl, you a picture to behold” they both laughed

“Okay” Amaka looked around and saw a camouflage knickers and a jacket that hung alone on a nail at the wall “Ah haa…you didn’t tell me you already bought a military uniform” She walked towards it

“No o…they belong to Bube, he gave them to me on the night we…ehm…”

“Whatever…” Amaka waved it off “So put them on let me see” she handed them over to her friend

Elizabeth was unsure of the outcome, she wanted something sexy “Ebube has seen lots of sexy white women in New York” she though, and felt like she has to compete with them. But she wore the knickers and it kissed her thighs and her hips and was loosed at the waist since her’s was slimmer than the owner’s.

Amaka brought out a white tight fitted T-shirt and handed it to her, she wore it without complain

“This is one of the sexiest outfit I have seen” amaka said in amazement

“Are you sure?”

Amaka didn’t answer, she went to Elizabeth’s wardrobe and got a ‘Nike air’ white snickers “This is what you need”

Elizabeth did as instruct; she was about to pack her Ghana braids together but Amaka objected “Allow it to flow babe”

“What about the babies, they may want to suckle and the hair will be an obstruction” Elizabeth said

“then go with baby food and let your mother-in-law care for them, this day is about you girl!”

After touching her face with light makeups, Amaka led Elizabeth to the mirror and the later was amazed at her reflection

“Wow…”

“Yes wow…” they both laughed

“But won’t I attract the attention of the police with this uniform?”

“You are a wife to Oga Naval Officer, just call Aminu and it will be settled”

She walked out of the house looking so beautiful, her waist rolled with every step she made towards the car, she knew she had worked hard at the gym those few months after child birth and pray that Ebube would still admire her. The babies were settled on the baby seats in the car, Mrs Ojukwu sat with them behind while Omalicha sat in front with her new mummy. Her heart skipped when she thought of what he may think of her when they would finally meet; would he still feel the same way he felt for her before he left? Did he get involved with another woman out there? She also thought of what she would feel; she wondered if he had changed.

*

As the big bird balanced in the air, Ebube looked out of the window and gave a smile of satisfaction “Things are falling into place” he muttered.
He observed the moving clouds for a while before he pulled out the sealed later that was handed to him by the Chief of Naval Staff himself;
“You are the kind of man we want in this force; we are proud of you Rear Admiral Ebube” the chief had said

“Captain sir” Ebube had politely corrected

The chief had ignored the correction, and handed a sealed letter to him “This will make your new post official…the president will be back in the country this Sunday, so you will come back to Abuja by next week for proper decoration” He sat down “The president wants to decorate you himself” He said with a smile

Ebube looked from the chief to his boss, Admiral Dambo, he didn’t know what to say “Sir…”

“Don’t worry son, you deserve it” both had walked out from the office like father and son “I have been promoted to the rank of the Vice-Admiral…your insisting on exposing those crooks at Bonny water ways mission, added with your gallant performance at Somalia earned us this”
Ebube read the letter again and smiled broadly

“Good news?” the white woman beside him asked

“Yea…I have been away for a long time and can’t wait to see my family again. I have a set of twin now” he laughed

“Oh congratulations”

“And I just got promoted too”

He read the letter again, rested his head on the back rest and closed his eyes, one thing scared him though; would he see Elizabeth today at the airport? And would she still love him the way she had done before? He wished she was there with him to share in the good news.

One of the cabin crews announced their arrival to Port Harcourt, the pane was about to land and his heart beat faster