Hey followers, strike has been called off and exams are to start upper week, I am so sorry but it looks like I will be off for some time (not for the whole period though) so I can study but I promise to come back with more interesting updates. Here is a short update I was able to put together:

CHAPTER ELEVEN continued
Lancelot came home one evening from work; he was so drowsy that he fell asleep immediately his body landed on the couch. Jane had to help him remove his shoes and collect his briefcase from his hand. Rahila was not at home, she had left for her night duty. Jane took the items she had collected and went to the couple’s room. It was a room she rarely entered; she had only been there twice.

She scanned the room when she was inside, the cream tiles, cream curtains and cream wall made the room seem very spacious, like one of those never ending passages they showed in the Matrix. The bed sheet was coloured pink and it was the only colour in the room that gave it a feminine touch. She deposited the shoes near the wardrobe and the briefcase on the bed then turned quickly to go but something occurred to her that she could linger in the room longer, a bad idea she thought, but found it irresistible not to hang around the room and feel the ambiance of a couple’s matrimonial room. They will both disapprove of course but she would not be caught now.
You like your stay here don’t you? Her subconscious said to her. “Killjoy.” she said aloud and turned to go. Someday, she will have her own matrimonial bedroom and she would linger in it as much as she wanted.

When she entered the living room, she met with Lancelot face to face, he was awake now and was sitting upright trying to shake the sleep from him.

“Welcome Brother, you are up already. You need to sleep, you look very heavy.”

He shook his head, his black tie dangled as he did. He knew it was helpless, sooner or later he would still fall asleep but he thought about the paper work he had to do today, he needed to be awake.

“Prepare me some coffee please.” He said with a yawn.

“That is not a good idea Sir, you are on antidepressants and taking caffeine will not be good for your body system.”

He turned sideways and gave her a brief look; his eyes were lopsided as he did. “How do you know that?”

“I did some research on the type of drugs you are taking.”

“It is just for today, nothing will happen, please.” His eyes looked pleading.

Jane prepared him coffee and he drank gently. While he sat in his room doing the paperwork, he thought about himself, he had become so tranquil and meek, his work seemed now to move fairly well, there were no complaints any longer and he seemed stable. But he had lost passion, passion for his career and the enthusiasm he always had about his patients was gone. Today the little boy that had been cured of tuberculosis came back for check up and Lancelot was surprised he was not so concerned about the boy any longer, and yet he and the boy had been very fond of each other. He had lost his interest in the little children, only the monotonous drill of getting them cured was his concern. Was it because of the drugs? It had to be. What else could explain the lack of interest in his patient’s happiness? His relationship with Jane had improved though, he felt less possessive of her and the taunting thoughts and nightmarish experiences had dwindled, though they still came up once in a while. He missed the excitement of his old self and disliked his present apathetic nature.

“Don’t stop taking the drugs till I tell you to.” Doctor Tunde had warned sternly. Lancelot could still remember the glow in his eyes when he said it and the way his grey hair had seemed to stand upright. But he knew himself, there was no way he was going to continue taking the drugs for long. It made him think of himself like a junkie, an irredeemable one.

“Stopping the drugs abruptly could lead to a relapse, a relapse worse than the former.” Lancelot could still hear the psychologist’s warning. But how could he continue to carry on his life in this zombie state?

Chommieblaq:
Kudos Shalomdee.
Awwwwwww they seem like a great couple, i pray they have their own child fast.
They remind me of s couple while growing, very nice couple, we never knew that the girl we thought was the couple's first child was just a girl they brought from the village to assist the wife. They showed her so much love and more.

It is very rare to find such these days

queenitee:
I really love Rahila and Lancelot

(Where are all these emoticons sef), dearest queenitee

bossy512:
Am happy for Jane

We all are. Where have you been dear?

EvaJael:
Shalomdee this is getting sweet. Forgive me for disappearing. The writer and reader in me went on vacation

Sweetest EvaJael, glad to have you back, we really missed you.

gracile:
I love the way you write, painting reality of an average Nigerian; is a feat I'm yet to master

Are you kidding? You got it in your writing too. Thanks for stopping by, love your work.

Sorry for the delay. Blame it on PHCN. I'm working on interesting updates; hope you guys are still following? Where are my oldtimers? Lilyjoe567, queenitee, Akinwale14, mhizgap, hormobolanle, Chumzypinky, Ifecoded(where you go) talk2saintify, Kayzybaba, abefe99, WHOcarex(long time), VETSURGEON123, royalty18, VEEGEECEE, smokeydrinky, Loboski. (More mentions loading).

CHAPTER ELEVEN continued
Jane sank into her bed crying. She was full of joy but at the same time she was thinking how much she did not deserve the score. She had to call her mum, aunt and her best friend to tell them the news. Rahila said she could do so after they had finished their lunch and Lancelot had kissed her goodbye on her forehead making her feel nauseated. She knew she owed God thanks, He had answered her prayers. She had joined the league of those people who were on their way to becoming undergraduates. Lancelot had told her Post-JAMB was an easy cake. Was this really it? Was this how one could have one’s dreams on the brink of being reality? The feeling was heavenly. She felt as though she was soaring on top of the clouds, bouncing on Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro, kissing the eagles on their feathers. She thought of the songs her mother would raise to praise God for his faithfulness, and the smile on her aunt’s face.

Why was God being so good to her after she had missed it before? She had heard of forgiveness and mercy but it always sounded strange to her. First she had gotten an aunt willing to take care of her son, then she had gotten a family that were willing to sponsor her education in exchange for doing what any normal girl did in her home, now she was on her way to getting a place in the university. Years ago she would have been taking orders from an annoying and wicked boyfriend who had no value for her happiness, now she was being treated like a princess, a Disney princess, she corrected herself. She went on her knees and cried her heart out.

She visited Planang a few weeks later. Planang had insisted on the visit saying Jane needed to give herself a break. “From what?” Jane had asked. Planang lived in a compound that housed a two-storey building painted cream and green. Her house was on the second storey. Planang’s uncle and aunt were at home and they welcomed Jane warmly, as if they knew her before.

“How is your family? I learnt they are all health workers. Wow, congrats, we heard about your result. You did very well. Admission will come to you like ice-cream, not like that of Planang who we had to see several lecturers.” Planang’s aunt blurted out while holding a six month old baby who had been enjoying his cereal. The baby started whimpering till his mother returned to feeding him.

“Pity Planang is about graduating, but she can still pull you through so many things you need to know, and if you have problems you can still ask for her guidance.” Planang’s uncle took over. “What course did you choose as your first choice?”

“Oh, microbiology Sir.” Jane said coyly.

“I thought this girl said it was Medicine?” He said to his wife.

“You know Planang, she likes to spice up her stories.” The wife said in a forgiving way as if offering apologies on her behalf.

Jane waited coquettishly as Planang fixed up some fried potatoes chips and brought it to her on a tray. The potatoes were crispy and hot and Jane had to let it cool for some time before eating them.

“Thanks for making it here.” Planang said to her friend who sat with her hands on her laps like she was waiting for a bomb to drop. “You don’t have to feel shy, this is where I live, consider it your home as well.”

“I’m not shy.”

“Of course you are, anyway, congrats.”

“Babe thanks. So you students are on break now huh?”

“Yes, we are on break but the Post-JAMB is going to take place in a week’s time, you need to get prepared.”

“What kind of questions will be asked?”

“Science, General knowledge and a few questions about the school. I will give you a copy of one of the question papers of last year, they normally don’t allow student’s go with the question paper but because I am so influential, I managed to get a copy of one.”

“Hmmn, manageress.” Jane teased.

“What do you expect?” Planang blushed with pride. “Ehem, what is it I heard from Saratu about you during Christmas?”

“About me? I don’t know.” Jane shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

“We were talking on phone and Saratu asked me if you had been able to secure an admission at any time before, she sounded so innocent and concerned. I told her no, that you had not even written JAMB and were planning to do so this year. She then said you had lied to her about securing admissions twice in two years but abandoned them because it was not medicine. I was dumbfounded and did not know what to say. Was it true that you actually told her that?”

“Yes.” Jane said gently, thinking what next Planang was about to say, a scolding no doubt, Planang was fond of scolding her like a kid sister.

“You should not have lied to her. It made you look bad before her eyes. I know how eager you are to be admitted into college but you don’t have to lie to feel fulfilled. You are not the only one in our set who has not yet been admitted, you should not lie to cover up your failures.”

Jane sighed. “So you wanted me to have said ‘oh no Saratu, you know I took a bad decision and ran after my ex who impregnated me and was not interested in my education, I would have been in the university now if not for my stupidity and foolishness, heaven knows I hate myself now for what I did; why, I should have been at your level now.’ Did you expect me to say that?”

“Exactly.” Planang said looking at Jane in the eye.

Jane winced; she should have remembered Planang and her guts. She could be bossy especially when it got into her head that she knew better than others, but Jane had learned from experience it was better to heed her advice.

“You don’t play ITK with me when you are wrong. Do you know that girl would probably be spreading what you said now to people? A good name is better than wealth or university admission. As much as it is good to strive for success, don’t forget contentment is the best medicine for happiness. Learn to love who you are Baby.” Planang said and patted her on the hand.
*************************************************************************
“Learn to love who you are.” Jane repeated to herself in the kitchen as she washed the plates they had had dinner with. She paused and reflected, the glass plate she was holding nearly fell off her hand and she gave a big sigh when she succeeded in catching it from falling to the ground. She placed it in the sink and watched as the water from the tap flowed and cleansed the plate from its foam. Could she ever be contented with her life? She had so many dreams, ambitions, goals and wishes. Her regret of the past still made it hard for her to be gratified with her achievements so far, and she had so much to be grateful for. But there was a deep gulf in her soul that was longing to be filled up, a gulf she did not realise but was there anyhow.

Lancelot and Rahila were sitting in the living room with their arms around each other listening to Beautiful by Frank Edward. Their eyes were half opened and Jane wondered if they were sleeping. She plunked down on the nearest chair, depression written all over her. Hard as she tried, she was not grasping happiness the way she wanted it. The song came to her:

Do you really know how beautiful you are?
Spirit of the Lord lives inside of you...
He watches you...
Knows all the pain you’ve been going through...

She closed her eyes. Did God really feel her pains? She thought. Or was he just being up there playing God and ruling over the storms and hurricanes?

CHAPTER ELEVEN continued
**************************************************

Rahila and Jane were in the kitchen trying to prepare an afternoon meal of salad, noodles and omelettes. It was Jane’s idea, she had seen her mother prepared it when she was in Junior high school and ever since then had promised herself she will replicate it one day. They were silent as they worked, Jane was dicing the cucumbers and Rahila was chopping cabbages on the cutting board. Rahila was wearing her braids in a popular style known as gallacks, the braids were woven into one ponytail and straightened upwards. Her blue long skirt was floating down as usual and her face glistened from the baby oil she applied to her face. She smelt of Cussons because that was the product she used for her skin. Growing up as a child, her mother used Cussons for her and her siblings, in those days it was the best skin product for babies; she grew up loving the fragrance and using it always for herself. Lancelot though disapproved of it, saying baby products were only meant for babies, in reality he did not like it because it always reminded him they were supposed to have a child now. But it did not stop her from adding Cussons soap, oil, lotion, powder and jelly to her shopping list each time they got finished, it was one of those things she had forced him to accept.

Jane was wearing a cream coloured sleeveless gown, she had had her hair plaited in zigzags with no artificial hair, the way Lancelot wanted it done. According to him, a girl’s natural hair should be her pride and she should flaunt it more and not wigs, wool or other attachments. Whenever he said this, Rahila would look distant as if he was not there. Jane was sure they had arguments in their room concerning her way of dressing, but they would never argue in front of her, at least not a heated argument and Jane was sure their arguments were never the ones to make them say unforgivable things to each other. Both of them were too gentle and cultured for such. Even though Lancelot was strict in his view on women’s fashion, he still cut them some slack. They could wear sleeveless gowns at home but never earrings and never trousers. Rahila always had to wear long gowns or skirts that swept the ground, it made her look like a Disney princess Lancelot said.

“Do I fry the omelettes now or help you with the chopping?” Jane asked.

“I think you should help with the chopping, when we are through you can fry the eggs, we must serve it hot, but we won’t fry Daddy’s own now till he comes back.”

“He will be back any minute now.” Jane commented offhandedly.

“And how do you know that?”

“Have you forgotten? He told us this morning he was coming home for lunch at exactly two.” She had started chopping the carrots into tiny but rather pretty looking pieces. She always wanted food looking as attractive as possible.

They heard the gate open and a car driving into the compound. “I told you.” Jane said.

Rahila pouted her lips at Jane who broke into a smile. “I think we may need to hire a gateman. I don’t like the way we need to come down from the car to open the gate by ourselves.”

“But you can always horn and I would run to open the gate for you when I am at home. I have been doing that. You don’t need a gateman.”

“I know, but sometimes we don’t want you to bother, all that running from the inside to open the gate; one may have an accident. Besides, you may soon start school, who will do the opening then?”

“Where is the latest undergraduate in Gwags?” Lancelot shouted as he stepped into the house banging the door so loud.

Rahila and Jane exchanged confused glances and shrugs.

“Sweetheart?” Rahila called.

Lancelot came into the kitchen making loud garrulous sounds. When he met Jane’s eyes he paused.

“Oh yeah, guess who scored her JAMB?”

Jane smiled awkwardly. “JAMB?” She asked still confused. She was not in the slightest bit aware that the scores for the JAMB exams were ready, neither was she aware that Lancelot had taken her scratch card to check the scores earlier that day.

“What did she score? Tell us.” Rahila ordered gently.

“You scored 280 baby!” He said facing Jane.

“Ah!” Jane left the knife and hugged herself, her mouth still open.

“See it!” He produced a print-out of the result and held it towards her.

“It’s really mine.” Jane said in-between tears.

“Wow, you even superseded my expectations. Congrats to you, nothing stops you now from being admitted.”

“Congrats Jane.” He said full of enthusiasm. He hugged her.

You write beautifully well

Beautiful, well done KimberlyWest