TRAPPED...Part 6.

'Mummy, your phone!' Vicky entered the kitchen handing me the ringing phone. I smiled as I pressed it next to my ear. It was Dan. 

'How is your day going?' he asked. He sounded tired.

'Great, but stressful,' I replied. 'Just closed from the shop and trying to prepare food for the kids. How is work?'

'Work is good. I just returned from the hospital. I was planning on coming over this evening, let's say 7pm.'

'Okay o...How is madam?' I heard him chuckle. 'You can bring her along.'

'She is currently not in town but I will extend your regards.'

Dan and I have been good friends since I ran into him at the hospital five months ago. We had exchanged contacts that day and he came to see me after work. There was so much to catch up on. He said he had been devastated by the break-up and felt Jide snatched me from him. At a loss on what to do, he picked a JAMB form. And chose Medicine. 

'Why Medicine?' I asked.

'Because I figured six years will be long enough to forget you,' he replied, smiling. 'I channeled all my anger and frustration into study and it bore fruit. Sometimes, a break-up can be a wake up call.' 

Not for me, I mumbled. I was happy for him. At least, not everyone gets to suffer. He currently has a girlfriend whom he is planning to marry. Lucky girl. 

I put off the gas cooker and set the pot down. The jollof rice was done. 'Vicky!' I called out. She ran into the kitchen. 'Get me some plantains and the knife.' Victory was approaching four years and turning into a sweet little girl. She brought two unripe plantains. I smiled. 'These green ones are not yet ripe. Yellow ones are the ripe ones. And we fry only the yellow ripe ones,'I said, pointing to the ripe plantains lying separately beside the fridge. She returned with four ripe plantains. 'Is your brother still sleeping?' I asked. She nodded. When we finished frying the plantains, I prepared Uche's infant formula. The door bell rang. I checked my watch. 6.55pm. 'Coming!' I went to answer the door.

'Uncle Dan!' Vicky screamed, hugging him as he entered. The lights suddenly went off. 'Why did you take our light?' I asked him jokingly, as I groped in the darkness for my rechargeable lantern. It had been charging beside the television stand. I switched it on and went to lift the curtains and open the louvres of the windows to let in fresh air. ' Typical Nigeria,' Dan said, visibly frustrated. 'When will we start having constant electricity?' He sat on the sofa facing the television. 

'Constant?' I asked, amused. 'Do you know how much I spend on fuelling the generator at my shop? One thousand naira daily.That amounts to close to thirty thousand naira monthly. Only on fuelling generator!' 

Uche let out a cry. I ran to the room to fetch him. The blackout and the noise from nearby generators must have woken him. I picked his feeding bottle from the kitchen and joined Dan and Vicky in the living room. Dan was showing Vicky some pictures of animals in his phone.

'Mummy, what makes them take the light?' Vicky asked, turning to me as I fed Uche. I thought for a moment. 

'Maybe one of the workers just got bored and switched off the power to our street,' I said, smiling. Dan burst into laughter.

Just then, the lights came on. 'Up NEPA!' Vicky and I shouted. I handed over the baby to Dan. I switched on the fan, closed the windows and brought down the curtains. 'It is no longer NEPA,' he said. 'It was Power Holdings but I heard the companies have been sold.' 

'They can bear any name they like...let them just give us light,' I said, switching off the rechargeable lantern.

'What have you been feeding this baby?' he asked, holding the baby up.' He is as heavy as a year-old child.' Uche was giggling, displaying the two solitary teeth in his lower gum.

'Milk o! Infant formula,' I replied, beaming. 'This pikin sabi chop. Abeg, make I dish the food, jare,' I said, leaving for the kitchen. I returned with three plates of food in a tray and set it down on the dining table. I took Uche back to his cot and joined Dan and Vicky at the table.

After the meal, we returned to the sofa. 'How did your day go?' I asked, running my fingers through Vicky's braided hair. 'Great,' he answered. 'A very funny incident happened, though. A woman came in labour pains and we were monitoring the labour. Labour was progressing very well until the point of delivery.' 

'And?' I asked, wide-eyed. 

'The woman ran out of the labour room. She said the pain was unbearable.'

I couldn't suppress my laughter. Even Vicky was smiling.

'Was it her first baby?' I asked, still laughing.

'Surprisingly No,' Dan replied, 'It was her fifth pregnancy.'

'Fifth?' I asked, in disbelief. 'And she is just discovering that labour is painful? So what happened?'

'The matron and I pursued her down the corridor. We caught up with her at the end of the corridor and she delivered immediately. A fine baby girl. There on the corridor. It wasn't until after we delivered the placenta that we took her inside the ward.'

By now, I was reeling with laughter. 'Real drama!'

'No be small drama o! We had to send people away from the corridor to give her some form of privacy. Nothing wey person no go see for this Lagos.' 

He rose to leave. 'Thanks for the meal. It was awesome. It is probably the thing I miss most about you.' 

I was blushing. 'You are most welcome.'

I secretely wished he could stay a little longer. 'You said on the phone that you wanted to show me something.'

'Ahhh. Yes.' He brought a small box from his pocket. As he opened it, a gasp escaped my lips. At the centre of the pitch-black velvet lining the box was a diamond ring.

'What do you think?' he asked, noting the awe on my face.

'Perfect...emm...Very very beautiful,' I said, touching the rock adorning the ring.

"I was planning on giving this to Bola when she returns from her trip. Do you think she will say 'Yes'?" There was anxiety in his voice.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "She will be the biggest fool in the world if she doesn't."

He smiled and gave me a hug. As I closed door behind him, I quickly wiped the tears coming to my eyes and tried hard to smile. Vicky was already fast asleep on the rug. I carried her into the bedroom.

As I watched the kids sleep, their expressionless faces occasionally contorting into a faint smile, it struck me how much they have made life worthwhile. Dan may have found love. But in these children, I found redemption.