Lara wiped a sweat off her forehead as she pushed a
trolley round the mall.
She was shopping alone against
Tony’s wish, he always wanted them going out together.
He becoming a superglue! She thought. She just doesn’t
want some Adam generation hovering over.
“Nice” she said aloud as she examined a baby feeding
bottle.
She threw it into the trolley,that was the tenth feeding
bottle she’s buying. Money isn’t a problem like Tony said,
their baby deserves everything in the world.
“What’s this used for please?” she asked a woman close
to her.
“Ooh! Its just like a box, you can keep your baby’s
feeding items in it.” the woman explained with a smile.
“Thanks” Lara smile back throwing it into her trolley
again.
She made sure the trolley was full before heading to the
cashiers desk, the security men helped take the goods
to the waiting car.
She felt hungry, luckily there was a restaurant in the
mall. She excused herself from the driver, before
hurrying to grab a bite.
She chewed her food slowly, till something caught her
attention.
A dark woman in a blond wig!
She smiled quietly, why can’t black people understand
that those wigs made them look like black mermaids! She
thought.
The woman rose from her table, and their eyes met.
“Hey Deji!”
“Hy Lara” Deji replied
“its been a long time, how have you been?” Lara walked
towards her pleased.
“i’ve been like the Deji you used to know!” Deji replied
coldly.
“I’m happy to see you, so can you join me at my table!”
Lara tried to hold her.
“No I need to go now!”
“oh c’mon Deji! Are we quarelling? You’ve been acting
strangely” Lara looked worried.
“lara please! I beg you don’t start!”
“Okay…” Lara sighed.
“So you’re pregnant?” Deji sneered.
“so who did the job? Tony or your gateman, or your
father-in-law, or your driver or your….come on tell me!”
she eyed Lara’s bulging tummy.
“Did you suddenly forget I’m married?” Lara forced a
smile
“oh no! I didn’t forget your husband is an impotent!” Deji
quipped.
Lara bit deep into her lower lip.
“Deji…” her voice was low.
“You’re hurting me! Stop that! I thought you were a
friend, I mean..that was cruel…besidesTony’s alright
now.”
“Oh really! Let me don’t waste much of my time! Wish
you all the best.” Deji turned to leave.
“Deji tell me whats happening” Lara held her hand.
“Nothing! Just that I think….we..wecan no longer be
friends! You aint my class, you’re married and I’m not,
gerrit?” Deji said carelessly.
“does that matter?” Lara whispered.
“It does! Please stay away from me!” Deji walked away.
Lara watched her friend leave, she hoped Deji didn’t
mean those words, something was wrong.
Do people change so easily? What was wrong with
everyone in the world?
Her mother changed from bad to worse, Tony changed
from bad to good, now Deji is transforming into a being
she never knew…
Deji exhaled sharply as she sat in her car.
“So Lara is preggie?” she asked herself.
“Her mum didn’t tell me! I’m sure she needs me!” she
wondered aloud.
She felt jealousy and strife surge through her veins.
She, naturally was never happy ever since Lara got
married.
She was beginning to earn some satisfaction when Tony
maltreated her, she definitely want Lara to be single as
she is, but had to put up some shows to cover up. Now
she could no longer pretend to be that ‘caring friend’,
she was now a jealous friend.
She sure is going to help Funke to make sure Lara is out
of that house.
She nodded as she thought.
She picked her cellphone.
“Hello Veejay?” she said.
“Are you in town?”
she listened for a while.
“okay, I’m coming over” she ended the call.
“I’m sorry Lara…Deji aint a true friend!” she whispered
driving off.
....
Lara caressed her bulging stomach absent-mindedly, she
could percieve the aroma of the food her mother-in-law
was cooking. Amara had taken over the kitchen ever
since she moved in weeks ago, Tony had invited his
mother over since she-Lara was close to delivery.
She wondered what she could have done without her
mother-in-law, she was all alone in the family. No
relations, no mother, no friends-it’s just her and her
husbands people.
“here, make sure you eat it up!” Amara placed a small
bowl of steaming peppersoup beside Lara.
“Wow! Only me?” Lara asked.
“how many people are pregnant in this house? Oya eat
o!” Amara replied.
“I’m not hungry yet!” Lara pouted, she wanted some
pettings.
“Please now, Lara, my one and only daughter, the
mother of my unborn grandchild, the…” Amara began.
“Hey! Enough mum! ” Lara laughed scooping some of the
delicacy into her mouth.
“Tastes great” she rolled her eyes.
“mm, I’ve heard.” Amara sat beside her.
“The back pain? How’s it now?”
“not better at all” Lara made a face.
“Sorry” Amara rubbed her back gently.
“I think I need to take a walk.” Lara said quitely.
“Okay, let me get ready now, I’l accompany you.”
Amara rose to her feet.
“Follow? No! I prefer to walk alone” Lara protested
“But…”
“Don’t worry mum, I’l be fine, just a few metres and I’d
be back” Lara assured her.
Lara dragged her feet lazily as she walked, her hand
holding her waist and the other hand caressing her
stomach.
She got to the end of the street, traffic was heavy.
She listened to the hooting sounds and watched some
aggressive drivers for a while before deciding to go
back.
She took a shortcut route, instead of the previous route
she followed.
She walked slowly down a deserted alley, she was used
to the alley, though Tony’d warn her several times to
quit taking the route.
She was halfway into the alley when she saw a car
waiting at the end, she looked behind her; a car was at
the other end too.
Somehow she felt nervous. She said some silent prayers
and walked on.
Few yards to the end of the alley she felt a hand grab
her from behind, she shrieked in fear.
She saw two men trying to take her to the car she saw
earlier.
Were they going to kidnap her?
She screamed with all her might.
“Let me go!” she struggled but she was overpowered.
...
She felt something wet cover her face and…everything
blacked out.
Lara gazed wearily in space, she wished a million times
she would wake up from such a night mare.
She gazed at her tied hands and legs, she would never
escape. She felt her baby flutter about in her tummy;
that means she need to eat. Food was the last thing on
her mind.
Who would want to kidnap a pregnant woman? She
thought.
Maybe they want to use her for rituals.
But the people who kidnapped her looked like renowned
assassins, not ritualists..
Her eyes moved around the dirty room, littered with
beer bottled and cigarettes, she suddenly felt
the desire to throw up.
She tried her best not to vomit, she feared her baby
might come out through her mouth.
“Uhhhhn…uhhhhhn, gbooo.” she vomited.
“Wetin dey happen there?” a male voice said from
outside.
“So you vomit?” he asked walking in.
“You do well! Na so you go siddon inside the vomit till the
people wey go kill you go come!” he told her angrily.
“Kill?” Lara’s eyes widened.
“Siddon there dey ask me!”
“Please don’t kill me…” she pleaded
“If you need money, my…my..my….husband would pay
any amount you need.” she was crying profusely.
“you dey form pesin wey get rich husband, we no need
una money. That pikin wey dey your belle go give us
money wey we no fit count!” he sneered at her before
leaving the room
Lara wailed, she wondered why she had to go through
all these.
She looked around her, no means of escape.
Her baby moved again.
She used her teeth to loosen the ropes around her hands
after 30 minutes of trying. She caressed her stomach
with her bruised hands.
“Baby…are you there? Can you hear me?” she wept.
The baby continued to move.
“I’d advice you stay still for now!” she tapped her
tummy.
The baby moved faster.
She felt its love surge through her once more, she
remembered how Tony become excited each time the
baby moves. She wondered what was going on at her
home; maybe they were looking for her.
They might never find her- she was deep in an unknown
forest.
Watch out for part 16
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