ANITA’S DIARY
Too Big A Shock! (2)
Jerry and I have come a long way. He was certainly not just any kind of man I would simply dismiss from my life. He played a pivotal role in the transformation of my life. He was there for me when it seemed the whole world had crumbled right before me. Jerry was there for me when I thought all hope was lost. Perhaps he deserved better from me. Or perhaps I should’ve given him another chance. The truth remains that things have totally gone out of my power. The power to alter the situation is no longer in my hands. Things have changed. Tables have turned. I am no longer the teenage girl Jerry loved, I am now a mother, somebody else’s wife. My heart now belongs to someone else…
I woke up that morning feeling a little giddy in the head. It wasn’t such a good feeling. I had what I considered a fairly long and sound sleep, yet I still woke up feeling somewhat sick. I felt like throwing up. I totally lacked appetite and didn’t feel so strong on my feet. What could be wrong with me? Malaria or what?
I decided to take an analgesic and watch my condition for the rest of the day. By night fall, I wasn’t feeling any better so I decided I was going to see the doctor first thing in the morning. By noon the following day, I was at the family doctor’s office, waiting for the results of the test I did. The doctor came in minutes after, settled on his seat before me and beamed me a big smile.
“Madam, the results of your tests are in,” the man who’d been the family doctor for as long as I remember, said, sounding as though I just won a lottery.
“Sir, I hope it’s nothing too serious,” I asked him.
I was really curious to know what the result said.
“It’s malaria, doctor am I right?”
The man shook his head, almost laughing as he did.
“Madam, you don’t have malaria,” he said with the big smile on his face as he handed over the result paper to me.
“Congratulations. Madam, you’re four weeks pregnant!”
I was in shock. Couldn’t believe I’d actually heard right. Preg what? Me? Pregnant?
“Doctor…doctor…are you… are you sure?” I asked nervously, my voice trembling slightly.
“Of course, I am sure. One hundred percent sure!” the doctor returned affirmatively.
I am almost fainted. This can’t be happening! It’s too big a shock. Not now. How do I determine the father of the baby?
I took a long look at the man sitting before me, hoping he was merely pulling my legs. But the man wasn’t kidding with me, he meant every word he’d said. I was truly pregnant, and the saddest thing about it all is I couldn’t even tell who the actual father of the unborn baby is!
“But, Madam, you sound shocked, weren’t you expecting this?” the doctor asked, barging into my thoughts.
“Yes! Em…I mean, no!” I’d stuttered, totally at a loss as to what to say.
“I mean, I am a bit shocked, but the truth is I wasn’t exactly expecting this to happen. I wasn’t quite planning to have another baby, not now.”
The doctor studied me. He was clearly puzzled. He didn’t know what to make of the situation. He’s been our family doctor long before I became MD’s wife. He knows I have just one child for MD, his only child as a matter of fact, and he knows the man is more than capable to father a dozen children if my womb was capable of producing as much. So, what could be the problem, the doctor would naturally wonder.
“But, surely, you should be happy, madam, don’t you think?” the man’s thick barritoned voice slammed into my thoughts again.
“And besides, Junior needs a kid brother or sister, don’t you think it’s about time?”
I nodded and forced a smile to my face. He was right. He made sense. But what he didn’t know was that this situation wasn’t quite as straight forward as he thought. Slowly, I picked up my bag and retained the fake smile on my face.
“Thank you, doctor, I will get back to you.” I told him as I headed to the door.
The man couldn’t conceal his dismay. He was confused and shocked at my reaction and from the look on his face, he could barely conceal it.
“Madam”, he called out to me as I headed for the door. I stopped and turned to him.
“Please, wait”, he’d said quietly,
“Come and sit down for a moment, please, I’d like to talk to you!”
…to be continued
