Egbe stared at her son with all the wonder and joy, only a mother can feel. The baby was her first child after waiting for so long. After facing criticisms from neighbours, her in-laws, and even from church members, she had finally done it. After bearing the pain of stories of her husband’s hungry hands and eyes, from supposed friends who seemed to enjoy telling her, she had shamed them; her God had heard her cry and come to her aid.
She smiled at the baby and turned as the door to their one room apartment opened and one of her husband’s colleague, officer Bimbo, entered their home. The woman sat down and carried the baby, playing with the giggling child

Officer Bimbo: “he dey always dey laugh o like him papa. Fine boy.” She said, laughing with the child.
Egbe: “yes o. and he dey eat well well. God, I never see.” She replied, smiling.
Officer Bimbo handed the baby back to her. She carried the child and called her younger sister, Benita, who had come to help out with chores as she nursed the baby. The girl came in and carried the baby out.
Officer Bimbo: “I just come from the hospital. Na wa o!” she said.
Egbe sighed. Her husband’s accident had been a cause for fear but she was grateful to God that he survived it despite the death of the boy and old man. She wondered what would happen now that he had lost his job but she believed God will take care of everything.
Egbe: “wetin I go talk? I thank God say he survive the accident o. Na the work of the devil, I know but the God wey i dey serve no dey asleep.” She replied.
Officer Bimbo: “hmmm…I hear say the boy wey die, him father na one big man in Abuja o. I no believe o until he come today.” She stopped as Egbe gasped and looked at her with surprise. “ha, you no know? Na big business man and a retired major in the army for that matter. hmm… if you see soldiers for everywhere.” She continued.
Egbe got up and quickly adjusted her wrapper, tying it properly. Officer Bimbo watched her curiously.
Officer Bimbo: “where you dey go?” she asked.
Egbe: “So you know say them wan kill my husband na you come here dey follow me dey put story like say nothing dey happen. Na wa for you o.” she replied angrily as she walked out of the house.
She beckoned to Benita and told her to stay inside with the baby, while she rushed to the hospital. Benita tried to restrain her as it was not right for her, a new mother, to be moving about so early but she was no longer listening to her. Her mind was already at her husband’s bedside.
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Major Festus stared at the man that had killed his son and he felt helpless rage. He would have loved to take a pistol and just kill the man there and then but he was not that kind of man. He knew though, that the man thought he had come for his life. He smiled sadly; “I won’t let you go that easy Mr. man. I am going to make you wish I had put the gun on your head and fired by the time I am done.” He thought to himself.
Sergeant Osunbor: “please sir, whatever you feel is right to do please do but don’t kill me. I swear that I did not intend for that day to end like that. Please don’t kill me sir, I beg you. I just became a father after six years of waiting, please. My wife and my son, they need me.” He pleaded.
Major Festus: “so I should let you enjoy the pleasure of holding your baby in your arms while my arms are empty, while I watch my wife weep every day and every night? Do you know what it took for us to get that boy? Do you know the costs both financial and psychological that went into making it possible for me to have a son? Do you?” he asked, his voice shaking with emotion. He turned his eyes away and breathed through his mouth to calm himself. He turned after some minutes, his face frozen in a blank mask. “my wife has a medical condition that made it impossible for her to keep a pregnancy to full term. We have had several miscarriages over the years. Not one, not two, not three, not even five! Do you know what that does to a woman? We had to go overseas, where she underwent In vitro fertilization and then i paid a surrogate mother to carry our baby. When Desmond was born, the woman suddenly disappeared with our child. After months of searching, we found her, high on crack cocaine, our baby asleep by her side, almost freezing to death. We were just adjusting to having our son with us, then you came…you came…” he struggled with strong emotion, his lips trembling. He turned abruptly and walked to the window.
Sergeant Osunbor: “I am sorry sir. I know it is not enough. If you want to press charges, I will not fight it. I will serve whatever time I am sentenced to serve without anger.” He replied softly, his voice sounding hollow in the hospital ward.
Major Festus chuckled, then he laughed, then he turned back to the bed and Ehizogie could see that the laughter did not reach his eyes. The wardroom door opened and fearful eyes peered into the room.
Major Festus: “press charges? Serve time? Will that bring my son back to me? No sir, I follow older laws. An eye for an eye. As you have taken my son from me, I will take yours. You cannot enjoy the knowledge of having a son to carry your name while I have to leave with the derision and greed of the people around me. No! I will have your son sir. I will treat him as mine and when I die, he shall have all that I have made. You will never come close to him; you will never contact him; neither you nor your wife.” He replied, his face hard.
Sergeant Osunbor: “ha…no sir. Please Oga, my wife… she will die. please do anything, take my life, kill me but leave the baby for her. She had faced a lot to get to this point, please.” He pleaded, tears coursing down his face.
The wardroom door closed with a bang. Everybody turned at the sound then Major Festus turned back to Sergeant Osunbor;
Major Festus: “you should have considered all this that day. You should have. Jimoh, send people to his place and get the baby now.” He said to one of the soldiers. The man saluted and rushed out of the hospital ward.
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Egbe cried as the keke sped away from the hospital.“take my son? Never! I go die. After all the laughter, threats, embarrassment, one man from nowhere go come take my pikin because he get money and he know people. Na lie dem dey lie, no be for this life. Make him and Ehizogie go find pikin wey dem wan take exchange. No be my pikin be driver of the Hilux, na my husband. I no even see Hilux with eye. I go die here today.”She thought to herself, as tears streamed down her face.
The keke driver watched her curiously as she paid and rushed away forgetting to collect her change from him. He called after her but she heard nothing. Egbe rushed into her room and met her sister sleeping beside the baby. She sat down on the only chair in the room and burst into another bout of tears. Her sister opened her eyes on hearing the noise and looked at her.
Benita: “sister, wetin happen? Anything do brother?” she asked, fear gripping her heart.
Egbe: “them wan take my pikin. Pikin wey I push comot from inside me, dem wan take am because dem get power.” She replied.
Benita stared at her sister then looked at the baby, then she got up hurriedly and started packing things. Egbe ceased crying, and watched her sister curiously
Egbe: “wetin you dey do?” she asked.
Benita: “if you want that pikin to remain with you, we better disappear o. Go village or somewhere. Brother no go fit help you, so na you go do wetin go keep your pikin with you.” She replied, not looking at her elder sister.
Egbe looked at her for a moment, then she jumped up from the chair and joined her sister. They finished packing quickly, then she strapped the baby to her back and stepped out of the house with her sister. By the time the soldiers arrived at the house, they were gone.
To be continued.

WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 3!!!

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