12/06/2024
***
"Hello, Alhaji..." Nurse Margret spoke softly into the phone "Sorry I been miss your call... Yes, market don come out... three pregnant women dey ground now and dem fit deliver this night... Yes... So wetin you want this time?.... Two boys?.. Ha! Okay o, no wahala, make I see as e go be, I go call you back"
Call hangs up
Margret quickly turns off the phone and shoves it back into her pocket. She reaches for her seat and relaxes into her armchair, exhaling slowly. A knock suddenly comes at the door, and as the door creaks open, a midwife hurries in.
"Madam, patient 019 is in labour" She announces and dashes out again.
Margret stands up at once and runs her fingers across her table as if searching for something. She halts, bends down and pulls her drawer open, revealing a set of nose masks and a pair of surgical gloves. She puts them on and hurries out of the office.
35 minutes after, and the cry of a baby fills the air.
"It's a baby boy!" Margret echoes in excitement
She picks up the boy all bloodied and slimy, severs the placenta and proceeds to get him cleaned up. The rest of the midwives turns to attend to the latest mother. There were chants of victory.
After getting the baby all cleaned up, Margret puts the child In a cradle and returns back to it's mother who is now taking a rest. The other midwives has dispersed.
"How do you feel, ma'am" Margret asks
"I'm fine, I'm happy... where is my son?" The mother demands in a weak tone
"Oh! he's doing just fine" Margret announces "But you need plenty of rest now, and I will surely see to that"
Margret unveils a syringe from her pocket, turns to the unsuspecting mother and administers a shot in her arm. She winces in pain, and slowly her eyes shut, her death, though slow was but a matter of time.
The midwives on night shift resumes, relieving the others to return home. Margret seizes the opportunity to make her move.
She returns to her office, shuts the door behind her and puts on her phone. She dails Alhaji again.
"Hello, Alhaji" Margret speaks immediately the receiver picks "Na just one boy come out this night o... Yes! Make I dey bring am?... Okay... I dey road now... Abeg meet me for junction in 20minutes..."
The call hangs up
Dropping the phone back into her pocket, she runs her fingers across the table again and exhales. She then walks up to the cradle, picks up the baby and drops him into a light bag. She changes into a casual clothe and exits the clinic through the back door.
Stepping out into the dark, she turns towards a bush path to avoid the trails of suspecting eyes. She soon boards a bike and arrives at the junction sooner than expected. Alhaji was already standing and waiting.
Just as she approaches her client, a police patrol van spots the duo and accosts them.
Sighting the approaching vehicle in a distance, Margret begins to panic.
"Kill the baby, kill him!" Alhaji whispers to Margret
She reaches for the bag, dips her hand inside and carefully snaps the baby's neck in a bid to stop him from crying and attracting further suspicion.
The van soon halts before them and two officers alights.
"Wetin una dey do here? Who una be? wetin una carry there?" A sergeant questions them
"Na my wife, we dey go house..." Alhaji stammers, Margret nods
"Who ask you whether na your wife? we dey drag her with you?" The other officer chips in "Wetin una dey do here!?"
The first sergeant snatches the bag from Margret and peers inside. He then turns on his torchlight for a better view.
"No be pikin be this!?" He yells, pulls out his gun and points it at Alhaji who tries to escape "If you move, I shoot!"
"So una be ritualists?" The second officer voices in astonishment after taking a look at the content of the bag.
"No, na my pikin... Him die and I wan go bury am" Margret lies
"Shut up!" The first sergeant yells "We resemble fools to you?"
Margret begins to tremble.
"I go give una one million naira!" Alhaji announces "Na wetin I get for here, abeg no shoot"
The first sergeant slowly lowers his gun and draws nearer to his colleague. He whispers into his ears.
"Wey the money?" The first sergeant asks him. Alhaji unveils several bundles of naira notes from underneath his clothes and hands them over.
"See, from today, we no know una! and una no know us!" The first sergeant begins to address them "If by chance we catch una again, I go personally shoot una! I swear!"
"Yes sir!" The duo chorused
"Now disappear from here!!" The second sergeant orders
They hands them back the bag as Alhaji and Margret disappears into the dark.
The officers proceeds back into their van as they begin to count and share the money. The first sergeant's phone begins to o ring, he pauses and takes the call. After speaking at length for a while, the call drops and he bursts into tears.
"Wetin happen?" The second sergeant asks him
"My wife..." He narrates "My neighbor just tell me now say them been rush her go hospital dis evening, but she die after she born finish..."
"Oh! ehyaa... sorry" The second sergeant sympathizes
"17years.." The first sergeant continues "For 17years we don dey wait for pikin, now dis one come happen... which kind life be dis?"
He drops the cash, buries his face in his palms and begins to sob uncontrollably.
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