Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

7 years ago

Must Read: Awkward Ways I Met Girls

I was still hidden behind the curtains wondering what to do next. I was peeping from there when I heard the door click open, Mrs Maggie Carte-Ado rolled into the corridor on another wheelchair.

And wheeled herself down the corridor into another room, I think is the kitchen.

I came out from hidding, looked around. The Blue Boy was hung where it was. The art of the African woman still hung, everything remained the same, except the owner. I felt for Mr Carte-Adoh. I hoped he comes out of the coma.

Then, quickly I tiptoed into Vicky’s room. I first didn’t see her, so I called her in a low tone
“Vicky”
She stepped out from behind the curtain. She must have been really at alert and panicky expecting the worst scenario possible. Maybe thieves.

“It was your mom. She is on another wheelchair”
“Did she see you?”
“No”
“So where is she?”
“She wheeled herself into the kitchen, I think”
“Okay” she said.

But she seemed carried away in thoughts
“Vicky?”
She looked up at me sharply. Like she was indeed, lost in thoughts.

“Why don’t you go and see her”
She thought about it for a moment, then headed towards the door.

Not long later, I heard the crash of glass hitting the floor. My mind raced. What would have happened. I hadn’t told Vicky what my eyes had just seen. What could that be. I strained to hear voices but I couldn’t. I had to wait, not to jeopardise my presence in the house. That is, judging that she hadn’t asked the gateman who was in the house. Still, I beat me why the house had been so quiet. Where are the ladies who worked in the house, those maids I had seen in uniform the day I came with Vera.

About 20minutes later, the door knob turned, Vicky stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

Her mother had been shocked seeing her in the house since she had expected her to be at Vera’s. The shock dropped the glass cup she was holding. Hmmmm
Well, the doctors are still strongly hopeful that he’d come out of the coma.

So I asked Vicky about the maids.

She explained that only one slept over at any one time. They all work shifts. And alternate the sleep over. According to her mom, she had asked all of them to go home since no one was expected to sleep at home. Coincidentally both of them had been home…

I left at 6 in the morning. More like sneaking out.

Both of them headed to the hospital at 7 in the morning where Mr Michael Carte-Ado was pronounced dead.

He passed on at 5am.

Vicky called me crying on the phone. I tried to calm her to no avail. I told her to wait for me.

The next 2minutes saw me on the road waving down a taxi. I headed to the hospital.

Vicky was a looking messed up. Her eyes were swollen with tears. Her hair was scattered. I ran to her and held her ever so tightly. She clung to me, helplessly sobbing. Crying. Her mom had been taken away.

She said according to the doctor, he hadn’t come out of the coma.

I tried to console her the bit I could but she wouldn’t stop crying, so I decided to take her home. I held her and led her out. A taxi took us to her house.

Approaching her house, one could see many cars parked along both sides of the street. Apparently, people had come on condolence to console them.

As we came down and got to the gate, the security guy had started saying
“Madam sorry o, Oga don go bi dat?”
Vicky stopped abruptly and said
“I don’t want to go in”
Wow! But why? Well, it wasn’t the right time to start asking questions.

I took out my phone and dialled Kemi. I explained what had happened to my friend. Funny, I didn’t want her to know anything about Vicky. Now she was the one I resulted to calling to help us out.

She suggested I brought her home to stay. That she’d tell Uncle that Vicky is her friend from way back. Hmmmm
I wouldn’t have ever thought Kemi would be so compassionate.

I took another cab and as planned, Kemi was waiting in front of the library when we met her.

She really impressed with the attention she gave Vicky. Kemi was so tender and compassionate. By the time I would say
“This is Kemi, my cousin. Kemi, this is Vicky my friend” Kemi leaned forward and held Kemi in a calm, warm hug.

I was touched.

She took Vicky home while I waited some more minutes before going home.
By the time I entered the house, my uncle was introducing Kemi’s friend to me, saying she lost her father and didn’t want to stay in the house alone. So she’d be staying here with us a while.
Lol.

I nodded and casually said I know her. With that he went his way, sympathy filled. Kemi took her into their room and left us.

Vicky told me she really wanted to know what the autopsy says. It was being currently conducted. And by same day evening, there should be the exact cause of his death. So early the next day, she would go to the hospital.

Her phones kept ringing. While on a call, the other phone is persistently ringing.

Kemi returned a while later with a bag. Without saying anything, she began to bring out the things in it. She had gone to the shopping complex to get the domestic things she’d need like toothbrush and stuff. Very thoughtful. I was seeing another side of Kemi I never believed existed. Kemi must’ve asked what she needed cos I saw pads in the bag also, and what looked like undies. I didn’t pry too much. I left them alone.

When Kemi cooked, she served Vicky in the room.

She wouldn’t allow my cousins make their usual noise around the house. When my uncle came back, he checked on her. And what shocked me most was when my aunty called, she had said her husband had called to tell her what was up and that I should assist in whatever way I could to make Kemi’s friend feel comfortable.
Lol. First time ever, the woman didn’t get all details of a gist from her 2nd in command.

She was constantly on phone from members of her immediate and extended family, friends, everyone. And when we could talk, she said her mom had heard from the hospital and that her father died of fatigue, exhaustion.

But somehow, Vicky thought something was not right.

Same curiosity I held…

According to Vicky, she said her dad never stressed himself. Instead, he’d delegate duties to his members of staff. If there were any meetings, a manager or another director could represent the company. He never even brought work home from the office.

We were thinking same thing. What’s the possibility of getting someone else do the autopsy?

Next morning, we visited the hospital. The doctor in charge wasn’t on seat, so we started asking questions. Since they didn’t know who I was, I did the asking while Vicky sat far away. I found out two crucial things.

1. They do not have such services for autopsy in the hospital there.

2. It was possible to re-examine a body by any specialist of choice.

Immediately, I thought of the next line of action.

Where do I get someone. National hospital.

BUT WAIT A MINUTE!!!

How did anyone get to know for certain that he died of fatigue or exhaustion.

That was Vicky asking me.

Hmmmmm…

I took her phone to dial her mom that how could the doctor have known when the hospital does not have any facility for that. I stopped her.

She was going to accuse the doctor to the possible master planner. She wouldn’t win.

Naturally.

“You once said your dad is diabetic?l
“Yes. Type II diabetics”
“Hmmmm”
“What are you thinking? He died of it”
“No. Not at all. Just wondering maybe he didn’t take his drugs when he was supposed to.

Or something”
“He always does. My mom makes sure of it. She is a nurse, remember? A certified matron for that matter. She administer it”
“Hmmm… Okay” I said
But really that wasn’t the end of that curiosity. Somehow, like an ember smouldering underneath, my curiosity was still burning.
“Do you know your dad’s medical history?”
“Fairly well enough. But why do you ask?”
“Well, if we do not think he had the kind of stress that would truly take him out, and he wasn’t shot with a gun, something else may have been medically wrong”
She seemd to think about that for a while, then shrugged.

“My mom will know better. In fact, they had met at a hospital. She worked there and that is how they met and became friends. And eventually got married. She took real good care of him such that he even didn’t need to go much to clinics anymore. She administered him the right dosage of his insulin intake”

I sat listening attentively. She briefly ran through the little she knew. Hmmmm.

We hadn’t sat for too long there, we were shocked to see who wheeled into the waiting area, down the hallway and into the offices.

Vicky’s mom.

Before I could stop Vicky, she stood up and ran after her into the office there. I went after her and as I entered I could hear Vicky crying and shouting
“They are liars. That doctor is lying”
Her mom sat there with a stone face. I had to pull Vicky back outside, tried to calm her down and took her away. I stopped a taxi to take us home but Vicky said she wanted to go take a car. So we headed to her house.

Minutes later, we headed out. I drove. So I decided to go to Ifeanyi’s place. I called Vera to meet us there.

But I noticed something odd. In the rear view mirror, I noticed a car. Except we were headed to the same place, coincidence didn’t always happen this way. The car followed us. I didn’t want to get Vicky panicky, so I didn’t mention it to her. I just kept quiet about it and tried to take other routes but the car was there, coming along.

Though it kept a clear distance between.

Stopping at traffic lights brought us closer. The occupants of the black toyota camry weren’t in any rush. And by the time I was passing the International Conference Centre, I was sure that something was up.

I maneuvered around and through Port Harcourt Crescent, Off Ahmadu Bello Way, Off Gimbiya Street, and by the time I was on Ifeanyi’s street, I didn’t see him again. I drove past Ifeanyi’s house slowly to make sure we weren’t followed, then turned ahead and drove back.

Believing the coast was clear, I parked and we went in.

Most of the time, Vicky was still crying. She noticed I was merry-go-rounding once and asked.

I told her nothing, that I was just trying to clear my head.

After staying there a while and her friends being around her, petting her I decided we left.

Alongside, everyone else left except Tunde. He was on the game again.

I had just started work in the new company and I already had an excuse not to be at work that day. Well, of course, I called in sick.

By now it was afternoon when Ifeanyi called. He said he earlier had uninvited guests who had come after we all left Tunde alone in the house.

The guest had thoroughly beaten Tunde to tell them where the guy and Vicky had gone to. Sorry Tunde, if you listen to dad, you would not have gotten beaten blue black for someone else’s crime.

Hmmm… They knew Vicky’s name but don’t know mine? So at least I know who their primary target is. It hit me that I hadn’t lost that suspicious car earlier. They had known where I came. To torture someone for our whereabout says something is wrong somewhere.
I told Vicky. And told her how a car had been following us earlier.

She was both confused and panicky. Why would anyone be viciously looking for her now that she lost her dad and didn’t bother to call.
A good question.

Then maybe its not totally unconnected with your dad’s death. You are becoming nosy by not accepting the result of an autopsy. A fake autopsy that never held. If so, thensomeone with a vested interest doesn’t want you digging any further…