Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

“Jesus Christ.!!! Maggie, what happened?” Mrs Caroline asked her friend, squatting by her side as soon she found her way inside the private room.
Mrs. Margaret began another round of sobbing resting her head on her friend’s shoulders. “Caro… I’m finished o… Emem wants to kill me before my time”
“Its ok my dear.. You won’t die.. He’ll be okay.. Uduak just came to the house that she was just coming from LUTH and that Emem attempted suicide last night. She couldn’t give any further information had to run down here.



What happened? What were his reasons? What did the doctors say?” She asked, bombarding her friend with series of questions
Mrs Margaret was confused whether or not to mention the discovery to her trusted friend. So feared it might later be used against them and hence decided to protect their interest. “I’ve not seen him for over four months despite being in the same area with him. Agreed he stays in the hostel. He came home yesterday looking down and along the line we had an argument and I scolded him for his behavior. He locked himself in his room and remained there. It was Ud who had just returned from the shop and was about to sleep in the parlour that heard the sound of a falling chair and grunting coming from his room. Out of curiosity she went there to check what it was and found him struggling in…….” she couldn’t fight back the tears as she had wanted to say “Pains”.
She sobbed not just at the thought of her son dying, but that she had just lied to her best friend.
“He’s been so withdrawn from me that I barely know what’s going on in his life anymore” she added as she sobbed.



Holding her friend closely, she consoled her and assured her the boy would be alright.
Just then the door opened with Micheal rushing in. “I met Ima at home and she told me. How’s are you dear.? How is he?” He asked as he moved over to her side with Caro making way for the lovers.
“Doctor said he’s in coma and that he might have some organ damage or so” she said hugging her boyfriend..


***

The bills where paid, Caroline stayed with Emem while Micheal took Maggie home to get refreshed and get some rest herself.

Trusting Michael, she opened up to him in the car about the events leading up to his suicide attempt. She wondered how she was going to handle the the situation.
“Don’t worry about that. Let him wake up first before we start thinking about how to go about it” Micheal told her after listening to her. “You need to get some rest yourself and you look really stressed” He added as he drove her home.
When they both got home, Ima was the first to come out and meet them. Hugging the woman, she showed genuine concern by asking her “How’s he?”
Touched by the girl’s concern despite being her son’s victim, she broke down in tears feeling guilty. Pushing the girl away from her body, she went into the house and to her room without saying anything.

“He’ll be aright” Micheal replied Ima as he followed his lover into the house and then the room.
Ima retired back to her room while Uduak was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Faith was sleeping.


Mrs Margaret remained in her room after taking her bath while Micheal took Uduak back to the hospital to relieve Mrs Caroline.

Not untill a few minutes past 2pm did she wake up from the much needed but inadequate sleep. After a few minutes lying awake on the bed, she decided to search Emem’s room.


The room remained the same way it was when they left last night. He first point of call was his wardrobe, where she searched for whatever it was she could see. Then she moved over to his reading table and that was where she saw his suicide note. Picking it up, she began to read it.




Halfway through, she began to sob. By the time she was done, the tears were dropping freely as she exited his room. Closing the door, she turned and met Ima coming out of their room.



The girl starred blankly and confusedly at her as she rushed into her room weeping with the suicide note by her side.


She was torn between the love and pity for both her son and the girl. It was obvious to her what she said to the boy was out of anger and she never meant any of those words. He was and would remain her child. But then again, she felt pity for the girl as she wondered how the girl was taking it better than herself.


After about 30 minutes inside her room, she found the courage to speak with Ima. Opening the door to their room, she found her lying on the bed looking at the ceiling. Faith was obviously outside playing with other kids in the neighborhood. Ima sat up as she entered the room with the suicide note. She say next to her by the edge of the bed.
“I know it’s very hard for you right now. I just want to use this opportunity to say I’m very sorry for everything. This event still doesn’t change anything concerning the promise I made to you, but I cannot deny my son. I’m not going to vouch for him but I believe he is sorry too and perhaps didn’t want it to happen.” Pausing, she handed the suicide note to her before continuing
“He left us this note, there he tries to apologize and state reasons for this. I’m not saying Molest ia justified, I’m just begging you to forgive him.” she then kept quiet and watched the girl read the note.

By the time she finished reading the note, Ima had tears running down her eyes. “So how’s is he now?” she repeated her earlier unanswered question to the lady
“He’s in coma. The doctors said he might suffer brain damage or organ failure of some sort by the time he wakes up. They asked us to pray and that he we’re lucky he was found at the time he was found. Because five seconds more would have sealed his fate.

I’ll be going back to the hospital as soon as Micheal comes to pick me up” She said soberly
“I’ll come with you” Ima replied out of pity for the boy and concern for her benefactress.
“No dear.. You’re better off at home right now.” She replied turning down the girl’s proposal to accompany her to the hospital

*******
It was around 2pm, Uduak had her head down on the bed as she slept next to Emem, when she heard his voice in her head.
“Mma… Mma… Mmaaa!!!” he called out seeking his mom’s attention.
“Emem… You’re awake.. Thank God o” Uduak replied in Efik as she ran out of the room to get the attention of a nurse or doctor.
“Him don wake.. Him don wake… Nurse.. Doctor.. Doctor” she called out running down the hallway.
Within minutes, a team of doctors and nurses where with him.
****
It was by 4pm Maggie and Micheal returned to the hospital with Faith accompanying this time around. The first hint that his situation was different came from the clerk nurse who was addressing someone but immediately beamed with smile when their eyes met. Confused by the smile, she rushed down the hall to his room and met him awake, with the oxygen mask removed. She couldn’t hold back the tears as she rushed in and hugged him as he la!d on the bed.

“God.. I thought I had lost you” she said in Efik..
“I’m sorry” he replied in Efik with a low pitched voice that sounded like someone who had earlier been screaming out instructions for hours at the top of his voice. “I wasn’t actually thinking of killing myself. I just felt alone and didn’t want to feel the guilt and emotional pain and torture. I only wanted to escape all that” he added.
Only his mom understood what he was saying. Micheal and Faith walked over to them just as the door went open and a doctor came in with a nurse.
“So how are we feeling right now?” he asked Emem after formalities with his mom and Micheal
“I’m fine doctor. Just that I’m feeling some pain and itching in my neck and pounding in head” he replied
“Okay… I’ll have to take a look at your neck brace. But I’m sure the itching is caused by sweat. With that he proceeded with some other questions, evaluations and then made his remarks which also involved re-fixing the neck brace after cleaning up.


******

Two weeks at the hospital, different counseling sessions and Emem was set to be discharged from the hospital.

All the while, his friends and gang members had not visited him even though Jide and Chucks became aware of his attempted suicide.


Ima who had previously thought she could face him wasn’t sure of herself again. She had become so depressed about his return that Mrs. Margaret had to move her and Faith to Michael’s apartment around Berger when Emem confessed he too wasn’t ready to meet or face the girl.