Dedicated to teggielala

Leaning my side on the wall, my eyes moved lazily round my new home. It was going to be my home until I had the stupid baby and it was all because of it. Or maybe I was going to be stuck here for the rest of my life. Who knows?

My eyes went to the blue bucket I had at the tap currently getting filled. The taps in the house weren't functional anymore so grandma woke me up early this morning to get all the buckets in the house filled.

"Omo, that guy no get sense." Laughter followed afterwards as the two guys from yesterday walked into the compound. The fair guy from yesterday stopped laughing abruptly as we made contact with our eyes. His friend's laughter stopped slowly as his head moved from his friend to mine. He adjusted the green beanie on his head and I tore my sight from them to my almost filled bucket.

It was embarrassing to see them after yesterday's drama. Grandma dragged me upstairs pulling my ear. At least it was a way to announce to the whole neighborhood that I was a part of them now.

I could feel their stares lingering on me so I stood upright and tired to cover up my upper body which was only in a red singlet by tying grandma's Ankara wrapper that was on my waist round my chest.

"Hello."

I raised my head up to see the two guys before me. I mustered a smile.

"I'm Jazz."

Jazz? I gave a frown, that was a very weird name. Was he named after the music genre Jazz or was it village people jazz? I nodded anyway.

"I- I - Am...I'm-"

Jazz rolled his eyes at his fair friend as he crossed his arms. "He's Felix. He's not used to seeing pretty girls." He grinned. "Are you with mama Oye?"

I nodded.

"You must be her granddaughter?"

I nodded again.

"Erm, are you dumb? You can't speak?" Jazz's face fell as he asked.

"No. I can." I countered.

He put his hand to cover is nose. "You don brush today?" Jazz moved farther away as he made a disgusted face then whispered to his friend, "no wonder she no dey talk." But it was loud enough for my ears to catch on.

My face fell and I took my hands to my mouth and released a breath, I scrunched my face. It really smelt.

Felix pinched Jazz's side while my face flushed in embarrassment and I concentrated on the floor. I saw him nudge Jazz again then faintly I heard, "sorry. No too reason am, no vex."

Nodding, I turned off the tap as my bucket was filled. As I made to carry it, for the first time I heard Felix speak. "What's your name?"

"To-"

All three of us averted our gaze up hearing a loud cry coming from the second floor. The shout continued and I looked at the boys, they looked indifferent. I made to move but a hand held mine. I looked up at Jazz and he shook his head.

Felix cleared his throat loudly, shoving his hands into the pocket of his black cargo pants. "Er, maybe you should go home. Mama Oye must be waiting for you."

I nodded and Jazz released his grasp from my hand, he crossed his arms on his chest. He was in a denmin Dundee and a white T-shirt underneath.

I took my bucket of water and made for the stairs. When I got to the second floor, I took a look at the wooden door then turned around to see both boys starring eagerly at me to carry on walking, I did so and the shout from the apartment increased but I pushed our green metal door open and walked in.

* * * * *

The doctor chuckled as I shivered when the blue gel made contact with my belly. I fiddled with the end of my lace gown rolled up to under my bosom, I was just in my panties.

Grandma was sitting on the chair before the doctor's desk. The round  desk had a couple of files, two thermometers, a blood pressure device and some other medical instruments I couldn't identify.

The doctor took a device and moved it around my belly. The monitor started to show some grayish blob moving as well. With a grin, the doctor pointed at the blob on the monitor and said, "that's your baby."

I gasped in return. The blob continued moving as she continued to move the device round my belly.  Tears welled in my eyes but I was quick to wipe them before they fell. It was all because of this stupid blob my life was taking a turn. A stupid blob caused by Daniel.

"Do you want a sonogram?" The puzzled look I gave made the doctor add. "A picture. A picture of your baby?"

I couldn't get out a response, my oral organs froze but I knew my response but I just couldn't get them out. When I didn't give a response, she tapped some things on the device and took the device on my belly away. She passed me a napkin and I wiped the gel off my skin.

The doctor returned to her seat and scribbled in a file. I got off the hospital bed and struggled to pull down the mint green, lace gown I had on when I was done,I returned to the seat next to grandma.

"You should avoid tight clothes." The doctor directed at me. She had mentioned her name when I walked in but it had somehow vanished from my memory.  I nodded and she continued, "from the scan, the baby is doing alright. No complications but you still need to be very careful and on close observation too."

She had her hair trimmed and cut low, they were curly too. Her hair was a nice mix of grey and black, the black more than the white. I wonder if they're natural, she was too young to have grey hair.

My eyes moved to the white coat she had on,beneath I could see her lilac shirt which she paired with black pants. I noticed the sliver tag on her left breast pocket, I recollected her name.

Dr Ernestina scribbled some more in my file before putting the bottom of the pen in the corner of her mouth. "I've written down some drugs which you should take for the next couple of months. At least till your next clinic day, next week." She turned to grandma with a smile, "mama, please ensure she takes her drugs as prescribed. It's very important."

Grandma hissed, "all these oyinbo drugs doesn't matter. I'll get her agbo, good herbs that will make her body strong." My grandmother pulled down the right sleeve of her blue Ankara, iro and showed off her thin, wrinkled muscles.

I watched in horror. Agbo? The only way any herb was getting down my throat was if I was forced. Other than that, absolutely no fucking way.

Chuckling, Doctor Ernestina responded, she had put the pen on her desk. "Those methods and herbs are archaic, mama. These days, it's safer for her to use medication prescribed by a medical personnel."

"Doctor, see, that's what I used when I was pregnant with her father-"

I could tell the doctor was trying so hard not to snap at grandma's stubbornness. "Times have changed." The doctor stretched out her  palms pointing to no where in particular. "It's advisable to follow the medication described by a medical personnel."

Grandma nodded but it didn't look like she was going to heed to the words of the doctor.

"Here are the drugs to get her." She gave grandma a piece of paper,one she had scribbled down in our presence. "You can get them at the pharmacy."

Grandma collected the paper and scanned it then she stood up clinging on her handbag. I stood too, murmured a thank you to the doctor which she acknowledged with a nod then we left the doctor's office.

"...I checked her file and saw she's only sixteen."   Muttered a nurse. "I wonder what her parents were doing while she was going to men's house." I could hear the disgust from the voice.

The nurse at the trig section stopped speaking when she saw Grandma and I. The fat woman adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Nurse Fatima, did you get the file of the woman I sent you."

The nurse standing gave me a look before stuttering a response. "Er...ye-y-yes. I saw-" she gave a nervous look at me then continued "the file you sent."

My grandma grabbed my wrist and pulled me, "let's quickly get to the pharmacy. You know we still have to go to the market."

I nodded and followed her.

When we got to the white building across the maternity hospital. I pushed the glass door open for grandma and I entered the building. Grandma gave the paper to one of the pharmacists. He was short and bald and wearing his white coat. I just stood, arms crossed next to grandma while she spoke with the man.

He gave a look at me when grandma mentioned I owned the drugs. My head slowly casted downwards, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

I raised my head a bit when someone pushed the glass door. The lady was in a white coat too and tapping away on her phone. A frown marred my features. My phone. Where was my phone? I looked around me and there was no sign of it.

"Grandma, I think I forgot my purse in the doctor's office."  She nodded and I hurried to the hospital building.

Both nurses were still chattering. The fat one seated on the only chair in the trig section while the slim nurse, nurse Fatima was standing akimbo concentrated on whatever her colleague was saying.

I walked pass all six pregnant women waiting to see the doctor to the trig section. As I got closer,I was able to pick what they were passionately talking about.

"You see these young girls of nowadays ehn, you can't trust them. They go about flaunting themselves to men. That's why I trained my daughter well, I cannot let her be another Tomi or is it Tola, the girl that came with her grandmother." The fat nurse said.

Nurse Fatima responded, "I trust you. Allah, will never let you have a disgraceful daughter like that one."

My heart shattered into a million pieces listening to their conversation. I had halted in my tracks now. I was now a topic of discussion? They didn't even know me or what exactly happened and they were judging me.

I batted my eyelids stopping the tears that welled in my eyes from spilling. They weren't worth my tears, they didn't know me or why exactly I was knocked up.

I walked to the door of the doctor's office knocked and was about to turn the knob when the fat nurse asked, "why are you here?" There was no way you wouldn't notice that look of disgust on her round face.

"My purse, I forgot it."

She arched a questioning eyebrow, "sorosoke!" The tag on her white uniform had out Freda.

I got out a little louder, "I forgot my purse in the doctor's office." She nodded and directed me to go in.

As soon as I got in, the doctor looked up from her desk, "this is yours right?" She pointed out my black purse, I nodded and she handed over the purse to me.

I went through the content and released a breath I didn't know I was holding in when I sighted my phone. I looked from the woman in the chair before the doctor back to her. "Thank you."

"Oh, your sonogram." Doctor Ernestina stretched out a small picture to me. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the woman's eyes widen.

Quickly I collected the picture, squeezed it in my hand and turned around and walked to the door. I stopped to turn the door knob but instead I straighten out the picture the doctor had given me.

I really couldn't make out anything from the black and white picture except the tiny blob from the screen earlier. I rubbed my thumb on the small picture. That little blob was what occupied my belly and was making my life a living hell. It was a part of Daniel and was caused by him. It was a big disgrace to my family and I and so I hated it.

Again, I squeezed the paper, angrily this time and tossed it into the wastebasket next to me. Then I walked out of the doctor's office.

A/N

Hey loves!!

We're slowly entering the main story and you've met some characters already. Felix and Jazz are very important to Tobi's story. I hope you like them and the other characters I would be introducing.

What do you guys think is going on in the second floor??

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