OH BABY! – a novel
(By: Pastor Taiwo Iredele Odubiyi)
Read and be blessed.
(Day 1)
TAMMY AND MERCY were the only staff left in the administrative department that Friday afternoon, and they were busy sorting out applicants’ letters to Ruththrows, a beverage and milk manufacturing company. The company had advertised vacancies in the newspaper and over one hundred people had applied. The time was now 4.20pm. The other staff in the department, Ope and Lai, had gone on official assignment.
The door opened and Pat, a plump woman in the marketing department entered. She was Mercy’s and Tammy’s friend. They greeted her as she sat down heavily on the chair opposite Mercy.
“How is everything?” Tammy asked Pat while using a hand to smoothen her grey gown. The thirty two-year old lady was light in complexion, about five feet six inches tall and slim.
“Can you believe I’m pregnant again?” Pat announced and exclaimed. “Oh my God!”
Tammy and Mercy stopped what they were doing and stared at her.
“Pregnant? How old is your youngest child?” Mercy asked. The tall, dark lady in her early forties, was incredulous.
“He’s just ten months!” Pat answered. “Can you imagine?”
Tammy continued staring at the woman. This was the third pregnancy within four years of marriage. Jesus! And here she was, married for almost seven years without even a child!
“You’re fertile, woman!” Mercy exclaimed and patted Pat on her shoulder.
“Oh please!” The dark-complexioned woman in her early thirties protested, not finding it amusing, “Save me that compliment! I was so angry with myself when I found out last week. How could I have been so careless? Oh my God!” She groaned.
“In that case, go for family planning.” Tammy suggested with a smile.
“Yes, I have to, as soon as I deliver my baby. I’ve discussed it with my husband. That’s what I have to do.” Then smiling, Pat pointed at Tammy, “Someone like you does not need to bother with family planning. You’re not in danger of getting pregnant. You’re so fortunate.” She giggled.
The smile on Tammy’s face disappeared. She felt bad and thoroughly embarrassed. How could Pat say such a thing? If she, a married woman was not in danger of getting pregnant, could that be a good thing? Didn’t Pat realise that her not getting pregnant meant she had fertility problems? Or did she think that Tammy did not want to have children?
Looking visibly sad, Tammy answered, “Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or what?”
Pat stopped giggling and asked, “Have I said something wrong?”
“You shouldn’t have said that.” Mercy pointed out.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Tammy.” Pat said. “I’m sorry.”
Tammy pursed her lips tightly and nodded. She turned away, looking at the application letters in front of her, feeling upset and close to tears. She could hear Mercy telling Pat that she shouldn’t have uttered those words, after all, she knew that Tammy wanted children, but couldn’t conceive yet.
Tammy tried to continue with what she was doing but found it difficult to concentrate as she began to think …
Pat obviously hadn’t planned to get pregnant, yet she had.
Why can’t I get pregnant so easily too? Tammy wondered. All her friends and family members were having children all around. It was the same story in the office and in the church. Soon, her brother’s wife would be giving birth as well. She felt like the odd one in the family. Why should all of them be able to conceive and not her – more so, as she and Richard married as virgins? I can’t understand it!
She had never thought this could happen to her when she was growing up. Before she got married, whenever she heard that someone was having problems conceiving, she would simply sympathise with the person, encourage her to pray more and she would forget about it. She had never felt their pains. It hadn’t meant much to her. She’d never imagined she would be in that position. Never! She had always dreamt of being a mother. This could not be happening to her, surely!
She had planned and expected that she would graduate from the University, get a good job, get married to a good and loving man and have about five children, with probably three years spacing. She’d had it all planned. But now, almost seven years after marriage, she had all her desires but one. And that ‘one’ was very important to her. This is impossible!
As Tammy continued thinking, her vision blurred with gathering tears, and she hurriedly stood up to go to the restroom. She shouldn’t break down in front of them.
As she rushed past Mercy and Pat, Pat repeated, “Er … I’m really very sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s fine.” Tammy mumbled.
By the time she returned about fifteen minutes after, it was Lai she met in the office. Pat and Mercy had left.
When she got home much later, she didn’t bother to tell Richard about Pat’s comment.
**********The following morning, Tammy was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when the front door opened and Richard entered the living room. He wore a blue shirt on jeans shorts, and he had been busy washing their cars. His was a black Honda Accord while Tammy used a blue Toyota.
The two-bedroom apartment was at the back of the ground floor of a one storey building. The living room wall was painted cream. The light green sofas with mixture of red, green and brown coloured throw pillows made the living room colourful and inviting. The light green and cream coloured carpet matched the curtains perfectly.
A glass table was in the center of the room. There were side tables and a shell-filled jar on one of them. A TV and a DVD player were on a stand on a side of the room. A laptop was on another stand which had an open shelf and two glass-front drawers. Two woven wicker baskets hung on a wooden frame stand. One basket had magazines while the second basket contained two photo albums. Their framed wedding picture hung on the wall.
The dining area was toward the kitchen and had a glass table with six chairs. The table spread was cream and the table linens were cream and brown. A cream vase was in the middle of the table. The bouquet was red, yellow and pink. There was a door that led to an adjoining section that led to the two bedrooms. On the right was the master bedroom with an adjoining bathroom while the guest room was on the left. There was a bathroom and toilet beside the guest room to serve guests and visitors.
As Richard walked into the kitchen to wash his hands, he spoke, “After breakfast, I’m going out to visit some people who haven’t been in the church for some time.” He was the associate pastor of Glory to Glory Church and one of his responsibilities was to visit members of the church whenever he could.
“I will go with you.” Tammy responded.
She stepped back from the sink to allow her husband wash his hands. As he did so, she watched him.
“I’d like to leave as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be ready.” She’d rather go out with him than stay at home alone, brooding over the previous day’s issue.
They had their breakfast of yam and eggs, changed their clothes and left in Richard’s car.
Richard was casually dressed. Dark, tall and handsome, the thirty four-year old man wore blue jeans trouser and a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His cell phone was attached to his belt. Tammy was dressed simply in a long skirt and blouse made of African batik with a zigzag pattern.
After some minutes’ drive, they arrived at Ngozi’s self-contained apartment which was on the first floor of a four-storey building.
(To be continued.)
In this novel, you will realise that God’s plans for you are good, and that there is hope for you.
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