EMMA

Continuation of chapter 1.
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It was around 8pm when Aunty Nurse arrived home that day. She knocked on the main door of their small two-room self contained apartment, and after waiting for a while without getting any response, she turned the doorknob and was surprised that the door was open. She went in, dropped her handbag on the sofa and called out to Emma but got no response.

The television set was on, and the ceiling fan spun violently like it was going to drop at the slightest provocation. Worn out from the day's stressful activities, she crashed into one of the two mini settees, which were the major furniture the small cozy living room possessed. When after sitting for a while, she heard no other sound except for the violent music from the melodious ceiling fan, and the voices of the characters of
This Life; a soap opera showing on TV, Aunty Nurse wondered where Emma was.

She stood up and turned off the TV set, then made for the bedroom. How could Emma have left the living room door open? It was so unusual of her. She opened the door that linked the living room with the bedroom and beheld Emma fast asleep, still wearing her school uniform.
What went wrong? Has she fallen ill again? Or unconscious? These were the thoughts that ran through Aunty Nurse's mind as she tapped Emma on the arm.

'Enitan', she called as Emma tossed and blinked her eyes open. Aunty Nurse heaved a sigh of relief, at least it wasn't what she was thinking, praise God! Emma's eyes were crimson red, and the wetness of the pillow made it pretty obvious that she had cried herself to sleep.

'Welcome mum', She mumbled in a coarse voice'.

'I don't want to believe you have been crying Enitan, what is it? What happened?', she asked, sitting on the edge of the double bed which they shared.

'Nothing happened', Emma looked away.

'Come on Enitan, you know better than to lie to me...'

'No mum, I know better than to talk to you! Emma cut in, tears finding their way into her eyes. 'When I wanted to  talk, you were not there, so I'm not talking!'.

'Enitan', Aunty nurse said gently, 'I had a very hectic day, please don't complicate things for me'.

'Did you?', Emma querried as she sat up, 'Or you went to him? I know you are on morning duty this week mum, you closed in the afternoon'.

'Are you insinuating that I'm lying?', Aunty nurse inquired frankly, her tone denoting anger.
'I'm sorry mum, but if you really care about me, you wouldn't abandon me for that man', Emma whined, bursting into tears.

'Enitan, I'm not leaving you for any man', Aunty Nurse calmed down, understanding her plight. Emma had actually thought she had gone to her fiance's house. 'I was on morning duty quite alright, but my assistant was not feeling well, so I had to stand in for her this evening', she explained.

Emma had buried her face in her palms and didn't respond.

'See Enny, Aunty Nurse continued, 'You are the most important to me, and I cant leave you for anyone. But you should know that sooner or later, I'll have to get married, and Dapo is not just any man, he is going to be your father...'

'No he is not!', Emma cut in, 'He can never be my father, my father will never try to take my mum away from me! I just wish dad was here!'

'Enny please don't do this!', Aunty Nurse pleaded as she pulled her into her bosom, fighting back the tears that was welling up in her own eyes too. 'I'm not leaving you, and no one is taking you away from me, promise'. She placed Emma's head on her shoulder as she patted her on the back.

Enitan was Aunty Nurse's pet name for Emma. She had had to single-handedly raise her and had given her that name when she took custody of her, and they had grown so fond of each other. The mere memory of not having a father was killing Emma already, how then would she disclose to her that she isn't even her biological mother? No she wont, she wouldn't even dare! Though she sometimes wished the girl would see all she had been doing for her; how she has struggled to cater for her, send her to a very good school, pay her school fees despite her meager income, managed to get her all the remedies she could for her ill health, all the friends she'd lost, all the prospective men that had backed off at the discovery of her being a single mother, and the ever loving, caring, and understanding Dapo; her fiance whom Emma despises so much.

All the same, she knew what she bargained for when she agreed to take custody of the baby girl fourteen years ago, so she wouldn't blame the innocent girl for saying those cruel words, for not wanting to share the only one she loved most, her mother's love and attention with another man.

'I'm so sorry mum', Emma broke into her thoughts.

'Aunty Nurse looked into her face and smiled, 'It's okay sweetheart, I'm sorry for coming late too, and I'm ready to hear all that happened, all of it!'

Emma's face sparked with happiness as she related the day's experience to Aunty Nurse, even though it was an unpleasant one. She explained how the counselor had mocked her with her health condition, how she had an emotional breakdown, and how Mabel had come to the rescue.

'What is that bororo woman's problem? She is just too bad-mouthed for my liking', Aunty Nurse jeered, 'Next time she says that, she will hear from me!'.

'Abi o, Emma added, 'After all, I wear glasses and she wears one too, that equalizes us, and then she gets jealous and will always ask me to take mine off'.

Aunty Nurse shook her head teasingly and smiled, pointing a warning finger at Emma, 'Enitan please, don't go and say that to her tomorrow o!'

'Aha', Emma laughed and threw her hands up in surrender, 'I was only kidding mum, and in fact, we never had this discussion'.

They both laughed over it. The manner in which they chit-chatted made them seem more like sisters. Aunty Nurse was a woman in her early thirties. Her real name was Kemi Akintunde, but due to her profession was fondly called Aunty Nurse by kit and kin, and even Emma playfully sometimes.
She was an auxiliary nurse at Good Will hospital where she had met Emma as a baby. She remembered the innocent angelic look on the baby's face and smiled.

'Aunty Nurse, Emma teased, bringing her back to the present, 'Why are you smiling? Or were you thinking about Uncle Dapo?' she chuckled, looking into her eyes with raised brows.

'Oh, sorry to disappoint you Miss, you guessed wrong. I was actually thinking about Emmanuella Williams'.

'Really? Tell me about her, Emma inquired curiously.

'Well..., she cleared her throat, 'I think she is the sweetest brainiac I have ever known, and I'm grateful to God for gifting her to me'.

'Oh mum!', Emma bubbled with joy, 'I couldn't have prayed for a better mother!'

'And I couldn't have prayed for a better daughter, and I will always be there for you, promise'.

'Thanks so much mum, but I just wish dad was here too', Emma murmured, the smile on her face gradually disappearing.

'Enitan', Aunty Nurse took her hands in hers, 'I also wish he was here too, but we should take solace in the fact that he has gone to rest in the Lord's bosom.

'Are you going to tell me about him?', Emma asked hopefully.

'No Enny, not today'.

Emma mused for a while. 'But didn't both of you inquire about your genotypes before you had me?'

'Enitan, I said not today'.

Emma got the message and kept quiet. Aunty Nurse could read the disappointment written all over her face.

She knew she really wanted to have a memory of her so called father- her late father. At least, that was what she made Emma believe, right from the time she grew wise enough to start inquiring about him. Emma was a very inquisitive girl, thus augmenting her intelligence. Aunty Nurse recalled an instance of those incidents some years ago.

She had taken her along to the market that day. Emma was only four years old then and had been fond of sucking on her thumb right from the cradle. Aunty Nurse had tried to curb the bad habit to no avail, so she had told her that if she kept sucking on her thumb, her tummy would grow very big. Emma was frightened and had dropped the habit at once.

They got on the bus and sat beside a pregnant woman, thus Emma sat between the woman and Aunty Nurse. At regular intervals, she would look at the woman with utmost disgust, then look into Aunty Nurse's face and frown. Aunty Nurse who was busy making a list of items to purchase at the market was oblivious of what was going on. The woman smiled at Emma, but noticed she wasn't smiling back, so she tried to create a friendly
atmosphere.

'Do you know me pretty girl? The woman smiled.

'No!', Emma smirked, leveling an accusing gaze on the pregnant woman, 'But i know what you have been doing!' She pointed at the woman's protruding belly.

'What!', the woman exclaimed, turning a curious look at Aunty Nurse, 'What have you been teaching this little girl, Madam?'

'I'm so sorry ma'am, It was...I was...', Aunty Nurse was at a loss for words, her face flaming with embarrassment as everyone in the bus turned their gaze on her.

Emma was however irritated by the woman's rudeness. Why would she have been doing something bad and then get mad because she told her she knew her secret? Emma swore she was cocksure that the woman had actually been sucking on her finger right from childhood, for her tummy to grow that big! She decided she would ask her mum when they got home, if the woman's belly would remain like that forever, or burst soon, and she would also thank her for cautioning her on time, she couldn't have imagined her her own belly too getting that big--how disgusting!

The pregnant woman kept nagging, hissing and murmuring and Aunty nurse felt so embarrassed, she had to alight at the nearest bus stop.

Laughing and coughing erupted from the duo as Aunty Nurse recounted the incident.

'Gosh!', 'I cant believe I did that', Emma said amidst laughter.

'I would have given you serious spanking on your buttocks that day, but then I realized I was the one that misled you, and as a matter of fact, you were too young for the details of that'.

Knowing what that­ meant, Emma looked away shyly and raised her brows. Aunty Nurse noticed this and gave her a stern look.

'Look here Miss, hope you don't have a boyfriend yet?'

'What?! Mum I'm just fourteen for goodness sake!', Emma rolled her eyes.

'You don't have to tell me that, I know. And you are not too young to know the implications now. I had one when I was just twelve, because there was no one to warn me of the consequences'.
Emma stared at her with great surprise. She had never heard that from her before. Aunty Nurse inclined her head in confirmation, knowing what Emma was thinking.
She had lived a promiscuous lifestyle through her teenage years and she never wished the same for Emma, or any of her children, that is, if she hoped to have any.

Kemi Akintunde never knew her parents. She was adopted from the orphanage at the age of six by a rich and childless couple, but ran away from home at the age of sixteen, because her foster father started molesting her sexually ever since she clocked ten. Being a businesswoman, her foster mother barely stayed at home, but whenever she was around and Kemi tried to tell her of her plight, the woman, being blinded by her trust for her husband, would shut her up with severe beatings and leave her without food.

Feeling the only way out of her predicament was to run away from home, she did. By then she had completed her secondary education. In the streets, she had to live at the mercy of good Samaritans, fend for herself, sleep under the bridge, go around homes to do their house chores every weekend, as no one would employ her as a full-time house maid. She kept up with this till one of her benefactors; a matron initiated the idea of her training as an auxilary nurse. As she had always loved taking care of people, she felt her hopes were not dashed after all. She took the opportunity without blinking. She enrolled at Good Will Hospital for training, and was later retained as a staff after training, due to her diligence and hard work.

Her dreams had in a sense, come true; she had become the nurse she desired to be, but unfortunately, it enhanced promiscuity for her. She went out with several men, and by the time she was twenty, had already had five abortions! The last abortion she had was the straw that broke the camel's back. The pills she took had damaged her womb and surgery was required to save her life. Thank God for  Doctor Williams, the owner of the hospital where she worked. She couldn't afford to foot the bill, and Dr. Williams had performed the surgery and given her treatment free of charge! He had led her to Christ, explained to her that God was ready to forgive her if she truly repented, and he also convinced her that there is hope of her womb being restored, if only she'd sincerely repented and gave her life to Christ, which she did without hesitation, because she was motivated by the doctor's lifestyle. If a man of such high reputation could be humble enough to dedicate his life to God, then who was she to say no? That man really changed her life, and she owed him a lot- her life, and raising Emma. She didn't want that kind of life for Emma, not even close to it, and that was what she had determined to ensure. Even though according to the doctor, Emma's life span was limited, Kemi wanted her to make the most of it.
'Mum!', Emma's voice awoke her from the subconscious, 'why are you crying?'

Aunty Nurse had been oblivious of the tears that had been streaming down her face. 'I'm fine sweetheart', she answered, wiping the tears with the back of her hand and forcing a smile. 'I'm just glorifying God for grace'.

She believed for now, she should keep it to herself. Emma was still too young to know all these things, and when the time was right, she would know.

-Temi