EMMA Chapter 7

Emma hurriedly hid the content in her palm behind her back as the bedroom door flung open. Disappointed, she hissed spitefully. She hadn't heard anyone come in and she was annoyed at the unexpected interruption. She was sitting on her bed, embarking on her secret mission when Mabel barged in. How could she have forgotten to lock the door? Emma thought, as she felt like whipping herself .
'What are you doing at home, Emma?', Mabel inquired as she shut the door and dropped her handbag on the single sofa in their room. 
Emma didn't respond and just looked away.
Mabel gazed inquisitively at the glass of water on the dressing table beside Emma. 
'Are you sick?', she asked with a grim expression.
Emma did not respond but just kept staring at the rug that spread out on the floor.
'I've been to your place of work and was told you have not been coming regularly. Is that the way it has been all this while, Emma? You stay back home after I have left for work, isn't it? Do you want to ruin that institute?', Mabel chided as she walked up to her, folding her arms.
Still, no response.
'Won't you answer me?!, Mabel shook her by the shoulder and the content in her palm spilled on the bed- a powdered substance. 'What?!', she exclaimed, administering a thunderous slap on Emma's face, shaking the powder off her hands. 'So this is it, right? You want to commit suicide! You want to take your life? First, you'd locked yourself up in the office for three days and we had to break the door to get in, now it's suicide, Emma!'
'Let me die! I want to die! Just let me go!', Emma cried, gathering the leftover of the poison that spilled on the bed.
'Ok, ok, fine!', Mabel pacified, gesturing to her to wait, 'But we both know so well that suicide is a sin before God and...'
'I don't care!', Emma growled. 'Let me die and go to hell! It is better than this miserable life of mine! I've had to live with this tormenting health condition, struggle to survive every day of my life! Look at me May, my mates are graduates, you my bossom friend is a graduate, I don't even have an O'level result! And then the woman I grew to love and look up to as my mother left without saying goodbye, and without giving me any clue about the parents who signed me to this terrible fate....it's not worth it May, let me just go!'
'So you think dying is worth it Emma?'
'Yes it is! I don't want this life anymore..'
'And you are ready to leave all those students who look up to you in your institute, those you encouraged to make a meaning of their lives, those who love you, you're ready to leave  Dimeji, and even me too?
'Don't worry May, the world won't end. You will live. You have a brighter life. You have education, you have your parents, you have Dimeji, you have everything! For you, life is worth living. Please don't try to stop me'.
Mabel took a long breath and sit beside Emma on the bed after thinking for a while. 'Ok Emma', she said slowly, 'If you think it is the best decision, well...', she shrugged.
Emma forced a weak smile, 'I'm going to miss you'
Mabel pulled her into a warm embrace and patted her on the back, 'but please don't do it Emma, we love you, and...'. 
She noticed Emma was suddenly relaxed and thus, tapped her on the back, calling her name repeatedly.  Emma fell unconscious into her arms and Mabel, puzzled, hurriedly checked her pulse, and screamed. 
'Somebody help me! Emma did you really have to do this? Oh my God! This desperate girl wants to die on me! Lord have mercy! Somebody please...', but unfortunately, none of their neighbours was around. 
She carefully placed her on the bed and quavered as she quickly dialed Dimeji's number. The call went through and she explained all that happened to him. Emma had definitely taken a dose of the poison before she came in, she should have detected earlier. Dimeji gave her some first aid steps to take and asked her to hold on for him, he would soon be on his way.
It had been three months since Aunty Nurse died, and her exit had left an imaginably big hole in Emma's heart. Unable to face an entirely new world of her absence, Emma hadn't been herself, especially with the memory of the mystery that was left behind- 'I'm not your mother, Enitan'.  Those words had kept ringing in her head like a churchbell. She wished Aunty Nurse had told her earlier on, she should have given her the details and not left her with a clueless puzzle to solve. 
Mabel shook her head in pity for her friend as she waited for Dimeji and watched her unconscious body breathe silently where she lay. It was pretty too much a tragedy to take in.
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'What exactly is her trouble?', Doctor Emmanuel Fasanmi asked Mabel who was sitting in front of him at his table in his office. They had brought Emma down to his hospital; With God Hospital in Lagos since yesterday and she is yet to wake up from her unconsciousness.
'Well, it's a long story, I must say', Mabel answered hesitantly.
'Please tell me, I'm interested. And I have all the time in the world today, because Doctor Dimeji is the one on duty, except if there is an emergency'.
Noticing that Mabel still hesitate, He added, 'Please, you should know you can open up to me. Your fiance; Dimeji has been my very good friend for six years now. We met in our second year in the university in India, and I must say, he really changed my life for good, so I believe I'm not much of a stranger anymore'.
Mabel wore a surprised look on hearing that remark and shook her head in disbelief. What the hell gave Dimeji the impression that they were going to get married? They were not even dating, and he had never asked her out, though he had been dropping hints. Same thing Emma said during her suicide mission tirade- 'you have Dimeji'. Perhaps, shy Dimeji was too timid to make his feelings known to her.
'Did I say anything wrong ma'am?', Emmanuel asked, trying to read the mixed expression on her face.
'No, nothing. Don't mind me, I...I just...never mind', She smiled.
'Thank God, I was beginning to get scared', He sighed.
They both laughed and continued the discussion.
'Ok then', Mabel took a deep breath. 'But first Doctor Emma...I mean..Doctor Fasanmi, you should know Emma is an SS'.
'Yes, I know. I saw that from the test carried out on her yesterday. And then for the sake of clarity, please just call me Emmanuel, so we won't get some names mixed up', he smiled.
'Oh, that's true', Mabel laughed. 'Alright then Emmanuel, as I was saying, she has sickle cell anaemia..'
'Yes, but how come her mother's genotype was AA? I noticed that too. At least, according to medical research, both parents have to be of  the AS genotype, thus begetting a child with the SS genotype'.
'That is the mystery Emma is yet to unravel, and it's killing her gradually. Just about the time the woman gave up the ghost, she disclosed to Emma that she wasn't her birth mother, but didn't get enough time to give her the details'.
 'That is terrific. It must be really hard on her. How about her father?'.
'Never knew him, but Emma was told he died'.
'Oh, I'm sorry for that. And her foster mother never told her how she got custody of her?'
'No, not at all', Mabel shook her head.
Emmanuel took a deep breath, scratched his head and sank into his chair. He had found Emma amazing since the first day they met in Ibadan. She was such a vibrant and beautiful lady, and he couldn't imagine her going through such ordeal. Something in him told him he had to help her, he had to save her! He couldn't tell if he was already growing affection for her, or if it is just compassion, or...love. But whatever it is, he is ready, he is interested...
'But em...', Mabel coughed, breaking into his thoughts. 'I have some facts here'. She ran through the content of her handbag, and handed an envelope to him. 'Her foster mother told me to get that from her drawer chest at home when she was admitted here before she died, but she implored me not to disclose the details of the content to Emma before her demise, because she knew she was going to die, and she had wanted Emma to read it after her departure.
Emmanuel curiously opened the white envelope but stopped short when a nurse came in to announce an emergency. 
'Can I keep it for a while', he asked Mabel, 'Seems I'll be a bit busy in the meantime, I can only read it when I get home'.
'Sure, you can', Mabel consented, 'but please don't misplace it, and don't tell anyone about it, not even Dimeji. He finds it hard to keep things from Emma'.
'I cross my heart', he smiled as they got of the office.
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'What's up May?', Dimeji smiled as Mabel entered his office and shut the door with a bang.
'Obviously, Oladimeji Olusanya, nothing else is up except the ceiling, the lampholder and the bulb!' Mabel raved, dropping her handbag on the chair in front of him and placing her arms akimbo.
Dimeji bit his lower lip as he tried to fathom what might have happened. He knew damn well that Mabel or Emma calling his full name spelt trouble, and this present drama is obviously titled- Catastrophy!
'Ok, please Maami', He pacified, kindly sit down and let us discuss whatever it is amicably. This is an office, and besides an hospital, we wouldn't want to disturb...'
'I don't care!', Mabel blurted, throwing caution to the wind. 'Right now, I..'
'You know, you always look more beautiful with those gapped teeth of yours, especially when you are angry', he chimed in and grinned notoriously, rising from his seat.
Mabel gave a loud hiss. 'Now let me talk! And don't think you can try to pacify me...don't even come any closer...'
'Very well then, just calm down, please'.
Mabel reluctantly took her seat in one of the chairs before him after a lot of persuasion.
'What is it I hear you have been telling people about us?', she asked angrily.
'Dimeji smiled. 'Is that it? Very well then', he opened one of his table drawers. 'Give me a moment, I think it's high time I did this', he hinted, waving his nervousness aside.
'What?!', Mabel querried, confused.
'Mabel Adeosun', he started as he rose and moved towards her and went down on one knee in front of her, presenting a diamond -touched gold ring, 'I love you more than words can ever express. You are the most thoughtful, generous, kind and beautiful woman I have never had the fortune to know. I will be honoured to have the chance to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?'
Shocked, Mabel gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Of course she is willing, but she hadn't prepared her mind for this. Dimeji really caught her unaware. She had expected him to go for Emma, as they both really got along so well, but that orientation began to permute after hearing what Emma had said earlier on- 'you have Dimeji'. Emmanuel had also added- 'Dimeji, your fiance', now this is the evidence, right in front of her.
She rose and turned her back on him, facing the door, trying to hide her joyful tears as she wiped her face with the back of her hands. She was so excited she could swoon, but she tried as much as possible to conceal it. She knew she had feelings for him, but she never knew it was mutual, in fact, weren't they supposed to be friends? 
Dimeji on his part was not fazed, he waited patiently for her. The standard reactions were expected anyway- the gasps, the tears, some ladies would even scream. Although this was his first proposal in his entire life, he had seen a lot of instances in movies. But this is reality now, he had to hope for the best and prepare for the worst- perhaps, a destabilizing slap! 
Mabel turned back to face him as she conjured a frown. 'You know what, Dee, I really commend your faith', She scorned. 'You already believed it would happen before you even ventured to try, didn't you?  Compliments of the Emmas'. 
Dimeji was done for! Hadn't Emmanuella sworn to keep that little secret between them? And Emmanuel too, he also has a serious explanation to make, he thought. He shut his eyes in anticipation of his fate. Lord help me; he prayed silently, his heart beating faster...
'And...', Mabel continued, '...yes'.
Dimeji opened his eyes and gave her a questioning look. 
'Yes what?'
'Yes...', she answered, a bright smile breaking through her feigned anger as she stretched out her left hand, prompting him to put the ring on her, 'Yes, I will marry you!'. 


-Temi