I walked straight into Mama Chinedu's house. It had been a long day at work and I was famished. My feet ached a lot from walking miles from the bus stop home. My stomach was rumbling like a hungry lion. I knew within me that by the time I would be done cooking, I must have gassed out.
But the aroma coming from Mama Chinedu's kitchen was a sign that she was already making dinner and there was hope for me too. She had never failed in that department.
The house was quiet except for the clattering in the kitchen, and I found myself rubbing my stomach as I walked into her kitchen.
"Zerah, ogini?* she asked, looking so concerned as she saw me walk into her apartment. "You look like someone who has carried a heavy load today." I guess she read the look on my face already.
I walked over to her. She was stirring a pot of boiling ogbono soup. "I'm starving."
She looked at me and laughed mockingly. "You've not even taken off your work clothes this girl."
"I'll do that later. I don't want to die of starvation. Can I have some?"
She looked at me again and laughed. "Have a sit first. When I'm done, you'll get some." She added some seasoning cubes and shook her head. "Funny girl."
I sat down and watched her as she continued stirring and tasting her pot of soup. I helped with the little I could and engaged her in conversations about how my day went. Soon, she was done cooking.
“You’re a lifesaver, Ma'am,” I said, blowing her kisses as I took the plate of hot ogbono soup and fufu from her.
I unzipped my jeans a little, just to give my stomach some breathing space before I pounced on the food. Mama Chinedu stood beside me in her kitchen, watching me with so much motherly care in her eyes.
"You should learn to take breaks at work to eat." She said.
I nodded. I couldn't talk much with all the Fufu I was swallowing. My only mission at that point was to fill the empty spaces in my stomach.
Mama Chinedu realized I couldn't talk much at the moment, pulled a seat, and sat beside me. Then she watched me while I ate.
In a few minutes, I was done eating. The results of my mission showed visibly with the size of my stomach. I took the plates to the sink and proceeded to wash them. All the time, no one spoke. The silence was loud.
I finished washing the plates and cleaned my wet hands on my work pants. Then I pulled a seat and sat beside her adjusting my zipper again.
"See my stomach." I said with a playful tone, "I look like a three-month pregnant woman.”
Mama Chinedu looked at me and smiled. "Look at you carrying twins. Such a cute mother." She joked
I laughed. Immediately, Mama Chinedu’s youngest son, Chinedu, walked into the room.
"Good evening, Aunty." He greeted me. The. He walked straight to the fridge.
"Nedu," I called him by his pet name. "How are you?"
"I'm fine Aunty." He replied. Pulled the fridge open and took a bottle of water. And made straight to the fridge.
Mama Chinedu watched him closely as he closed the fridge and walked out of the kitchen.
I smiled and looked at her. "He's growing too fast."
"Sometimes I wish he could just slow down. I can't stop imagining when he'll get to the age of leaving the house and leaving me all alone with my husband." She said not letting her eyes off her son.
"That's still years to come. For now, let's just enjoy every moment of it." I held her hands.
She looked at me and nodded.
I picked up my handbag and stood up. "I have to get home now. I stink of Lagos traffic. I need a shower." Then I made my way to the door. I got to the door and turned to see Mama Chinedu looking at me.
"Why am I missing your company already?" She said,
I smiled and walked back to her. Then I gave her a tight hug. "I wish I could stay back tonight. But I need some rest. Your husband should be home soon, then you'll have company."
She pushed me away gently. "He traveled."
"You have Chinedu."
She laughed. "That one has gone out to be with his friends." She looked at me. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Go clean up."
I took a deep breath and walked out the door.
I woke up the next morning with a message on my phone. It was from Mrs Martin from the next compound. Mama Chinedu had introduced me to her as the seller of the best garri in our street.
"Mama Ejima, Congratulations. When is the baby due?"
I stared at my phone confused. Then I shrugged my shoulders. "She must have mistaken me for someone else," I muttered to myself.
I got up to get ready for the day when I heard a knock on the door. I grumbled and walked to the door to see Mama Chinedu standing there. She has this weird smile on her face. I quickly opened it and asked.
"Ma'am, hope all is well?"
She laughed. "I should be asking the months-pregnant mother of twins." At this point, she couldn't stop laughing.
Confused, I stood there wondering what she meant. "Pregnant? Twins? Ma'am, am I safe? Just this morning I've gotten a congratulatory text from Mrs Martin and now you." I put my hands on my waist. "What's going on?" I asked.
She kept laughing. Finally, when she caught her breath, she looked at me. "Okay, this might sound funny Zee."
I didn't reply. I just stared at her. I was already curious to know what was going on.
"Remember yesterday you made a joke about being pregnant after eating and Chinedu walked into the room immediately?"
I nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."
"Turns out he overheard us joke about it and felt you were actually pregnant. So he went about telling his friends that you are pregnant with twins."
I couldn't hold back my laughter as Mama Chinedu completed her words. "Oh my," I said.
"I went to Mrs Martins to buy garri this morning and she started congratulating me on your behalf. I had to ask why and how she got such information. She told me that Chinedu had told her kids, who told her later last night."
"That explains why she sent me that text," I said, holding back my laughter.
"I'm sorry. Don't worry, I'll deal with Chinedu later." She smiled.
"No, no, no. Please don't touch him. I guess he was happy for me, too; that was why he told his friends.'
Mama Chinedu shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so too. But he needs to be punished so he'll stop eavesdropping on our conversations in the future. Such an act can ruin someone's reputation just by spreading false information."
"Please, Ma'am."
She turned to leave. "Zee, go and bathe and prepare for work. We'll talk when you're back."
I smiled and watched her walk back to her apartment. Then I took a deep breath and turned back into my house.
*Glossary"
Ogini - What's wrong?
Ogbono - Bush Mango.