Roses And Thorns #6

    Wale kissed her head, and stared into her expressive dark eyes, “Tehilah, I love you, and you are the most beautiful and sexiest woman I ever met. I can imagine how a daughter from you would look like”

Tehilah smiled as she couldn’t believe her eyes, that Wale had come from Abuja to see her. They were in the hospital and she was surrounded by people who loved her. Her fears about Wale had been unnecessary. There was no denying the love, so expressive in his eyes.

      “I love you too, Wale” Tehilah closed her eyes as he brushed a kiss on her fore-head.

       “But baby…why did you try to kill yourself?”

        “What are you talking about?” Tehilah was bewildered, and tried to raise herself up, so she could look at Wale.

         “I thought…” Tehilah did not allow him complete the statement.

          “A car drove into my path, and I tried to avoid collision, but ran into a street light instead. Did you think I tried to kill myself? I have been there once, and I am never going back there, not for any man”

       “Madam, we don reach oh” a gruff voice intruded. While she was looking around for the owner of the voice, her eyes fell open and she stared right into the angry eyes of the taxi driver.

       “Ki lon sele gan, shey na inside person motor you go dey sleep like say na your house?” the driver grumbled.

      “Oh my, I fell asleep. I am so sorry, please how much is your bill?”

     “Gbe nu so…your money na two thousand and five hundred naira”

Tehilah felt like calling the driver out for his rude behaviour, but she let it go and pressed the amount of money into his hands. His attitude was the least of her problems, the dream she just had was what worried her.

Was Wale true to her, or was Bimpe right in calling her a side chick?

Would she contemplate suicide if her hope for the relationship got shattered?

    “No, I would never go down that road again. I will never try to thank away my life” she affirmed to herself, as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

                                                                         ***

      Five months later, Tehilah had become a celebrity author, and her first book was a bestseller, not just in Nigeria, but outside the shores of the country. She had moved out of her one bedroom apartment into a tastefully furnished two bedroom apartment in crown estate, and had gotten herself a car. While her career succeeded, the company made a lot of profits and her friendship with Haliru deepened.

     They were always seen together, and went for corporate events together. They became the toast of the society and soon, #HalTeh began to trend. Even when Haliru won the Entrepreneur of the year award, he went to the podium with Tehilah on his arm.

   “Without this delectable woman, I would not have made the profits I made this year” he said when asked why he took Tehilah to the podium.

Also, her relationship with Wale improved, and the latter went to see her parents in Port-Harcourt, to spend a weekend. He was accepted and soon Tehilah’s mother took to him because he was always in the kitchen helping her out. Even Bimpe made away with her reservations about Wale, and truly believed he loved her friend.

   “This time, I am so sure you made the right choice. This man is not only delicious, but loving. See how he takes care of you. Never let him go” Bimpe admonished her friend after meeting Wale.

       One weekend, Tehilah made up her mind to travel to Abuja and give Wale a surprise. She had worked hard that week, and felt that she deserved to relax in Wale’s arms. All through the week, she had thought of all the things Wale did to her in bed and she couldn’t wait to feel his hands on her body. That Friday, she had woken up with a queasy feeling and a burning headache, so had decided to check in with a doctor before going for her meeting with Haliru. At the hospital, she conducted a few tests the doctor had suggested and then went for her meeting with Haliru.

          When she entered HJaliru’s office, he beamed with a smile, which made Tehilah uncomfortable. A woman always knew when a man was developing interest in her, and that was what she thought of Haliru. It was too bad that all she could see him was as a friend, a good friend.

I might be wrong

    “Hello Tehilah, my favorite woman in the world” Haliru said as Tehilah walked in.

    “Please Haliru, let me use your toilet” she rushed into the toilet with such speed, where she threw up, retching loudly.

    “Are you all right?” Haliru asked when she came out, looking at her with a wry smirk.

   “I am fine, must be coming down with something. I was at the hospital before coming here”

They discussed her book and how she was coming along with the second book. Haliru shared his plans to develop a book app where people could download and catch up with everything going on with her life and her book.

   “You amaze me with your talents and ideas” she said, truly overwhelmed by how wonderful he was. She had never met anyone as innovative as Haliru.

She went ahead and told him she was taking the weekend off writing and going out of town. Haliru wished her a happy weekend, and she left his office, driving straight to the hospital to get her test result. From the hospital, she planned on driving straight to the airport to catch a flight to Abuja. Her weekend bag was already packed and in the boot of her car. As she entered the doctor’s office, she became anxious, afraid of what the doctor would say. The last thing she wanted, was to fall sick, when she needed to be on her full capacity.

    “Tehilah, I am happy to let you know that you are not sick” the doctor said with a smile as she walked into her office.

    “If I am not sick, then what is wrong with me” she retorted.

    “You do have to start taking care of yourself because, there is someone else to consider now” the doctor said, grinning from ear to ear.

    “Doctor, what are you saying?” she asked, with furrowed brows.

   “You are six weeks pregnant my dear” the doctor announced.

Tehilah leaned forward and stared at the doctor like he was speaking a language she could not comprehend.

    “Who is the lucky guy?” the doctor asked, with a smile. “It must be that handsome man who is always seen with you on television”

     “Doctor, are you sure?” Tehilah asked, gripping the sides of the table.

    “Yes I am, here is the result” the doctor gave her the result slip, and she perused it.

Her eyes danced over the paper, as she devoured the details of her pregnancy. Then, it dawned on her that, she had missed her monthly flow the month before. Working on her second novel had preoccupied her so much that, she had not thought about her missed menstruation.

      “Thank you doctor” she said and left the doctor’s office.

       As Tehilah rode in the taxi, to the airport, she pondered on the news she had received. Many thoughts swam free in the pool of her mind. The news was met with mixed feelings; she didn’t know if she should be happy or sad. Getting pregnant outside wedlock was the last thing she wanted. In envisaging her life, she had not seen herself getting pregnant when she was unmarried.

A baby mama was something that happened to celebrities, or characters in her novel, not to her. They were still building the foundation of her relationship and did not need the pressure of a child.

     “I don’t want Wale to think I deliberately fell pregnant to force him into marriage, or that I am too careless to take care of myself” she murmured to the empty car. “Oh God, I don’t know how to feel about this”

However, now that it had happened, she took it as a confirmation that her relationship with Wale was meant to be. After all, she had dated Ben for years, and had never gotten pregnant; instead Ben had impregnated someone else.

Perhaps if you had become pregnant, he wouldn’t have gone to another woman.

     “Stop it Tehilah, you cannot think like that” she berated herself. “Ben was a jerk and didn’t deserve you, pregnant or not”

     “My little one, I have not met you, but I love you already. I and your dad will give you the best home” she said, rubbing her flat stomach.

Nevertheless, Tehilah could not shake off the feeling of dread that settled over her at the thought of breaking the news to Wale.