CALEB
Marie woke up feeling like something was wrong somewhere. Apart from the fact that her parents have been apart for sometimes, which they termed ātaking a little breakā she still felt something was wrong somewhere. She went to school and everything was normal. āI have this feeling that something is going to happen todayā she said to her friends.
āSomething good or badā Lilly asked
āItās a bad omenā she replied āItās just the same way I felt the day my parents decided to take a breakā she added
āOr maybe theyāre planning to divorceā Louise said
āAre you crazy? Donāt say a thing like thatā Lilly scolded āher parents are not divorcing. Something else might be wrong somewhere, or maybe itās just a feeling and nothing elseā
āCome on girls, letās go inside. Whatever it is, itāll reveal itself sooner or laterā Marie said
The three got into class and everything was normal, Marie looked around to see if sheād see her friend Caleb, so she could tell him about her weird feelings, but to her dismay, he was not in class. She thought within herself that sheād call him after the first period, to find out why he didnāt come to school. She really wants to hear what he will say about her feelings this morning. Before she became close to Caleb, he was hardly in school. He came to school whenever he felt like. But with her as his friend, she started making him come to school unfailingly.
Throughout classes that day, Marie wondered why she had that strange feeling. Half way during the class, Miss Lara had received a call which made her look pale.
āIām sorry class, one of us is hospitalized, and is currently unconscious, as you go home, pray that he gets betterā she saidāCaleb has been hospitalizedā. She concluded after a long pause
āCaleb is hospitalized?ā Johnny said, laughing āwhat has he done this time that made him unconscious miss?ā
āAre you crazy Johnny? She just said the boy is unconscious and you take it like itās a joke or something? What are you, an asshole?ā Lilly said irritably
āHeās a big foolā Louise concurred
āLanguage you two, donāt use such language in or outside classā Miss Lara said
āBut heās making fun of the situationā Zane said, to her teacher
āJohnny, I want you to leave this class, and go straight to the hospital. I want you to be the first person from this class to see Caleb. If you donāt, Iāll make sure you get the worst punishment this school has ever given to a pupil.ā Miss Lara said to Johnny, looking like a mother who caught her son stealing from her just prepared pot of soup.
āWhat happened to him, did he just fall down and became unconscious or he was sickā Zane asked
āHis grand mum said he was knocked down on his way to schoolā Miss Lara replied āokay now, you could go see him at the hospital if want to, but I suggest you all go see himā she said to the rest of the class.
āAre you ok, Aura?ā Louise asked
āI guess I amā she replied, teary.
āOh no sweetie youāre not fine, we need to get out of here and go see that boy in the hospitalā Lilly said
āBut why, why would he be so careless to let a car hit him, why would God allow such a thing to happen to himā Marie said finally, this time in tears
āCome on Aura, God has nothing to do with this, he might have been a little carless, or maybe the driver was the one that drove carelessly. Letās just go and see how heās doingā Louise said, trying to console her friend.
āhe doesnāt have anybody, his mum is nowhere around him right now, only his grand mum, and the poor woman only feeds when his mum sends money, or when she decides to show upā Marie said, with her face covered on her palm.
Over the months, Marie had lived to like Caleb, not just as a friend, but was developing feelings for him. He happens to be the only guy she has ever felt anything for, and she wouldnāt want to see anything bad happen to Caleb, because she has always fantasized about the day he will tell her he liked her, or maybe use the āLā word.
Now heās unconscious, sheās scared that it might lead to something else.
She called her dad who she has not set eyes on for sometimes now because her mum wouldnāt let her, she told him about her very good friend that needs help, and she needs his help in order for her to be able to help him.
On reaching the hospital, they found his 68 year old grand mum sitting all alone in the reception, with her head placed on the table before her.
Marie introduced herself and her friends to her and was surprised to find out that Caleb has been talking about her to his grand mum a lot.
They got to where he was and found him laying there helplessly with his head covered with bandage, his body filled with blood, and his right leg also covered with bandage. Marie couldnāt help but start crying as soon as she saw her friend and the first guy she has ever had feelings for lying there like a corpse.
The doctor told them that they could not start working on him because there was no money, and that he needs a lot of blood and the hospital cannot provide that for him without money, except theyāre bringing a donor.
āWe will get a donor doc, but first I want him transferred from this hospitalā Marie heard her dadās voice from behind.
āDaddyā she shouted as she ran to him, crying āheās dying daddy, heās dying. He needs help daddy, please help himā she said with her face buried on her dadās arms
āItās ok princess, daddy will do anything to help your friendā her dad said āIāve missed you my princessā he added.
āIāve missed you too daddy, I thought you were coming with aunt Mirabelā
āSheās on her way princess. Now letās make sure your friend is fine firstā
Caleb got transferred to doctor Dickās hospital, there Dick everything possible to keep him alive. He did the necessary tests on him, and the person who was supposed to give him blood, his mum, was still on her way coming. Dick said he could survive with what he has, till his mum comes. When asked the possibilities of him surviving, he assured them that the young man will survive and there was no course for them to be afraid. Meanwhile, he requested to talk to Tom in his office.
āDude, who has that kidā Dick asked
āI donāt know bro; Iām seeing him for the first time. Marie called me and sounded very worried, had to rush here and see for myself. I suppose heās her classmate or somethingā
āWell, thereās bad newsā the doc said
āBad news you say? Whatās it, is he not going to survive?ā
āNo heās going to survive, but the scan we did shows that he has Osteosarcoma Cancerā
āOk, now can you break it to a laymanās term, because I donāt know what youāre talking about?ā
āItās a bone tumor, commonly found in children and young adultsā
āHoly cow! How deadly is that?ā
āWell, depends.ā
āDepends on what and how did you find out?ā
āTom, donāt forget Iām a doctorā
āOh yea, I do forget about that sometimesā
āItās not time for joke my brother, this boy is in danger. I found it in his scan result; if he survives the accident, weāll have to face tackling that bone tumorā
āDamnit man, how can a kid like him have something as deadly as that?ā
āItās transferred through genes; I suppose someone in his family has it, maybe his mum, dad or somethingā
āThis is big bro, so whatās going to happen now?ā
āLetās wait for the mum to come; weāll try to find out more about himā
āWhat about the old woman out there?ā
āYou mean the guysā grand mum?ā
āYeaā
āOh no Tom, I better let his mum come firstā
āIf you say so, Iām really scaredā
Tom left the office and went to see his daughter, but found his daughter clinched to Calebās bed, with his hand on hers
āI hope youāll be fine Calebā
āIām sorry I was not there when this happened to you, if you can hear me, please wake up, I donāt want to lose you.Youāre the only male friend I haveā
āDonāt leave me and your grand mum please, we need you more than ever, especially now that my parents are not together.Youāre the only person who understands how it feels like not to have a united family, and youāre the only person that understands me.ā
āI love you Caleb, please donāt dieā
āLove,did she say love?ā Tom who was listening from the door said to himself ālove at 13?ā
He picked his phone and made a call
āYou should come to Dickās hospital, our daughter needs usā he said on phone, to Celina āCelina, your daughter is in love at 13, and the boy in question is lying here unconscious, this is not the time for questions pleaseā he said, and dropped the call.
He left and tried to find out from Louise and Lilly who Caleb was, and they told him heās just their classmate, and is very close with Marie.
Just then Calebās mum came in, looking wishy-washy like someone who partied all night.
āWhereās my son?ā she said as she approached Tom and the girls āis he dead? Where is he?ā she kept screaming
āCalm down woman, your son is fine, heās only unconscious heāll be fineā Tom said to her
āTom? What are you doing here?ā she asked Tom, shocked to see him
āYou know me?ā Tom asked
āYes. We met twice at Don Chippuās residenceā she answered
āOh yea,youāre the boys mum?ā he asked, not really convinced if he recognized her, because he had seen Don Chippu with different women, he didnāt just know which of them she was.
āYes I am, and what are you doing here yourself?ā
āHeās my daughterās friend and classmateā Tom said āsmall world isnāt it?ā
āIt is indeedā she replied ācan I see the doctor?ā
She was invited into Dickās office; there Mirabel joined them as they talked about the boyās health. Calebās mum said she was not going to donate her blood, with reasons that she has not eaten anything strong for a week, that donating her blood might just kill her.
Pressure came from everywhere that she should donate blood for her kid, but all to no avail. When asked if sheād ever had Osteosarcoma cancer, she said she had no such thing growing up, and her parents didnāt have such growing up either.
āMaybe his dad did, but Iāve not set eyes on the bastard since Caleb turned twoā she said
Dick and Tom wondered where the man would be, because they really needed to find out how he survived the cancer, if he had it, or if anyone in his family had it. Tom volunteered to give his blood to Caleb so heāll be strong enough to wake up.
āThe doctor didnāt make mention of bone tumor, he said the boy had brain tumor, and since then, Iād feared heād die at anytimeā Calebās mum said, crying
āBrain tumor? Hell no! Which doctor and what hospital diagnosed that?ā Dick asked, angry
āRoyal Medicare centerā she said
āmaāam, your son has no such thing as brain tumor, he only has bone tumor. Hospitals like that should not be given accreditation for Godās sakeā Dick said
āBone tumor; Brain tumor. Donāt you thinkyou mistook bone tumor for brain tumor?ā Mirabel said
āNo, he said brain tumor. He never made mention of bone tumor. Calebsās hospital documents says its brain tumorā Calebās mum said āfor the past how many years, Iāve lived in fear, Iāve lived ninety percent of motherhood out of his life because I was scared he might just fall sick one day and die, Iāve been a bad mother, only to find out he has no such thing as brain tumor?ā she added, in heavy tears.
The day Caleb and Marie became close, he had told her he has brain tumor, and that he had a very little time to live, which made Marie cry all night because the thought that she might just wake up one day and hear that Caleb died made her nervous and scared, thatās why she made use of every little opportunity she had with Caleb.
I remember I promised you guys I was going to tell you what Caleb had told Marie that day, well I just did, though I got to hear about it from a third party (Calebās mum). But all the same, my promise kept was kept.
āI know who to contact to get his bastard fatherā Calebās mum said
She gave the phone number of Calebās dadsā best friend, and when they called they were told that he (Calebās dad) had died two years back, from a ghastly motor accident that killed him instantly. Doctor Dick introduced himself as a family doctor, and that he wanted to know if he knew any member of the deceased family, and if he knew of any cancer record on the family. The man told them he knew Calebās dad since childhood until the day he died, and no such case as cancer ever hit the family.
āSo why exactly did he leave his son and his wife, if you donāt mind me asking sirā doctor Dick said
āwell he couldnāt stand having another manās child in his life when he wasnāt capable of impregnating his wife, when she found the child, he didnāt want her to bring him home but she insisted and adopted the childā the man on phone said
āIs that a good reason for a man to abandon a child he would have loved as his own?ā Dick asked
āLook, I told you he didnāt want to have someone elseās child when he could not produce one of his own. Besides after the child was brought to the house, everything started falling apart. He lost his job, lost everything he had. He had to leave. Now let the poor man rest in peace and stop asking me questions. Since you said you are the family doctor, I guess you should know his wife. If you have any further questions, ask her directly and donāt call me againā the man said and dropped the call.
āHe dropped the call on meā Dick said.
āYou have a lot of explaining to do maāamā he said as he dropped the phoneā
āThe child in question isnāt yours, is he?ā he asked as he turned to Calebās mum
āWhat? Not hers?ā Tom asked
āWhat do you mean not hers, she just said heās hersā Mirabel said
āThe man said the child isnāt his late friendās child, and that he as a matter of fact left because he didnāt want to have another manās childā Dick said
āIf he didnāt want to have another manās child, it means she got the child with some order man. So why would you ask if the child is hersā Tom said
āCan we please hear from her?ā Dick said
It took Calebās mum a while to talk, as she was shading tears. Her tears includes the fact that people now know the child is not hers, and the fact that the husband she was married to for 10 years before he left her is dead and sheās just getting to know about it after two years. After much sobbing from her and after the others had patiently waited for her to stop crying and give them answers to their questions, she finally spoke up.
āYes heās not mine. I picked him under the rain near a dumpsterā she said. āI was married for 8 years with no child, and I gladly welcomed him into our home after I found him lying there and crying helplessly, but it just wasnāt the same for my husband. Itās a complicated storyā she added
āSo if heās not your child, who then is his parents?ā Tom asked
Tomās question left everyone and everywhere quite, trying to figure out what next.
Good one…ur prose is getting better day by day….
Hmmmmm. Interesting!
Hmmmmm interesting….i have a feeling it’s Tom’s child, good job dearie.
Me too. I think Caleb is Tom’s. What a twist! I am so in love with this episode. Good work semione. Thanks.
Nice one.
I didn’t plan to leave a comment but I couldn’t take it anymore. I believe feedbacks are essential to help us hone our skills and correct our mistakes. So, take all what I’m saying as constructive criticism. I am not a writer but I’ve read enough for me to be able to make some corrections.
First and foremost, if the story was about caleb from the onset while did we go from marie’s parents to marie and we kept going in a merry-go-round and now we are at caleb. I feel you were writing all these spontaneously. Like you wake up one day and write something and the following day you write what comes to your mind. No! You need to be focused and write things. You shouldn’t be jumping from one character to another esp if the title is “the chronicles of an adopted child”. I feel everything should be seen from caleb’s perspective.
Secondly, one day marie was 7 and following day she’s 13. I don’t understand. You keep losing me and I keep losing interest.
Thirdly, the language you tend to use. “Nigga” “fuck” etc. I’m not saying one can’t use it but the language can actually make one lose interest especially when you can use proper expressions .
I feel you are making a huge effort to write a good story. It is good but it can be better when you consider all these and more advices from others.
Keep up the good work.
P.S Find people that can edit your story properly.
Semione….am with darkiebussie on this one,u should look at (go get her) and do some restructuring on your work…its good but can be better
Its not easy to write a story but when u write something make sure dat pple can understand it. Your storyline is great just needs editting
Its not easy to write a story but when u write something make sure dat pple can understand it. Your storyline is great just needs editting
Well done, I think the story just got complicated! Interesting read!
as for me i enjoy every part of your story Weldon keep it up and as for those people that are seeing error in your work please i want to them to write their own too so that we can read and learn and should stop finding someones mistake. please we are patiently waiting for episode 10
Intriguing!