Unbreakable

Part 3

picture credit- PicsArt

Over the next month, they visited about eight doctors, desperately seeking a positive review. Bilal went to all the doctors he knew and trusted and Yemisi did same. They were both exhausted. The best they got was from an Abuja based gynecologist who told them that they had to wait till the pregnancy was four months old, then they could perform a test that would tell them the probable genotype of the foetus. There was no simple solution. All that there was were maybes. They also went to visit a doctor that Bilal’s best friend had suggested and when they got home, it seemed entirely hopeless. Bilal went straight into the room. Yemisi went to the balcony to call her mother. She explained why she had been going in and out of Lagos for the past month. She told her mother about the pregnancy and about the genotype problem. She poured out her heart to her mother. She was met with complete silence from the other end of the phone.

“Mummy are you there?”

“Yes I am. So what do you want to do now?”

“I don’t know mom, that’s why I am calling you.”

“You know the right thing to do Oluyemisi. It’s your choice to make, love or the health and future of your children? Just remember that I am your mother and I love you. Whichever choice you make, I am here to support you.”

Yemisi did a double take and then checked the phone to be sure.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you ma. I'll call you later”

She left the balcony and headed to the room. As she entered, she gasped. She had never seen Bilal cry and seeing him crying broke her heart. She ran to him seated on the floor and sat with him. She cradled him on her bosom and started crying. They cried and rocked each other for what seemed like hours. They rocked each other, each of them bemoaning their fate.
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 Yemisi stared at her mother as she cuddled the tiny in her arms, she looked so joyous, and there was so much love in her eyes. She wondered if what she felt now was what her mother felt when she was born. Yemisi drifted slowly into sleep, thanking God for how lucky she was. It seemed like just yesterday when she called her mom to tell her about the pregnancy. She remembered how she had found Bilal crying in the room and they had rocked each other. That was the night she made the decision to abort the baby and break up with Bilal. Sweet loving Bilal. He had known what she had in mind immediately he had caught her booking a flight to Lagos the next morning. He went on his knees immediately and started to beg Yemisi. She couldn’t deny his allegation but she vehemently refused. She had left a heartbroken Bilal and left for the airport. When Bilal had seen that her mind was made up, he had offered to take her to the airport, she refused and went to take a cab. When she got home in Lagos, she fell into her mother’s waiting arms. She cried with her mom, who just cuddled her. She woke up hours later to see her dad and mom seated by her bed. Her father came close to her and pulled her in for a long hug. She started sobbing again and he pet her like a little girl till she calmed.
“Adetola Oluyemisi, stop crying my dear. Listen, your mother has told me everything. I never hated that boy, and I always want the best for you. You know that right?”
Yemisi nodded.
“Call it a father’s instincts, I just never felt right about that boy, and yes, I should be ashamed of myself for being tribalistic but I wouldn’t want you going off to a family all the way in the north, where you do not understand their language and culture. Marriage is forever Yemisi, and you cannot come running to us if anything happens between you and your husband. Living all the way in the north also means we do not know what is happening with you. But with the way things are right now, whatever decision you make, your mother and I are here to support you. We love you and we respect that you are an adult and you are capable of making your decisions. You never disappointed us and we know you would not start now.”
Yemisi saw her mother nodding her support.
“Oluyemisi, we also believe that we have raised you in the ways of God so you would not only think of yourself but put God first.”
That was the moment Yemisi reversed her decision. And now in the hospital room, she thanked God for blessing her with a beautiful baby, who was not just beautiful but had been born with the genotype AS. It was a blessing she knew and she and Bilal had made the decision not to have other children. They did not want to take chances again. Bilal had assured her that he was okay with adoption and if they were very eager to have their own baby again, he was open to surrogacy. They had chosen their wedding date as three months after their baby had been born. As she drifted more into sleep she heard her mom shout “Ah, Bilali kaabo” and she felt a warm kiss on her forehead. She smiled and tried to stay awake but she couldn’t, she was too tired. Childbirth did not go as easy as her mother, Bilal’s mother and other women who had given her unsolicited advice all through her pregnancy had told her. She finally slept off dreaming of weddings and babies.


THE END
We have come to the end of Unbreakable. yaay. i hope you enjoyed it. Your feedback keeps me going. please don't hesitate to comment and share(with proper reference of course). Have a fun weekend. A new story starts next week.