In the heat of the moment, everyone celebrated but for Ndeye's family. They were already used to spending their Christmas in a hospital, it had become a routine for the past four years.
From 20th December Agu, Mrs Ndeye's first child and only son would take to a strange illness which would last till the 31st of December and suddenly like the wind, it blows away and he gets better like nothing happened. It was exactly how her husband was before he passed on, his own lasted to seasons before his demise. On one of the occasions, their kins men had proposed Agu be taken to a medicine man who cured all kinds of ailment since the hospital didn't dictate exactly what was wrong but his mother objected and said it wasn't spiritual.
She didn't believe those kinds of things existed and kept on hoping that her son would get better with time since this particular Christmas was different. On other occasion's, Agu's eyes would be shut for the whole period of hospitalization, he'd always wet the sheets and his mother and sister's took turns to clean him up.
On this particular Christmas, he seldom soiled the sheets and he could talk sometimes so they know when his bladder was full, it was a different Christmas and she was hopeful.
Agu's ailment got worse on 30th night as it usually does and his mother hoped he makes it out this year as he always had, he is her only son and he couldn't just die at 30,he wasn't even married and she couldn't bear losing him.
3pm,31st December, Mrs Ndeye got a call from her security man that a young lady was asking after them and said it was important. She asked to speak to the young woman who introduced herself as Agu's girl friend, she was given directions on how to get to the hospital while Agu's mother wondered why she never knew this particular girl in question.
When Lola got to the hospital, it was already too late..
A strong wind blew across the room as Agu bid his mother and sister's a final farewell, he couldn't hang on so he let himself and the pain slip away, he almost made it through this year but it would never have been easy, he fought but his strength failed him at that point. This is the 31st his father had talked about on his death bed, it was his own turn and he had to go, he saw his mother's pain and wished he could stay longer....
Lola ran to his bed side and begged him to stay as he convulsed while white foamy substance escaped the corners of his mouth. Lola had a boy of about four of five with her, she screamed and asked Agu to hang on telling him the kid is his son but it was already a lost cause.
Lola's parents had sent her out of the country because they didn't want her to marry Agu, she soon found out she was with child but couldn't contact Agu. She finally made it back to the country this year and found his home address in one of her old diary that she left behind and decided to look for him since at his old address she was told he relocated after his father's death.
Lola couldn't hold herself as she watched Agu breath his last, he was her first love, the first man that knew her. There was tears and there was joy. Mrs Ndeye held her grand son as she mourned her son who lay there stone dead as the staffs prepared him for the morgue, she was heart broken and at the same time felt unimaginable joy.
She had finally made a strong decision to go to any length possible to seek the real cause of her husband and son's death because she couldn't take losing anyone again through the same means.
For Mrs Ndeye, it was a 31st to remember.. While she mourned Agu and remembered her husband, she also had a part of her heart that wanted to leap with joy whenever she laid eyes on her grandson....
Ifunanya Ononiwu (c) 2016
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