TAMAR
Episode 11.
I was present in her inner chamber with the mid wife as she begs Zity to push fort her baby, the mid wife was brought by the merchant wife, Okra was also present too, as she relaxed at one corner looking at the whole thing, Zity was crying and looks exhausted, I was encouraging her, the mid wife was doing all she can for Zity, Zity’s mother, Lady Phin could have come but she sent a message that Lord Reese was ill and she couldn’t make it down, although Zity seems happy when the news of her mother not coming got to her
Adolfo was standing outside zity’s locked chamber, pacing up and down, everyone was totally worried for Zity as she kept screaming,
After a long time of labour and pain which seem so obvious on Zity she brought forth a son for Adolfo, it was a Long battle and she gave birth to a boy, she doesn’t look happy with the news of her baby,
I was so happy and proud of her that she was now a mother as the Baby cry filled in the chamber, everything was done and Zity was quickly cleaned up, after I clean and wrapped the baby up according to the mid wife direction, I took him to Zity, she turned her face to the wall and refuse to look at the child
“Take him away, I don’t want him, get him off my side, I don’t want to know what he looks like, go and throw him away I don’t want him…do as I say Tamar
” how can you not look at the beautiful boy you suffered to bore, please take a look at him my lady, he is a pure definition of perfect, he is so handsome my Lady, you are strong enough to give birth to this fine being, please take him and wean him, my lady please…
Zity refuse to look at him, the merchant wife, Okra spoke up angrily
“You this stubborn slave girl, are you deaf, your mistress said she doesn’t want him, why are you disturbing her, is that not bre@st on your chest, use it for him, Zity doesn’t want him, do you want her to have a sagging bre@st, or looking haggard from all the trouble of taking care of a child, don’t you see the trouble she went through to bring him fort, which if not that I was busy at the early stage of her pregnancy it would have being terminated to avoid all this birth thing, do you even understand the trouble of taking care of this things they called child, so what you are going to do is to find away to dispose him off, is so easy to do, like eight or seven years ago, I was careless and did not terminate the pregnancy on time, and the gods punished me by giving me twins, I don’t even know their gender or what they looks like, the mid wife here helped me disposed them quickly before Lami returns from his journey, I paid her and she did a clean job, and I told Lami I lost the Baby, I didn’t even tell him that they were twins, I watched Lami weep like a baby, and I have always being careful ever since then, don’t worry about Adolfo, I and the mid wife Will tell Adolfo and anybody that cares that Zity lost the baby, and then while everyone is in mourning mood there will be enough chance for you to go and bury the child…make sure you keep your mouth shut for your life sake, except if you don’t value your life.
I started weeping, hoping that this was a bad night mare, I can never do such, I can never put my hand to such evil, if God made it possible for this baby to survive abortion and was born alive, same God will keep him alive because he has a plan for the child which neither Zity nor the merchant’s wife can cut short.
I held the little Baby who was hungry in my arms as I thought of what to do, I was so angry, I boiled with anger at Zity who was following the ways of her bad friend, Okra and also falling away from humanity.
I spoke angrily at the merchant wife without thinking as tears of sadness drop from my eyes
“Why are you turning Zity to be like you, how can you be so heartless, without any iota of feeling, you asked me to dispose a baby that is healthy and alive, like you did to yours years ago, and you thought there’s no consequence for your evil actions, there Will be a great vengeance on your head for many women you have deceived and every child you have disposed off, may all their innocent blood bring down curses upon you, on the last day of you on earth, if you do not turn from your evil way you will take your own life because a time Will come when you will answer for every of your evil deeds…
She rushed to me and strikes me hard across the face, she turned and crabbed one of the mid wife sharp tools and slashed my arm and my head, she pushed me hard to the flood and I fell with a heavy thud with the baby still in my arms to the floor, I held onto the little child as she kicks me hard, covered the baby with my body so that he doesn’t gets hurt, their was a hard knock on the door, the merchant’s wife stopped, I was covered with my own blood but still not in pain of the beating but in pain of the Baby who wanted the mother’s bre@st
I heard the merchant wife unlock the door and stepped outside, closed the door behind her and she stood there not wanting Adolfo to enter, i couldn’t hear what she was saying to Adolfo so I moved far away from Zity’s chamber to another corner where I can hear clearly, blood was running down from my arms and head but I wrapped the child up properly, and sat on the ground to cover up the Baby and clean myself up. The mid wife was just looking at me and with the way I cuddle up the child, she has this pitiful look as she stood there quietly, I started hearing Adolfo and Okra speak.
“Please is everything alright, there’s so much noise coming from the chamber, I thought I heard a cry of baby earlier, what of My Wife and the baby…is everything alright,
” your wife is alright, but the baby couldn’t make it, he died few minutes after Zity pushed him fort, and he was so beautiful like her, Adolfo this must be a saddened news, a heavy lost because we all know how much you needed this child, I’m sorry for your lost, I know the gods Will bless you and your wife with another, we tried to keep him alive, even the mid wife tried everything possible but he couldn’t stay..
“Ooh, what is my sin that the gods decided to remember today, they could have taken me instead and spare the baby’s life, Can I come in and see my Wife and also my boy, I know he maybe dead but I wish to behold his face before he Will return to earth..
” I’m sorry Adolfo but you are the last person Zity wants to see right now, she is not in a good condition and has made it clear that she doesn’t want you around her, and you seeing a dead child brings bad luck, is not a good sight to behold…
I was sitting on the floor as I still held the tiny Baby in my arm, the mid wife quickly mixed up something in a tiny baby’s bottle while the merchant’s Wife speaks with Adolfo outside the door, the mid Wife was fast with whatever she was doing and she brought the thing that looks like liquid milk to me, I refuse to take it, she bent down and whispered to my ear to take it and give it to the baby so that the baby may live and will not attract people with his noise, I looked at her and all I wanted to do right now is to scream out to Adolfo and tell him his child is still alive but they wanted me to dispose him as if he is nothing, but Wisdom kept me mute, I know what the kingdom does to women like the merchants Wife who kills their child even before the baby forms, and they sometimes sweeps it under the carpet if the person is wealthy or famous or her parents is, at the end is the person that report such act Will be punished or thrown out,
some of them worship money, so with money many grave sin will be pardon, I looked at the face of the mid wife urging me to take it and put the milky content in the baby’s mouth, I silently prayed is not a poison that Will finally kill the baby, I took it from her and did as she directed, she whispered again to only my hearing
“Trust me Tamar, if you couldn’t find anywhere to keep the baby safe and away from Zity and the merchant’s wife bring the child to me, I will give it to a childless woman who lost her husband many years ago, she is a poor widow, she also have two of Okra’s children, many years ago, I was asked by the merchants wife to disposed the twins, during the early year of her marriage to the merchant, Lami was on a journey when okra brought forth twin and refused to look at them just like Zity, she paid me a huge amount and asked me to inject them a deadly venom that Will make them die quick and i pretend to do that before taken off the babies to the widow who lives in the outskirt of the kingdom, and i gave her the twins making her swear she will never tell anybody, which will be risking my life, she promised me and has kept to her promise…ever since Okra has always finds away to flush off any sign of pregnancy before it will be detected, It has being eight years now after the twins were born, neither okra nor the husband knows that they got children somewhere, who are alive, everyone has forgotten except me and Rhonda the widow, I send money to them from time to time, but I’m Glad that the widow now has children of her own, so, my dear Tamar, no time for long story, I wrote where I live in this paper, take it, here is where I live, but please do not come to my house with this baby to avoid being seen, I Will be at a hidden Apian way waiting for you tonight, come when everywhere is dark, please wrap the baby up properly, and bring him to me, be careful to avoid being seen or followed…
I listened with keen interest at the midwife who quickly stood up immediately okra came back in, Zity was lying at the edge of her chamber has refused to turn, after the mid wife left, okra turned to me
“You were so lucky I did not send you to your early grave, I do more than this to slaves that thinks they have grown wings, and I will do even worst to you, or I Will send Zity to deal with you if you ever dare look up at me or talk back or even disobeys me, just get ready to kiss the earth good bye, you are nothing but a common slave and your death doesn’t count to anyone, you will do as I say, dispose that baby tonight and take off anything that will remind Zity of him, she needs to put it all behind her and move on with her life, do you understand me?
” yes…my Lady.
And okra later Left, I hide the things that the mid wife gave me, I kept giving the content to the baby as I lay him faraway from Zity who shouted at me that she doesn’t want to see or hear any baby noise in her chamber, she wanted every where scrubbed and cleaned up, so as night came I called Eura to help me finish up with the cleaning of the room,
“if anybody ask of me tell them I have gone to lay the Baby to rest, I have gone to bury the child and won’t be back soon,
” Adolfo locked himself in his chamber as he mourn, the house is saddened with the news of the baby, may the Lord comfort everyone, especially Lady Zity and Adolfo, I hate to see Adolfo sad, and you Tamar, I know if is within your power you would have done everything possible to save his life, you have a big wound on your forehead and arms, what happened, I guess is Lady Zity, carrying out her frustration on you as if you are the cause of her son’s death, I’m sorry for your pain, may the Lord almighty be with you always
I thanked Eura and went inside where I hide the baby and wrapped him up properly as the midwife instructed, I took all my shelling, and put it in a pouch, I doubled up my step and when I got to actual place she was already waiting and we left, it was a very long walk to Rhonda’s, the widow’s place, the night was deep when we finally got there and the mid wife called her out, I was surprise to see that Rhonda was very young, I was expecting to see an elderly Woman but i stood face to face with a beautiful young woman with a deep smile, after speaking with her and she promised to seal her lips, I handed the sleeping baby to her, Rhonda’s face lite up happily as the Baby was placed in her arms, the mid wife gave her some money and i also gave her all My saved shelling in the pouch because Rhonda does not have a stable income and she said one of the twin girls took ill and she’s stabilized now and they are both sleeping soundly inside,
She took us inside where her two daughters sleep peacefully,
me and the midwife later Left so that we can get back home before the day breaks.
As I got home early hours of the morning, I was tired after I washed up and lay awake, staring straight ahead, tears poured from my eyes as i thought of the tiny loving baby I handed over to Rhonda, who will grow to become a son for her, as the twins has become her children and also her comfort.
I wondered how possible it was for a mother to forget a child she bore and immediately a word dropped to my mind, it felt like God was speaking directly to me.
“Can a mother forgets her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb, even though she may forget but I, your maker will not forget you, see, I have written your name on the palm of my hand, you are precious and you are mine”
I quickly stood up and turned up the light to check if somebody just spoke those words to me because is sound so real but nobody was in there except Eura who slept peacefully at her corner.
I lay back and shot my eyes, i smile deeply knowing that it can only be God Who whispered those word to my ear,
I know the baby Will be alright because he is right in God’s palm, he is safe just as the twin girls.
I slept off and it was a dreamless sleep.
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