Chapter 4 A blessing and a curse

A few minutes later, David walks into the room. He quickly walks to the wooden table and pulls out a chair and sits next to me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Thank you," I say to him.

David taps my hands with a bright smile.

I feel his hand on mine. My heart starts to beat faster. How could he be so calm?

He stares at me from across the bed. His eyes are pure brown.

I try not to look away from those brown eyes but it feels like my heart is trying to jump out of my chest. He gently squeezes my hand with his, and that's all I can handle before I have to look away.

David smiles at me. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks," I whisper back to him.

"I feel better, thanks to you. And Kate. Where's she?"

"Oh, she went to grab a drink and some snacks, she's been crying from hunger since," David says with a short laugh. "Kate can be a foodie sometimes"

"I know right?" David replies

A cloud of silence hangs over us.

"When would you be discharged?" David finally breaks the long and awkward silence.

"This evening"

"Okay, I will come to pick you up by 5:00pm," David says as he glances at his wristwatch.

"That's so sweet of you, how do I repay you?"

"You don't have to repay me for being here for you" David replies.

David's forehead folds into a frown. He never liked when I mentioned that. We once had that spark of love for each other. He still has feelings for me. But I never agreed to see him more than a friendly neighbour. David never hesitated to give me a helping hand whenever I needed one.

"You know I don't like that question, what are friends for?" David says with a smirk.

"I won't say it again, I promise, I say as I hold my lips together.

We grew up together. Our parents lived in the same compound. David was my best friend. When I lost my dad, he held me until I regained myself. That was how our bond grew. As time went on, we became more than just friends.

We were inseparable. No matter where we found ourselves, we always made time out to be with each other. We played football, video games, board games, card games, and even watched movies together. He was the first person I confessed to about my crush on John, in college. He supported me all through.

****************************

My house smells of smoke. I open up all my windows, rush into my bedroom, and take some cash to pay the cab driver.

" Thank you, madam," he says as he drives off.

I enter my apartment and a void settles in my chest. That emptiness that feels as if I had just lost a loved one.

I couldn't bring myself to accept my current situation. I pick up my phone and dial Tessy's number. Tessy's voice carries anger, worry and empathy. I'm quite too overwhelmed to listen to Tessy's shouts and rants. I regret calling her.

"I knew it! I knew he was a scam!

"There was always something about him that was odd," Tessy says as she pulls out the rubber from her braids, throws it at a corner, and quickly removes her earrings and heels.

"Okay, now do you want to go and fight him?"

"Yes, I will if I can"

"Oh babe, you could have called me"

"The tension was too much for me to handle, I couldn't even think straight at that point," I say with a breaking voice.

"I understand," Tessy says and exhales.

"So, about the baby," Tessy says tilting her neck to the side to face me.

"I will keep the child", I say, rolling my eyes, turning my face away from my friend as though I didn't want to see her reaction. I rub my hands gently on my stomach.

I stand up and dash into the bathroom. I lock the door behind me. I had horrible flashbacks about what had happened, from the kidnap to the gunfight, to the explosion, and now I'm pregnant. I sat in the bathtub and I let out a scream, finally letting tears roll freely down my cheeks.

Tessy comes knocking at the bathroom door with aggression. I cover my mouth and sob quietly.

"Maria! Open this door right now"

"I will pull this door now", Tessy says with a breaking voice. Even if she always acted like the tough one, it was quite obvious that she was overwhelmed by the whole situation too.

I stagger to my feet, gently open the door and lean on the bathroom. Knees inclined, head bent and letting tears and heartbreak have the best of me.

She knees before me, and with no words uttered, she put her arm around me. We had a good cry in each other's arms for a while.

"I can't do this" I pull out of the embrace

"I don't have any money left, where would I start from? How would you take care of the child?"

I pause for a while, looking up into the ceiling as I shake my head again.

"I gaze at Tessy with curious eyes, searching for an answer from my best friend. But Tessy is silent, and I knew she wanted me to rant and let it all out.

"I know this may sound crazy but maybe you need this child, maybe it is the only thing that can fix you, us, in this situation. This child might just be the blessing we need.

"We will get through this, the money will come, I don't know how, but it will happen.

I wipe the last tear off my cheek and I pull Tessy into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much"

"Ssh. Please stop thanking me. Just shut up and let us enjoy the hug in peace."

Pulling out of the hug, Tessy holds my hands and asks "what is next?"