DOKITA

EPISODE 8

Things were beginning to take shape. Linda smiled

‘This one you’re smiling like a fish happy to thrown back into water ehn?’ Felix asked a half-question

Linda kept smiling as she packed the remaining of her things. She was trying to remember something, but it eluded her, almost like the trying to catch the wind with outstretched arms.

She wouldn’t be surprised if she had forgotten to pack something. It was something that already defined her whenever she travelled. She just had to forget something.

‘All set?’ Felix asked

‘Yep’

‘Auntie, o dabo o!’

‘O dabo ma!’ she replied in a sad replica of the Yoruba language.

The woman was in her mid-40s and had shared a wall with her for the last 2 weeks, since she had been on the ward.

Now she understood all those prayer points raised to thank God for good health. She would never overlook/ignore them anymore. She breathed a prayer of thanks.

Her friend had been admitted on account of a hip fracture that had occurred secondary to a road traffic accident. Her joy almost felt wrong.; or so Linda had felt when she got into the ward. How could you be so happy in such a situation? Even when her children came to greet her, you would think there was a birthday celebration going on. She was arguably the most friendly patient on this ward- even unfriendly nurses had to smile when with her.

Linda’s thoughts justled, as if in line with her steps and she suddenly remembered what she had forgotten.

 A disturbing dream over the night.

She had seen a man, somewhere between his mid- and late 50s, putting on a white shirt and a pair of black slacks. He was running through a building with several doors and corridors, obviously lost and looking for a way of escape out of this supposed prison.

Several times, via the keyhole she was peeping through in that same building, she had helplessly watched him cast furtive glances in her direction, almost as if he could actually catch a glimpse of her regardless of which direction he was headed. He seemed to be uttering with his eyes, silent yet urgent pleas for help.

Once, Linda had felt like she was reading his eyes which detailed fear and a myriad of other emotions. Yet, she had felt ridiculously helpless. She knew that all she had to do was turn the door knob and let him in, but she found out that she could not. She just couldn’t bring her hand to do so; for her hand seemed unresponsive to her dreaming brain.

She still couldn’t make sense of that dream. She remembered that someone had once told her that dreams were a reflection of one’s thoughts. But how could she have thought of an old man?

Maybe the dream would continue when she slept tonight; Linda thought as she hoped against hope.

She chuckled.

‘Why are you so quiet?’ Felix nudged once more

‘It’s a little scary. Are you all right?’

‘Yes, yes I am. Thanks for everything.’

‘Yea, whatever’ He grunted

‘I still need to school you on the ability to receive compliments and respond to gratitude appropriately’

Felix shook his head. This was the Linda he knew. Lectures had started!

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

Fola was charged up, yet destabilized.

He needed to know.

He just needed to know. And urgently too.

A dull voice in his head subtly pointed out the seemingly glaring facts. Bunmi not being able to look him directly in the face as she gave him the invitation card.

She had been surreptitiously hiding from him for the last 4 weeks, since that talk that they had.

He had known her for the last 6 years, and this was very atypical of her. Well, everything about the given situation was atypical.

As he walked down to the cafeteria, he saw Kenny in the distance, jut a little bit ahead of him.

Thank God. Now, he could clear his head.

He walked briskly and caught up with Kenny.

‘Chairman, how you dey now?’ Kenny asked.

They stood under the tree nearest them.

‘I dey o! Ehen, I’ve been meaning to ask you something’

‘I saw an invitation card today…’

Kenny’s face looked grim. His guilt was very visible.

‘I’m so sorry. I actually wanted to talk to you about it. Uh…how do I say this?’

He continued.

‘Bums and I hooked up a few times while you guys weren’t together. I figured you weren’t interested anymore since you weren’t coming around and all that.’

‘Wait, I don’t get…what do you mean by you hooked up?

Kenny snorted.

‘Seriously?’

‘Whatever you think it means. Anyways, I put her in the family way and her abdomen will soon be gravidly distended…if you know what I mean’ he winked.

‘But that was an honest mistake. She didn’t seem too wise as regards the usage of pills, and I guess she wasn’t expecting us to go that far’

Fola knew he was going to punch this guy.

‘I guess you guys didn’t have much practice…but as you know now, a man has to eventually become responsible. So I figured, why postpone it? Bunmi is a good girl and marrying her wouldn’t be…’

Before he could complete his sentence, the long-awaited punch landed on his jaw.

Followed by another.

And then another.

‘Fola, please…’

Kenny felt obliged to fight back.

Within the next 10 minutes, at least 50 people had gathered round to watch the 2 doctors who were fighting shamelessly in ward coats.

Over the next 1 week, ‘#Punching doctors’ would trend on Twitter, as well as on major blogs.

‘Doctors! This is highly irresponsible of you. Preposterous nonsense. I will ensure that those temporary licenses of yours are revoked!’

Dr. Afuarida was here.

The fun was over, and the crowd dispersed, howbeit disappointed. They had wanted to see the winner of this fight. But unfortunately, there was none to wear the crown of thorns.

 Next episode...of course next week Wednesday.

Thanks, as always, for reading.