Decades: Chunks of Time

"My Daddy Eko is coming to our house today!" Four year old Ajibike whispered to her friend. They were at sunday school, and even though the teacher had warned her to keep quiet twice already, she could not suppress the good news. Nothing could suppress her excitement that day, not even the fact that her sunday black shoes had cut that morning on the way to church, because she had run at the site of a giant millepede. Her best friend, Lanre, had laughed at her, calling her a sissy, but his words did not have their usual effect that day. All she knew was that her Daddy from Lagos was arriving that day, and that was enough to keep the sun shining all day for her. One would think that the man's visits meant lots of sweets and gifts for her, like any other child, but for Ajibike, it meant she had a listening ear to report all her troublesome younger brother had done to her since his last visit. He was always patient enough to listen, unlike her father and mother, who expect...

"What is the issue now?" the man asked. "Haven't you taken enough for the tests?" The child was crying silently, in her mother's arms.The nurse glanced nervously at the couple. How was she to tell them that the pathologist was out for his noon day drinking break? "Er...the samples have been sent to the Lab sir," the nurse stuttered. "But that is what you said twenty minutes ago!" the man exclaimed. "We are waiting for the results sir, before we can proceed." the nurse repeated again. " The man glared at the nurse before turning back to his wife and child. Suddenly two doctors rushed into the room and asked for the referred child. The nurse pointed towards the watching couple. One doctor quickly collected the sleeping child from its mother while another began explaining that the child had to be operated on because they believed any more delay would jeopardize the child's life. "No!" exclaimed the mothe...

The man rubbed his head again in anguish, then rubbed his aching eyes, before resuming his pacing. Back and forth he paced in the waiting corridor, ignoring the pitying glances that passersby sent his way. Everytime a doctor approached he looked at their faces intently, dreading bad news. They had already lost one baby. This unexpected one had been a God - given miracle, and now it seemed it was only a teaser. He smiled as he remembered his wife's facial expression when the doctor had told her that her illness was another baby, not malaria. But that was four months ago. Now he had had to rush her to the emergency room because she had fainted. He had stepped down to the car to pick something, only to return and find her on the floor. "Hello sir," the approaching doctor asked. "Are you the husband of the woman in the theatre right now?" "Yes, Yes," he said in a rush. "I am. What happened?" "We are sorry about the.." the doctor began, ...