09:53am

Mide wouldn't stop pacing around the vast living room and Eartha was starting to get worried. He had been doing that since they came back from the teaching hospital and that was several minutes ago.

'Mide, sit down na,' she cajoled.

He stopped pacing and stood still. Eartha thought he had heard her and relaxed back in her seat.

But he didn't seem to have. He combed his hand through his hair and looked deep in thought.

"I mean, how is that even possible? How couldn't we have noticed?" He turned to stare at Eartha.

Eartha cringed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn't as if guilt wasn't eating up her own insides as well.

Mide continued pacing. 'Alacrimia,' he muttered. "But nobody ever had in our family.'

Eartha sighed, slightly annoyed at his peevishness. 'Mide, didn't you hear anything the specialist said? We're both carriers and-'

'But how come we never noticed? How could we not have noticed? For God's sake, she's our daughter! Why didn't we ever see anything weird for the past nine years!'

Eartha swallowed and bowed her head, rubbing at the bridge between her eyebrows with her third finger.

Mide suddenly really noticed his wife from the first time since he'd been pacing. It hit him that he was being so selfish pestering her with all the problems, as if he too didn't have a part in it. Weren't they both guilty?

He stopped in front of her and stooped to place his hand over her knee. She raised her head at the touch and stared into his eyes. Her dark eyes were filled with pain so thick that he could practically feel it in the air.

'Heart.' It was a soft whisper from his lips that gently rolled out and caressed her ears.

That single word just messed with her emotional button again. She looked away from him and blinked back fast-forming tears.

Mide squeezed her knee gently and rose to sit beside her, drawing her into him. 'Dandelion Fluff, I'm so sorry,' he said, each word laced with regret. 'It's all my fault, everything. We should have gone for checkups regularly. If we had at all, it'd have been found out sooner.'

But that wasn't even why Eartha was crying. Her heart suddenly felt like it was weighted with lead.The tears had now won freedom and burst out of her eyes in hot, salty trickles. 'No, it's not your fault, it's mine. I was never around for her, I have never been a good mother!'

'Shush, Rainbow Drip. Of course, you were and you've always been.'

'You don't understand.' She sniffled and looked away.

A certain nine-year-old girl had been perched at the kitchen doorway since the beginning of the whole episode.

On arrival from the hospital she'd gone into the kitchen to get cold water to drink. She was going to come out when she saw her daddy pacing around the living room.

They must have forgotten she was downstairs. So she stayed back in the kitchen and watched.

Now her heart tugged as she watched her mommy cry. As much as she hated them for neglecting her, as much as she had wished they'd live to regret their negligence, she still couldn't bear this. It made guilt poke at her and she felt sorry they were sad because of her.

So she rushed to the living room and hugged her mommy.

Eartha seemed startled at first but on seeing who it was she smiled sadly and drew her to her bosom.

'I'm so sorry, Adekunbi,' she murmured. 'I'm so sorry. So sorry.'

Eniiyi raised her head to stare at her face and pouted. 'Mommy, stop crying, please,' she begged.

Eartha seemed to cry more at this. 'Forgive me, baby girl. I've been the worst mommy ever. I know you must hate me right now, I'm really sorry.'

Eniiyi started to feel uncomfortable at the noise her mommy was making. 'Mommy, I don't hate you-' she looked up at her daddy for help '-you're not the worst mommy ever.'

Mide smiled appreciatively and pat her head and then looked at his wife. He squeezed her shoulders. 'Tangerine Tea, you aren't.'

Eartha sniffled again and wiped away her tears.

'Come here, Pea Blossom.' Mide extended his hand to her, shifting to create a little space for her.

Eniiyi shifted from her mommy's laps into the new space and hugged her Daddy.

She sighed heavily. 'Daddy, I knew about it before.' She sighed again. 'I knew about the alacrimia.'

Both parent's eyes riveted to her instantly. It was as though she had suddenly become a magnet and they were metals reacting to her.

'What?!' Eartha uttered breathlessly. 'How . . . how . . .?'

'You knew?' Mide's mouth couldn't even shut properly in surprise.

'Ha,' Eniiyi sighed again and leaned into the hand touching her face. 'Yes, Daddy.'

'I discovered the year before the last.' She looked down and played with her fingers in her laps. 'I had suspected there was a problem all these years, but I just wasn't too sure.

'When I stepped on broken glass at Adeayo's house, it was very painful, but the tears just wouldn't come. It was that day I looked it up and found a name for it.'

'Adekunbi, you should have-'

'I tried to tell Daddy!' There was an audible break in her voice. She looked away from her mother to stare at her Daddy.

'Daddy, I tried to tell you,' she said, her bottom lip quivering in pain. 'You didn't listen to me. You were home that day and I tried to tell you - I started to. Then your white phone rang and I knew you would never get to hear it.'

Mide blinked in shock and scrubbed a hand over his face. He wasn't very sure he remembered that day specifically, but he did remember many occurrences like that. Adekunbi would be telling him something and then a business call would abort the moment.

'Pea Blossom, I know sorry won't do for all my mistakes, but please, find a place in your heart to forgive me. Oh Lord, I've been so stupid and useless.'

'Daddy, I forgive you.' Did she have a choice. Even if she did, she was way past being concerned. The girl just wanted her parents back and was happy they were with her now.

Mide hugged his daughter tightly, covering her face with kisses.

It wasn't until Lastborn came to join them that they finally let go of each other and followed him to the dining room, where China had set them breakfast. They had hardly waited to eat anything past toast, before they ushered their daughter off to the hospital earlier.

Their hosts later came downstairs to join them and they talked. They talked about the many papers Eniiyi's parents would have to sign, about how they'd handle the village matter. They talked about the children, then China told them about her baby, they talked about a lot more things.

And they talked about sleep, too. How Mide and Eartha really needed it. It was obvious the poor couple hadn't slept properly since the day they heard about their daughter.

Signing papers and clearing other things would take long, anyway. So they talked about spending the day there and leaving the next day instead.

Most importantly, they talked about how the couple needed sleep instantly.

08:36am, October 11

Eniiyi had woken up, after a troubled sleep, with mixed feelings. She was very happy her parents were back and they were going home, but she'd miss the Okenwas. She had rather grown on them and now it was painful to have to leave them.

Now, she watched as her mommy neatly folded her clothes into her box. Watching the box made her miss her black holdall. She hadn't thought she would get it back ever again, the highway robbers had probably thrown it away. She made a mental note to ask her daddy to get her a new one.

'But, Mommy, it's just Wednesday. We can leave by weekend,' she whined.

'No, Adekunbi.' They had been at this for minutes now and all Eartha did was mumble back her disagreement.

She looked distant as she tucked the polka dot powder-blue dress into the box. She'd looked distant since yesterday, Eniiyi had noticed. Like she had something bothering on her mind. And whenever Eniiyi looked up at her in worry and started to ask about it, she'd draw the girl into a tight hug and sigh heavily.

Eniiyi had decided to postpone her questions till later when it looked like her querying made her mother more distant and thoughtful by the second.

Eniiyi sighed and sat down dejectedly at the foot of the bed. She pushed her box braids out of her face and pouted. 'Mommy, ejoor,' she said forcefully.

That got Eartha's attention. She stopped from stuffing clothes into the box to stare at the girl. 'Where did you learn that?'

'At the village. And I've heard it before many times, anyways.'

An emotion flashed in Eartha's eyes for a second but then was gone as quickly as it came. Eniiyi almost didn't see it.

Eartha then smiled and chuckled. 'Yeah, right.'

Eniiyi was glad she was able to put a smile on her mommy's face, but there was still the matter at hand.

'Does that smile mean a yes, Mommy? Are we staying till next week?' She faked innocent blinks.

Eartha sighed sadly and left the clothes she was arranging to sit beside her daughter at the foot of the bed.

'See, Pea Blossom, we have to go. I . . . there's something I need to deal with and staying here longer would not help. I'm sorry, baby girl, I know you really want to stay but I really got to do what I want to do, I've been meditating on it for a while now . . . when your daddy comes back, you can try to convince him to arrange visits or so, but we really got to go, okay?'

Eniiyi stared at her for long and finally nodded, slowly.

Eartha breathed out in relief and kissed her forehead. 'That's my baby.'

'You can tell me anything, Mommy . . .?'

'No. I mean yeah, yeah, okay. I'm not sure about this yet, still meditating on it. But I know that I can tell you anything, baby.' She smiled in appreciation, deeply touched. She found herself blinking back the tears the emotions had stirred up in her.

'Wait till your daddy comes back.'

Mide had wanted to get something -Eniiyi didn't know what- and Mr Okenwa had offered to take him to town to get it. They would be back anytime soon now.

A knock came on the door and it opened to admit China, when Eartha invited the person in. She was holding Baby Kanayo's hand to steady him on his feet. Lastborn peeked out from behind her, already dressed too, Eniiyi noticed.

'Good morning,' China said brightly, slowly walking towards them to match the baby's totters. 'I made breakfast already and the men would soon be back so we came to check up on you.'

'Good morning,' Eartha said, all smiles and caught the baby when they reached them, swinging him in the air.

'Good morning, ma,' Eniiyi said, standing up to hug China.

'Morning, Eniiyi. How was your night?'

'It was fine,' she said. Well, not really. Her parents had slept with her, and her mommy had kept tossing and turning beside her, so that the poor girl spent more time being woken up from sleep than she did falling into one.

Lastborn came forward and greeted them too. He looked somewhat sad and wouldn't look at Eniiyi.

'We are just done packing here actually. You guys go ahead to breakfast, I'll just drop the luggages at the porch and come join you,' Eartha said, bouncing the baby on her thighs.

He started to reach for his mother so she quickly handed him back to her. The baby giggled and smiled at Eartha, showing off his gums.

'Oh, alright then. Children let's go downstairs.' China swung the baby to her other hip and motioned for the children to follow.

'Lastborn dear, where is your bag I packed this morning?'

'I'll go and bring it here now, ma.' Lastborn ran out of the room, followed by Eniiyi and China.

Eartha sighed deeply. Her sigh could easily knock a shrub off it's roots. She palmed her face and inhaled deeply then rubbed at her eyes and tucked strands of her thick, black hair behind her ears.

She stood up and zipped closed Eniiyi's box.

♟️🍒♟️🍒♟️🍒

Eniiyi hadn't known Uncle Femi was coming. She didn't know he was the one her daddy had gone to get. It wasn't until she saw him rise out of the Pengine car that had closely trailed Mr Somto's midnight-blue Toyota SUV.

She didn't rush to him with as much enthusiasm as she had done on seeing him arrive at the village that time, but she was equally happy to see him.

She later learnt that Daddy had called him the day before. He was to come take them back home, to Osogbo, while he took Lastborn back to the village in his own car.

This last fact had Eniiyi whining and begging again. Lastborn started to cry in the middle of it all and hugged Eniiyi. He also didn't want to go too, but none of their pleas worked.

Her parents made it clear to the two of them that he had a father back at his home who was expecting him (angrily) and they couldn't just take him for their own.

However they pacified the children by telling them they could come visit the Okenwas during school holidays. Mide also promised to talk to Lastborn's father to let his son come visit them in Osogbo and better still, beg him to let him come stay with them.

After having China's breakfast, they all got out for last farewells. Everybody cried - well except the men and giggling Baby Kanayo, and of course, Eniiyi.

Eartha promised to get in touch with them and hugged Chinagorom and the baby, thanking them again for her hospital.

Then she let Mide hug and kiss her and tell her how he was going to handle the village situation, then she got into the back of Femi's car and leaned her head against the headrest with a sigh.

Her husband had noticed her distant looks and he made a mental note to talk to her about it later, then he kissed his daughter goodbye and watched his brother drive them away towards home.

To Osogbo, Osun State.

Now he just had to deal with the village. He sighed.

Here goes nothing.