After much persuasion, I managed to calm both of them down. I have to admit it wasn’t an
easy task and by the time I got them both to sit quietly, my head was already pounding. I
guess that’s what happens when your friend and her husband decide to turn themselves into
warriors in your consulting room.
“Where is he now?” Jumai finally asked.
“He’s dead,” Abdul replied bluntly. “Hope you’re happy.”
“Oh,” Jumai replied in shock, as an awkward silence filled the room once again.
“How did he die?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.
“He died a few days after he was born. He was born preterm. The doctor said he died of
respiratory distress syndrome which was most likely a complication of the gestational
diabetes his mother had,” Abdul replied.
I realise there’s a lot of medical jargon in what Abdul just said so I’m going to break it down:
a preterm baby is one who is born before his due date and respiratory distress syndrome is
usually seen in preterm babies—it is a breathing problem that occurs when the baby’s lungs
are not fully developed. These two conditions are usually seen in babies born to mothers
with gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Women who
develop this condition are at risk of having very big babies (called macrosomic babies),
babies who develop low blood sugar shortly after birth and babies who are born before their
due dates or babies who have breathing problems. In most women, the blood sugar usually
returns to normal shortly after they deliver their babies but they are still at risk of developing
gestational diabetes again in subsequent pregnancies or developing type 2 diabetes later in
life. That is why it is important that they eat healthy and stay physically fit after the pregnancy
to reduce chances of developing diabetes again.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before now?” Jumai asked.
“I didn’t think it was necessary,” Abdul replied. “All this happened way before we even met.”
He went further to explain that the mother of the baby in question was a woman he dated
during his university days and that they eventually went their separate ways a few years
after the incident before he met Jumai.
After Abdul finished his explanations, Jumai apologised for her earlier outrage. Abdul also
apologised for hitting her. I made sure to secure an appointment for both of them with a
marriage counsellor because from what I witnessed in my consulting room, they would
definitely be needing it.
A few weeks later, I and the rest of the girls met up at a restaurant in town to plan Yemi’s
bridal shower. The wedding date had been fixed and we needed to plan something special
for her before her big day—it was the least we could do for a dear friend before she walked
down the aisle.
READ ALSO : Old Enough Yet Unmarried – Episode 12
Jumai arrived a little earlier than the rest of the girls so we had time to catch up. She told me
she and Abdul had started their marriage counselling sessions and it had really helped their
marriage. Their sex life had also improved because the drugs were working for Abdul. She
kept thanking me and giving me hugs as if I had done some miraculous thing like turning
water to wine for her. I have to admit I felt like a hero and I was enjoying every bit of it. I
couldn’t wait for the day she’d tell me she’s expecting her first child, it would make me the
happiest doctor in the world.
The rest of the girls joined us shortly afterwards and we caught up on gist before the
planning began. Oby and Chuks had started dating though it was a long distance
relationship, Ghana-Nigeria things. They made video calls to each other almost every
evening and tried to meet up at least twice a month on weekends, I honestly didn’t know how
she was coping. I’m not a fan of long-distance relationships, I think they are just too much
stress. I’m not sure I can trust any guy staying more than 5 hours’ drive away from me. Yes, I
said 5 hours! Even an island to mainland relationship is considered long distance for me. I’d
rather date someone within my immediate geographical location, call it paranoia or whatever
you like but can you really blame me? Men have shown me hell in this short lifetime of mine .
Anyway, Chuks promised to be around for the wedding so she’s pretty excited.
Charly on the other hand, had moved on significantly from the trauma she experienced with
Moyo, she hadn’t met someone new yet but at least she was a happy bunny.
We ordered our food and got planning, we decided we wanted to do something different for
Yemi’s shower, so we planned a pirate-themed bridal shower on a boat cruise, with only 20
of her closest girlfriends. I was already so excited just imagining how the shower would turn
out, I couldn’t wait for the actual shower to finally come.
By the time I got home later that night, I was so tired, I didn’t realise that planning a bridal
shower was so much work. All I wanted to do was hug my bed and sleep, but Yemi wouldn’t
let me—she kept talking nineteen-to-the-dozen like she had a word limit to reach before the
day was over. Like the good friend who I always am, I listened to all her banter. I was starting
to doze when she suddenly mentioned that Bayo was travelling to Ghana soon, “Ghana?
What for?” I asked, suddenly becoming fully awake.
“He said that’s where he wants to have his bachelor’s party. His friend is treating him to a trip
to Ghana. They’ll be going a week to the wedding,” she said.
By now all sorts of thoughts had started racing through my mind. Before I could even make
sense of it she suddenly added, “Guess what?”
“What?” I asked.
“They’re going to be lodging at the hotel we stayed during our last trip to Ghana, isn’t it a
coincidence?” she said laughing,
“Oh,” I replied, staring blankly at her. Suddenly everything began to make sense.
Coincidence indeed! Bayo had probably carefully planned this trip out with his friend so he
could go and finish the sexual escapades he had started with the kente lady in Ghana. I
guess he didn’t get enough the last time, the dog! I was so angry, I made up my mind to tell
Yemi what I saw during our last trip right away before it was too late.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I said with a serious look on my face.
“What is it?” she asked, noticing my countenance had changed…
Find out what happens next in episode 15 #OEYU #naija #checkwithdoctoro
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