Deji had finally resumed at his new place of work, he had moved into a new house and had been assigned an official car, things were beginning to look up again for him. He constantly spoke with his son and Jordanna over the phone. Ama’s pending case had been passed from the magistrate court to the crown court and her final trial was scheduled for the following week. Deji had requested to take a short leave of two weeks to enable him relocate his family to Nigeria. He also needed to attend Ama’s trial during this time as he was also a witness.
Jordanna and his son had been so happy to see him when he arrived at the airport that they both hugged and jumped on him like he was a soldier that just returned from the w@r front. “I’ve missed my babies” he said, kissing each of them one after the other, “we definitely missed you too” Jordanna replied, “daddy will you take me with you to Nigeria next time?” His son asked, “Of course son, we’re all going back to Nigeria very soon” Deji replied, “Yayy!” His son shouted, joyfully as they headed to the taxi area to get a taxi to take them home.
They had been very busy clearing the apartment, selling off belongings and preparing to relocate back home.
Deji had been going to court daily since his arrival, he attended every court hearing and was also invited into the witness box to give his own account which he did. He tried his best not to make Ama look bad while he was giving his account and emphasised that what she did was a mistake and she was not the type to want to harm her children intentionally. He added that perhaps at the time of the incident , she was not in the right frame of mind and that led to her irrational actions.
All through the trial, Ama was broken, she hadn’t still recovered from the loss of her child, it was clear to her that not only had she lost a child but she had lost everything; a thriving career, beautiful family and loving husband, all because of her desperation to live in another man’s land which she had perceived to be better than hers. She had given up a bright future with endless opportunities for a now very bleak and uncertain one.
Finally, the day of her final hearing and sentencing had arrived, her fate was to be decided by the jury and the judge would be sentencing her if she was found guilty.
She wished that she could go back in time to change things, she would have been a more loving and appreciative wife, it slowly dawned on her that she had a diamond in Deji but had let go of him to gather stones. Deji had been nothing but loving and supportive to her, even to the point of making sacrifices for her even if it meant he was losing something. He was selfless. He worked tirelessly to keep his family happy, to him, family was everything. But Ama being her usual selfish self, failed to see all these till it was too late.
After much suspenseful waiting, it was time for the verdict to be announced, Ama’s heart was racing, her head was spinning, this was a life changing moment for her, the moment that would decide whether she would be allowed to go free to retrace her steps and start a new life or whether she would be held captive for many years to come. The court fell silent as the judge began his announcement, if a pin had dropped to the ground at that time, it would definitely be heard by all.
Ama was going through intense emotional stress, just waiting for the verdict to be announced. It felt like her head was spinning, she was beginning to feel lightheaded and her legs felt like they were going to give way. It felt like she was going to faint at any moment.
Syncope or fainting happens when you don’t have enough blood flowing to the brain, it can happen as a result of a heart condition, a neurological condition or due to sudden change in posture, for example suddenly standing from sitting position. Another cause could be situational just as in Ama’s case, this type of fainting happens only when certain situations affect your nervous system, such situations can include, intense emotional stress, anxiety, fear, dehydration, hunger etc. People in such situations can start to experience symptoms similar to Ama before they eventually faint. There is no need to pour water on someone that faints in a bid to revive them as people who faint usually become conscious after a few seconds to minutes. They may however feel confused or tired. Sometimes, fainting could be a sign of a more serious underlying medical condition, so it is important to go to the hospital for a medical check up after an episode of fainting.
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“The jury has found you guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a dangerous act” the Judge announced at the end of his long speech,as Ama’s head immediately fell. Her heart sank, a guilty sentence meant that she would definitely be punished, her life would never be the same again, she may never get to see her only surviving child for many years to come, she would miss watching him grow up. “You are hereby sentenced to 10 year’s imprisonment” the judge announced, hitting his gavel on the table as Ama immediately dropped flat to the ground lying unconscious.
“Nooo” Deji shouted running towards the front of the court in Ama’s direction, “she doesn’t deserve this” he said, dropping to his knees and shaking Ama vigorously in a bid to wake her up.
Find out what happens next in episode 31 #checkwithdoctoro