EP 47 - WORST TIME TO LISTEN.
Obi waved goodbye to Su ling and opened the door leading to his house .
It was a comfortable apartment and they'd lived in it for the past seven years.
He took off his shoes and placed them neatly by the welcome mat.
How many times had he got into trouble with his mom for leaving pieces of his stuff all around the house .
The last time he did that his mom threw out all his shoes that he couldn't find them and he was stuck wearing the same sneakers for a month!
Obi went upstairs and took off his coat. He walked over to his sister's room and saw Ada in front of her Tv , deeply engrossed in video games.
He sighed and went downstairs to greet his mother.
Obi folded his arms as he watched her stir the sauce she was making for their dinner that evening.
Tasha Brown had worked hard every single day to provide for her kids.She would wake up as early as 3am and get back home by 8pm the next day , get treated like crap by her bosses in her places of work and get home tired and aching all over everyday so as to provide all the necessities for her Kids since her husband wasn't around to assist anymore.
All she worked hard for was to ensure that...
her kids grows up to be the best in life.
Tasha phone rang and she brought it out of her apron and placed it on the counter.
Obi hid himself at the corner so as to listen in on the conversation because his mom was acting strange.
Tasha glanced at the caller ID and put it on speaker after looking around and not seeing anyone.
"Hello, This is Tasha Brown. Who am I speaking with?"
"This is Dr Charles Grumman." The voice replied.
Obi was surprised .
When had his mother booked an appointment with a doctor?!
"Is there any problem Doctor?" Tasha queried and added a bit of pepper and a pinch of salt to the sauce and stirred.
"I just called to inform you that the results of the High blood pressure test you took some weeks ago had come in." The Doctor answered.
"Oh my...."Tasha said . "I had forgotten all about it. Is there anything wrong?"
"I am sorry to tell you this Mrs Brown but The test results prove positive for High blood pressure." The man on he other end of the line spoke grimly.
Tasha let go of the spatula she had held in her hand and took in deep breaths. "It can't be Doctor! There must be some kind of mistake or..."
"I'm afraid it is true , Miss Brown. I would advise you to take plenty of rest and avoid performing any work that is likely to stress you in anyway." The Doctor cautioned.
"How can I not work when I am a single mom with two kids , Trying to keep them alive, healthy and in school while at the same time trying to keep my house due to the endless mortgage payments which are already overdue and my house is up for foreclosure !" Tasha exploded.
"All I advise in my medical opinion is that you should avoid over working or burdening yourself and should visit the hospital anytime next week so that we can administer some drugs to manage the High blood pressure." The Doctor spoke so calmly and ended the call.
Tasha groaned in frustration
Obi felt like a dead man standing.
It couldn't be happening.
He couldn't lose his mom.
After losing his Father to a futile battle of Cancer , Obi couldn't begin to think of life without his mother. He had heard all about High Blood Pressure.It was the most deadly because it strikes when the least expected. intense Headaches, was one of the signs not to talk of the endless fatigue and in pain one would experience.
The death of Dad was hard, Obi thought , But this...
How would he and Ada survive all alone?
Fate always kept dealing them the worst Cards.
Maybe he was taking it too far. Obi decided to confront his mother . He cleared his throat and made his presence known. Tasha hurriedly stuffed the phone in her apron and removed the aluminum Pan from the fire and turned off her Gas.
"Hey Tobi!" She greeted desperately trying not to meet his gaze. "I didn't hear you come in. How was school ?"
Obi decided not to say anything about the conversation he had just heard . He beamed a fake smile and played along. "It was great."
Tasha set the plates in the dining table and proceeded to share dinner when her son held her shoulder.
"Mom , are you okay?" Obi asked .
Tasha wished she could tell him the truth but He was yet too young. How she wished Tyrell was here.
"I'm alright baby. Now you better go upstairs and shower before you eat dinner." Tasha replied . Obi nodded and headed upstairs when she called out again.
"And don't do that nonsense where you splash water on your face and call it a bath. You'd better drag your sister down here! She's been playing that silly game for hours. Too much tv makes someone stupid.That was my mama told me." Tasha added which made Her son sigh but grin inwardly.
That was his mother for you...
And she was the best .
#######-
After having Dinner, As Obi lay in his bed, he couldn't stop thinking of what he had overheard.
He couldn't believe that they were losing the house and his Mom didn't tell them about it.
Obi racked his brain in order to find a solution to that huge problem.He believed that if he could fix that, his mom would feel a little better and there would be no need for her to get any drugs.
Unable to arrive at any sustainable conclusion, Obi closed his eyes and hoped that tomorrow , some answer would come to him.
Before he drifted to sleep he parted his lips and murmured a prayer to God, if he did listens...
To help them out of their present predicament .