Chapter 84

...when she woke up, it was because her phone was ringing loudly. She hurriedly checked who the caller was and it was not a saved number, which got her sceptical but she answered nevertheless.

"Um, hey Janet, it's me Caleb. So, I'm at the kid's school and Mark is the last kid here—"

"Oh my God, I'm on my way right now" She panicked and started trying to get dressed.

"No, don't worry about that, I don't mind bringing him over for you. I'm already here, just send me your address and I'll be there soon." Caleb was trying to make her calm.

"Uh, okay, thank you so much, I overslept. I don't know what is wrong with me today, I'm never like this."

Caleb chuckled and said, "Don't beat yourself up, we all have those days. Plus, this is the least I can do for you after what I did to you and your sisters back in the day."

Janet scratched her hair and then sat on the edge of her bed. They talked briefly before she told him the address of her house.

In less than fifteen minutes, Caleb pulled up, but when he did, Janet had made lemonade and brought out cookies from the jar that her mum made yesterday. Caleb brought Mark up to the door and rang the doorbell and Janet answered. She invited him and his daughter for a glass of lemonade and some cookies.

They stayed over for more than hour, during this time, the kids were to play after the snacks and it gave them time to talk.

"So, why did you decide to be a detective? I remember you being into sports and was good at it." Janet asked as she took the used cups and plates into the kitchen.

Caleb followed her and volunteered to do the dishes. "Well, I was but after you tackled me the way that you did, I started rethinking my life choices. I was a mean kid, I had mean friends and you were just one of the big sisters who would do anything to protect their little sisters. I was bigger than you but you stood up to me. For me, that was heroic. I remember thinking that your sister would always remember you as her hero. The other kids would remember you as that brave kid, and me? I'd be remembered as the dumbass bully that nobody likes. I started changing. With time, I didn't want to be good by myself, I wanted to help others who got bullied by influencial people. I mean, I remember thinking, I am rich, so I could stand for people who my class of people are using power to intimidate."

"That is so sweet. How did your family take it?"

He shrugged, "At first, they were furious because they were my first victims. But now, they know that this is who I am and they are getting to terms with it."

Janet smiled.

"I wanted to ask you earlier—if it is okay of course" Caleb began as he rinsed the dishes.

"What?"

"I haven't seen any pictures of you and Mark's or his father in the house. Like on the family portrait hall out front." He turned to face her, he wanted to see if she would lie to him again.

Janet scratched her neck uncomfortably and said, "He...we...um... Mark's father is...I would prefer not to talk about him."

"Okay, sorry I asked. I just wanted to know if you're still married." Now he knew that the topic must be too sensitive for her. He really wanted to be friends with her. He always liked her when they were in school but he could not approach her because he was scared that she would reject him and he would turn into everyone's joke in school.

"I am. Just not to his father. My husband, Marcus is the best thing that ever happened to me. We met each other at my lowest—sort of, and since then, it has been amazing." Janet felt more comfortable talking about Marcus. She was smiling and glowing just talking about him.

Caleb knew that she was happy with this Marcus and he was glad that she finally found someone who could make her this happy. So, he smiled, nodded and asked, "How long have you been married?"

"Two years"

"Wow. So, why did you come back to town?"

"He's away on a business trip and I couldn't stay in the huge house alone. Plus, my only friend went on a trip so, it was just going to be difficult for me if I didn't leave."

"What about work?"

"I decided not to work for now. I just want to start my family and focus on that for now, before I start my career. I and Marcus have been trying for a baby since we got married. Nothing seems to work out."

"Is he...?"

"Oh God, no. He's okay. We are both okay"

They continued talking about different other things till it was time for him to leave. Jolene came back from school and saw him in their house, she was shocked and then she saw that Janet was laughing with him. They seemed cordial. Without interupting, she went upstairs to her room.

After he left, Jolene came back downstairs and started talking to Janet, asking about him and what he was doing in their home. She told him most of what they talked about while they made dinner together.

...

The next couple of weeks, Janet's pregnancy symptoms started to show and she still did not know that she was pregnant but she was six weeks in. One saturday morning, her mum came to tell that breakfast was ready but immediately she looked at Janet, she knew that something was odd with her. Their mum had been so busy that they all barely saw each other. She watched her swollen face, her skin, how she rushed to throw up in the bathroom immediately her mum opened the window that faced their neighbors and the strong aroma of her curry breakfast entered the room.

When Janet came back out of the bathroom from throwing up, her mum asked, "Baby, how long have you been throwing up?"

"What are you talking about?"

"How long have you been nauseous like this?"

"Anything I perceive Ms Lulu's cooking. Why does she always cook with strong herbs?"

Her mum chuckled and said, "She's Indian, what do you expect. Um, Janet, come sit here and talk to me"

Janet looked at her suspiciously and said, "Mum, you're acting weird and this room stinks. If I spend one more second in it, I might actually pass out. So, I'm just gonna head downstairs." Then she left the room.

Her mum stood up and shut the window and then followed her out of the room but she went to her room and grabbed her coat to go and get a pregnancy kit to confirm her suspicions.

Janet went to check onMark, but he was already downstairs playing with Jolene. When she got downstairs, she told Jolene to get Mark ready for his playdate with Margot and Caleb. The two of them had resolved that the best way to make the kids get used to each other and for Mark to rub off some of his goodness on Margot was for them to hang out with each other so they always had a playdate every Saturday.

She saw her mother leave the house and she tried to find out where she was up to but her mum was too focused on leaving the house. She was excited even. Janet just went ahead to eat the bacon that Jolene made and she immediately soat them out. Jolene looked over at her and said, "Janet, what the hell?"

"It tastes horribly."

"Ouch. I made that the exact way you like it."

"Well, I don't like bacon anymore. It's disgusting!" Then she walked to where Jolene and Mark sat down eating. She sniffed Mark's food and took a spoon of it. Immediately she did, she smiled and asked, "Can I have that instead?" Without waiting for Mark to respond, she just grabbed the plate from Jolene, leaving both she and Mark stunned. The duo looked at each other and then looked at her.

"What is in this thing?" Janet asked gulping down the content of the bowl.

"Oats grinded with blueberries, bananas and orange juice?" Jolene replied

Janet nodded and said, "No wonder it's so good."

Jolene wiped the excess food on Mark's face and then took him upstairs to wash. Not too long later, Janet's mum came back with a bag. She just dropped it on Janet and said, "Janet, baby, I need you to go use the kits."

Janet looked at her mum like she was crazy and said, "What is that bag? And also, why did you dump it on me?"

Her mum took a deep breath—she had been in a hurry so she was exhausted from all that running and walking fast, and said, "It's a pregnancy kit"

Janet looked at her mum and said, "Do you think I'm pregnant?"

"Janet, you're a the signs I showed when I carried all of you. Your loss of appetite, your snappiness, the morning sickness, your glowy skin"

Janet was still in shock. She did not know if her mum was just messing with her but that was a risk she was ready to take. So she grabbed the bag and dashed up the stairs towards the bathroom. Her mum followed behind her. She even pushed Jolene and Mark as they were about to enter the bathroom and then she shut the door.

"What the fuck, Janet?! What is wrong with you?!" Jolene yelled but her mum apologised on Janet's behalf and said, "I think she's pregnant."

''Of course she is" Jolene replied casually.

"You knew?" Her mum asked her, completely shocked.

"I suspected. She has been acting the exact way Joan acted when she was with..." She gestured to Mark with her eyes.

Their mum jumped and said, "Hallelujah! Oh God, let this be true! Lord, my baby girl deserves to be happy! Lord, do this for us"

Janet read the instructions on the pack and followed it according to what was on it. She felt her heart beating so fast, she was so scared but she was also so excited. She felt every emotion at the same time.

If I am pregnancy, I will know that there is truly a God. I will know that God still listens to me. If I am pregnant, I will never stop loving you, Lord. Please let this be true. I need to carry my own baby. I need my bundle of joy. I deserve to be a mum. I will be the best mum for my little girl or boy. I will love them endlessly. I will do anything I can to protect them even if it means laying my own life for them, she thought to herself before she finally peed on the test kit.

After peeing, she kept the kit on the sink and sat on the toilet praying her heart out and checking her time for the kit to reveal her fate.

She checked her time and it felt like each second was an eternity. She watched as the small kit became the only thing holding her from having her desire fulfilled.

She took the remaining two kits and repeated the same process, she wanted to be sure that she was not going to be full. Then she kept them all on the sink and stood up from the toilet seat. She did not want to see the result by herself so she went out of the bathroom.

Immediately her mum and sister saw her, they looked at her with expectating eyes, waiting to hear the outcome for the test. She shrugged and said, "I can't watch, Mum, can you go check what it says and tell me? I am so scared. I feel like collapsing."

Jolene immediately hugged her sister. She had never seen her so vulnerable, while her mum went to the bathroom.

After five minutes, when all the test results were ready, they both heard their mum sobbing in the bathroom. Janet could not tell if it was a good sob or one of sorrow so she started crying too.

She felt like she had let everybody's hopes up in vain again. She just started going back downstairs, this time, Jolene followed her downstairs, holding Mark who did not understand what was happening but immediately got sad because everyone was sad and his mum, Janet was crying.

"Mummy? Why are you crying?" Mark asked as they walked down the stairs.

Jolene tried to stop Mark from asking the question, "Mark, mummy needs some time to herself. Can you go outside to play?"

Mark shook his head and said, "I cannot. Mummy is crying and I cannot leave her."

What Mark said broke Janet's heart again. She looked over at him, and thought, If I cannot have my own baby, maybe it is time for me to focus on the one that the universe has given to me. This boy deserves my love and I deserve his love too. Maybe I am not destined to have a child from my womb but I have been blessed with another one that will love me just like the one from my womb would.

Just then, her mum came out of the bathroom, she was sniffing, her eyes were red. As she walked down the stairs, she looked at Janet and more tears ran down her cheeks. Janet was convinced that her mum was sorry for raising her hopes up and she was ready to forgive her and even console her.

What mother would not want their daughters to have their own bundle of joy? It's not her fault. She has also been thinking about it and now she is seeing signs that are not even real anymore. I have made my mother delusional like me, Janet thought to herself.

The door bell rang and Jene went to see who it was, it was Caleb. He took one look at her face and then rushed back inside the house to see if everyone was okay. He saw Janet and her mum hugging each other and Janet was weeping. He couldn't stand the sight of her like that so he rushed to her and kept saying, "Everything will be okay, everything will be okay"

He held her in an embrace, patting her back gently and repeating it. He did not even know what had happened, he just felt that whatever put her in that mood where every one was sad is not something he would just ask about immediately.

Almost immediately, Janet started laughing and then she looked at everyone and said, "I am a mother again, I am pregnant!"

Jolene immediately screamed excitedly at a deafening pitch.