As soon as the three left the ward where Blessing was staying, she slumped into her spring bed that had been assigned to her the time she was brought in.

It gave her a kind of jumpy effect and for a moment, it was as though she was bouncing on the spring bed. Then it stopped. She was trying to review her life or so it seemed like.

Her world was crumbling before her very eyes. But she was thankful to God for the police. She had heard of vices the police usually committed and how they abandoned less important cases leaving the victims to die of but today, she was absolutely sure that all she had heard were lies.

She tried to imagine the sight of Inspector Sunny through her image eye. A whole DPO of police was interested in her case. A wave of confidence soared inside her and her admiration for the police increased.

This time, she was almost absolutely sure that the culprits would be brought to book in no less time to come. For now, that was all she wanted in this world seconded by the desire to see her dad.

"Good morning Ma'am. My name is Mr Dike. I am looking for a chocolate colored woman with a young slightly fair girl. To be precise, they are my wife and my daughter. They have been missing for about three days now. I don't really know what happened to them but I came to check here in case they were probably brought in here by a good Samaritan. Who knows? Their names are Mrs Chigozie Dike and Miss Blessing Dike"

"I'm sorry Sir for what has happened to you" the nurse on duty at the counter responded "but I'm not sure any persons with such descriptions have been brought in here if recent. But to clarify, let me check the records. When did you say they got missing?"

"On Saturday" he replied

"So, I will start with Saturday. Erm.... " she finished while screening the huge thick cover notebook in front of her with her eyes where they wrote every details about their incoming and outgoing patients.

This was The Federal Medical Clinic. It was here Mr Dike began his search. He started there first because he was sure that most patients would be brought in there because of the hospital's popularity.

As the nurse who was putting on her white uniform together with a blue coverall and a blue nurse cap continued to screen through the pages of the book, Mr Dike’s heart began to beat faster. He let his mind rummage through the chance of his family in the hospital.

He wanted to be optimistic and a smile began to play on his lips.
" Mr Dike, your descriptions did not match any patients details filled in here except for one person and I didn't see any patients bearing Dike. But one thing common here is that most details don't go with names except we find a kind of identification on the person because at times, the patient may not be in the right mental and physical shape to give us his or her details. So we make do with other descriptions, colour, height, age etc. This other person I am telling you about was brought in on Monday morning"

Mr Dike though he heard his heart do some flip flops.

"But I must warn you, she was brought in alone. There’s no small girl with her" the nurse told him bluntly.

Mr Dike brushed the nurse's objections aside. Maybe his daughter was placed in another ward and her details weren't filled in correctly and the fact that their names were not there made it more difficult to be absolutely sure of it.

"I have heard you Nurse. If I can only see her face to confirm, that would be enough"

"Nurse Ada" the nurse at the counter called out to another nurse sitting on a cushion in the common room watching the news the Television in front of her was airing with rapt interest. It took her some time to take her eyes off the Tv Set

"Yes Matron"

"Take this man to Accidents and Emergency Unit, Ward Five, Bed Three" the nurse at the counter instructed.

"Sir please follow me" Nurse Ada said

"Sure" he replied feeling a kind of happiness surge through him.

They went through the corridor passing different wards, units such as the Gastroenterology ward, Physiotherapy ward, Renal Unit, Radiotherapy Ward, Maternity departments etc.

There’s really much suffering in the world, he thought to himself after taking a glimpse into the Renal Unit.

The Renal Unit is a place where patients with Kidney failure are treated. Those with acute kidney failure where placed in the haemodialysis unit and the dialysis machine was used on them up to 4 hours or more and it was usually done three times in a week.

As they passed the Maternity department, he could see smiles written all over the faces of new mothers carrying their babies and smiling. He couldn't help but let out a little smile. Life had just began for some of these little babies he thought trotting behind the nurse.

But on getting to the A & E department, there was a total departure from what he had witnessed earlier on. Here, life was at its minimum. He saw different people with different forms of injuries. On the first bed he passed lay a young man whose intestines were out of its bowels. It was an irritating sight. Even in his own state of grief, he was able to ask the nurse a question about the man.

"Nurse please what happened to this man?

"Which of them?"

"The patient on bed one. The one with his intestines out..." the words to use in completing his statement was no where to be found.

"Okay, that man, hmm, his case is a very sad one oh. According to the people who brought him in, he was hit by a trailer and the same trailer climbed over his stomach in a bid to run away. That he's still alive up till now is a mystery" Nurse Ada said in a low voice as though she was afraid that the man would hear her.

Happy New Month to you all!!

Same to you..... Keep it olling man, ur doin a gud job

finished reading till here, phew!


Nedu Nedu Nedu, how many times i call you? . how many persons in Nigeria do you know bear that name? and you just gave it to a maid just like that!.


oya pay collection fee, this moment


good story. but the way Blessing reacted after been told her mother was dead, is unreal, go and work on that, give her some emotion na

abdulmaliq: Same to you..... Keep it rolling man, ur doin a gud job

Thanks for the new month good wishes. You're the only one that wished me a happy new month in Nairaland. For sure, I will keep them rolling.

princesa: finished reading till here, phew!


Nedu Nedu Nedu, how many times i call you? . how many persons in Nigeria do you know bear that name? and you just gave it to a maid just like that!.


oya pay collection fee, this moment


good story. but the way Blessing reacted after been told her mother was dead, is unreal, go and work on that, give her some emotion na

You call me three times.

I know just two people that bear that name; you and my neighbor's dog.

If a dog can answer the name, why can't a maid answer it??

How much should I pay as collection fee?

As for the correction, thanks. I'm not really emotional so I tried to place anger in place of sadness but I will work on that. Thanks for the correction once again.

Switgoody good evening and a happy new month

Another look at the man's intestines and Mr Dike almost threw up. He decided to keep his eyes away from him while trotting after the nurse.

"We are here" Nurse Ada said while stopping by the side of the bed.

The woman lying on the bed was lying down with her face towards the wall.

There was a big gash on her right arm - the only arm visible and her head was covered with a very big plaster. Where part of her hair had been before was no more.

It had been neatly scrapped and now housed the huge bandage.

Mr Dike looked at the womanly form in front of him. Her shape was almost a perfect resemblance of that of his wife.

He then peered into her face in a bid to see if he could be able to recognize her.

There were some tribal marks on the right cheek part of her face and his wife didn't have tribal marks.

He peered in again just to bring sure she was not the one. This time, it was clear to him that she wasn't his wife.

Mr Dike looked away in sorrow and in a voice that sounded as though he was whimpering, he said,
"She's not the one"

At the other end of the room, a voice could be heard, it was not saying anything but was as though the owner of the voice was struggling for breath.

Nurse Ada went towards where the owner of the voice lay.

His chest was heaving up and down and he was struggling for breath as though his bronchial tube had been blocked by something.

Mr Dike looked at him and observed that it was the man with the exposed intestines.

The nurse tried to give him a mouth to mouth action but in a few seconds, he stopped moving.

He lay lifeless.

Nurse Ada took his wrist in her hands in an attempt to feel his pulse but there was no pulse.

She also touched his neck area and placed her head on his chest in an attempt to feel his heart beat but it was all in vain.

The man was dead.

The nurse covered him up and they left the place.

As Mr Dike left the hospital later on, he compared the scene at the Maternity Ward with that of the A & E department.

While the former was joyous, the latter was sorrowful and mournful.

He shook his head as he muttered aloud,
"This Life if you are a human being, you are really confused!"

It took Inspector Sunny not less than 30 minutes to drive from the station to the house of the Dikes.

Their home was a two bedroom flat located on the Boms street. It was not fenced and had no gates.

It just had a little space before the main street road.

The zinc of the house was rusty and from the look of things, the Inspector was sure that this was a rented house.

He parked his personal car in front of the house without blocking the main street and got out of the car.

He was looking cute today without his uniform and name tag.

He walked towards the house. The house itself had an iron protector that guarded the main house.

When he got to it, he noticed that the protector was closed. He shook it for some time.

When nobody responded, he took a close look at it and noticed that the it was locked with a padlock from the inside.

"Damn! Where could this man have gone to by this time of the day?" He muttered aloud checking his time. It was past 11am in the morning.

"Oga who you dey find?"

The question startled him and he looked around to see who it was.

It was a man. He could not be more than thirty years Inspector Sunny thought.

He was putting on a boxer and a singlet and standing at the door of another house, maybe his own house. It seemed like he was a neighbour.

"Good morning. Please I am looking for Mr Dike"

"Mr Dike is not around. He left here around 8am. Do you have any message for him" the neighbour asked

"Ummh... No, don't worry" he replied. He was torn in between dropping a message or not.

"Okay" the neighbour responded beginning to enter his house.

"Erm... Excuse me" Inspector Sunny called after the man

The neighbour turned around and gave him a questioning look as though he was saying "Why you dey call me na? I think say you talk say you no get any message?"but he didn't say it out.

"Please, if he comes back, tell him to come to the Rumuomasi police station immediately because he's needed there now" he reeled off.

"Yes Sir" the neighbour replied with a voice that was filled with respect.

As soon as Inspector Sunny drove off, the man placed his hand to his head and cried out,

"Chei, so naso I for take go station today abi! Thank God say I no insult this man in any way ooh! Small thing I don already insult this man finish. I no even know say na police man oh. Come sef, Papa Blessing don enter hot soup oh. Wetin I'm don do sef wey police dey find am?" He asked nobody in particular while entering his one bedroom apartment.

you must be a medical student with all these words you use...

nice update, but lessen with the space. it should be only differentiate paragraphs, not single sentences. catch my drift?

nice work Nedu

Thumbs up,Nedu!


But I gotta ask...
Are u an Umudyke??

Comedy join 4 dis ur tragic story, me likey. I must surely c smetn 2 smile about. Weldone.

princesa: you must be a medical student with all these words you use...

nice update, but lessen with the space. it should be only differentiate paragraphs, not single sentences. catch my drift?

*jumps up in the air*

I catch am. Thanks for the correction. I was told to space and I began spacing.....

Neduzze5:

*jumps up in the air*

I catch am. Thanks for the correction. I was told to space and I began spacing.....

spacing is ok, it makes for a neat work. but when you are narating the thought pattern of a person, there really isnt a need for unnecessary spacing. it's meant to differentiate dialogue from narration, keep going, am behind you

princesa:

spacing is ok, it makes for a neat work. but when you are narating the thought pattern of a person, there really isnt a need for unnecessary spacing. it's meant to differentiate dialogue from narration, keep going, am behind you

Thanks dear. I now understand what you were trying to say. And by the way, I am not a medical student. I'm a business management student. I learnt those terms from my mum. She's a great nurse.

Eneze1: nice work Nedu

Thanks dear.

nonisofast: Thumbs up,Nedu!


But I gotta ask...
Are u an Umudyke??

Erm...
*coughs for a minute*

Yes, I am an Umudyker!!

Readying the next classical update!

Mum Z :
Comedy join 4 dis ur tragic story, me likey. I must surely c smetn 2 smile about. Weldone.

That's why it's a tragi-comedy

@ Nedu,nice to know.

"I was at your house today"

It was Inspector Sunny speaking to Blessing. He was already at the hospital because immediately he left her house, he went straight to the hospital.
Blessing looked up at him in expectancy.

"So where's my father?"

"I didn't see him when I got there. I was told by one of the neighbours that he had gone out in the morning"

A little painful silence ensued between the both of them during which Inspector Sunny couldn't stop blaming himself for not being able to catch the perpetrators of this crime. He tried to say something to her but his mouth was dry. He was short of words.

Blessing sat up on the bed and looked at the Inspector.

"I want to go back home Inspector" she said

"Why? You are not yet okay and besides, the doctor said that he was going to conduct some tests on you. If it's because of your father that you want to go back home, you don't need to be worried. I dropped a message for him with the neighbour I met" the Inspector tried to persuade her.

"You don't understand. I know my father. He will be scared to his wits by now. Or something bad might also have happened to him. I need to go home. Please"

"Hmm, alright, I will take you home but first, we must let the doctor know"

In a few minutes, they were at the house of the Dikes. It was then that he remembered that the gate was locked when he came earlier on.

"Now that the gate is locked, how do you plan on getting in?" He asked with an 'I told you not to go' look on his face.

She gave the Inspector a 'watch and see look' and headed straight to the protector. She put her right hand through one of the open holes in the protector. When her right hand finally emerged from its trip, it came out victorious with a bunch of keys in her hands.

"How come?" Inspector Sunny asked with surprise written all over his face.

"That's where we keep our key. It's the only key we have for this particular padlock so we keep it here in case anyone comes back first, he or she would not be stranded" she tried to explain.

"That's not an excuse. You guys need to buy another padlock because it's dangerous. Someone that sees you now will come too when no one is around and come and steal from you people and then you people will call the police. Sometimes we all need to be proactive"

"I've heard you. Hope you won't come to steal from us now that you know where we keep the key?"

It was more of a joke but it sounded so out of place. In fact, it came at the wrong time, at the wrong place and with the wrong person.

Inspector Sunny was only able to manage a smile.

"No I won't" he replied trying not to sound irritated

"Welcome to my humble abode" she said while walking in.

Inspector Sunny was hesitant to go in at first but when his tired legs moved, he did not know.

"Erm, Blessing"

He called after her as soon as she entered their bedroom.

She came out at once to know why he was calling her.

"Yes"

"I'm sorry Blessing. I wish I could stay with you for a while but office work calls. I have to go back to the station now"

He wasn't feeling comfortable here so he needed to get away as soon as possible.

"Won't you even take water in my house?" She asked with a tinge of sadness in her voice

"Don't worry, I will come around today after work at the station but if I can't make it, then tomorrow, I will be here unfailingly" he tried to assure her.

"Okay, I will be expecting you"

"See you later" Inspector Sunny said taking her in his arms and giving her a brief embrace.

Honestly... U din't make it look as if she lost her mum... Pls try to put some real facts.

abdulmaliq: Honestly... U din't make it look as if she lost her mum... Pls try to put some real facts.

Hmmm, to do this will require a real lot of work and I'm not really much of an emotional person. Maybe I'll give that area to Princesa to write for me

Thanks for your observation!

I agree wit Abdulmalik, 4 sme dat ws raped n jst lost her mum, she's feeling 2 comfortable. She shld b feln a little traumatized. U dnt av 2 b an emotional persn 2 b able 2 write an emotional scene. Try as per d gd writer u are.

same thing ave said, blessing should be really sad not cuddling up or saluting the police, don't work that way.


and you can write it, as long as you wrote the other parts, you can write this part, no even near me to help

keep going...

@mumz, wetin i do u na, you dnt read my story again?

nonisofast: @ Nedu,nice to know.

And you?

Mum Z :
I agree wit Abdulmalik, 4 sme dat ws raped n jst lost her mum, she's feeling 2 comfortable. She shld b feln a little traumatized. U dnt av 2 b an emotional persn 2 b able 2 write an emotional scene. Try as per d gd writer u are.

princesa: same thing ave said, blessing should
be really sad not cuddling up or
saluting the police, don't work that
way.
and you can write it, as long as you
wrote the other parts, you can write
this part, no even near me to help
keep going...

Thanks for these wonderful corrections. I will make the necessary corrections and let you know.

Neduzze5: Switgoody good evening and a happy new month

Same to u dear.

Neduzze5:

And you?

I was. Left last year.

princesa:

@mumz, wetin i do u na, you dnt read my story again?

Believe me am up 2 date with ur story, readn quitely. I no wan add 2 d pressure.

Few minutes after Inspector Sunny left, Blessing began to feel lonely. There was nothing to do at home although she had cooked rice while arranging the house that was in total disarray. But after she had given it a little cleaning, it was better off.

She went outside with a chair and sat down in front of the house. She wanted to wait for her father to come back home. Their street was unusually busy today. It seemed like there was a go slow on the major Rumuomasi expressway and their street was the only other road that linked Rumuomasi to the Ph-Old Aba road.

"Mama"

It was the voice of a young girl calling her mother to come and help her with the keg of water she was carrying. It was clear that the both of them were coming back from where they had gone to fetch water.

She watched the girl's mother inspite of the 25 liters Jerry can filled with water which she was carrying on her head, she also took the ten liters jerry can that her daughter was carrying with her right hand.

What motherly love, Blessing thought to herself. How I wish my mother was here with me.

She felt a stream of hot liquid flow down from her eyes. She was crying. At first, when the news of her mother's death had been broken to her, all she felt was anger and thirst for revenge or rather justice against the two wicked men who had killed her mother and broken her virginity.

But now, it really dawned on her that her mother was gone and gone forever. The emptiness in the house reminded her of that sordid fact. If her mother was alive now, either she would have been in the kitchen with her or in the shop. The tears increased from drops and began to flow uncontrollably. She let the tears flow and didn't bother to clean it up.

Kneeling down on the sand with her bare knees, she raised her eyes to the heavens and swore an oath,

"Mama, I swear with my life that till my dying day, I will find your killers and perfect my revenge on them"

She sat back on the chair cleaning her eyes in the process. At first, she thought her eyes were deceiving her. She cleaned her face and looked again. It was truly her father. He was trying to cross the road.

"Papa" she shouted in joy. She felt good shouting like this; like the young girl and her mama.

Her father from that distance saw her and the happiness that encompassed him took over his whole body system. He ran eagerly in an attempt to reach her.

"Papa no, don't cross the road" Blessing managed to scream but it was too late.

The 911 trailer had rammed him down and was reversing in an attempt to escape.

"Papa" she muttered incoherently and passed out.