The Thing Around You

The Thing Around You: A short story by Emmanuella Ajaegbu 

Adanna sat in the waiting room. She wondered what the doctor would tell her. Would her husband die? Would he survive? 

She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a blue blouse. She had hurriedly worn those and had called for neighbors to help her carry her husband into the car. 

She looked around the hospital. She hated hospitals. She never did like them. With the awful smell of the hospital and the cries of patients and babies. She hated it all. 

She tapped her lap quietly but patiently. She wondered what would have triggered this sickness. Her husband was an agile man in his early thirties. 

Dumebi was the love of her life and they hardly had anything to quarrel about, well except recently. Since Dumebi's mother came into the house with that village girl, Ugomma. Definitely, peace left the house. 

She heard a door open and she stood up and shook her legs. The doctor was dressed in white overalls. That was how the doctors dressed nowadays. 

"Mrs Ayogu." He called and she nodded immediately. He stared at her for a while and then had this smile on his face.  Adanna didn't fail to notice the badge on his white overall which read 'Doctor Anthony Ekwueme'. 

"Please come into my office." 

She followed him and he walked, greeting his coworkers and Adanna wished that he could walk faster. 

They finally got to his office and she was offered a seat while he sat down on his desk. 

"How are you, Mrs Ayogu?" He asked and Adanna rose an eyebrow. 

"I'm fine. I want to know about my husband, Doctor." She replied and looked away. 

"Oh yes. Your husband is perfectly fine. A beautiful woman like you doesn't have to worry. He's fine." 

"Okay. Thank you. So what was the cause of his break down?" She asked, tapping her lap again. 

"Well it was food poisoning." The doctor replied and removed his glasses and dropped them on the table. 

"Food poisoning? How? When?" She asked and the doctor laughed. 

"Leave the details. Your husband is fine and I know you feel relieved. But...I can make you feel more relaxed, darling." He said and used his fore finger to draw a line on her chin. 

"Are you stupid?" Adanna asked and removed his hand from her face. No one has ever touched her except her husband and this...this doctor...

Adanna stood up and walked backwards. "When can my husband be released?" 

"As soon as we're done, princess." He said and stood up from the desk and walked up to her. 

"What's wrong with you?" She asked and walked backwards until her back was against the door. 

"No one will hear about this. Just you, me and this bed." He said, looking at the bed that was used for examination. 

Adanna stared at him and he dipped his head towards her and began to kiss her neck. She grunted and looked around for a weapon. She found a small tray which had a few instruments. She tried to get the scissors. She stretched her fingers until she finally grabbed the small scissors tightly in her hand.  

"You know what?" She asked and smiled to herself. She already knew what she was going to do and she had to do it as soon as possible. 

"What is it?" He asked, still kissing her neck. He raised his head up to look at her and he had this grin on his face. 

"The only voice that will be heard, are your screams, bastard!" She screamed and stabbed him on his shoulder. He screamed loudly and he fell backwards.  She pulled the scissors out and stabbed again on the other shoulder.

With that, she pushed him away, making him fall over his table and unto the ground. Adanna quickly opened the door and ran out, looking for husband. She got stares from onlookers but she didn't care. She ran faster. What mattered now was getting herself and her husband out of this hospital. 

The first thing she was going to do after leaving this hospital was to sue that doctor, Anthony Ekwueme. She was surely going to do that.  She opened the door to the ward and saw her husband smile at a documentary. 

She hugged him and kissed his forehead. 

"Do you trust me?" She asked and he nodded quietly. 

"Then we need to leave and fast..." She gulped and grabbed his hand tightly, kissing his knuckles. And then she closed her eyes and sighed. 

©Emmanuella Ajaegbu.