CHAPTER 48

SUSAN

It's been eight weeks since Henry left for Scotland, being all by herself in the house keeps making Susan sick. Henry gets to call once or twice a day and some days, he doesn't call at all. She knows he has been avoiding her recently because of her constant inquiry for updates regarding the job he promised to get for her, his attitude is starting to piss her off and she wishes she hadn't relocated with him. She would have had someone to hang out with and talk to more often other than keeping to herself if she was an outgoing person but she barely steps out of her house except on rare occasions which has made it harder for her to make new friends since she arrived in the states. The only option she has other than going to the grocery store to shop or going for a walk is to make lengthy calls with her mother to complain bitterly and most times she doesn't want to bug her with calls because her complaints were getting too consistent. Her friends who would have been a better option also have things to do if they are not at work, although they love to hear from her but most times she has little or nothing to talk about and she doesn't want to give them a clue on what's going on in her life here. So they end up being the ones to keep the conversation going and lively as they always have things to discuss; improvement at work or gist about their colleagues while she just

listens and acts like she is living her best life with

her perfect husband in the States and they should be sorry for thinking she was making a wrong decision when she announced her wedding.

Susan has been sitting all day watching TV shows and she is starting to get tired, she thinks of taking a stroll at least something in the neighborhood that could steer her interest, or perhaps her nosy neighbors could have something new to say to her. Three days ago when she went for an early morning run, she met two slender neighbors of hers jogging, which made her wonder what calories they had that they were trying so hard to burn. After a little run, she found it hard to catch her breath and decided to take a rest then these two tiny girls walked up to her to mock her with their stupid accents which isn't American nor British, she wonders where they got shipped from "Got tired so easily? Maybe you won't be breathing too heavily if you don't sit around all day eating and getting fat" one had said to her, the other one then added "Henry doesn't like fat girls, we have seen women he's been with, they are slimmer like us and prettier than you are" she didn't wait to return their honor by giving them a scoop of their own pudding "Perhaps you two lost your senses instead of some pounds in the bit of this exercise since you both have no calories to lose, why not add some weight, that flat ass of yours wouldn't get you both a man!" they withdrew from taunting her and walked away immediately she replied them. They quit the run and strolled back home instead, cussing at her from a distance which was a real pleasure to behold.

Everything about the neighborhood irritates her,

lately, she has been falling ill but Henry's hospital

was two hours away from home. She had gone to a pharmacy close to the house a few weeks ago to get some drugs but they had insisted that she shows them a doctor's prescription, she can't imagine driving down to the hospital just to get a prescription to treat malaria or whatever is wrong with her when she can do so herself, who has that time in Nigeria? Self-medication is a very popular method. She decided since she is bored of staying indoors anyways, she would drive down to the hospital and make complaints, at least she would change her environment and spend more time out before she returns home.

Some hours later, Susan arrived at the hospital. She is getting more feverish than usual, she stopped at the counter to submit her information and her husband's social security number for verification that his insurance covers hers. She was told to sit for her blood pressure checkup which they found out to be very high and she was immediately directed to the doctor's office as a case of emergency. Everything happened so fast that Susan is in awe, she wondered what would have happened to her if she had not decided to take that long drive there that day. She puts a call through Henry who of course rejected her call, she drops a message for him to notify him that she is at the hospital and it's an emergency. The lab scientist ran several tests on her and she was transferred back to the ward where she was admitted for bed rest. If there was anything she appreciates and for the first time enjoyed ever since she got to this country, it is their attitude to people's lives. They care a lot for people's lives and it is a lovely attribute to imbibe especially with the experience she has from the country she came from. While she lay on the sickbed for treatment to commence as the result of the tests carried out weren't out yet, she rings Henry again but he still didn't pick up her call. She sent a message to her mother to inform her that she has been admitted in the hospital and she hasn't been able to get in touch with Henry. She dumps her phone and slept off a few moments later.