Joy Mixed With Pain

“Aunty!” Chidinma called with a smile on her face. Lanre asked her where she had gone to. Chidinma told her she had gone to call inform the nurse she was awake. Lanre then asked why it took her so long.

“It is not like you were genuinely worried!” A male voice said. Lanre frowned. She wondered what Christian was doing there, especially now that her mother was here.

“Sorry, that was a joke. I got in her way”. Christian said. Then he turned to Lanre’s mother and greeted her old fashion. He bowed almost prostrating on the floor to greet her. Mrs. Olayinka had unintentionally wore a smile on her face. Seeing that a young man of this present generation still took their culture that serious made her to smile that way. It had gotten straight to her heart.

“My son, how are you?” Mrs. Olayinka said. Before Christian could reply, Lanre butted in reminding her mom that she only had one son.

“Taah! Who told you that it is only the child a woman bore that is her child? Every child is a woman’s responsibility. So I can call him my son”. Mrs. Olayinka said whilst scolding Lanre. Lanre scoffed. In her mind she felt her mother wanted to add something to the end of that name.

“Christian please tell my mother you are not my boyfriend so that she does not get the wrong ideas and start seeing her son in-law in you”. Lanre said.

“You look fine for someone who is just waking up from coma”. Christian said to Lanre. Then he turned back to the mother and asked her of she did not have stress coming to Lagos. The mother told him no stress could have stand her motherly feeling when she was told about her daughter’s situation. So she did not notice any stress on the way.

Lanre smiled as she felt a sought of pain in her heart. She could not explain how she actually felt, but it was joy mixed with pain. Joy because her mom was there for her. The pain was something she could not yet fathom.

……………………………….

Lanre was discharged from the hospital the following day. Christian had come to pick them up from the hospital. This alone already placed a lot of thoughts in Mrs. Olayinka’s head. And just as Lanre had predicted, she was already seeing her prospective son in-law in Christian.

She asked Christian a lot of questions when they got to Lanre’s apartment and she had made Christian to stay and eat the food she prepared. She was so thrilled when she asked him what he does and he told her he had two hotels in Lagos and his father was a big time politician.

“Also a close friend to the Governor of this state”. Christian had said. And this was the most intriguing part to Mrs. Olayinka. She thought Lanre must have met this young man because of Ify who was engaged to the Governor’s son.