The Baby Is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Author:Oyinkan Braithwaite [Braithwaite, Oyinkan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atlantic Books

Chapter Sixteen

I opened my eyes. Something was wrong.

Remi was there, his chest was rising and falling. He was safe. But someone had been in the room with us. I was fairly sure that someone had been hovering above us. Their shadow had crept into my sleep. But when I opened my eyes, they were gone.

I switched on the light and looked around the room. My laptop was still on the small desk, along with my phone; my bag lay open on the floor with clothes spilling out and my shoes were lined up neatly against the wall. Maybe one of the women had come in here, since this was where the baby was. Even if I wanted to lock the door, I couldn’t – I had broken it the previous evening. Now it barely even shut properly. Still, nothing had been disturbed. I began to relax – perhaps I had dreamt it after all.

Then there was a scream. Again. It sounded like Aunty Bidemi. I briefly thought about taking Remi with me to find out what was going on, but I risked waking him up. I patted the pillows on either side of him and left the room. Aunty Bidemi was standing in the hallway between the dining room and the living room. She had stopped screaming but I could see that she was trembling.

‘What’s the matter?’

She pointed to the wall. There were uneven streaks of dark red all over the blue-and-white wallpaper, as if smeared on by someone’s hands. It looked like blood, it smelt like blood. I felt woozy.

‘That girl is a witch,’ she hissed. She came towards me, clutching at my vest, but I pushed her off and hung my head between my knees, taking deep, steadying breaths. I didn’t do well around blood.

‘What are we going to do?’ Aunty Bidemi whispered. ‘I don’t feel safe.’

Just then, the power went off. We were in pitch darkness again, with no candles and no lamps.

‘Stay here,’ I said to Aunty Bidemi. I staggered along the corridor, still feeling faint, my hand pressed to the walls to guide me in the dark. I needed to get back to Remi.

When I got to the door, I could just make out the figure of Esohe standing by my bed. She had her back to me.

‘What do you think you are doing?’

She turned slowly to face me. The baby was in her arms. I could not make out her features or expression.

‘I heard all the noise and I came to check on Efosa.’

‘Give him to me.’

‘Relax, I just—’

‘I said, give him to me now.’

She held back, but then she handed him over. She would not have been able to get past me – my whole body filled the doorway.

‘What’s your problem? I was just making sure that he is OK.’

‘You are sick. You are a very sick person. And I don’t want you anywhere near him.’

‘Is this about the chicken again?’

‘Go back to your room.’

‘But—’

‘Now!’

She fixed me with a glare and then pushed past me, her body briefly coming into contact with my own.

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