SPEED

A little bit over 110km/h wasn’t a normal speed on a single lane road at an odd hour of the day but that wasn’t the problem, the tension in the vehicle was. It was high, skyrocketing, I must say. I could remember the feeling I had, a bizarre; it was that of a vehicle drifting too fast into a sharp bend and I heard the tyres voice out in a screech as they struggled to remain on the asphalt and for a split second they went mute and all I heard was a violent roar of the engine and I felt a new sensation like we were airborne, a loud thud followed. I could feel my internal organs shake like a vibration was sent through every cell in my body and I went blank.

I heard voices difficult for me to articulate any when I regained consciousness. All my body was numb, I couldn’t feel myself but I knew I was in motion. I was moving fast with a lot of people around saying all sort of things and by their tone, I could tell that all wasn’t right plus I was the topic of the deliberations, the whole scenario must have overwhelmed me like a dark cloud, making me drift back into darkness once more.

“Can you hear me? Hello Sir, if you can please move a finger on your left hand”
The sweet feminine voice said as I gradually regain consciousness. My eyes were heavy but I needed to know what was going on. With a sense of Delirium, looking Confused, I stared at the unfamiliar faces. The environment was a familiar sight and I could instantly recognise what it was. It was an emergency ward of a hospital. I had been in a similar facility before; that was when Nancy, My Ex girlfriend in the university, had a complication after an unauthorized abortion but that isn’t a gist for today. I could hear sounds like beeps from the equipments in the ward and of course the doctor who was asking me a question. I could feel my body now so I acknowledged her question by moving my index finger twice. Then I a split second it dawned on me that I was with my wife a while ago, something happened and I am here now, Oh My God, where is she. Just before the doctor could say anything else, I voiced out a sentence with all the strength I had despite how bad my chest was aching,
“Where is my wife?”
The doctor’s reaction wasn’t clear, maybe that didn’t expect me to speak or maybe it was something else, I couldn’t phantom and that made me very nervous.
********* 

(48 hours prior)
It was the 3rd of March, a day to our second wedding anniversary, and I had just arrived from work. Feeling exhausted, I knocked at that door of the flat we lived in and I didn’t get any response so I knocked again; over and over again. ‘At least, she must have heard when I drove in’ I thought, what’s wrong? I asked myself. Moments later, I heard footsteps and twist in the lock, as the door swung open behind it was my Sandra; my wife. She was in tears, looking dejected and frustrated. I had seen that look before so I didn’t bother asking what happened. Sobbing intensely she said as she threw herself into my embrace was;
“I shouldn’t have picked her calls Tope, I swear I shouldn’t have”
“I understand, Mama can be a pain in the ass a times, maybe most of the time. I am sorry” I responded.
We had only being married for two and yet my mum was pestering her for a child, obviously not because she didn’t feel she could have children but because she was trying to get back at me for marrying someone from the East; an Igbo girl, against her wish. I on the other felt I was being punished by God for my past prior the time I met Sandra but Sandra always ruled out my theory hoping things would change soon but that very day my mum crossed the line. She told Sandra over the phone that she was bringing a new wife for me and she will have to live with the reality of being a first wife in the house. The incident got Sandra really upset but it was my choice to accept mum’s proposition which was definitely off the table. So I comforted her and promised to take her out on a date the following day to make up for that episode she had with my mum and to celebrate our wedding anniversary, that night, things didn’t go as planned.

I arrived early at about 6pm to pick her up for our special date and at around 7pm we were both dressed and ready to go. I had made a reservation in a wonderful resort at the edge of the city and since it was Friday we decided that we would be spending the night and hoping to make a baby in one of their exquisite suites. So we drove out on a 40mile journey. 10 minutes into the trip, I noticed Sandra wasn’t laughing at my jokes anymore, she became quiet and lukewarm at first and suddenly, she asked me with a soft tone; so you have started chatting with the new bride huh? I was confused at first and then I remembered that Mum had shared my contact on WhatsApp with the lady she wanted me to marry as a second wife and I was trying to be polite so I responded to her messages but I was going to tell Sandra but not that night, it was supposed to be about us, just the two of us.
With a rather harsh tone she asked again “ Tope, didn’t you hear me? What is this date about if you already have plans for a replace me?”
I didn’t want to make any wrong statement that could ruin the whole night so I kept quiet trying to pick the right words to respond because I knew how Sandra becomes when she is vexed; more reason why I have never pictured cheating on her besides the fact that I love her more than life itself. Just before I could respond, she made a terrible statement;
“Hope you have told your Mum that I am not the problem, she should be considering checking her son too”
I knew she didn’t mean it but my Ego got in the way of my reasoning so I flared up like a volcano. Not quite long, we started exchanging words, saying a whole lot of things we didn’t mean. I never knew I was going too fast, I didn’t see that bend; I drifted too fast, and before I could maintain control of the four runner jeep, it was off the road. We took a dive for valley down the slope of the main road.
************
“Where is my wife? Where is Sandra I asked again?”
“Please sir, calm down, your wife is alive, we manage to safe the three of you but we are hoping for the best concerning you wife, please you need to rest” the doctor responded.
I had a fracture on my left femur and I took a hit to the head, the doctors said I was lucky, the airbag helped. But Sandra didn’t have her seat belt on so she sustained a head injury and she was in a coma. Once I got better the doctors allowed me to see her, I would seat beside her bed in her ward everyday praying and hoping she open those pretty eyes once again. The doctors said they save three people and that was because Sandra was pregnant and she didn’t even know it. I wept and prayed and hoped. In that period, my mum discovered that what we had for each other was more that her prejudice and bias, she had to pray with me and a lot of friends and family also joined the train.
Two weeks after the incident, Sandra regained consciousness, I felt like I got a second chance with her and this time I was willing to stay and fight for and with her no matter what. I was happy to have my wife back and not only that, my child was also on the way. Oh the table turned; a tragedy became a testimony.
Doris, My Daughter, is 3years old today and we are expecting her younger sibling. Looking at my beautiful daughter and very pregnant but extremely pretty wife, I can’t but reflex on all I could have lost, and all that I have gained, that wrong turn on that road that night could have been my last, I had the opportunity to make the right turn even after I made the wrong turn.