Edet and Edua sat in the departure hall of Muritala International airport. Their flight was scheduled for twelve midnight. While they waited, they ate from a big pack of popcorn, sipped from a 1.5 litre bottle of Coca Cola and watched a movie on Edet’s tablet phone. Edua sneezed and adjusted the earpiece. Her husband frowned and nudged her on the shoulder. She turned to look at him.

“What?”

“Do you want to infect our popcorn?” he eyed her.

She hissed and returned her attention to the iPad.

“You can eat the rest. I am not touching a grain of that popcorn.”

Edua began to laugh. The sudden sharp ache she felt across her lower abdomen cut short the laughter. She began to rub her tummy in response and leaned against the metal chair.

“I want to go to the restroom,” she looked at her husband. The way he was staring at the iPad confirmed that he didn’t hear a word. She removed the earphone in her own ears and got up slowly.

“Where are you going?” he raised his head the moment she got up.

“The restroom.”

He nodded and dropped his head, eyes glued on the movie he was watching on the iPad.

Edua started towards the restroom, which was across the large hall. She winced and rubbed her tummy again. Since she woke up that morning, she had been having cramps and feeling nauseous. She thought it would pass, but, the discomfort was mounting pressure.

“Are you okay?”

She stopped walking when she heard her husband’s voice. She turned sharply and found him right behind her. His worried gaze observed her.

“I… I am not sure.”

He raised an eyebrow. He had seen the way she was walking, dragging her feet across the tiled floor. He could sense that she was not entirely herself.

“How are you feeling?” he placed the back of his palm against her forehead. Her temperature was normal.

“My tummy… I don’t know,” she whispered, she didn’t want to talk anymore. She felt like throwing up.

He started to frown. He wondered if the junk food they had been eating since they got to the airport had anything to do with her discomfort. His wife had a high tolerance for sugary substances. He was sure that her distress wasn’t caused by the food.

“Okay, let’s get you in there,” he placed a hand around her and followed her to the restroom.

When they got to the female section, Edua went in, while her husband waited for her outside. There were a lot of women in the restroom, ranging from ladies in their teens to the elderly ones. Many stood by the sink, washing their hands and painting their faces.

She found an empty toilet, locked the door and knelt beside the clean water closet. Unexpectedly, she started to throw up. Out came all the food she had eaten that day and the stench of it all made her to keep vomiting. Ten minutes later, she got up, flushed and staggered out. She squeezed herself between a plump size woman and slender lady, at the sink. She rinsed her mouth with the cool water and splashed some on her face.

She began to feel a little better. The soothing, cool liquid made her nerves to tune to a relax mood. She looked at her reflection in the large mirror and sighed heavily. Her make-up was gone. She didn’t really care. She didn’t feel like reapplying it either. She made her way out and found her husband waiting for her outside.

“How are you feeling now?”

She nodded and smiled.

“Okay, let’s get you seated,” he took her by the hand and led her back to their seats, but, it was already taken.

Edet looked around the departure hall for spare seats. He saw a few empty ones at the other end of the hall.

“Let’s go down there. I can see some empty seats,” he glanced at his wife. She looked a bit pale.

She followed his gaze. Her vision became burry and dizziness overwhelmed her. The next thing she knew; she was on the floor!

“Edua!” his heart beat accelerated when she collapsed.

The incident drew the attention of some people in the departure hall.

He dropped the big handbag he was carrying and knelt beside his wife. He pulled her and helped her to a sitting position. “Are you feeling dizzy?” he checked her pulse.

“I don’t feel well.”

“Come, let’s find a seat first,” he helped her to her feet.

In slow short steps, they made their way to the corner that had empty seats.

“Drink this,” he brought out a bottle of water from the big bag.

Edua collected the bottled water and sipped.

“Stay here, I will be back,” he dropped the bag beside her and hurried away.

Edet returned about fifteen minutes later with a white polythene bag that had the name of a store written in green and red on it. He sat beside her and brought out a bottle of Lucozade from the polythene bag.

“Drink it slowly, you will feel better,” he encouraged her.

She collected the bottle from him, opened it quickly and took a long sip. The chilled energy drink refreshed her entire being.

“Take…” he dropped the white bag on her lap.

She covered the bottle of Lucozade and opened the bag. Her astonished gaze flew to his smiling ones.

“I think you should check.”

She stared at the pregnancy kit in the bag and began to shake her head. “I saw my MP this month.”

He shrugged. “There is no harm in checking, at least, to be sure.”

She met his concerned gaze. “Okay.”

“I will come with you,” he brushed a hand over her smooth fair face.

She nodded in agreement and allowed him to help her to her feet. On their way to the restroom, their flight was announced.

“I will check once we board the plane,” she decided.

“Fine, Bahamas, here we come,” he held her hand and led her to the queue outside the gate leading to the entrance of the aircraft.

“Wait…”

“What?”

“I think…” she broke free from his grip, left the queue and hurried towards the restroom.

“Edua!” he called out to her and ran after her. He stood outside the restroom and waited, hoping she was all right.

She came out a while later looking tired and drained.

“How are you feeling?”

“I will live,” she started to smile.

He glanced at the kit in her hands. “Did you check?”

She nodded and her smile widened.

“So?” anxiety gripped him.

“I think we’re going to have a baby,” her light brown eyes lit up.

He placed a hand over his mouth, surprised and excited at the same time.

“I think God has just given us a wedding anniversary gift.”

He started to laugh, then drew her into his arms, in a loving embrace.“This is one of the happiest moments of my life.”

She leaned into him and closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of his embrace.

Their flight was announced again.

“We will do a blood test to confirm the pregnancy, once we get to Bahamas,” he held her by the hand and led her back to the queue.

“Okay, I wonder how far gone the pregnancy is,” her eyes twinkled in delight.

“I hope it is a set of twins,” he winked at her.

She looked back at him, “Why?”

“We don’t have twins in my family.”

“We don’t have twins either in my family.”

He shrugged, “We will pioneer the birth of twins.”

She started to laugh.

“You wait and see, we are going to have a set of twins, a boy and a girl.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Me too,” he winked at her again.

Edua sighed with relief and thanked God for everything. He had indeed been forever faithful.

THE END