“In the clinic here?” Onyeka asked, eyes wide with surprise. “The woman taking advantage of your son is working here with us?”
Chidinma felt a spurt of irritation go through her. She was tempted to ask Onyeka if she had spoken in Chinese, but she pushed down the urge. The information was hard to take in; it was no surprise that the revelation had turned the auditor into a parrot.
“Yes.” Chidinma answered calmly. They were in her office. It was a bright cheerful morning and the sound of chirping birds filtered in through the closed window, but the chilly atmosphere in the office was less cheery. Chidinma felt like she was sitting on a bed of coals. All she wanted was to be up and about, searching the clinic for the woman who had been chatting with her son the night before.
“This was happening right under my nose, Onyeka.” Chidinma intoned mournfully. “How could I have missed this?”
“You and me both!” Onyeka exclaimed, still reeling from the news. He sank down into the chair opposite Chidinma’s, staring blankly at the folders before him. there was no way they could both work in that state of mind- it was shaping up to be another wasted work day. “I don’t even know how that could have happened without our knowledge…”
“This is my fault.” Chidinma cut in suddenly. “He has been coming to the clinic to meet me so we can go home together. And under my nose, a pedophile has wormed her way into his life and I didn’t even notice. I just wish I had seen her face in that video chat!” she looked up at the auditor, her gaze full of pain and doubt. “What kind of mother doesn’t notice something like that, Onyeka? What kind of therapist misses her own son’s sexual abuse? Maybe Ben is right. Maybe i was foolish to think I could raise my son alone.”
Onyeka’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be silly, Chidinma. You’re an amazing mother and doctor. This is not your fault in anyway. If we are apportioning blame, we might as well blame me. He has been coming to the clinic more frequently to talk to me about his issues. I should have noticed if he was spending time with anyone else.”
Chidinma pressed a hand to her mouth. “You’re right. He must have met this person here when he started coming more often. Do you have any idea who it might be?” there were only two other female doctors working in the clinic and they didn’t seem likely, so she ruled them out. “Is it a nurse? One of the cleaning staff? The Youth Corper pharmacist?”
Onyeka shook his head. “I truly do not know…”
“Yetunde!” Chidinma’s eyes widened with horror. She remembered the incident of a few weeks ago, when the nurse had confided in her. “Oh my God! Is that possible? That Nonso could be responsible…”
“For her pregnancy?” Onyeka scoffed and stood up from his seat, pacing the length of the office. “That’s not possible. It’s definitely not her.”
“Well, why not?”
“I’m just sure, that’s why.”
Suspicion narrowed Chidinma’s eyes and she felt an unwanted spurt of jealousy run through her. “You sound so sure. As though you know for certain.”
“I thought we already established that Nonso met his mystery woman after he started coming to the clinic frequently.” Onyeka’s voice was tinged with irritation. “Yetunde has been off work for the past few weeks. She took her annual leave- to go clear her head about the pregnancy, I guess.”
Chidinma waited Onyeka out, her heart hammering beneath her breast, even though she appeared outwardly calm. Her suspicions about his involvement with nurse Yetunde had returned with a vengeance. “Onyeka, was I right before? Is the pregnancy yours?”
Onyeka stopped pacing and glared at her. “Your continued mistrust is very unpleasant.”
“You haven’t answered my question.” Chidinma insisted.
Onyeka leaned both arm son the table and stared at her unflinchingly. “For the last time, no, Nurse Yetunde is not pregnant for me. I am not involved with her in that way. She only confided in me.”
“So you know the father?” Chidinma asked, struggling to accept his explanation.
“Yes.” Onyeka gritted out, straightening up and pushing his hands into his pocket. “But I’m not going to tell you who it is. I won’t break that confidence just to satisfy your need to trust me. Believe what you will about me.”
Onyeka packed up the folders on the table, his movements quick and angry. “It’s obvious we won’t work together today, so I’ll just go work alone for a bit.”
Chidinma watched him walk towards the door, torn by her emotions. A part of her wanted to apologize for the accusation but another cautious part of her, bruised from her experience with an unfaithful husband, kept her lips sealed. She just couldn’t afford to trust Onyeka as much as he obviously wanted her to. She could not risk getting hurt that way again.
Onyeka paused at the door. “You may not be able to trust my self-control, but I can assure you of one thing. I genuinely care about you and Nonso. So, I’m going to make sure I find this person, this mystery woman. I owe Nonso that much.”
Chidinma sat silent as the door closed softly behind Onyeka, and tears threatened to leave her eyes. But she could not afford to let her feelings get in the way of more important matters. She needed to also find out who the mystery woman was, and she needed to work fast.
To be Continue
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