Extreme

"Are you, are you sure you are O.K?” Doctor Seye started, cautious. He recognized that look and even though his tolerance level for their thinly-veiled mock sympathy was dangerously ebbing towards ‘empty’, he still nodded with a smile towards his medical director.

“If you want to take some time off…”

“There will be no need for that, Doctor.” He cut his boss off. “I am absolutely fine.” How could the big smile almost tearing his face into two unequal lateral halves not be enough to convince them that his internal state was brighter than the operating theater he had been excused from prior to being asked to meet the M.D. in his office?

No! His smile was not forced. It was genuine and he was sure people could see that and they just preferred to assume the worst, maybe because it gave them some kind of misery-loves-company comfort. He came to the hospital with a smile on his face and attended to all his patients as cheerfully as ever, as he had done for the past seven years he’d been working at the State Medical Center.

When Doctor Kerla offered him lunch after their afternoon ward round, which had been mostly filled with his colleagues, nurses, and even the medical students stealing furtive glances or mumbling respectable monosyllables at him, he had declined politely, making sure to linger for small talk before making his exit.

“I am fine Doctor,” he had assured Doctor Kerla as she fawned over him, his gaze affronted and then kept by the unrelentingly purple Proudly Pediatrician pin affixed to her lapel. Ogechi had that too before she lost it somewhere around the house. He should look for it when he gets home, he was certain she would be delighted to have it back and tease him for his ability to dig out even the most elusive things. The digging doctor! She will hail. His smile widened.

“I know things are difficult for you now but if you need me…” Dr. Kerla floated back into his consciousness. He gave another of his perfect toothpaste advert smile.

“Thank you so much Doctor but that would not be necessary,” he smiled her off.

Doctor Tade naturally did not like to feel sorry for himself. Pity never looked good on his face, it contorted and added unflattering lines, and so whenever there was a trying situation, he did his utmost best to keep his head high and a smile on his face. But at that moment, things had been on an upward trajectory for him and life had never been better so he wondered why everyone was acting hyper apologetic towards him.

As he drove home that evening, his thoughts swiftly drifted from his mysterious colleagues to his wife and his face softened. She was waiting for him and he could not wait to get back to her. Two years of marriage and it felt like he was still on their honeymoon. He recalled the previous night and how exciting their lovemaking had been; it was like the first time all over again and he wondered how he could be so obsessed with another human being every day.

When he left for work that morning, he had promised her he would be back as soon as possible and he did not want to disappoint her. He knew she would be seated on the couch in his favorite lingerie, the one he had bought her for her last birthday, waiting for him to come back.

Driving into their estate, he thought of how the neighborhood had transformed since when he and Ogechi moved there after their wedding. Two years back, Silva Estate was just a collection of far-flunked terrace houses and few residents who didn’t know the name of their next neighbor, not because they were snobbish, but because the next neighbor’s house was probably two miles away. This wasn’t the case anymore as the Estate had seen a rapid influx of people that year and even their closest neighbor, Mr. Nnamdi, the architect and part-time plumber, had moved to live in the house opposite them with his two lovely twin girls in January. Ogechi had gotten so fond of the twins, Ugochi and Ugonna, that she had made herself their personal doctor. When she went away, he was sure they missed her so much. But now that she was back, Tade was sure the girls would be excited to see her. He didn’t think they should spring the surprise on them yet, so she had been indoors since she got back.

As he eased his car into his driveway, he caught a glimpse of Mr. Nnamdi through his rearview mirror. He was in his front yard tending to the shrubs but had momentarily stopped and stood staring towards his parking car. Tade wasn’t in the mood for another of his neighbor’s somber lectures which he seemed to always want to have with him these days so he waved enthusiastically at him as he hurried towards his front door and into his house in the same breath. He bolted the door just to make sure he did all avenues to dissuade his neighbor before he turned around with the brightest smile he could muster. And just as he predicted, there was his lovely wife seated on the couch in his favorite lingerie.

“Babe,” he smiled at her but she kept a straight face. He must have kept her waiting for too long, Ogechi hated waiting which was funny because her patients weren’t the best at keeping time or even keeping to the confines of time. “I’m sorry I came back a bit late. People at the hospital have suddenly decided that giving me long lectures and pity talks is the best way to feel good about themselves.”

He loosened his tie and decreased the temperature of the air conditioner, he had forgotten to keep it at the perfect temperature Ogechi liked when he was leaving for work that morning and the room was now a bit stuffy. “You know even Kerla offered me food this afternoon, but I know how much you dislike her so I declined.” He moved to finish undressing in the room. “I hurried back here as soon as I was free because I didn’t want you to be lonely,” he continued.

He returned to the living room in his boxer shorts and a t-shirt. She still sat on the couch, listening to his rambling apology without flinching. She must be really mad at him this time. “You must be hungry. I think there should be something in the freezer we can whip up, I will go see what I can microwave and you can tell me all about your day.” He should have known she never ate without him, whether at home or when they were on the same shift at the hospital.

He hurried into the kitchen to prepare dinner when a knock on their front door startled him from his rummaging. The knock came again and he knew exactly who it was. As he went to attend to the unwanted intruder, he could see the hint of a frown on Ogechi’s face. “I just want to dismiss him,” he cajoled. “It won’t take long.”

“Doctor Tade,” Mr. Nnamdi forced a smile as he opened the door, making sure to stand in the doorway to make it clear to his neighbor that it wasn’t a good time for visiting. “I don’t know if this is a good time…”

“This is not a good time,” Tade confirmed.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized with that damn sympathy in his eyes! “My daughters played into your compound this morning and they went towards the back of the house…”

“You know you should take charge of your daughters more,” Tade frowned.

“Yes, I’m sorry” the architect stammered. “But when they came back, they complained of an uncomfortable thick smell emanating from your house. I went there to confirm and the stench is just terrible. And even now I can…”

“Rats!” Tade cut him short. “I killed a lot of rats recently. They’ve really been a menace, I wonder if it’s the turn of the weather” he explained. Mr. Nnamdi nodded slowly, accepting with a reluctance Tade didn’t quite like.

“Have a nice day Mr. Nnamdi,” he said as he slammed and bolted the door on his neighbor.

He went straight to the kitchen and continued fixing their dinner like he hadn’t been interrupted. He returned to the living room with two plates of food but Ogechi seemed not to be interested in the food before her. She was probably still stewing, classic Ogechi, always making sure he knew exactly how much she was hurt from his indiscretion. He settled down opposite her and ate slowly, regarding her beauty and how lucky he was that she was his wife. All he wanted was for them to make sweet love like the previous night and forget about nosey neighbors and trespassing kids. But then her frown seemed to be deepening.

“You think he saw you?” He asked but she was quiet. “He is going to tell others, isn’t he?” Tunde wondered. “And if he does, they are going to take you away! They can’t see you yet, they can’t know about you yet!” He took three deep breaths, that’s what Ogechi always told him to do whenever he felt a panic attack coming. He set aside his plate and stood up to pace the room. That wasn’t exactly good practice but pacing helped him think.

“What should I do?” He wondered but still, she was silent. “I have to do something, I have to protect you, I have to protect us. I swore I would protect you.” He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Ogechi. “Yes, you are right, Mr. Nnamdi has got to go before he causes any more damage…but what about the girls? I know how much you love them.”

He returned to pacing. “I don’t think those two girls can do without their father but if I let him stay, he will definitely out us. Then again, if I make him go away, the police might come here for questioning and they will see you anyway…except we run away,” he smiled.

“Yes baby, I know how much you love our home here. I can’t take that away from you, not after the memories and moments we’ve created here. It’s Mr. Nnamdi that should do the leaving. He met us here. He will certainly have to leave with the girls, so I have to take them out too right? It will be mercy!” He nodded. “Let me get this over with. I will be back as soon as possible. ”

He was a doctor, he knew what to do and he was well equipped to do it, he just needed one more thing. He walked to the store and walked out with his shovel. The Same shovel he used in digging up Ogechi and returning the soil to the empty hole three days back.