Lydia's heart - Episode 1

“Happy birthday girlfriend” the girls shrilled on bursting into my room. Nelly jumped on me where I was still tucked up in my blanket.
I just grinned at my friends happiness, there is nothing so special to celebrate about birthdays anyways; I thought. I have been celebrating them everyday and today was no exceptional
“I am 30, I am not getting any younger” I thought again and Ignored their cheers
“Don’t tell me you are not happy seeing us” Cindy asked dropping the beautiful pinky cake she baked on the table
“Don’t mind her; she must celebrate it for us” Ritsy adds eyeing the sleepy Lydia
“Come on girlfriend, smile it’s your birthday” Nancy says dragging me up from the bed, seeing that I am not responding to her dragging, she starts tickling me
I laughed, no matter how hard I try to pretend I can never pretend when I am being tickled.
I looked at my girls all dolled up and cheering happily for me on my supposed special day, I looked from Nelly to Cindy and to Ritsy. They were really dressed up to celebrate my birthday, I sighed sadly cus I am going to disappoint them.
I gave out a wry smile and stood up from the bed, I need to pee; this has been my constant night mare now, peeing every now and then
“OMG, she just smiled” Ritsy shouts on seeing the wry smile on my face.

Read " Incomplete " by the same author ( Celestina Oranye )

. I smiled again and rush inside the restroom, I love my girls, we have been friends as long as I can remember right from our university days and fortunately for us we all ended up in fashion designing.
Funny right but nah, the unemployment in Nigeria made the three of us to join Cindy in her fashion house.
Among us four, I love Ritsy more; she is more of a mother hen to me

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/lydia-s-heart

. She knows me in and out more than Cindy and Nelly that I even wonder why I have not told her my recent predicament.
She is not so quiet or too loud, I just love her like that and Cindy, the ever talkative that we have among us. She can talk from morning till night and not get tire, hear any news in town that you are not so sure of, contact Cindy and she will give it to you as it dey hot.
Nelly; the youngest of us all, she is always in high and bubbling spirit. To be sincere she is the magnet that holds our friendship together, she is quick to understand us and solve any issue that rise up among us.
“Are you going to sleep in there” Cindy shouts banging on the door.
I sigh and pull up my nightie, I pressed down the button and water rushed down to flush the toilet. I opened the door and met six pairs of eyes watching me. Cindy standing in the middle carrying the cake
“Come on; stop looking at the cake like its acid, blow the candle and make a wish” Nelly shrill holds her phone to capture the moment.
That has been our tradition, the celebrant blows the candle and make a wish before any celebration if it has been five years ago, I would always blow it off wishing fro a husband but right now in this condition I am in, I have no new wish other than praying my friends understands me.
I just blow off the candle not to disappoint my girls, the cheered happily and ofcus wishing me the normal long life and prosperity. Nelly never forgets to take some beautiful pictures, she calls them memories.
Cindy starts cutting the cake, Ritsy unpacked the numerous drinks and foods they cooked or maybe ordered online.
I sat down on my bed brooding and looking at them; I know they noticed my countenance but hey act as if they never did. Maybe they want to celebrate my birthday in peace.
My ringtone pierce through the air, the phone is on my night stand in front of the mirror. Nelly nearest to it rushed and picked it up but freeze on seeing the caller
We noticed her silence and turned towards her “Nelly give her the dam phone” Cindy commands moving towards her and snatched the phone from her
“its your mother” she says on seeing the caller
I blink
“my mother calling me on my birthday is a bad omen”
I stretched my hand to collect the phone from her and the phone became silent, number one offence; she must query why I missed her calls
I just sighed in relief, I will give her an excuse that I was in the bathroom then but my relief was cut short as it starts ringing again.
I swallowed hard and picked the call; the girls cluster around me to give me support, they are familiar with my mom and her ranting but as Nelly always say “that is how African mothers show their love”
“Chikadibia” my mother called me from the other end
I swallow again; calling me my Igbo name shows danger and in full especially when she is not happy with me.
“Mah” I answered
“What is today’s date” she asked
I looked at the girls before answering “6th of May Mah”
“and I am sure you are celebrating that your stupid birthday”
I winced in pain and made to reply “Mah……”
“shut up, don’t talk while I am talking; I regret the day I bore you, you are thirty and yet single. Are you wishing me ill luck of not carrying my grandchildren before I die”
The baby in my stomach choose that moment to give me a small kick in the stomach and I felt like vomiting that I couldn’t even resist it.
I covered my mouth immediately, dropped the phone and rushed to the bathroom
“Chikadibia… Chikadibia” my mom’s voice boom through the phone “you are ignoring my me now, don’t worry we shall see” she shouts again
“Sorry Mah, she will attend to you later” Ritsy say into the phone and cuts the call immediately to avoid further questions from her
She joined others where they are peering at me vomiting, after some minutes I washed my face with water and turned to meet them glaring at me fro explanation which is hard to give
“Are you pregnant” Ritsy blurts out after the long silence
I peered at their faces and I know instantly that they will be disappointed at me. “yes, I am pregnant” I admitted “A single one at that and just turned thirty today” I whispered and bowed my face in shame
“That’s the more reason this birthday was never in my mind”
The girls sighed and sat down to think of a possible solution.

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Pregnant, Single and Thirty; is it a crime? or was it a crime?
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