Chapter 1: The Theatre Door

This IVF matter, e no be small thing o. As we dey run up and down for hospital, na so body dey tire, spirit dey worry. E get as e be, especially for woman—na plenty courage e need. Na the day dem wan comot egg.

For early morning, everywhere quiet, smell of Dettol just dey hang for air. Nurse slippers dey shuffle for corridor, and generator hum dey faint for background. E never tey wey dem start the operation, na so doctor rush comot from the theatre come face me: "Ah-ah! You know say your wife dey do surgery today—how you go still knack her last night?"

My mouth hang like say breeze blow my jaw open. I shock.

Because my wife dey do IVF, since over five months now, we never even touch body at all.

I just dey look doctor like say maybe na me she dey talk to, maybe na another person. Even my leg weak, I nearly fall chair as her words dey echo for my ear like generator noise for night when NEPA don take light.

E be like thunder wey strike from nowhere. My head just dey ring.

I just dey reason, dey try arrange myself for that corridor. My chest dey heavy, sweat dey my palm even though AC dey blow. Na wah.

After the doctor finish to para for me, she wan go back inside the theatre.

I no fit just keep quiet, so I talk: "I no do..."

My voice crack like person wey swallow dry gari without water. The doctor just look me with vex, reply: "Because you say you no do, e mean say you no do?"

Her face hard, eyebrow stand like market woman wey dey ready price fish. "Day before yesterday, one patient hide say she get cold. For operating table, she come get wahala—her throat block, she dey for emergency ward till now."

I shift small, dey try show respect, but my heart dey beat fast like drum for church crusade. "We dey follow facts talk. I don see too many patients and family wey dey lie."

The doctor wey come out na woman. She just dey look me like one of those men wey no dey care about anything except their own enjoyment.

She fold hand for chest, tap foot for ground, like person wey don tire for wahala but still get small patience remain. Her eyes scan me up and down, as if she dey see through all my secrets.

Since I no fit explain pass like that, I just talk: "Me sef dey medicine. During this IVF period, dem dey talk say make woman no knack at all. I sabi that one."

I bend head small, voice low, try beg am with respect. "Abeg, madam, how you take know say my wife knack last night?"

The woman doctor look me, her voice small calm: "For today’s scan for egg retrieval, we check am, all the eggs wey we suppose collect don disappear."

I open mouth: "All the eggs don disappear?"

My voice even tremble, na only God know if she hear me well. I dey shake like person wey see masquerade for afternoon.

"Yes, not even one remain for us to comot."

My hand grip chair, I feel like person wey motor jam. For my mind, I dey calculate all the money, all the time, all the hope, as if dem just scatter all inside soakaway.

This IVF wahala na like say person dey cross river wey full of crocodile—plenty wahala: test, injection, egg comot, embryo join, implant, wait to see if e go hold...

Na true. IVF journey no be beans. Na daily prayer, na monthly wahala, na hospital bill wey dey swallow person like ogbono soup. Sometimes you go just dey ask God, 'Which kind wahala be this?'

I no believe say na egg retrieval we go fail.

E pain me, e dey my chest like when you chop pepper without water—no escape. Even as doctor wey dey see life and death, e pain me well.

But many things fit make woman egg burst before time—exercise, bicycle, even wahala for mind fit cause am—not only sex.

As I dey talk, my voice dey carry small beg, small defence, but inside me, I dey doubt—wetin really happen? I talk my mind give the doctor.

She come look me with pity: "Make I talk am straight—

Your wife private part and cervix dey swell, blood dey rush go there, we even see small small blood spot and skin dey peel for there."

Her eyes no too hard again, like person wey dey sorry for wetin she dey talk. "And she collect the trigger injection for the right time, so egg no suppose burst early."

I just dey nod, dey swallow spit as if na bitterleaf dey my mouth. "Join everything together, we suspect say she no follow instruction, she knack before surgery."

Her voice come soft small: "But na just our suspicion. To know wetin really happen, abeg, talk to your wife."

The corridor cold, but sweat dey my face. Everything just scatter.