Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 6

The Twin Pregnancy Episode Six

Nene's business grew in leaps and bounds. Her baby bump was also growing with speed. It was like her business and her belly were growing in the same proportion. As the business grew and Nene gained more customers, she began to know more of what the people in the area need. Whenever she gets a request for an item she doesn't have, she usually writes it down in a notebook and buys it when next she goes to the market. This was how the small shop became filled with different types of provision. There was hardly any space.

Also, she has started buying the provisions in larger quantities. She buys them in multiple cartons which she stores in her room and brings them out in bits. Her room is filled with so much cartons contain assorted provisions. The place smells like a factory. Nene usually sells everything off within a few days.

The shop was no longer enough to contain the things she was selling. The small wooden space constructed for her by the carpenter has become too tiny because the business has expanded considerably. Nene started to think of getting a proper shop for the business. "I'm so surprised! God has surprised me! This shop has been a huge blessing to me. I need a bigger shop for my business. This space is now so small that it can barely contain much. I have to do something immediately." Nene said to herself one night after she closed from the shop.

"But I don't want to leave this position because it is very good. Besides, my customers now know this place. I cannot just move." Nene said. A good idea occurred to her.

"Why not I convert the whole apartment into a shop? It is by the roadside anyway. Then I can look for another apartment away from this place and then use that one as a living apartment. That way, I will maintain this position and turn it entirely into a shop." Nene thought in her heart.

The next day, she went to see the landlord who rented the apartment to her and told him her intentions. Luckily for Nene, the landlord agreed and welcomed the idea wholeheartedly. She was so happy. That same day, she found a new apartment, this time around, a one bedroom apartment which cost her N250,000 and then she paid for it. Nene has more money in her bank account since her business expanded. So she decided to rent a bigger space in preparation for her unborn twins. After she paid for the new apartment, the old one became free to be converted into a nice shop. She immediately contacted her carpenter to do the job. She told the carpenter exactly what she wanted and he went to work. It took several days before the carpenter completed the work. The shop was repainted and new counters installed. Nene also bought a big refrigerator. She wants to start selling frozen foods such as chicken, fresh fish and assorted meat.

"The shop has expanded beyond my imagination. Something that I started a few months ago is now a full blown business. It is just as if the people were all waiting for me to start the business and then they will start supporting me. I'm amazed! I know it will keep growing if I keep working very hard." Nene said to herself after the carpenter completed the work on the shop and she looked at it and felt very happy.

Meanwhile, her pregnancy has grown to eight months and the thing has started giving her the normal trouble that pregnant women go through. Besides, she hardly rests. Despite the fact that it is twin pregnancy and that it was very large, Nene still carries it around as if it is a normal load. She never allowed it to stop her from going to the market to buy her goods. However, as the pregnancy advanced, she noticed she was becoming weaker and weaker.

"What am I going to do right now? I don't have any apprentice to help me out at the shop. I'm even my parent's only child. If I had a sibling, I would have brought them to the city to help me out now that the business has expanded so much. It will be bad if I close the shop. Also, what is going to happen to the shop when I give birth to my babies? I will need a longer period of time of absence from the shop to be able to stay at home and look after the children. This means I'm going to close the shop? No way! I will not close the shop. I have to look for an apprentice." Nene said to herself. She knew that within one month, she will be giving birth to her babies, so she has started thinking of how to keep her shop open. It was not only about her, the people in the estate also need the shop because a lot of people have come to depend on Nene. They buy their daily provisions from her.

Nene called her mother in the village and informed her that she needs an apprentice. Luckily for Nene, her mother was able to find a teenager who just turned eighteen and who had just finished his secondary school. His name was Ekele and he was from the same village as Nene. Nene quickly sent transportation fare and the boy was able to travel to Abuja to join her.

"This is the first time I'm seeing a woman taking an apprentice to the city from this village. It is only men that do that." Nene's mother said on the phone when she called her to inform her that the boy had arrived Abuja. "Mama, there is always a first time for everything. Besides, who says a woman can't be the boss and take apprentices for training?" Nene said.

Immediately Ekele arrived, Nene started teaching him the business. The boy learned very fast. Nene started leaving the shop for him each time she was going to the market or for antenatal visits. Also, Nene took him to the place she usually buys her goods. Within a few weeks, he could go and buy the goods himself. Nene stopped working too hard and started preparing for the arrival of her twin babies. All she does is sit at the shop and play supervisory role.

One evening, she started feeling serious pain in her belly. She was in labour!

Watch out for episode 7