Abandoned - S01 E05

Story 1 day ago

Abandoned - S01 E05

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

ABANDONED, Episode Five

Benny woke up early the next morning. The house was very quiet. Her babies were still sleeping, and she sat on the floor watching them. Her stomach was empty. The hunger was too much, and her body was weak. She had not eaten properly for days, yet she was breastfeeding four babies. Her chest ached with every movement, but she knew she could not continue like this. She had to go out and find something to eat. If she remained in the house, she and her babies would starve. She needed help, and she needed it fast.

She dressed up in her old clothes and tied her hair with a scarf. Then she wrapped her babies and laid them gently in a basket. She looked around her small, dusty room and whispered, "I'm coming back." Locking the door behind her, she stepped outside into the street. The sun was rising, and people were beginning to move about. Benny walked fast, avoiding places where she could be seen by anyone who might recognise her from the hospital. She remembered she was still being searched for. If the police found her, she would be in serious trouble.

She got to a construction site at the edge of the street. The workers were already there, carrying blocks and mixing cement. Benny stood for a while before she approached them. "Please, I'm looking for work," she said. The men turned and stared at her. Some of them looked at the babies in her basket and shook their heads.

"Are those your children?" one of them asked. Benny nodded. "Where is their father?" another man asked. "He ran away," she replied quietly. The men were surprised. They looked at her with pity and asked her to sit for a moment.

After a short while, one of the supervisors came and looked at her again. "We don't really have work for a woman here," he said. Benny pleaded with him, "Please sir, I can fetch water. I can do anything. I just need to feed my children." The man looked at her again, then turned to the others. "Let her fetch water for the bricklayers," he said. That was how Benny started. She carried jerry cans and buckets, walking up and down from the well to the site, under the hot sun. She worked quietly, glancing at her babies who were lying near a wall under shade.

By noon, Benny had fetched more than fifteen buckets of water. Her legs were tired, but she did not stop. She knew this was her only chance to get food. At about 4 p.m., the supervisor called her and handed her N10,000. Benny could not believe it. "Thank you, sir," she said quickly. "God bless you." The man looked at her again and nodded. "Use it well," he said. Benny picked up her babies and began to walk back home. Her feet were heavy, but her heart was light. She had money in her hand. At least, she would eat today.

When she got home, she cleaned her babies and gave them breastmilk. Then she stepped out to the roadside to buy garri, groundnut, bread, and tin milk. She also bought paracetamol for the constant headache she had been having. She came back inside, locked the door, and sat on the floor to eat. The food tasted better than anything she had eaten in months. After eating, she rested her back against the wall and looked at her children. They were all asleep. For the first time in weeks, she felt like a mother again. She felt proud, even in her suffering.

Later that night, she laid down beside her babies. But her thoughts were far away. She knew the hospital was still looking for her. She knew the hospital was still looking for her. She knew what she had done was wrong, but she also knew she had no choice. Staying there would have killed her slowly. She had to escape. But what if they found her now? What would happen to her babies? Would they take them away from her? These questions kept coming to her head. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep did not come easily. She was afraid, and that fear stayed with her.

Benny made a decision that night. She would stop going far. She would no longer walk into crowded places. She would only leave the house when she needed to get food or work at the construction site. Every time she stepped out, she would cover her head and avoid people who asked too many questions. Her life had changed. She was now hiding, not just from the hospital, but from anyone who could take her children from her. They were all she had. She had no money, no husband, no help, but she had her babies. And for them, she was ready to face anything.

The next few days were hard. Benny had spent most of the N10,000 she got. She started going out to beg for cleaning jobs or any small task that could give her money. Some people ignored her, while others gave her small jobs to do. She never left her children alone. She always carried them in the basket to wherever she went. It made people pity her more, but it also made her movement harder. Each day was a battle. She would return in the evening, tired and broken, but happy that she had something to eat and feed her babies.

One evening, her neighbour, Mama Ada, came to check on her. "Benny, this is not good," she said. "You cannot continue like this. You need help." Benny smiled faintly. "I know, but who will help me?" Mama Ada looked at the babies and shook her head. "I can help you watch them while you go out," she offered. Benny thanked her. That help gave Benny more freedom to move around and find small jobs.

But deep inside, Benny knew that if the hospital or police came to the area, someone might report her. Her life was like a ticking clock.