The evil teddy

THE EVIL TEDDY

It was a hot sunny afternoon in Abuja , the Abbey's were running late to pick the I daughter from school , their appointment with Doctor Andrew at the fertility clinic of Las Pamas Private Hospital , had taken more time than they envisaged. They were behind schedule to pick Lilley from school at Asokoro. Michael swerved the car from side to side , through the heavy Abuja traffic on a Monday afternoon, the impatient Abuja drivers swerved their cars from side to side all struggling s to get out of the traffic at once , the blaring sounds of car horns polluted the peace and tranquility of the city .

"Don't brush my car o! If you try it , I won't take sorry o! You'll sell your car and repaint my car!" Michael yelled at taxi driver who had left his lane and was getting too close . The Kabu Kabu driver who had beat traffic, refused to stop for Michael to pass .

The Traffic lights were useless to the drivers, nobody obeyed the traffic lights except they saw the police men with their lemon green vest hanging around the light .

"Oga don't brush my car oh! I am warning you!" Michael whined down the tinted windows and barked at the driver .

"Because you're driving range rover, make we leave road for you abi?" The man said refusing to move his green and white Abuja colour Golf three car ."Come just come we go see who him car go spoil idiot! you go tell me if na your papa get the road." the man said and sat at the middle of the road.

"Please Michael let him pass , we're not driving to Sokoto, that's the devil using him." Jessica begged her husband . He let the man take the lane . "Some of this Abuja drivers are maniacs. This man is just crazy ." Michael said covering his wife's hand in his . Jessica wiped off the beads of tears rolling down her eyes .

"Come on Baby don't you believe God ? He's going to give us another child . Forget what the doctors said , they're not God ." Michael said and kissed her , she broke into tears .

"Babe this is the fourth IVF , what's wrong with me ? Doctor Andrew has told us if this one fails , that we should give IVF up . we've wasted over thirty million naira and it's not working ." Jessica said , tears pouring from her eyes .

"Doctor Andrew doesn't have the final say , only God does , if God gave us Lilley he'll give us the number of kids we want , stop crying , even if doctor Andrew is the best doctor in the world , God is the biggest doctor , he will give us our babies ." Michael said rubbing his hands on his wife's belly .

After a thirty minutes drive they arrived at Asokoro . Michael Drove the black Range Rover Sport SUV into the parking lot of Laurel Strickland International School , one of Abuja's finest schools , they had arrived twenty minutes late to pick Lilley . Michael waited in the car while his wife rushed to the waiting room to fetch their daughter.

The school compound sat on a large expense of land , a four storey building, that twisted in a U shape , on both sides , a green carpet grass covered the fields , the basketball court was the only red floor in the compound , surrounded by giant marsh fence .

Jessica got into the school waiting room, a Nanny sat with Lilley trying to console her , they were both not paying attention to the cartoon character of Sponge Bob playing on the flat screen television.

Jessica rushed to her daughter and embraced , she hugged her tight and cleaned the tears from her face , she had cried so much that her head was hot like a rice cooker.

"What happened to her ?" Jessica asked turning to the nanny still embracing her daughter.

"Ma I think Princess and Oma bullied her." The Nanny said ,Jessica turned Lilley. "Baby talk to me , what happened to you ?" She asked . Lilley refused to speak , she kept staring down at her black shoes and white stockings.

"Come on Baby you know you can talk to me ?" Jessica asked her daughter, Lilley glared at her mother with a teary eyes , she nudged her on . "Mummy I was on my own , I didn't do anything to Oma and Princess, with their friend Lillian , they just started hitting me , they were calling me a witch, they said I was the one eating all the babies in your womb ." Jessica turned white , she was already going through a lot of trauma struggling to conceive , not just for herself but for her daughter, who was always getting depressed ,weeping herself to sleep each night for not having a sibling .

Jessica was enraged , she led Lilley to the office of the Proprietor on the second floor , she didn't listen to any of the teachers asking to know why she was looking furious .

Jessica got to the door of the proprietor of the school, she pressed the door bell on the door , the voice of Mrs Melinda rang from inside of the office .

"Who is there ? Please check who is at the door." The door creaked opened as her secretary went came face to face with Jessica whose eyes were red and teary .

"Is Mrs Melinda in the office ?" Jessica asked the secretary who was wearing a white dress shirt and a red pencil skirt , a long Brazilian Hair poured down her shoulders , she was standing on the hoofs of a black high heels like an Arabian horse .

"Yes ma , is there a problem ?" the lady asked . "Tell her Jessica Abbey the mother of Lilley Abbey in Basic five wants to see her ." Jessica, she got a handkerchief from her purse and wiped her eyes , the door creaked close and the secretary disappeared into the office , soon she returned and invited Jessica in .

Mrs Melinda's office was well furbished , it was so cold like a cold room , the Air conditioner was blowing very loud , a large brown Mahogany table sat at the middle of the office, near the door , a big Apple Desktop computer sat on the table with paper files . Shelves surrounded the office , glasses covered the segments that housed the awards and and laurels the school had won in various academic and stop competition.

Mrs Melinda looked up from the screens of the desktop , she got up on her feet , lips so red like red roses , she was a beautiful young woman of thirty nine years , she was dressed in a navy blue suit and pencil skirt, with a white underwear shirt , she stretched her hands to Jessica who shook her before sitting on the black chair that was offered to her .

Mrs Melinda took off her glasses . "Mrs Jessica I heard you have a compliant." Melinda said interlocking her fingers , she sat back on her black office chair ready to listen . "I was in the hospital this morning , My appointment delayed me till about three thirty P.M when I came to pick Lilley, I saw her crying , Mrs Melinda its not my fault That I've been trying to have finding it hard to have more babies , or Lilley's .This isn't the first time those girls are doing that . I tried to know why she was crying , she told me it's Oma and Princess again , they've recruited a new friend to join them bully my daughter." She said with tears pouring down her eyes . "We pay five hundred thousand naira every term just to make sure our daughter is in a safe and conducive environment to study , but its becoming toxic Mrs Melinda , we've requested for a change of class but you have simply refused , how long would she continue being abused by the girls ?" Jessica asked

"Please Mrs Abbey stop crying . I am sorry about that ." The proprietor begged . "They were telling her that she's a witch and she ate all the kids in my womb , do they know what I am my daughter have been through..." Melinda didn't let her complete her statement.

"Let me call her teacher ." She dialed Lilley's teacher's number. "Mrs Chioma I want to see you in my office right now ." Melinda said. Five minutes later Mrs Chioma found her way to her boss's office .

"Mrs Chioma what happened between Lilley and Princess in class today ?" She asked calmly . "Ma I think Princess was angry that Lilley got the highest score in the quiz we had in the class today ,so she tried to get back at her ." The teacher said .

"What did you do about the situation?" Melinda asked glaring into her face . "I scolded Princess and her friends , I told Lilley not to listen them, that they were just jealous of her , she had stopped crying ." She replied .

"Tomorrow morning bring Princess and her friends to my office." Melinda said and excused Chioma who slightly bowed before leaving .

"Am so sorry Mrs Jessica , on behalf of myself and the whole Laurel Strickland International school, we have no place for bullying , we'll be sending letters to the parents of the girls ." She said .

"If you cannot handle this situation , we are going to withdraw Jessica from this school ."Jessica said . "Please ma just let me handle this ." Melinda pleaded, Jessica held her daughter and left the proprietress office .

When Michael saw Jessica and Lilley coming , he knew they was an issue , he had been calling her phone , Jessica had put her phone on silence so she couldn't take her husband's call .

"What happened baby ?" He asked Lilley whose face looked like one who had been crying. He had come down of the black SUV . "It's the senator's daughter, she was bullying Lilley again , telling her that she was the witch eating my babies." Jessica said .

"What the heck!" Michael yelled, he was about going to confront the proprietress when Jessica told him of what she said .

"Let's go home . Its kinda getting late ." Jessica said , while driving to their home in Katampe Extension, they passed the shopping mall next to Jabi lake .

"Babe can we grab ice scream and Pizza from the mall ?" Michael asked he wanted to lighten up his girls before they got home , he saw their mood was destroyed by the events of the day. "Lilley will you like to eat Pizza ?" Jessica asked her daughter, she looked up from her IPad . "Okay mummy ." She said , so Michael made a U-turn at Kado estate round about, they drove into the Jabi lake mall , the SUV was parked in the parking lot , with other cars , Lilley followed her parents to the escalator that took them downstairs to the supermarket and eateries section .

The place was so bright , people trooping in and out of big shops to buy clothes and shoes , the floors were so sparkling clean , because the cleaners never rested , they were always cleaning.

They got to Cavery Eateries where they ordered Ice cream and Pizza , Jessica soon began to talk and laugh with her husband , while Lilley ignored everyone and her food , her attention was on the cartoon she was watching on her IPad.

"Lilley put that down and join us , you've not touched your pizza or Ice cream

" Jessica scolded her daughter, who promptly dropped her pad and joined her parents on the table .

They finished their dinner by Six P.M they entered Shop rite and got groceries for the house , on their way walking to the escalator, they came upon a Toy shop , Lilley's heart lighted up .

"Mummy mummy see the toy shop let's go inside ." Lilley said jumping up and down in her navy blue pinafore dress and sky blue shirt . "But Lilley you already have plenty toys at home ?" Jessica said , Michael laughed at his girls.

"Baby I think we can make room for one more Toy ?" Michael pleaded with his wife , she rolled her eyes at him . "Come on if this can make her happy ?" He whispered into her eyes , Jessica agreed , Lilley went berserk .

They got into the big shop , different kinds of toys lined the shelves , the parents watched their gleeful daughter touching every toy she could lay her hands on .

They came to the section of the shop were Teddy bears and other fluffy toys were

Immediately Lilley saw a big brown fluffy Teddy bear , it was so big , bigger than her she fell in love with the twinkle in its black plastic eyes .

"Mummy I love this ! I love this teddy please get it for me !'' she said leading Jessica to the Teddy bear . "But Lilley that Teddy is too big , I don't want it to suffocate you." Jessica said , her motherly instincts kicking in .

"Please mum , I'll be careful with won't , please mummy!" Lilley begged , she ran to her dad . ''Dad talk to mummy . I love the Teddy ." She made a puppy face , Michael winked at his wife . "Please baby let her keep it ." Michael pleaded , Jessica gave in they .

They paid five hundred thousand naira for the Teddy , a merchandizer loaded the Teddy into a cart and took it to the car park , Lilley was over the moon she kept jabbering as they made their way , through the dark road , lighted up by street lamps , they headed back to Jahi Extension