I didn’t wake up!

Before tucking myself under the duvet to avoid the tunneling breeze from the ceiling fan, I checked my emails on my phone. The office was still very busy, I can tell by the number of emails that were sent to me personally and those in which I was copied. I read a few but refused to be drawn back to work. It’s a weekend, I deserve some rest after a hectic week. I know tomorrow will be another working day for me going by the messages I have read.

One of the stuck shipments from India heading to Turkey via the Suez Canal contained vaccines that were urgently needed by our client. We contacted our shipper to pick up the consignment from the ship using a helicopter and send it to Cairo International Airport to be air freighted to Istanbul. The blockage we have been told may last for two weeks. It is taking all forms of engineering and technology to free the grounded ship. So my plan was to resume at the office by 10am the next day.

If only I knew …..

I dropped my phone on the bedside stool and scrambled for the charger cable to have it charge while I was asleep. I pulled the duvet over my head and waited for sleep to come. I must have dozed off a few minutes later. The tiredness of my body overwhelmed my ability to keep thinking. My body and brain needed a sleep so badly. I have not really slept well in days and I can tell. I had become slow at work and very forgetful. Typical signs when I am approaching a burnt-out.

I thought I woke up sometime in the night when my wife came to bed. I could feel the duvet creeping across my body. Obviously, I was too tired to give any resistance to her having almost all the material to herself. Some nights we will have a bit of a tug-of-war with the duvet. We love it when will drag the duvet, we have done this since we were dating. Most times she wins, and I have to suffer the cold. Other times, she wins but will pay with a cuddle which might lead to something else. But tonight, I didn’t even feel her body, I was a log in bed, probably snoring very loudly. Most nights when I snore loudly, she will tug at me or attempt to reposition my heavy head to minimize the noise. Poor woman! I am sure tonight was one of such night.

My alarm was set for 5am every morning except for Saturdays. Saturdays were my days to rest and indulge in some extra sleep. I am always angry when something forces me out of bed outside my body system waking up by itself. Ada, my wife knew this well, so on Saturday mornings when they all woke up and I was still sleeping they would lock my room and stay out of the room. But there are times when my own body still thinks it’s a work day and wakes up at 5 am. Today was one of such days.

I opened my eyes. I thought I felt someone tapping me. I reached for my phone, it was the closest clock to know what time it was — 5:05 am. I was still sleepy. I dragged myself off the bed to the toilet to take a leak and quickly fell back on the bed to continue my sleep. This time, it took a longer time before I dosed off. My mind started getting active with the anticipation of the day’s work. I deliberately forced the thoughts off my mind and I was grateful I slept off.

This was where it got interesting…

The noise in the room was getting loud. I guess it was Nkechi, my daughter. She was up and waking the mum up for something. I could hear her. I heard Ada calling out to her and inviting her to the bedside. I was awake. I could hear her ask if she could climb into the bed. Normally at such request, I will move a bit to the corner of the bed and create room for her in between the mum and I. This was what I wanted to do. I was awake. I tried opening my eyes. I could feel them opening. But I couldn’t see the room. It was still dark like my eyes were closed. Then I wanted to get up. I could feel my body moving under my skin. This was very strange. My hand, my legs, and my head felt free suddenly. As if they were detached from something — like freed from a cage. I turned to my side to see Nkechi and Ada. I felt very funny and strange. I turned as if I was floating within my body. I felt every part of my body turn as if there was no mattress underneath my skin. My head was weightless. My eyes opened. I could see.

I felt awake, I was awake!

Nkechi had climbed onto the bed and was trying to squeeze herself in between the mum and I. I moved for her to get her space. This was when I noticed I didn’t really move. I was still in the same position. But I moved. I still felt very free and light. Then I attempted to get up not really understanding what was happening with me. I was shocked at what I noticed. I sat up from my body. I threw myself back on the bed. Back into my body, but I couldn’t get back in. I was out! I was literally out of my body. I felt a kind of celestial bliss as I this happened. A disconnection from me as if my body just rejected me.

No, no, no… what is this? What is happening to me? No!

Confused and dazed I gradually step away from the bed. I stepped away from my body.

Oh, no…. this is not what I think this is… no! This cannot be happening to me.

No! I screamed out loud.

I looked back at me. I was there lying on my side, face away from Nkechi and Ada, peacefully. I bent over my body and held my shoulder and shocked my body but I didn’t move. My actions had no effect on my body. I was just there, asleep.

Oh no! Wake up, Jide… please don’t do this…

I held my head and paced around the room very confused.

This must be a dream. Yes! Yes! A dream.

I walked round the bed to Ada, I didn’t know what to do. I looked over her, she was still sleeping with Nkechi’s head on her arm, both fast asleep. I paced back to me. I was still there but now I had saliva dripping slightly from the corner of my mouth.

Oh my God!

I held my head. No, my body head and tried placing it upright to stop the flow from my mouth. But it didn’t move. I couldn’t move my head. I moved to the corner of the room and sat on the floor. I got up and paced around the room. I couldn’t fix my thoughts on anything.

This cannot be the end… hell no! What of all the plans, our plans for the future, for Nkechi and the other kids? Ah, the other kids! So no more kids? We wanted three, two boys and a girl.

I paced around the room as snippets of my life came flashing through my mind.

My mind!

Was this really the end?

My mind went everywhere all at the same time. From when I can remember me being human till yesterday. I was startled as Ada pulled herself from the bed. She was awake! I became nervous as she slid down from the bed from the other side.

Will she notice? Will she see me?

I looked at my body, still in the sleeping position with more saliva drooping down. I stood there frozen, watching her make her way to the bathroom.

She did not see me, she did not even look at me…

It was already morning. I looked at my phone, the clock on the screensaver said 6:13am. It was early for her to be awake now. I heard her flush the toilet, then started making her way back to the room. A nervous rush flushed through me as I watched her leave the room to the living room. I followed her into the kitchen. I was so sad and heartbroken as I watched her fill her cup with warm water and slowly sip the 40cl of water. This had become her usual routine for over a year now since she read that drinking water first thing in the morning flushes out the stomach and therefore balances the lymphatic system. She told me then that a stable lymphatic system will help build a strong immune system, which will prevent her from getting sick as often. She did try to get me on the routine with her. I joined but was never as faithful as she was. After a while, I stopped totally, but she has been steadfast since then.

Oh Ada, Ada…I groaned facing the wall and crying out loud. I felt the pain she was about to go through. That this calm demeanor of hers was about to be shattered and things were never going to be the same anymore. Turning from the wall still in pain, I saw her walk toward the room. I wanted to run after her to see her first reaction when she see me. But at the thought of the room, I was there. I was shocked.

How did that happen? Oh….

I was there ahead of her. I saw her coming with her calm early morning face. Her lovely dimples formed as if she was saying something to herself. Maybe her early morning prayers. As she entered the room, I could feel my body shivering from deep anxiety. Nervous was an understatement.

Oh my god! Was this the moment our world would collapse? Oh my….or it has collapsed already….

The brightness of the light pierced through my quivering body. She had flipped the switch chasing the leftover darkness of the morning away from the room. Nkechi moved her body in response. I was still. My eyes closed, my head resting peacefully on the pillow. I froze as she stared for a few seconds in my direction. She flipped the light off and went back to bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and sigh of relief. I opened my eyes and sat back on the floor in the corner near Nkechi’s laundry bag.

‘Honey’ ‘Honey’, Ada’s voice rang through my being.

I jumped on my feet, shocked at her voice. I thought she had slept off. As she called the second time, I almost answered. My eyes wide open staring at her and then at me. I was there lifeless. She called again. This time she was calling out my name loudly with a clear intention to wake me up.

No response, no movement. I moved closer to the bed wishing I could go back into my body and reverse what was about to happen. The series of events that only you can imagine at this moment. She turned over, tugging Nkechi closer to her body so she could reach out to me with her hand to give me a nudge.

‘Jide, Jide, it’s 6:30’, she shoved my shoulder with an outstretched hand. She felt something. She did. I saw the quizzy but somnolent look on her face the moment she touched my shoulders. She pursed for a second and called my name again. Still no response. She knew very well the voice intensity that would wake me up when I was very tired and she has used that twice. She moved closer and gave me a harder nudge.

I knew this was the moment of realization.

I couldn’t cry, with my hands still over my head, I helplessly watched her move Nkechi away from her body to get closer to me. My face was still away from her on the other side of the bed. So she could not really see the drooping liquid from my mouth. My eyes were partially closed. She pulled me over. My body slummed to her pull but my head daggled away. This was when she noticed something was wrong.

‘Jide!… Jide!..’ she called out in quick panic successions. She jumped from the bed and came over my body. She pulled my head up and screamed instantly.

‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!’ she screamed as she slapped my chin several times.

‘Jide, please don’t do this, Jide, Jide wake up!’ She was shaking my whole body. Her countenance was alarmed and I could see the panic all over her. Nkechi was awake. Confused at her mum slapping my face and screaming. She started crying. Ada ran to the bathroom and returned with a bowl of water. She started sprinkling the water over my face and vigorously shaking me.

‘Blood of Jesus, blood of Jesus… I reject this … Jide, Jide…’ she dropped the bowl, picked up Nkechi, and ran out of the room to the maid’s room. Iyabo was up. Obviously startled by her madam’s voice. She immediately took Nkechi from her. Ada ran back to the room. I can hear her praying loudly to the heavens, canceling the spirit of death. She stopped and looked at me again. Her body was visibly shaking.

‘Ah, Jide, you will not leave me in Jesus name!’ She screamed and she pulled a wrapper over her nightie and ran towards the door.

I followed her…

Thank you for getting here with me. This is an extract from another novel-in-draft. I hope to complete it one. Please encourage me on that with your claps if you appreciate this piece.