Cheating Death

 

My friend, Lateef, was not expected to celebrate his first birthday. Before he was born, his father had lost all the three children he had from his first wife. All three kids died from a mysterious disease at about their tenth month of life. Other families had similar tragedies. Some kids were lucky; they survived the protracted febrile disease that became epidemic at that time.

Lateef's father, Babakin, like other men in the community, refused the advice by the men and women who wore white coats. The officers were thought to have brought strange practices in the treatment of diseases. The gods of the land would be offended if the villagers followed the recommendations of the men and women from the city.

Their gods had been their health custodian for several years. Nobody dared to try foreign ideas. Soponna and Ogun were feared.

Babakin drove his first wife out of the house one midnight after their third child died. He blamed her for the misfortunes in his life - deaths of their children, low yield of his crops, and other unpleasant things. All pleas to take her back fell on deaf ears.

Babakin married Lateef's mother, Aduke, eight months after dismissal of his former wife. 

Aduke became pregnant within three months. She had heard about the deaths of Babakin's former children. She had several bad dreams throughout her nine months of pregnancy.

Lateef was born a healthy boy on a rainy day. The former children were born during the dry season. Babakin was hopeful that the downpour meant good luck. 

On the eight day, the boy was named "Kasimawo" (Let's continue to observe him). Babakin hoped the gods would understand his misery and spare his child. 

Kasimawo grew differently compared to his late siblings. While they began to have recurrent cough, diarrhea, and fever as early as their third month of life, Kasimawo remained hale and hearty. His father's optimism increased with every month the boy refused to die.

When Aduke was pregnant, Babakin had found her among other pregnant women listening to the men and women in white coat. He rebuked her not to bring bad luck like his first wife into his home by associating with the uninitiated officers from the city. Aduke did not contest his assertions.

Kasimawo grew well. Three days after he clocked 11 months, he had a fever. Babakin called his priest to appease the gods to spare the poor boy. An elixir was given to him by the priest. The fever persisted. The priest encouraged Babakin to be strong. He told him to accept the decision of the gods. Aduke listened to their conversation. She had been warned not to touch the boy during the sickness. Only his father had access to him. She was told that her breast milk had become toxic to the boy.

After the priest left, she ran into the room where the boy was with his father and confessed all she had done.

"I have been taking Kasimawo to see the doctors and nurses since he was born," Aduke began a long tale in tears. Babakin's mouth was ajar in disbelief. He was shocked that his wife disobeyed him on such sensitive matter.

"Kasimawo has been healthy all along because of the regular vaccinations and prompt treatment the officers from the city gave him whenever I noticed something unpleasant in him. I learnt that your dead children were not given any of such treatment throughout their brief life. I didn't want you to bury another child, so I had to try what you had not done all along. My husband, kindly allow me take Kasimawo to Dr Lateef. The doctor will know what to do. Please, let this be a secret between us. The priest has done his best yet the boy remains sick. We have nothing to lose by trying the medications from the city." Aduke remained on her knees as she advocated for the life of her son. 

Babakin reasoned with her though with doubt. They set out for the community clinic in the thick darkness of the night. Kasimawo was admitted. Tests were done. Babakin watched as the men and women in white coat gave his sick boy injections and cared for him as if he was their son. He was pleasantly surprised.

Within twenty four hours, Kasimawo began to eat. He stopped vomiting; the fever resolved. He lived.

Babakin apologized to Aduke for misleading her. He saluted her bravery to disobey him while doing the right thing.

On Kasimawo's first birthday, Dr Lateef and other officers in white coat gave him a cake. They had heard about the preventable deaths of Babakin's first three children. They counseled him on the benefits of orthodox medicine. They reassured him that the gods would not be offended. "We have never spoken against your gods," Dr Lateef affirmed.

In response, Babakin appreciated them. He promised to become an ambassador of orthodox medicine in the town. Surprisingly, he told all that attended his son's birthday celebration that the boy would no more answer Kasimawo. "In honour of Dr Lateef, my son henceforth should be called Lateef. I hope he will one day work with you," Babakin wished...

#Fiction