Nike has been married for 5 years. For some people who have tried in their own way to counsel her, the idea of not having children in the first 5 years wasn’t “all that bad”, if she had faith, they told her it would happen. “When? When?” She said amidst tears while talking to one of her aunts. Nike wasn’t having it at all, she was frustrated. Her husband, Kunle did not make things easier, he longed to have a child, but he did not see it as a do or die matter. To make matters worse, he wasn’t always around. Due to the nature of his job, he was in and out of the country frequently.
The thought of not being able bare children always made Nike sad. While at work, she found difficulty sometimes focusing on her job. She had been counting down to the time she would go on her annual leave. She believed it would be a time to share moments with her husband outside the country.
Kunle and Nike had an amazing holiday. They went to Seychelles and spent two weeks there. The next two weeks were spent in their house in Texas. Nike had so much fun that she wasn’t looking forward to coming back to work in Nigeria.
By the time she returned from holidaying, everyone said she looked fresh and relaxed “hopefully, I don’t have breakouts on my face as a result of the stress on the job” she told Chinedu, her colleague.
A month later, Nike observed changes in her body. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she and Kunle agreed they had to go and see a Gynecologist. After tests were carried out, the doctor confirmed to them that they were expecting a baby. The news was received with so much joy.
Kunle was so particular about Nike’s health that at some point, he asked her to resign because he did not want complications “Come on now Kunle, if all pregnant women retired, who would do the job? I am having our baby in the US not to worry; I will have enough time to rest after the birth.”
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Nike continued going to work and putting in her best. Few months to delivery, she travelled and had their beautiful baby girl and they agreed she was going to be called Favour.
Kunle flew in to America to see his girls (baby and wife). It was love at first sight. The baby looked exactly like him. “Gosh! She looks so much like me” he told his wife and she responded “I saw that coming”. “Well, I will try not to be too excited, babies change as they grow, we will see who wins” Kunle teased and gave Nike a pack on her forehead.
Luckily for her, her aunt had helped to look for a nanny before she returned. Nike’s mum had died, and Kunle’s mum was in her 80s. They did not want stress for her.
As they returned, a week later, Kunle had to travel to Morocco for a business deal. The Nanny resumed at Nike’s house, but Nike wasn’t going to take things likely, so a day later, she decided the nanny was going to undergo various tests including, Tuberculosis, HIV and more.
When the results came out, the doctors requested for the Nanny to speak to her confidentially, but she said it was okay for Nike to be there because Nike was her employer. There, the doctor delivered the sad news. The nanny was HIV positive. Nike almost fainted. She began to calculate how many times the nanny pecked the baby on the cheek, if the baby had scars and so on. Nike was going nuts but tried her best to remain calm. They left the hospital, but she needed a second opinion, so they left for another renowned hospital and the result came out negative. Nike concluded that she needed just one more confirmation and she got it at the third clinic. The way the nurses were jittery, and the doctor tried to act like everything was okay made Nike convinced that the result was positive. She was right. The nanny was HIV positive!
In her presence, the nanny called her husband to tell him and all he could say was that going to the city had confused her into believing what “City doctors” said “Come back to the village, there is nothing wrong with you” Nike paid her off and encouraged her to seek medical attention, she was told of where she could get drugs for free. The nanny was sad she was leaving but Nike made her understand that the baby could no longer be in her care. Every now and then, she would call to check up on her and Nike has been very kind to her, till date.
Kunle would call and ask about the nanny because he observed the baby was always with the mum whenever he face-timed. Nike wasn’t going to tell Kunle on the phone, so she waited till he returned. Two days after he returned, Nike told him everything “I knew something was wrong. I am glad though that you did not treat the woman badly. I am proud of you.”
Tests were carried out on the baby, but the doctor said they needed to do it again after three months and after three months, the test was carried out on the baby. Kunle and Nike are happy their baby girl Favour, is HIV negative.
Moral of the story, before you employ any house staff or worker, carry out all tests!
