Banjo woke up slowly, the indecipherable sounds becoming clearly spoken words from familiar voices. He recognized the voices speaking and from the conversation, gathered that he must have been in an accident. There was a flash of memory where he had been thrown against the dashboard of his car and had seemed to be in an upside down position?
He squeezed his eyes tighter as if doing so would bring the memory more sharply into focus. Instead he felt a twinge of pain all around his face. His eyes shot open and he took in the room around him.
“Mum?” he called out. His voice sounded like it had been put through a grinder which had spat it out in shards. It hurt too to speak. How badly had he hurt himself?
“Banjo!” his mother gasped. “Praise God! You’re awake!” she exclaimed joyfully and then her face was over his as he lay on the bed. The suddenness with which she appeared made her face blurred for a moment before becoming clear.
“Mum, what happened?”
“You can’t remember?” She asked, concern coloring her voice.
“I seem to remember the car flipping over and being thrown around the car.”
“Thank God you weren’t killed!” his mother exclaimed. “When I saw the car on my way here, I thought for sure that…” she bit off her words and clamped her hand to her mouth to stifle her sob.
“Thank God you are alive and not as badly hurt as we thought.” His sister’s voice sounded from the other side of the bed.
Banjo turned his head towards her grinding his teeth against the sharp pain.
“Don’t move around so much!” his mother gasped. “The doctors are still checking for any internal injuries.”
Banjo let his body sink deeper into the uncomfortable bed as he let go and let it all hit him whatever way it willed, pain, discomfort, tiredness…everything.
“How bad is it?” he asked in his cracked voice. Neither his mother nor his sister answered for a heartbeat but then Patricia asked him.
“How do you feel?”
“Battered.” Banjo answered succinctly and then a thought occurred to him. “Did the papers get a hold of this?”
“You shouldn’t exert yourself so much.” His mother interjected. Banjo took that to mean that the public had been made aware of his accident.
“How long have I been out for?” he asked looking directly at Patricia.
“All morning. It’s almost lunch time now.” She answered checking her watch.
Banjo sighed. “Has Ally been…?”
There was a short rap on the door which then opened very slowly. Almost as if the person was frightened to open it fully. A head poked around and sighed in relief when she saw that his eyes were open.
“Thank God!” she said breathily as she came fully into the room.
To Banjo’s surprise, his mother went to her and pulled her into a sobbing hug. ‘Look at that!’ he thought. ‘Women are strange creatures.’ And just like that, the memory of his and Alero’s quarrel returned.
He turned agitatedly to Patricia who was watching the drama of his mother crying all over Emily with a curious expression on her face.
“Has Ally been here?” he asked her quietly. She turned sharply to him and eyed him with a baleful look. She shook her head in answer and turned her attention back to other pair in the room.
Banjo was silent for a second and then he ventured again. “Does she know where to find me? Where’s my phone?”
“She tried to call me.” Patricia said still keeping her eyes trained on the pair in front of them. Emily had managed to settle his mother down and was watching them with some curiosity as they whispered their conversation between themselves.
“And?” Banjo asked.
“You may not remember, but you called me at some point last night.” Patricia started finally turning to look at him fully. “I’m tired of her treating you like…what?! Are you the first guy to like a girl? Why is she jerking your strings all over the place and…”
“Patricia! If you won’t stop this right this minute, I will have you thrown out of this room!” her mother spoke authoritatively half rising from her seat with alarm all over her face.
Banjo sighed tiredly and turned away from Patricia who was glaring at him.
“Hello Emily.” He greeted.
“I’m glad you weren’t so badly hurt.” She said as she came closer to the bed. “The pictures on the internet are worrisome.”
“There are pictures of me on the internet?” Banjo asked in surprised alarm.
“No. Just of the car. It looked like you totaled it.” She continued.
Mrs. Adeniran harrumphed her agreement and lifted her hands heavenward again in an expression of gratitude to God.
“I guess it’s thanks to God that I’m alive.” Banjo said. He felt a bit out of sorts with God. It seemed like He was out to get him all of a sudden.
“I hope that is not sarcasm I hear in your tone young man.” His mother scolded and got to her feet.
“Come.” She motioned to both Patricia including Emily in her hand motion. “Let’s leave your brother to his rest. We give God thanks that he is alive and already recovering as far as I can see.” She bent a stern look to him, reprimanding him still for his irreverent tone. “I’ll go by the doctor’s office and let him know you’re awake. No unnecessary exertion! I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that” she emphasized.
“Yes mum.” Banjo answered cheekily.
His mother eyed him and looked at the IV line attached to him.
“You must be doped up pretty badly.” She conjectured with her own sarcastic tone. She herded the ladies out of the room but popped back in almost immediately and dashed toward his bed. She held his hand gently as she reached his side.
“Father thank You for Banjo! Please accept our thanks in Jesus Name, Amen.” She planted a kiss on his forehead and slipped back out the room.
Banjo stared bemusedly at the shut door as he tried to sort the events of the past few minutes in his mind. He felt a wave of gratitude as his gaze slid down his form as far as his eyes could go.
‘I suppose I should feel grateful.’ He thought. He just wanted to see Alero though.
‘Does she know how to reach me?’ he wondered. Why was Patricia being difficult? He wished he had had the presence of mind to enlist Emily’s help. But how do you tell your ex to get a hold of your current? He sighed noisily and jerked to attention as his door opened again.
It was only the doctor and a nurse. ‘Not Ally.’ He thought disappointedly.
“It’s great to see you awake, Mr. Adeniran.” The doctor greeted jovially as he made his way to him and began to examine him while asking him questions and making notes in his chart and speaking to the nurse.
“You were really fortunate.”
“Cut me some slack Doc!” Banjo said in an exasperated voice.
The doctor smiled at him. “That tone is very promising. Let’s keep you for some observation. There’s some swelling around your face and neck that’s a bit worrisome. We’d like to be sure that it doesn’t indicate some trauma that we’ve not been able to trace. Other than that, it’s mostly bruises and scrapes.” He gently patted Banjo’s shoulder.
“Get some rest. You busy CEO types don’t often do that.” He nodded as he left the room.
The nurse adjusted his IV line and straightened a few odds and ends in the room before she left also, leaving Banjo with some very uncomfortable thoughts.