GENEVIEVE

WRITE ABOUT A CHARACTER WHOSE NAME YOU GOT FROM OUR CHARACTER NAME GENERATOR

TITLE: GENEVIEVE

Genevieve turns repeatedly on her bed forcing herself to sleep but it seems sleep has left her eyes. She hisses and sits up on her bed wearing a long frown, she looks on top of the vanity set and sees a note. She stretches her hand and gets it, the note reads ‘’Hey my love, you were still in bed when I finished dressing for work, and I didn’t want to disturb you especially knowing that you haven’t slept up to three hours because of our babies. Call me whenever you wake up and take care of yourself and our cute twins till, I return. Love you babes’’

Genevieve hiss as she throws the letter into the air. Making to cover herself again with the duvet and sleep back, her house help; Ginika knocks on her door.

‘’Come right in’’ Genevieve screams

Ginika hastily walks into the room carrying one of the twins, Jayce. Jayce kicks his legs and cries, drawing his soft and curly hairs.

‘’Good morning, Ma, I’m trying to feed Jayce his formula, but he has refused to eat. Seems he wants you to feed him instead as usual’’ Ginika said

Genevieve takes Jayce from her… ‘’Okay, go get the formula’’

‘’Okay Ma’’ Ginika answered and scurried out of the room.

Jayce continues to cry and kick his legs…. Genevieve continues patting him on the back to console him, but his cries get worse.

Ginika rushes into the room again, with a baby feeding bottle containing baby formula. Genevieve collects the bottle from her immediately. Sits Jayce up to feed him, Jayce kicks the bottle, and it falls on the floor with few drops on the bed.

‘’Come carry him now!’’ Genevieve screams as she isn’t having any of that any longer.

‘’But Ma…’’

‘’You will hate yourself if I repeat myself again. Come and carry this boy now and go feed him yourself’’

Ginika rushes and carries Jayce, picks the feeding bottle, and leaves the room.

Genevieve can no longer control her emotions as tears drop down her yellow cheeks.

‘’I’m tired, I’m tired of this marriage, I’m tired of Clifford! I’m tired of those disturbing things! Am I the first lady to get married and give birth to twins? Why are they frustrating my life this way? Who do they hate their mother this way? I’m tired!

She covers herself with duvet, screaming and wailing.

Ginika knocks on the door again ‘’Ma, are you crying? I hope you are fine?’’ She asks from outside

‘’Ginika, if I leave this bed and meet you there, you will hate yourself. Get out!’’ Genevieve hurls at her. She hears Ginika’s footsteps as she hurriedly leaves her door back to the children’s room.

Genevieve sits up, wiping her tears. She recurs her late Dad, she recurs the day her late dad passed on. She recurs the last phone conversation she had with her late Dad.

Her Dad had called her that day to remind her that he was travelling to the village for a burial. Genevieve was doing a shoot for Evana soap when her dad’s call came in. She picked up and informed the dad that she was still busy with her paid shoot. Her dad wished her ‘’good luck’’ and promised to call her again if he reached the village.

Genevieve screams as her dad’s last words; ‘Good luck and keep making me proud’’ rings in her head.

‘’I wish I saw you one more last time, Dad. I miss you so much my hero. How would I have known you would die in a road accident on your way to that miserable village?’’ She grumbled.

‘’All you wanted for me was for me to become very successful. After my graduation, I told you I wanted to become a fashion model and you gave me your best support. You believed in me. You kept telling me that one day, I will become a renowned super model. But you died, when you died dad, I felt empty. I craved for happiness and attention, that made me marry my boyfriend Clifford and now we have twin boys, six months old twin boys that want to drive me insane with their incessant cries. How can I even become successful with these disturbing munchkins frustrating my life all the time? How can I become a renowned super model looking like this?’’.

She pauses. Stands and walks to the mirror placed on the wall adjacent to her. She lifts her gown and stares at the stretch marks on her tummy. ‘’See how ugly my tummy looks now; ugly and fat. I hate myself! I hate my body’’ She runs to the bed, jumps on it, and covers herself with the duvet, wailing.

Ginika walks to the door again but this time, didn’t knock. She eavesdrops for a while and goes back to the children’s room.

Genevieve continues to wail, sleeps off again after about twenty-four minutes.

In an hour’s time, Clifford walks into the room, drops his phones on the table, walks and massages Genevieve’s face with his right fingers.

She opens her eyes, seeing it’s her husband, she hisses and faces the opposite direction.

‘’Baby, what is it this time?’’ Clifford asked concerned as he sits on the bed.

‘’I should be asking you what is wrong, why did you come back from work this early?’’ Genevieve said in a harsh tone.

‘’I’m sorry but Ginika called me, she said you’ve been crying. I called your phones but there were switched off. Had to come back to know what is wrong with you my baby’’

‘’Oh really, so a house help, a common maid now reports me to you. Is that not so?’’ Genevieve asked as she sits up and fixes her husband with an angry stare.

‘’Come on baby, she meant well. She sounded so worried on phone. Why have you been crying?’’

‘’Well, if you must know Mr. man, I am tired of you, I am tired of our sons. I am tired of this marriage. I want out’’

‘’Baby, what are you even saying? Where are all these words coming from’’ Clifford asked in a scared voice.

‘’Well, I mean everything I just said. I’m tired!’’

‘’Baby please stop, I’m sorry’’ Clifford begs.

‘’This is one of the problems, you are always apologizing, always behaving like a fool. Why are you apologizing now? Did you do anything wrong to me? That’s how you hypnotized me into marrying your feeble ass. I’m tired of you; dusty man! Get out of my life!’’ Genevieve says, runs into the bathroom and locks the door.

Clifford uses his left hand to support his head as he leans on the wall opposite the bed thinking of Genevieve’s strange attitude since she had their babies. ‘’Is this still postpartum depression? Why is that I no longer understand my wife?’’ He asks himself.

Genevieve walks out from the bathroom, runs, and hugs him.

‘’I’m so sorry babe, please forgive me’’ Genevieve says childishly

‘’It’s okay babe. I understand you are overwhelmed. Motherhood can be overwhelming sometimes so I do understand you. Do you want to see a doctor?’’

‘’No!’’ She replies quickly.

‘’Vacation to any country of your choice?’’

‘’With or without our babies?’’ Genevieve asks soberly

‘’With our babies of course, Jayce and Jerome are still tender and will be needing 24 hours of our care. At least for now’’

‘’Why do they cry so much. It’s frustrating’’

‘’haven’t they been getting better with that, very soon they will stop. Okay?’’

‘’Okay but I’m still your first baby, right?’’

‘’Yes of course, you are. You are the light of my life Genevieve, and you know. I love you so much, more than anything you would ever think of’’

Clifford carries her to the bed and they both kiss and romance each other passionately. Genevieve mind flashes to the last time she had a fashion shoot for Avart wears, she fantasizes herself walking on the runway for the renowned Avart clothing. She immediately switched to a bad mood and pushes Clifford off.

‘’What is it babe?’’ Clifford asks, surprised.

‘’I’m not in the mood Clifford’’

‘’This is what you’ve been saying for the past three weeks. What is wrong babe? You are starving me. If I did anything wrong to you, please do forgive me’’

‘’ Oh God! Another stupid and unnecessary apology” Genevieve blurted out as she stands up, then leaves the room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Genevieve lies on her bed. She checks the mails she has sent out to different companies she modelled clothes for before she got pregnant. They all gave her the same feedback which is for to shed some weight and work on her stretch marks to fade a little because of the tummy revealing clothes she will be modelling.

Genevieve bends her face on the bed, wearing a sad look. Ginika walks into the room, Genevieve signals her to leave the room immediately without even hearing from her.

Genevieve quickly puts a call across to her best friend Shantel who is also a model. Shantel picks up immediately

‘’Hello Genevieve, please let me call you back. I’m doing a fashion shoot for Avara beauty’’ Shantel says over the phone.

Genevieve hangs up immediately. ‘’Avara beauty, the same company that told me to shed some weight. Why did they make it seem like I’m not trying?  I’m trying so hard to lose weight. Do you all think it’s even easy to have a caesarean delivery! That’s what brought out my tummy this way for cry out loud’. Imagine Shantel, bragging on the phone telling me she is working for Avara beauty. Is she more beautiful than myself or have the kind of killer shape I had earlier? Nonsense! God! I really want to go back to my modelling. That is where my happiness lies not in this marriage, please help me shed some weight., please God’’ She cries and falls asleep.

About forty-five minutes later, Ginika walks and taps her on the back.

‘’Ma, please wake up. Sorry to disturb you but please wake up’’ Ginika begs.

Genevieve opens her eyes and fixes Ginika with an angry stare.

‘’Ma, Jerome is running temperature. I’ve given him paracetamol, but it hasn’t subsided’’ Ginika explains.

‘’It will stop. Haven’t they had fever for at least up to five times since I birthed them? The fever will get better like the rest. Just go’’ Genevieve replies, still feeling sleepy.

‘’Okay Ma’’ Ginika replies and turns to leave.

‘’Ginika?’’

‘’Yes Ma’’

‘’Do you know any remedy for stretch marks? The bio-oil I’ve been using isn’t doing much for me’’

‘’Ermmmm……. Ma, have you tried shear butter and coconut oil? My elder sister used it after she gave birth and it worked for her’’

‘’I have used those ones since nah, it didn’t work for me. Thank you, just go. I will come and see Jerome later’’

‘’Okay Ma. Thank you’’ Ginika replies and hurriedly leave the room.

Genevieve shuts her eyelids, opens them again spontaneously, hiss and sits up on her bed…’’ This one has disturbed my beautiful sleep this evening. I don’t even know the one I’m struggling with. I don’t even know if it’s me trying so hard to still love my husband or managing my kids and their disturbance or figuring out how best to quickly go back to my shape and get rid of these disgusting stretch marks’’

Genevieve walks out from the bathroom after having her morning bath. She hears her phone ring, walks to get the call, seeing it’s her husband calling. She hisses, drops back her phone, and picks up her clothes from the bed and puts them on. ‘’ Clifford should please allow me to have some peace this morning. He should please face his work at his office. I don’t know who told him that he must call his wife up to four times before he returns from work every day. If I complain now, he will start saying sorry. ‘’

Ginika rushes into the room crying and screaming ‘’ Ma, Jerome! Jerome! He’s breathing faster than usual. He is literally shaking’’

‘’How!’’ Genevieve shouts and runs out of the room. Ginika follows her immediately.

Genevieve runs into the sons’ room, examines her son Jerome, and confirms he is breathing faster and shivering. She carries him up immediately, runs to the second basinet, carries Jayce, and rush out of the room

‘’Fast! Get me my car keys! Call my husband to meet us at the hospital! Fast!’’

Genevieve runs outside with her sons, Ginika runs behind her holding the car keys. Genevieve collects the car key from her, and opens the car, Ginika carries the babies from her and enters the back seat. They leave for the hospital.

Genevieve paces around the hospital reception waiting. Ginika is sitting on a chair carrying Jayce…. Clifford walks hurriedly into the reception, Genevieve seeing him runs and hugs him.

‘’What is wrong babe, what’s wrong with Jerome?’’

‘’I don’t know. He was just breathing so fast and shivering’’

The doctor walks into the reception to address them…They all rush to meet him.

‘’Please kindly follow me to my office’’ The doctor addresses Clifford and Genevieve.

‘’No, tell me what is wrong with my child. What is wrong with Jerome! I’m not going anywhere with you. What is wrong with my son?’’ Genevieve cries.

‘’Please calm down babe, please’’ Clifford says patting her on the back.

‘’It’s okay madam. Well, your son has acute pneumonia, I’m wondering how you all let it deteriorate to this point. It’s bad. The pneumonia infection has spread from his lungs into his blood stream’’ The doctor explains.

‘’Jesus Christ! Please save my son. Please don’t allow anything happen to Jerome. Please save my son. please!’’ Genevieve cries

‘’Doctor, this can be treated right?’’ Clifford asks curiously.

‘’Yes of course. It’s a serious complication but we will try and manage it. As the treatment proceeds, we will be monitoring the healing process and of course, keep you and your wife in the know’’

Genevieve runs and carries Jayce from Ginika and wails.

Clifford drives into his compound with his family. Ginika steps down from the car carrying their hospital luggage. Genevieve is carrying her sons, her face filled with smiles as she keeps staring into the faces of her twins.

‘’ baby, let me help you carry one’’ Clifford says as she locks the car.

‘’No don’t worry honey, I want to carry them’’ Genevieve says smiling.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genevieve dances round the whole bedroom laughing and smiling at her sons who are lying in their different bassinets giggling at her. She starts to sing and clap for them; the boys laugh and clap their hands mimicking their mother.

Genevieve kisses Jerome on his chin ‘’ I love you so much Jerome’’

She walks and kisses Jayce too on his chin ‘’ I love you too Jayce. You both are my biggest blessing. Thank God I didn’t get to lose any of you, I wouldn’t have even survived it. There I was thinking you were disturbing my life; I didn’t even know how much you both meant to me till I wanted to lose Jerome here. Now I realize I’ve been so selfish. I guess it’s partly because I grew up alone getting all the attention alone as an only child. I felt you boys were taking the whole attention. Oh, stupid me! I’m sorry my loves, I swear on my life to be the best mother and friend in the whole world to you both. Love you my sweet munchkins’’ Tears drops down her cheeks as she pauses and admires her sons.

Clifford is at the dinning table having his dinner. Genevieve walks down from the stairs and kneels in front of him…

‘’What is it baby?’’ Clifford asks, surprised.

‘’Please, find a place in your heart to forgive me honey. I was so stupid, carried away with my dreams of becoming a successful fashion model that I ignored the undeserved blessings God gave to me free of charge. Jerome’s health issues opened my eyes to how much I really love and appreciate you and our sons. I paused and realized I’m so blessed. I was so ungrateful, ungrateful for the kind of lovely and responsible gentle man I married. Your kind is rare honey. I was also ungrateful for the gift of a kind-hearted house help like Ginika. Most especially, I was so ungrateful for the gift of our cute sons. I’m truly sorry and I promise that from today, I am going to be the best wife to you and the best mother to our sons. Please forgive me.’’ Genevieve pleads.

‘’It’s okay my love. I hold nothing against you. I understand you; I understand you want to become a successful fashion model and I’m here all the way to give you the best support you can get. The first thing you must do is to accept your body, you are just size 12. You are still sexy and beautiful. Your stretch marks should remind you of our blessings, our cute sons. You must have to be confident in yourself and in your body before you can even be happy’’ Clifford says.

‘’I know, honey. I am extremely proud of myself now and very confident too in myself and in my body. No time to listen to naysayers! Thank you so much honey for loving me this hard. I will try and see if I can love you even half as much as you love me’’ Genevieve giggles.

Clifford laughs ‘’I love you my Generator, you know I stopped calling you this name since you started behaving strange after having our sons, but I will resume today. My Generator, I love you’’ Clifford kisses her