LAUGHTER

Chapter 8 Bank

Annabelle's POV

"We're not here as enemies.We'll be settling you with the remainder of your husband's unpaid salary, to help you survive.We're just asking you to vacate peacefully,so the assets can be sold and the loan recovered."

I swallowed hard,blinking back tears."Okay then. I'll leave... when the two weeks are over."

"No problem,ma'am,he said gently."Thank you for your patience.May your husband,our friend and brother,rest in peace."

*Two Weeks Later*

The bank gave me ₦2.5 million.It looked like a fortune on paper,but with a baby on the way,it suddenly felt very small.

Yes… I'm pregnant.

The bitter part is,I don't know who the father is. The memory of that night still clings to me like smoke from a fire I can't escape.Sometimes,when the silence is too loud,I think about ending the pregnancy.But no... that would be murder.And God frowns on such things.

This child,no matter how she came into the world,is mine.No one else will carry her for me.No one else will mother her.She is mine and always will be.

To survive,I started selling akara(beans cake) and pap in front of a nearby school.It wasn't much, but it was honest.Day after day,I stood there under the sun,watching students pass by as the smell of hot oil and beans filled the air.

My belly grew faster than expected,too fast.I began to wonder if I was carrying twins… or even triplets.I silently prayed I wasn't.

In between selling and resting,I'd sit on a small stool and sew little gowns for my unborn daughter.I imagined her tiny hands,her laugh,her eyes.It gave me something to hope for.

But life again,had other plans.

Seven months in,I went into labor.It was sudden, terrifying.

I gave birth early… to a baby boy.

He was a stillbirth.

Yet,he looked so healthy so perfect.The hospital allowed us to go home the same day.No machines, no long stays.Just silence.

No cries.No heartbeat.

Just me… carrying home dreams that never got the chance to live.

Though he came into the world early,my baby was strong,so strong that we didn't even have to stay in the hospital more than a day.He looked up at me with the eyes of a fighter,and from that moment,I knew he was destined to shine.

I had spent months sewing delicate gowns for a baby girl… but I had been blessed with a boy.So I unstitched every frill and bow,transformed dresses into overalls,and turned skirts into tiny shorts.As I worked,I smiled through tears.This child had already begun to reshape my world.

He came with me to the shop each day,nestled close to me in his carrier.He was my light,his presence radiant.His eyes gleamed like fireflies under moonlight,his smile could melt even the hardest of hearts,and his laughter... oh,his laughter was music.

So I named him Laughter.