A PAGE OF THEIR LIVES: BETTY

“Betty, just know that even though my son married you, you will never be welcomed as one of us in this family. Never!” Betty’s mother in-law bellowed at her. 

Her words made Betty sick to her stomach. All she wanted to do, all she ever dreamed of was getting married to Steven and be happy with him. She didn’t care whether or not he was of another tribe, race or political class. “Why couldn’t his mother see that? Why wasn’t she accepted here?” 

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“Nurse Betty you are needed in the maternity ward. The woman who gave birth through CS needs her medication and scar checked” Dina informed her. Dina was a very sweet friend to Betty; she always helped Betty whenever she was in need and always provided a listening ear. This time around, Betty didn’t know how to tell Dina that her mother in-law hated her and had earlier on threatened to make her son leave her for someone she found more befitting of their family status. How could she tell Dina that Steve always took his mother’s side no matter the argument? How could she tell Dina all of that? She knew she couldn’t. 

“Betty! Get up! Didn’t you hear me?” Dina yelled at her. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll get on it right away.” Betty responded while heading for the drug chart. 

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“What’s all that noise?” Betty asked some of her colleagues. Just then, Dina ran towards her “Betty, were you the one who administered medication to the woman on bed D?” Dina asked. “Yes it was me.” Betty answered with fear in her voice.

“Run Betty. Go home. Turn off your cell phones and don’t come back here till I come for you.” Dina told Betty. Shocked, Betty obliged without further inquiry. 

In the taxi on her way home, she scanned her memory to figure out what may have gone wrong and then it hit her. She had mixed up the medication she was to give the nursing mother and had vamped up the dosage. Her hands started shaking, she began sweating and her heart was beating as if she was about to have a heart attack. 

When she got home, she met her mother in-law who did nothing but glare at her. “You are back?” was all her mother in-law could say to her and before Betty could respond, she had walked away. 

On the table were some unpeeled oranges and a knife. Betty stared at it as she recalled the words her mother in-law had said to her earlier. It was all that was on her mind even while she attended to the nursing mother, now the knife was all she could think of.