Allen Avenue

Episode 8

Ifeoma
” Na hot Guinness with Alabukun and lime you go use! Once! E Don clear ” one of the ladies said.

” Na D and C me i like to do sha!” another one said.

” Ashawo dey suffer ooooo, them go f* uck us for shikini money still get heart pour inside!” The third lady spat out.

Ebere had invited them and here they were acting like an authority on the subject of ‘ abortion’ .

” D and C dey pain oooo my sister!”

I saw Ebere flinched. The ladies lunged into the horrors associated with abortion, they told one gory tale after the other.

” You are frightening her please”.
Eight pair of eyes turned on me like they were seeing me for the first time.

” Who be dis?” The loudest of the three asked in her high pitched voice.

” My sister”.
” She fine oooo…. Na this one men dey like”
The trio laughed and carried on.

” Boil hot water, add small salt,sq££ze lime put inside take dey wash your to.to. e go kill germs wey dey there so you no go get infections ”

” Okay” Ebere nodded taking mental note of every word they said like she was being lectured by Harvard lecturers. ” How many days i go drink the hot Guiness concoction? ”

” Which one be concoction again?” High pitch hissed.” Shey na rice? i say Hot Guiness, Alabukun and lime! drink am for three days “.

Ebere nodded her head. That night Ebere carefully drained a big bottle of Guiness into a bowl, she poured two satchets of Alabukun into the bowl stirring it with her finger. She sq££zed six tiny lime into the bowl. She tentatively lifted the bowl to her lips and paused.

” There’s always another option ” i said.

” My mind is made up” She lifted the bowl to her lips and closed her eyes. She gulped it down and sagged back in relief.

Ebere

Ebere! Ebere! Ebere!
” What? ” i m0aned. ” go away”
I felt someone lift my limp body onto the back seat of a car. Why was Ify screaming? who were these people? why couldn’t they let me be?

” She’s awake” Ify whispered.
” What are you whispering about? ” i m0aned out. ” where are we?”

The little stuffy room smelled of medicine and sweat. The smell was neauseting and a bile rose up in my throat. A tired looking nurse came in, she wore an old dusty looking wig which was perched atop her head precariously.

” She’s finally awake! These young girls of nowadays ehn! ” she hissed. ” Go buy her something light to eat, maybe pap or pepper soup”

” OK ma”. Ify said. ” I will be back shortly Ebere” she touched my hand gently.

” What……what happened?”

” My friend will you stop talking! You need to rest!” The nurse barked.
” Ahn ahn, Madam take am easy nau” Ify cautioned her. She ( nurse) hissed and marched out of the room.

” You need to rest like she said……i will be back”.

Ify came back with a cooler of catfish pepper soup and agidi ( eko) . She spoon fed me, afterwards she helped me lie back on the bed gently. A doctor struttered into the room, he did the necessary ceremonies doctors do to act all superior.

” You have to be careful” he addressed me. ” You would have lost your life if not for your friend here. ”
I nodded.

” How could you possibly attempt to terminate a pregnancy by yourself! Anyway thank your stars for giving you another chance at life. The baby is OK and i advise you don’t attempt such again or unless you want to kiss your life good bye”.

He struttered out once again. Did i hear him say the baby was OK? what do i do with a baby? how would i survive? A pregnant wh0re! i let the tears flow freely out of my eyes. Ify gave my hand gentle sq££zes. It meant everything would be fine. But i knew nothing will be alright again, no matter the decision i made, i knew i would forever regret it.