Episode 51
Final Episode
I was still deep in thoughts when the nurse
returned, with a bunch of keys. She signaled
me to follow her. Hannah simply refused to
follow us. We climbed down a flight of stairs
leading to the exit. Her car was packed in
front.
âwere are we going?âshe asked, as we both
took our sits in the car.
ânew Beninâ i replied.
She started the engine and our journey
started. As it progressed, i placed my head on
the dash board, thinking and sobbing. A lot of
thoughts flashed through my head.
Ruth was pregnant, she was sold by our friend,
drugged and Molested. I imagined the horror
she went through, and her eventual
hospitalisation.
I wasnât left out of the suffering either. I had
lost my virginity to a boy who had moved on
very quickly. I was caught in a hotel room with
a boy, like a common prostitute. I also
wondered what would have happened to me if
i didnât have the courage to escape from the
hotel.
In all, my life had taken a negative turn, i
hated who i had become. Is there any way
back for me.? I wondered, as tears fell freely
from my eyes.
I felt the car slowing down and pulling over. I
knew we hadnât gotten to new Benin yet. I
lifted my head from the dash board to see
what was happening.
It all seemed clear in front of me, there was no
reason for us to stop. I turned towards her
with my tear filled face, wondering why she
stopped.
Her attention was solely focused on me. She
had a look of sadness and pity registered on
her face. Her gaze provoked more tears, as i
started sobbing loudly.
âhere, stop crying â she said, handing over a
white handkerchief.
â i can tell that you are different from your
friends âshe continued.
â how did you get involved with them? â she
asked
â i donât know, i thought we were friends âi
replied in between sobs.
I couldnât control my tears anymore, i was
already crying bitterly. The reasons for my
tears were many, sadness and sorrow
overwhelmed me. I just felt like dying. I
opened the door quickly and ran out of the
car, i had no idea where i was or what i was
doing.
I came to a stop a short distance away from
the car and fell on the shrubs. I felt i was
going mad. The nurse walked up to me, and
held me up. She hugged me, holding my head
tightly to her shoulder.
âitâs ok, i know this must be difficult for you,
just know Iâm here for you.â she said, in the
kindest voice i have ever heard.
I la!d helplessly on her shoulder, crying
profusely. My tears soaked her white uniform.
We were beginning to get attention from
passers-by.
She held me by my waist and lead me back to
the car, and held the door open for me to sit.
âElla, talk to me, what have you girls been up
toâ? She asked again.
I felt a little bit more comfortable, there was
nothing else to hide, the truth will soon be out
and everyone will know. I revealed all the
events of the past few weeks, including all the
minor details.
I told her about our regular escape from
school, and how we usually pay the gate man.
She did not seem shocked to hear any of it,
not even the escapades with Ehis. She listened
patiently and quietly to my story.
âbut why Ella? Why did you choose to follow
this path, why ignore your parents discipline?
â she asked, looking straight at my eyes.
â i just wanted to be loved, i wanted someone
to understand me. He was just there for me,
heâŠâŠ. â i stopped to wipe the tear from my
eyes and control my weeping.
She held my head up, and turned it towards
her.
âIâm sure your parents love you, just give them
a chance, you can be a better personâ
âthey donât, no one has ever spoken to me like
this. â i replied coldly.
She let go of me and turned towards the
windscreen.
âno one is a perfect parent, my daughter was
about your age when she gave birth. â she
said, as a feeling of sadness overwhelmed her.
I wiped my tears when i heard those words. I
simply decided not to cry anymore, knowing
that it could have been worse. She looked at
me again and saidâ you can be a better
person, donât give up on yourself â
She started the engines, and our journey
continued. Few minutes later, we were at
Ruthâs house. It wasnât exactly a mansion, it
was the habitat of people who earned decent
wages.
Ruthâs motherâs car was parked outside. The
nurse pulled over at the side of the road, and
we walked a short distance yo Ruthâs house.
The front door opened before we got to it.
Ruthâs mother came out of the house, well-
dressed with a bible under her armpit. She
looked set for evening service. We hurried
quickly to catch up with her, while she was
struggling to lock the door.
âExcuse me maâ the nurse called out, to
Ruthâs mum, as she hurried towards her. I
stayed back at the gate, fearing the reaction
from Ruthâs mum when she hears about her
daughter.
I was too far out to hear the conversation that
ensued between them, but Ruthâs motherâs
countenance changed, she looked worried and
began to panic. She got into her car in a hurry
and drove off. While the nurse and i got into
hers, and headed towards my house.
I still managed to get home a little early. My
mum had returned from work, she was
watching a movie in the sitting room. I
greeted her and walked towards my room
quickly to avoid being noticed. My eyes were
swollen, and my face was a mess.
I threw my school bag on the floor, took off
my uniform and tied a towel. I wanted to wash
off the dayâs events from my body and mind. I
needed to rest badly.
As i headed for the bathroom, my room door
opened. My mum walked in. I tried to hurry
into the bathroom to avoid any confrontation
with her, i did not want another fight.
âElla wait â she called out, halting me in my
stride.
I stopped, without turning around to look at
her. I anticipated a question and answer
section.
â what is wrong my daughter, you donât look
happyâshe said in a rather nice tone .
I was quite shocked, my mother doesnât
usually speak to me in such manner. I turned
around to make sure it wasnât someone else.
My eyes met my mumâs. She noticed my
swollen eyes and battered face.
âhave you been crying? â she asked, moving
closer to me.
I paused for a moment, it was quite obvious.
There was no use denying.
â Ruth is in the hospital â i muttered
â oh what happened to her? â
â she faintedâ i replied, convinced within
myself that i havenât told a lie.
My mum tried comfort me. Her attempts were
lame but duly appreciated. I went into the
bathroom, as she left for the sitting room. I
bathed slowly, wondering what would transpire
between Ruth and her mum.
I stepped out of the bathroom after fifteen
minutes. I wore my night cloths, and retired
for the day, hoping to fall asleep as quickly as
possible. However, sleep eluded me. My eyes
remained wide open. I continuously replayed
the dayâs events in my head, wondering how it
would all end.
The sound of my door handle turning
interrupted my thoughts. My mum walked in
again, with her placed on her ear. She spoke
for a while with the person at the other end
before turning her attention to me.
âthat was Ruthâs mother â she said, giving me
a suspicious look.
I sat up on the bed, knowing fully well that the
game was up.
â she gold me a lot of things i donât
understand. Ella, what happened? Who did
you go to see in a hotel? Is what Iâm hearing
true? â
I looked at my mumâs face, i could feel her
disappointment and frustration . I bowed my
head slowly and began to shed tears again. I
knew i had let everyone down, i was a bad
person.
â so itâs true? This is what you have become?
âshe said, with a shaky voice. She too was
close to tears. She sat on my bed and buried
her head in her palm. She seemed greatly
pained, and i knew it was all my fault.
I knelt down beside her and began apologise
profusely. I tried go explain the dayâs event to
her as accurately as i could remember, while
tactfully leaving out anything that had to do
with Ehis.
âyou see why i told you not to associate with
those girls? Imagine yourself in Ruthâs
situationâ my mum said after listening to my
story.
âpromise me you wonât tell daddyâ i pleaded.
My mum obliged, as she left me to continue in
my thoughts. I heaved a sigh of relief as she
left, believing that it was all over. I made a
resolution within myself never to return to this
way of life. I wanted to be a better person.
Ruth resumed school after about one month of
absence. She was looking quite different. She
was much more withdrawn and anti-social
than she used to be.
The news of her miscarriage and apparent
molest had been on everyoneâs lips. Though
there were different versions of the story, they
all seemed to have emerged from one source,
Hannah.
She had made new friends, and never seemed
to care about what happened to Ruth. I was
the only person Ruth had. She never failed to
express how much regret, pain and
embarrassment she had caused herself and
her family. I could feel her pain, i was just
thankful it wasnât me.
We watched with keen interest as Hannah and
her new found friends continuously absconded
from school and returned unsuspectingly. It
surprised me how easily she could influence
people. Each time i saw her friends, it was like
seeing myself all over again.
Two weeks passed, as we neared the end of
the term. It was a typical monday morning.
The last lecture before break had just began,
Hannah and her friends left the classroom
with their bags hanging from their shoulders,
heading towards the gate house.
Ruth and i went straight to the principalâs
office, to alert him. The principal was a stout
old man, known for his extreme punishments.
He was angered by our news. He walked
hurriedly towards the gatehouse at the back of
the school, hoping to catch Hannah and her
colleagues.
Ruth and i walked briskly behind him,
struggling to keep up with his pace. Halfway
through the journey, i felt thirsty and
exhausted. I was panting heavily. It had been
going on for quite a while now, i waved it off
as stress.
As i struggled to keep pace, my vision became
blurred, eventually turned dark, i felt
weightless and powerless. I tried to call out to
Ruth, but my vocal cord produced no sound.
From that moment, i had no idea where i was,
or what was happening.
.**
I opened my eyes slowly, trying to figure out
where i was. I knew i had passed out, a while
ago, but i couldnât guess how long. I turned
my head sideways to look properly at the
figure sitting in front of me.
My vision was inaccurate and blurry at first.
As it began to brighten, i could see my mother
sitting close, with tears flowing from my eyes.
I looked around the room carefully, it was
obvious i was in a hospital.
Fear gripped me as i saw the sadness on my
mumâs face. I was scared that something bad
may have happened.
âwhat happened? âi asked, trying to prop
myself up on the bed.
My mum handed me a piece of paper. I
snatched it from her, and perused itâs content.
It made no sense to me, it was mainly medical
jargons.
â i donât understand, what does it say? â i
asked as i handed the paper back to her.
â you are pregnant âshe said, in between sobs.
My heart skipped a beat, my head felt lighter.
If i were standing, Iâd have fainted again. I
broke down in tears, thinking it was not
possible. I remember i swallowed the pills
Hannah gave me.
â no no it has to be a mistake âi screamed.
â blood and urine tests have confirmed itâ my
mum replied
I held my head in my palm, utterly confused
and dejected. I had no idea what to do or say.
I felt like dying. I could feel my energy
draining away. I wanted to cry, but It seemed
my tear glands had dried up, or my pain was
more than tears.
My father burst into the room, and screamed
at the top of his voice.
âso you have disgraced me finally, you have
brought shame to meâ
He tried to hit me, but my mum held him
back.
âshe is pregnant, donât hit her pleaseâ.
I just la!d motionless on the bed, at this point
i couldnât care less if i was dead. My life was
empty and meaningless.
âwho is responsible for this âmy father shouted
â Ehisâ i blotted out without hesitation.
âEhiagwinaâs son?â
âyesâ
âget up, we are going to his fatherâs houseâ.
My dad dragged me roughly from the bed, he
led me out of the door, not minding my
current state of health. My mum tagged along,
as we headed for Mr Ehiagwinaâs house.
The atmosphere was tense, the reception was
hostile. Mr Ehiagwina had labelled my dad a
failure for not being able control the âsmall
prostituteâ he had in his house. He was
convinced that his son wasnât responsible for
my pregnancy, even before hearing his side of
the story .
He ordered us out of his house, but my dad
insisted on hearing from Ehis first. Mr
Ehiagwina called him over the phone, and
ordered him to come home immediately.
We sat and waited quietly for about 30
minutes. I stood behind my mum who was
weeping profusely. My face was devoid of
emotions, i had cried myself to the limit.
Although i was falling apart inside, my
countenance didnât reveal much.
Ehis arrived no sooner than expected, he
entered the living room unannounced, perhaps
expecting to find his father alone. The faces
before him threw him back. He paused for a
while and examined our faces closely.
No doubt, he must have deduced the situation
appropriately. He reorganised himself and
greeted everyone. His father pointed a finger
at me.
âdo you know her?âhe asked
âwe attend the same churchâ he replied
calmly.
âshe said she is pregnant for youâ
âJesus! âEhis exclaimed, putting his hands on
his head.
â daddy, i donât know what she is talking
aboutâ Ehis denied
âshut up, the catechist caught both of you in
church the other timeâ my father cut in
âthat was then, she was my girlfriend, but we
broke up when i caught her in a hotel with a
manâ Ehis continued.
â i told you she is a prostitute â Mr Ehiagwina
contributed.
â she has been sleeping with odionâs brother,
what ever she is carrying there must belong to
him,â pointing at my abdomen.
â did i not catch you with him in a hotel? â
Ehis asked
The entire scene was inhuman and
embarrassing for me and my family. Being
called a prostitute with circumstantial
evidence made me want to die.
Who would have believed that Ehis would ever
treat me like this? Few weeks ago, he took my
virginity, he was my knight in shining armour.
Today he is the one labelling me a
LovePeddler.
I bent my head in shame, as everyone turned
towards me, waiting for a response . Any reply
i give would make no difference, Iâd be damned
anyway.
âOdionâs brother has returned to Malaysia, you
can take your prostitute daughter and b—–d
grand child to him there, but for now get out
of my houseâ Mr Ehiagwina barked.
My dad jumped to his feet and hurried out of
sight. My mum and i walked slowly towards
the door. I walked closer to Ehis and
whispered to him.
âyou ll come looking for your child someday â
He totally avoided eye contact with me, he
knew deep within himself that he was the
father.
My dadâs car was not parked outside anymore,
he had left us in anger. My mum and i took a
cab home. We cried all the way home, other
passengers looked at us in amusement,
wondering what was wrong.
We got home, me and my mum went in
separate direction. I went to my room and
continued my tears. Ighalo joined me in my
room, and cried along.
About 10pm, a sharp knock on the gate
awakened everyone. Ighalo went outside to
open. My father staggered into the compound,
towards the house. I came to the seating room
to have a good view of him.
The stench of alcohol and vomit escorted him
as he staggered along. He began to utter
several senseless words
âyou disgrace me you disgrace yourself. Iâm a
failure, but your education is over, you and
your b—–d. â
I knew he was referring to me, i was grieved. I
had never seen my father drunk before. As i
watched my father throwing up, and my
mother weeping, i felt terrible. I knew i had
brought shame and disgrace to my household,
and myself. I had made mistakes that would
change my life forever. All it really took was
one wrong turn.
THE END
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