“O ti ko ba mi o” (you’ve gotten me in
trouble) I screamed as I started to cry. She quickly drove back in and asked
the gateman to close the gates. She took me inside with a very confused look on
her face. She asked what the problem was and I told her I was pregnant. Before
she could start asking ridiculous questions, I told her the Doctor already confirmed
it. She was quiet for a while, and then she smiled
“What is funny?” I asked in annoyance
“If you are planning to plant a Cocoa tree
and it sprouts at the same spot, would you be angry?” she responded.
I was still
trying to make sense of what she said when she asked “I hope it’s Baba T’s o”
“Of course…I’ve never been with any other
man in my life and this was just a case of being at the wrong place at the
wrong time” I retorted.
Laide tried to
make light of my plight and encouraged me to see the good in this. She teased
me for a while about how ‘going to see someone’s mum’ could turn to pregnancy
but I was not amused.
“Your mum desperately wants a grandchild abi?
Likewise Baba T’s parents; they will be so delighted because he’s all they’ve
got. Even Baba T will see this as winning, because now you’re going nowhere”
Laide continued.
I told her I was
scared because I had not seen nor heard from Baba T after our unfortunate
one-night stand. I was scared because I couldn’t bear to tell Tunji…I didn’t
even know how to tell him. I was scared because I would ruin relationships and
burn bridges. I was scared because I wasn’t even sure I wanted to marry Baba
T. I was scared because something in me was telling me it wouldn’t end well….I
went on and on and on until I started crying again.
Laide tried to
allay every fear that I pointed out. She said Baba T had to travel out of the
country for medical reasons and it was an emergency. Before I could probe any
further, she said he was okay now and would be back in a couple of days. She
went inside and brought an envelope…it contained a letter and some money.
Laide
said Baba T had sent her to me, before he traveled but she was indisposed and
couldn’t come to Abeokuta to deliver the message. She told me she discovered
she was also pregnant right around that time and the first few weeks were not
very pleasant…she was even admitted at the hospital for some days and her
husband almost flew her out of the country.
The money in the
envelope was a gift from Baba T’s dad as promised the day I visited their
house. The letter was not too long but it said something like he (Baba T) was
sorry he couldn’t come see me at home because something came up and he had to
quickly travel, he would see me as soon as he got back and we would try to
resolve our issues.
“Okay o, but kíni màáse s’ọrọ Tunji?
(What would I do about Tunji)?” I asked rhetorically
“Ǫlọrun l’ómọ ọkọ
ìyàwó ojú ọnà (regardless of the length and depth of a
relationship, only God determines who the groom would ultimately be)” Laide answered.
She
tried to convince me that some things are beyond our powers as humans and that
God works in mysterious ways. “God will
give him his own wife…ìná òwọ, kò sí
ìjà ní bę (when a bargain falls through, it doesn’t have
to become a fight)”
After hours of going back and forth and weighing
different scenarios, we decided to let Baba T return before taking any
actions...the plan was to keep this between the two of us and not to even tell
my mum yet. Laide promised to come with Baba T as soon as he gets back. I left
for Abeokuta but still had some heaviness in my heart. I went straight to my
Salon and somehow, nobody realized I had traveled to Lagos.
Tunji came later that evening and was looking
very sad, I asked what the problem was and he handed me a letter. It was from
the Oil Company he was trying to get into, the letter said something like they appreciated his
interest in their company and although he was one of the strongest candidates
during the interview process, they would not be moving forward with his
application and that they wished him
luck in his future endeavors. As I read the letter, I could see Tunji wiping
streams of tears from his eyes. It was as if the letter broke him.
“I was so
sure of this…even the hiring manager said I was the strongest candidate for the
position. I scored 96% in their aptitude test and they promised to contact me
with the next step in the process and I got this. When will I ever catch a
break? Why is life so cruel to me?” He said, tears still streaming on his face
“I thought
this was it, I thought this was the big break…I already planned my life and
future around this. This was going to turn everything around and lay the right
foundation for tomorrow” he continued
“I have
failed…I have failed you” at that point, he was not even wiping the tears
anymore. That was the first time I saw Tunji break down. He was always
optimistic and had this positive approach to life.
“Don’t
give up on God…I know He has something better for you” was all I could mumble…I
felt really bad.
"What better thing? You are the only thing I have now" he responded
The thought of what I was also about to do to him, someone
that’s already at the brink of giving up on everything, froze my heart. I tried
my best to encourage him, I made him follow me to our house so we could
talk about it.
My mum also tried to
encourage him
“Wọn ká ęní
wọn ni, Ǫlọrun
á tę Rug (they merely removed a mat, God can replace it
with a luxury carpet)” my mum told him. She also added that Tunji did not need
to get a job at an Oil company to start living his life. She told him stories
of people that did not start moving forward in life until they got married. It
was as if their marriages opened doors that were hitherto shut.
Tunji somehow managed to man up and later went
home but tears really flowed. He traveled some days later and said he would be
back in about a week. He needed to go see a friend about another job.
My mum was getting really suspicious because of
my morning sickness but luckily for me, Laide and Baba T came over that
weekend. I was in the room when my mum called my name and said I had a visitor.
Baba T looked like someone that was just recuperating…I greeted him but he went for a hug and said he had missed me. He talked a little about his medical emergency and why he had to travel but did not give details. He said he had been dying to see me and that Laide told him there’s an important issue that we needed to talk about.
I told him we couldn’t discuss it there and he advised
we could go somewhere to talk…I didn’t want to leave the house so we chose to
go talk in the car. Laide went inside to meet my mum while we stepped outside
to talk. I didn’t mince words at all, I just told him I was pregnant and
started crying. He quickly held my hand and smiled, he said there was no reason
to cry.
He told me he decided on his medical trip that he
would ask me to marry him the moment he got back…and was hoping I would say
yes. He started to promise all sorts and that he would take good care of me and
I would not regret carrying his child.
I told him it didn’t feel right and I was not
sure of what to say or do because of Tunji.
“Give me
some time to figure this out; I can’t just leave Tunji like that. Not this way…nobody
does that”
Baba T agreed but said “the pampering had begun” and that I would hear from him soon. He
also said he would have to tell his mum. We went back inside and after a while,
he left with Laide.
After they left, my mum came to the sitting room
and asked if I was pregnant…I was shocked and didn’t have any answer.
“I’m a
mother, I’m your mother…I have watched you for some days and I concluded
when your visitors came. You are pregnant for the Lagos boy abi? And you are in a dilemma…tell
me I’m lying” my mum said…I was just looking at her and couldn’t say a
word.
“Kò dáa o
(it’s not fair)…what are you going to do about Tunji?”
“I warned
you when this started…olójú kòkòrò ni ę (You are a greedy person)” my mum
just went all out to show her dissatisfaction at the turn of events.
I started to cry and her motherly love wouldn’t
let her scold me any further. She held me and cried with me. She assured me
that we would find a way to resolve this. I tried to explain how it all
happened and she told me not to worry. She said abortion was not an option; we
would just have to find a way to break it to Tunji and not break him in the
process
“Rírò ni t’ènìyàn…a
ję pé b’Ǫlọrun
se fę nì yęn (Man proposes, God disposes…this must be how God wants it)” my mum
said and she started to ask me about the pregnancy and how I was doing. She
also asked what Baba T was planning to do...I told her he was asking me to
marry him.
“T’ęlę n’kọ?
(Does he have a choice?) If he’s man enough to cause the trouble he must be man
enough to handle it”
We were still working on what to tell Tunji when Baba
T showed up two days after his visit with Laide...
PART 13 PART 15
PART 13 PART 15
© 2016 Lanre Olagbaju All Rights Reserved
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