Sisterhood episode 37

TITLE: SISTERHOOD

AUTHOR: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 37

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Funke waited for him to join her in bed but he didn’t come back into the room. She went to check on him in the sitting area and there he was lying on the couch watching television.

“What’s wrong? Why are you out here?”

“I think I will sleep here tonight.”

‘Why? What happened? Did I offend you?”

“Babe, go to bed, I will join you.”

“Something must have happened.”

“I want you so bad and I don’t want to break my promise to you. If you touch me right now, it will be something else. Please, just go to bed, when I feel better, I will join you.”

“Teach me how to help you. What can I do? I will be your wife so anything that will give you relief, I am up for it.”

“The only thing that will give me relief is for us to make love. Nothing else will. I don’t even want us to talk about this, it is not helping matters.”

“Come to bed. Teach me how to please you, if it doesn’t work, then we know we tried. I am naive but I would rather it is me than for you to resume tomorrow and you look for someone else to take care of this.”

“I don’t want anyone, I just want you. Just you. You don’t get it. I saw you naked, fully naked and I am out of my mind in desire. Let me drive out…”

“To where? Come to bed.”

“I can’t guarantee we won’t make love. I will cajole you and manipulate you to do. It is our anniversary, baby I have tried. I want to touch your body, caress it. I want to give you pleasures you have never experienced before. I want you to feel me with your body. I love you so much. Bringing you here was a bad idea.”

“Was it? Would you have brought someone else that was willing to give in?”

“What are you talking about?” He sat up and kissed her. He dragged her to himself and continued to kiss her. It had become steamy and then he stood up and carried her into the bedroom. “I can stop if you want,” he said to her, “Just say stop and I will.” She was also lost in her world of sensual pleasures. This was very different from the moments they had shared before. He knew she was wearing nothing underneath her nightwear and he was scared to raise it. He had avoided the temptation several times they had slept together. But now, she was a willing accomplice. He removed the top of his pj and then he removed her nightwear. She lay naked in front of him. She was shy, very shy. She couldn’t look at him. He kissed her and touched her as he had never done before. He wanted to stop. He believed he had self-control but he didn’t. Everything she did to him couldn’t help him. He had to have her. So he asked her if she was ready or if she was willing to wait. She was quiet for a bit. She asked him, “Will this change anything? Will you not marry me anymore?”

“I swear to you today, I am not deceiving you. You are my wife and this will not change anything. It will make me love you even more. I promise you, nothing will change, I love you so much. If you are not ready, I will wait.”

“I’m ready.”

That night, they secured their bond in an intimate entanglement. Funke became a woman courtesy of the love of her life, Ebuka. Ebuka was so happy he couldn’t thank her enough. He went to get him painkillers for her so she wouldn’t feel so much pain. She took her bath while he went to get the medication. He laid down with her. He was very happy, he couldn’t contain his joy.

Funke expected excruciating pain but didn’t experience it. She was surprised. She wondered if she was still intact before the deed. He confirmed she was and felt she was in pain so went to get her medication. When she bathed, she saw the blood. She wondered why it didn’t hurt. She didn’t enjoy the penetration because she was a bit agitated. Maybe next time. As long as Ebuka was happy, she didn’t complain.

The next morning, he woke her up with kisses. They made love again and then he insisted they bathed together. Funke liked that. She was shy but she felt closer to him than she had ever felt. She knew there was no going back. But, she didn’t want them to have sex too often. She intended to discuss it with Ebuka later.

### read – Sisterhood episode 28

Funke only saw Ebuka over the weekends. He came to pick her up on Saturday and they spent the night together. She had a conversation with him about frequent lovemaking. It was then Ebuka suggested they had to protect themselves. He had bought condoms. He agreed with her it won’t be often so they could have something to enjoy when they get married.

The following month, Funke missed her period. It was a crazy moment for them. She didn’t want to tell Ebuka without confirming first. She went out of school to a laboratory far from the university environment. She had a pregnancy test done. It was positive. She couldn’t believe what she had done to herself.

Ebuka came to see her that weekend but she declined to go with him. He asked her several times what the problem was but she refused to disclose it. He begged her but she couldn’t tell him. She had messed up. Why did she agree to have sex? Why did God decide to punish her for her sins by allowing her to get pregnant? She was sad.

Her moodiness was observed by her roommates, especially Nkem she was closer to. She asked her what the problem was but Funke was reluctant to tell her. It was eating her up. For two weeks she didn’t agree to spend time with Ebuka and she was moody. Ebuka begged her to tell him what was wrong, but she refused. He felt she was suffering from a guilty conscience. He promised her he would never touch her again. He would wait until she was ready. He didn’t like how she felt.

Nkem called Funke aside after observing her for some time. She asked her what she had done that was eating her up to the extent she was unkempt. Funke initially declined to say until Nkem jokingly said, “Or has Ebuka given you belle?” Funke broke down in tears. Nkem couldn’t believe it. She would have sworn Funke was still a virgin. When did this happen? She waited for her to calm down as she consoled her.

“When did you find out?” Nkem asked her when she could talk.

“Two weeks now.”

“Have you told him? I believe it is Ebuka.”

“I haven’t. I am so scared to tell him. We had unprotected sex on the first weekend only. Subsequently, we used protection. How can I be pregnant?”

“I think you should tell him and maybe speed up the marriage process.”

“I won’t be able to wear white for my wedding.”

“Why?”

“I will have to be tested before I get married. They won’t wed me in white. It will kill my parents.”

“I think you should discuss this with Ebuka and both of you can decide what will happen.”

“How do I tell him?”

“Show him the result. Was he not the one that deflowered you? He should know he is responsible.”

“I will invite him.”

“The sooner the better. There is no time if you decide to abort it. The younger the pregnancy, the easier the abortion.”

“How do you know all these things?”

“The women in the village come to my mother for advice. Some have five or seven children with no means of livelihood. They are still getting pregnant. My mother would advise against having more children and then she will advise them to try family planning. Most of them go for the injection. Because they don’t want their husbands to know what they are doing, they keep the injection card with my mother. She will remind them and they will go for it.”

“Where do they abort the pregnancy?”

“At the hospital. A doctor will come and do it for them because she also doesn’t support multiple births. She said it affects the woman in old age. Some women have as many as twelve children if not more. She ages very fast.”

“Hmmm, you know things beyond your age. Your mother doesn’t know how much you have learnt from her. I know you will be wondering why I gave in to him. It was…”

“I am not wondering. You held out for too long and he is a good guy. That’s why you should tell him instead of making him feel bad without knowing the cause.”

“You are right, let me call him.”

Funke spoke to Ebuka that evening. Since it was a Friday, she asked him to pick her up so they could discuss. Ebuka was excited when she called requesting to spend time with him. He closed from work and rushed to the school to pick her up. She came down to meet him with some food Nkem had made for them. She knew it would be a long night.

Ebuka kissed her in the car before he drove home. She wasn’t still lively but she wasn’t pushing him away. He tried to make small talk but she seemed tense. He hoped the weekend wouldn’t be spent in this foul mood.

Read – Elites 2 episode 42

When they got into the apartment, Funke sat down. Ebuka sat beside her on the chair and tried to kiss her again but she stopped him. She opened her purse and brought out the test result and showed him. He opened it and couldn’t believe his eyes. “You are pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“When did you find out? Oh my God. I should have known better. Is that why you have been so withdrawn and moody? You should have spoken to me about it. We should have tackled it together. I am sorry. Ok, what should we do now?”

“That’s what I have been racking my brain about.”

“We can’t tell anyone about this. You are graduating soon; we can keep quiet…”

“This wasn’t what we agreed on before now. I want to have a career before I have children. Once children come in, I won’t be able to thrive in my career. And apart from that, the church will test us and if they know I am pregnant, they wouldn’t wed us in white. It will be a disgrace to my family. Try and understand.”

“So we should abort the pregnancy?”

“What do you suggest?”

“Is it safe for you?”

“Nkem said the earlier it is done, the safer it is.”

“Ok. Where do we have this done?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you have friends who can direct you to a good doctor? You don’t need to tell them it is me.”

“But what about your friend? She might know where it can be done.”

“The doctor her mother uses is in the east. We can’t possibly travel there. I am scared. Very scared. She told me they put the women to sleep and when they wake up they leave the same day.”

“Let’s sleep over it. I will think about it and we can decide. All my desire have disappeared. Baby, I am so sorry. It was a burden too heavy for only you to bear. We created this mess together. We will find an amicable solution.”

For the first time in weeks, Funke was able to sleep like a baby in Ebuka’s arms. Every desire to make love to her had died completely. He couldn’t believe how she must have felt when she found out. Because they were not sexually active, he didn’t have condoms in the room that day but he has since stocked up on them.

This mistake bothered him. No girl had ever gotten pregnant for him. He had been very careful and the protection he used was mainly to avoid contracting STDs not necessarily for prevention of pregnancy. This came as a shock to him. He had completely forgotten it was Funke’s first time and she didn’t know much about her cycle. There was a lot to learn.

He thought about who he could have this conversation with. His friends might know where it could be done but he was still worried about her safety. What if something goes wrong? He wondered who he could confide in. He was worried, really worried. He felt bad that he allowed his urge to get the better of him and he manipulated her into having sex with him. He wished he could bear the pain she would go through.

If they decided to keep the pregnancy, they could leave their child with his parents or hers while they pursued their careers. But her father would never forgive her for bringing shame to them. She was right, she had to undergo tests before the wedding. Could they run away? He was just confused. He was worried too.

Tbc