Unfulfilled promise episode 31 – 33

Unfulfilled Promises
Season 1
Episode 31&32

Zinny and Marvy were already waiting for her outside the gate when she got there They hugged her fiercely because they hadn’t seen her in weeks They went up to Zinny’s room Oleng didn’t bother with any preamble.
“I’m pregnant.” she announced coldly from the chair she sat on facing them on the bed.
“What?” Marvy scre-med.
Zinny put both hands on her head in alarm. “I suspected it but prayed it wasn’t true.” She admitted ruefully when she finally found her voice.
“Are you sure? Maybe it’s a mistake or something.” Marvy was still in shock.
For an answer, Oleng raised her bogus shirt up for them to see the small bulge.
“Does this look like a mistake? I’m four months pregnant.” She confirmed sadly.
“Maybe it’s not pregnancy, maybe you’re sick I heard liver disease makes the tummy big too.” Marvy countered, shaking her head.
“Marvy, I know you can’t and don’t want to believe it, I didn’t too but I had to face reality. I’m pregnant I feel the baby sometimes or maybe it’s just my imagination sha.” Oleng tried holding back her tears as she saw Marvy eyes watering.
“Who raped you?” Zinny slotted in, full of anger but Oleng just shook her head.
“Why won’t you tell me who did this to you?
“Zinny please………” Oleng began but was cut off by the angry Zinny who got up from the bed and held her shoulders
“Who? Don’t be afraid.”
“Ezinne!” Oleng yelled, standing up. “I wasn’t raped!”
Zinny was weak at that She carefully went back to sit on the bed.
“Were you drugged?” Marvy enquired still in tears.
Oleng slowly shook her head and stared at the floor of the bedroom “Eric and I were a bit drunk that night at their graduation party When we got to my house, maybe it was the alcohol, I don’t know, he declared his love for me and I did the same.We started k-ssing and one thing led to another and before we knew it we made love We both didn’t give a thought for protection then until he talked to his elder brother We used a c-ndom the next time we did it a day before he left.I don’t know what to do.” she informed her dumb founded friends.
“Does he know?” Marvy finally asked after the long silence.
“No. I haven’t told him.” Tears rushed down her eyes.
O God! Oleng how could you? How could you and Eric have been so careless? I know love and alcohol intoxicates but for crying out loud, you guys should have prevented this.” Zinny angrily lashed out.
“I never knew I was going to get pregnant. I thought since it was my first time, nothing would come out of it After a month and nothing happened, I thought I had escaped it I didn’t know pregnancy symptoms doesn’t show that early sometimes.” she explained in tears.
Zinny looked at her in disbelief. “I never knew you were so naïve…God! This is our fault We never discussed such things with you even when we knew your mum didn’t tell you things You missed that puberty seminar and biology classes when you were very sick and have a boy as your best friend who couldn’t tell you such things…Eric should have known better.” She held her head, downcast.

Episode 32

Stop looking for who to apportion blame on I messed up. I’m supposed to be old enough to know such things. I was just too dull.” she wept.
Her friends went to hold her and comfort her “It’s not your fault, Oleng. It’s true, Eric should have been wiser.” Marvy put in.
“I’m still to blame, after all, Zinny is not pregnant even though I saw her k-ssing Eddy at the party and you Marvy, I saw you holding hands with Dave but you’re not pregnant.”
“That doesn’t mean we actually slept with them that night.” Zinny put in, “Eddy told me his true feelings for me and as you know he has a way with words so I got caught but I didn’t sleep with him that night because I felt it was alcohol talking in him…it was during our hols when he came to me to declare his love again, that I believed him. We’re now dating.
I didn’t know how to tell you girls because you all know he has always been a womanizer but he’s no longer like that I’m sorry if it is your seeing both of us k-ssing that made you agree to sleep with Eric.” Zinny explained sorrowfully.
“Don’t apologize. It wasn’t. I love Ricky, so it happened naturally.”
“Dave and I were holding hands because we just felt like being together since everyone there had someone and we didn’t I didn’t sleep with him and we’re not going out We are just friends.”
“I understand.” Oleng quietly said.
“What are you going to do now?” Zinny asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Are you considering an abortion?” Marvy asked.
“No. I’m too scared. I feel I will die.”
“Not if it’s done by a competent doctor.” Zinny put in.
Oleng shook her head. “I can’t. The thought scares me a lot.”
“You have to tell Eric so you can both find a solution.”
“I can’t. Our relationsh¡p is now strained because of this problem I don’t communicate with him like before. He’s going to start school soon so I don’t want to spoil it for him One ruined life is enough.”
“Don’t say that. Your life is not ruined.” Marvy started crying again.
“I still insist you telling him so he’ll know what you’re going through alone…or better still, why don’t you inform his mother? She’ll know what to do.”
“I have to tell Eric first then It wouldn’t be fair to just spring it on his mum like that without his knowledge and consent.”
“That’s true. You just have to tell him.”
“I don’t want to alarm him Knowing Eric, he would want to come back to be with me. We’re too young to get married; otherwise he would have suggested we do so It’s better for him to be over there than here thinking of how he’s going to become a father at such a tender age.”
“But what about you?”
“With the right advice and encouragement, I can handle it See, I love Ricky very much so I can’t do this to him I might probably tell him when I safely put to bed but not before.”
“Eric won’t thank you for this sacrifice you’re making.”
“I know but I believe the storm will be over then.”
“I hope so.” Zinny said and hugged her. Marvy did too.
They walked her home each one lost in thought They hugged again when they got to her place as if they wouldn’t see each other again They promised to visit her after school the following day.
Oleng was surprised to see her mother’s car and another car in the compound. She gro-ned Her mother had a visitor She dragged her shirt over her tummy h-rder before slowly walking into the house She wanted to quickly escape to her room but her mum called her as usual to come and greet her visitor Oleng greeted the woman but didn’t like the way the woman stared at her To worsen matters, her mum sent her to get the woman a bottle of malt The woman continued to stare at her much to her distaste as she opened the drink…

Unfulfilled Promises
Season1
Episode 33

She had to wait to be dismissed so she could rush out even though she felt like doing just that,She heaved a sigh of relief when her mum told her she could leave She felt the woman’s eyes on her back as she walked away She hoped the woman wouldn’t divulge her secret Her mum would kill her if she knew she was pregnant.
“You should ask your daughter questions.” Mrs. Amare coyly said when Oleng had left the living room and took a sip from her drink
Mrs Akpan waved it aside. “About her whereabouts? I know she went to see her friends.”
“Not that. I mean the changes in her body.”
“There is no need for that She knows about growing up.”
Her friend smiled and shook her head then took a sip from the malt “I knew you would be too busy to see what others see so I came to see for myself, When she passed by my house in the afternoon, I was surprised to see her because I haven’t see her for a while now When I observed the changes in her body, I knew why I came here to see things for myself So, what you’re telling me right now is that you haven’t noticed anything about your daughter?”
Oleng’s mum was puzzled She shook her head slowly in confusion. “No. Not really. All I can see is that she has put on weight I told her to control it when I gave her money to get new uniforms to replace the old ones she said were now too tight for her.”
Mrs. Amare smiled again. “Call her Let me see her again, At least to make sure I’m not getting blind or hallucinating.”
“Okay. Though you’ll tell me the meaning of this when she leaves.”
“Just call her.” Mrs. Amare said feeling worldly wise while her friend picked up her phone and called her daughter
Oleng gro-ned before she answered the call. She prayed that woman wouldn’t look at her funny again.
“Ah…emm…” Her mum didn’t know what to say as an excuse for her calling her. “Go to my room, get me my black hand bag on the bed
When she brought it, she noticed the woman was still looking at her intensely A cold shiver went down her spine Could women detect such things at sight? She wondered, as she walked to her room after she was dismissed.
Yes, my suspicions are correct Linda, your daughter is pregnant.” she proclaimed.
“What?” Mrs. Linda Akpan exclaimed
“You can’t be serious, Kate.”
“I’m dead serious. As you know, I’m a mid-wife so I have seen a lot of pregnant women in my time Your daughter is pregnant It should be roughly four months.” she said as a matter of fact.
“Jesus! I’m dead This girl has killed me.” She put her hands on her head.
“Find out from her how far gone she is and who’s responsible.”
“I think I know who is responsible. I warned her I told her not to bring that boy to this house again.” she was in rage now.
“It might not have been here Afterall, there are so many places where it could have been done.”
“My God!” She was actually shaking
“I’ll take my leave now,” The nosy woman said and got up. “Just take it easy. These things happen Just find out things from her and see how you can get rid of it before it starts showing or ruin her future If you like, I know a good doctor who can help you remove it without complications.” she advised.
Her friend could only nod her head Oleng, pregnant! It was unbelievable She didn’t even know when her friend left as she just sat there thinking and shaking her head Then she suddenly got up in anger.
Oleng was very surprised to see her mum in her room Her mum never entered there She looked at Eric’s huge portrait on the wall and hissed.
“Get dressed,” Her mum told her without preamble. “We’re going to see Doctor Stanley.” she declared and was about walking out of the room when Oleng said,
“What for? I’m not sick.”
“I know you’re not sick. You’re going for an examination.”
“Examination for what when I’m not sick?” she fearfully enquired.
“Don’t try to be smart with me, young lady! Or maybe you want to tell me the truth to save me the trouble of dragging you to the hospital.” She walked into the room and folded her arms, looking piercingly at her daughter on the bed.
“What truth?” she asked in almost a whisper as she swung her legs from the bed to the floor.
“Are you pregnant?”
Oleng’s upper lip parted from the lower one on impulse Her heart beat became faster, That nosy woman had somehow found out and told her mother What was she going to do now? She decided to brave it.
“No.” she said and shook her head at the same time.
“Then get dressed, we’re going to the doctor to make sure you’re not.” Her mother pronounced and started walking to the door again.
“But I don’t want to see the doctor. I’m not pregnant.” she protested.
“Oleng! If you don’t get dressed right now, I’ll beat you up and drag you to the hospital.” Her mum fiercely told her which made her shiver.
Her mum was rarely in a fit and whenever she was, heaven help her! She slowly put on her clothes again as tears streamed down her eyes She knew the cat would be let out of the bag now Her mum would discover that she was pregnant for Ricky.
“Oleng!” Her mother yelled from the sitting room and poor Oleng in fear, ran out.
They were both quiet as her mum drove to the private hospital Unfortunately for her, the doctor was not busy so they were ushered into his office Oleng looked at their elderly family doctor and tears rolled down her eyes anew He would be disappointed in her Her mum found it hærd to explain why they were thereThe doctor was surprised when she was able to say something.
Oleng looked at the floor when he looked at her in disbelief. When he asked her the last time she had seen her period and she kept quiet, her mum barked at her Doctor Stanley told her to take it easy Oleng told him He made her lie on the bed and examined her Her mum insisted on watching She shook her head when she saw the tell tale bulge that had been in her daughter’s flat tummy

TBC