Unfulfilled promise episode 36 – 38

Unfulfilled Promises
Season 1
Episode 36

Get out of my house and stay out!” Oleng’s mum yelled.
Oleng who had been asleep all this while came out and ran to her friends.
“What’s happening?”
Zinny who was breathing heavily said, “We came to see you but your mother started calling us names She called us harlots and accused us of carrying out abortions I’m sorry Oleng but I had to tell her my mind She is to blame for everything.” She was crying now.
“I understand. I told her my mind too yesterday when she found out.”
“How did she find out anyway?” Marvy asked.
“A nosy friend of hers told her,Then we went to see our family doctor and he confirmed it Like I said, it’s four months old.”
“O Oleng!” Zinny hugged her and Marvy hugged her too. They were all crying.
“You girls shouldn’t come here again I’ll come to your respective houses tomorrow.”
“Okay. Take it easy. Everything will be fine” Marvy hugged her again.
“I hope so.” Oleng replied with doubt.
“Take care.” Zinny said and hugged her too They said goodbye to her not knowing they were seeing the last of her.
Oleng walked quietly to the house ignoring the gateman who was looking at her strangely She didn’t care if she knew she was pregnant He had probably guessed who was responsible, after all he had played a part in the wh0le ordeal. She walked dejectedly into her room. Ricky had still not replied.
Her mum who was still fuming went to her room
“So those are the kind of friends you keep who don’t have respect for their elders?” she furiously told her daughter who went to lie on the bed.
“So now you know You didn’t care to know before.” she said in a bored manner.
“Well, you weren’t stupid enough to get pregnant before.” she threw back.
“Just leave me alone. I’m tired.” she snuggled into her sheets.
“You should be Afterall, you’re carrying what’s bigger than you.” she lashed out again but Oleng just ignored her She stood there and thought for a while.
“Get ready. Tomorrow, we’re going to see a doctor Try not to eat anything because you’re going to have an abortion.” she declared and made for the door.
“What?” Oleng jumped up in bed, “You really want me dead, don’t you?”
She turned around with fiery eyes “How dare you say a thing like that? Are you not happy that I’m taking you to a qualified and competent doctor to remove that thing instead of the quack your friends would have taken you to?”
“I don’t want an abortion!” Oleng yelled.
Her mum was shocked. “What?”
“I don’t want an abortion. What if this is the only child in my womb? What if something happens? Human beings make mistakes even the best of them.” she threw at the woman she called her mother who was looking at her in disbelief.
“I can’t believe this Have you thought of the fact that you can’t deliver safely? Have you thought about the fact that you can very well die during labor?”
“Yes. I might not know much about such things but I know there is something like cesarean section,” she boldly told her. “I’ve always hated the thought of abortion I was among those who campaigned against abortion in school and now that I’m in a fix, I won’t go back on my word I won’t lie, the thought of labor scares me but I would rather die during labor than live the rest of my life knowing I killed my child, Eric’s child.”
Mrs. Akpan smiled. “So this is about him. Well, for your information, he doesn’t love you He doesn’t care about you He just used you to satisfy his youthful lust.”
“That’s not true. You don’t know anything about him so don’t say anything.”
Mrs Akpan pointed at her laptop for an answer. “If I had known that thing was for you guys to continue communicating, I wouldn’t have bought it for you Have you told him?”
“Yes.” she replied looking down.
“What did he say?”
He hasn’t replied.”
“And he never will He has abandoned you.”
“No!” she vehemently denied.
Stop deceiving yourself,He isn’t worth it. Men are not worth it,” she retorted. “Well, you can keep the baby but don’t come and meet me for anything.” With that, she left the room and banged the door.

Oleng wept bitterly on her bed Then she suddenly got up from the bed and picked up her phone She kept trying to call Eric but it refused to go through Had he switched off his phone also? She thought in despair When she finally got the number, it said it was off service area. She continued trying but there was no reply What happened to his promise of always communicating no matter what? In desperation, she sent him a text to call her immediately he got the message. Yet nothing.
It was like that for a wh0le week He didn’t reply her text nor call back and he was still offline What her mum had said finally seemed true Eric had des**ted her when she needed him most She would have gone to his house to enquire about him from his parents but her mum refused her going out She was surprised that her mum hadn’t gone out in a week That was very strange and unusual though she talked for hours on the phone,Zinny and Marvy were the only ones Oleng communicated with over the phone Her life felt worthless without Eric.

Unfulfilled Promises
Season 1
Episode 37

Eric felt as if his intestines were playing a knotting game He writhed in pain and held his stomach He heaved and emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground.
“You’re going to be alright, Eric. You won’t die I promise you.” He heard Damian’s frantic voice from a distance. He couldn’t even open his eyes He felt very weak. Where was he?
“Oleng…Oleng.” He whispered before he went into oblivion.

##########

How could he do this to her? Oleng wondered when Eric still didn’t reply her How could he abandon her at a time like this She knew it was scary being told that you were going to be a father at sixteen but he would have thought of her also and what she would be going through After two weeks and there was still no message from him, she had to agree with her mother, Eric had abandoned her.
Joy was hers when she finally got a message from his line She was however shocked beyond words when she read the message. It read,
“Oleng, I got your message So you actually want me to believe the pregnancy is mine? I’m too young to be saddled with an unwanted baby even if it is mine I have a bright future ahead of me So terminate the pregnancy and forget about me. Eric.”

Oleng became numb So Eric had gotten her message and ignored it He had deliberately switched off his phone and abandoned her and now he wants her to not only terminate the pregnancy but forget about him also.
That she would surely do! She tore his portrait from the wall, took it to the backyard and burnt it She smashed the laptop and phone against the wall in anger.
Emptiness took over her after that.Her mum had to force her to eat for the baby’s sake since she was bent on keeping it She seriously began contemplating having an abortion after all, there was no need keeping the baby now that the father didn’t want it She just lazed and dazed around all day.
She heard commotion in the living room one afternoon and strained her ears to hear what was being said.Tessy had finally come back home.
“Go in,side right now and pack your things.You were supposed to be here with my daughter not gallivanting around Nigeria If you had stayed with her instead of abandoning her to juvenile delinquency, she wouldn’t be pregnant now.” Her mum yelled.
“Don’t blame menIf you had been here like a mum should, no stupid boy would have come near her What am I? Her body guard? So I won’t go to school again and live a normal life because you have a foolish nymphomaniac for a daughter.” Tessy threw back at her which earned her a hot slap.
“Shut your foul mouth! How dare you call her that? Are you not supposed to be like an elder sister to her, to talk to her about such things and advise her? You think I don’t know you don’t even talk to her.”
And what did you do about it? Nothing! Did you correct me? No! Don’t lay the blame on someone else’s door You’re to blame for everything I’ll leave. It’s not as if my parents can’t educate me You just offered to do so.” she spat out and walked away.
Tessy packed her things in tears She was going to miss her freedom here and her expensive way of life Bitterness took her to Oleng’s room before she left She felt little pity for the dejected figure lying helplessly on the bed.
So you’re pregnant, hmm? You really are very foolish. You should have come to me instead of telling your mum I know a good place where they would have removed it for you without any qualms. So that handsome half-caste is responsible? I knew you were more than friends.Well, this is goodbye since your mum has asked me to leave all because of you Good luck in being a mother.” she jeered and banged the door behind her leaving Oleng to start crying again.

Unfufiled Promises
Season 1
Episode 38

A week later, towards Christmas, her mum forcefully came to take away her damaged laptop and her phone.
“Stop fooling yourself Just accept the fact that he has abandoned you Let this be a lesson to you Take clue from me Now you know why I call all men bastards! It’s a pity you are learning this at a very young age.
Why do you think I didn’t want him here? To spite you? I knew this would happen I thought you respected and feared me enough to heed my words but your foolishness prevailed Now you are facing the consequences alone If I were you, I wouldn’t allow a man come within five feet of me because they are all heartless bastards!
Get ready, Next tomorrow, you’ll leave for Calabar You’re going to stay with my sister, your aunt, Vien I can’t bear to see you like this Besides, you need antenatal care.” With that, she took away her daughter’s only means of communicating with her remaining two friends.
Oleng felt it was a good idea to leave because Port Harcourt didn’t appeal to her anymore She felt it would be better to stay where at least she would be shown some love The few times she had seen Aunt Vien had been joyous ones She was very nice and caring So she packed a few things leaving behind everything that reminded her of Eric They got to Calabar quite late that day.
Thus her life in Calabar began.

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“Happy new year Oleng!” Aunt Vien joyfully told her as she entered the room.
Oleng focused her gaze else where when her aunt sat beside her on the bed
“Happy new year to you too.” she said without enthusiasm.
Her aunt ignored it and continued, “Your mum called She said to wish you a happy new year.”
“I don’t have a mother.” Oleng countered.
“Please don’t start today of all days.” she said in a sad tone.
“Sorry.” Oleng apologized.
“Now, what do you want to eat? The girls and I prepared fried rice, salad and fried chicken but we also have afang soup in case you prefer eating pounded yam or fufu.” she jovially told her niece.
Tears welled up in Oleng’s eyes. How could two sisters be so different? Her mum and Aunt Vien were sisters alright though they didn’t look alike Aunt Vien was a very sweet person She was nice and friendly Tall and chocolate skinned though plump, she was beautiful Her gap tooth made her more captivating whenever she smiled which she enjoyed doing Ever since her mum brought her there the previous month, Aunt Vien had never for once blamed her for being foolish enough to get pregnant She had accepted her as if it were a normal thing that she was pregnant.
Aunt Vien and her husband from Akwa Ibom no longer lived together Due to her inability to give birth to a male child after four girls, her husband had opted to marry another wife after complications of giving birth to her last girl had made her incapable of conceiving again She had not been able to withstand seeing another woman in her matrimonial home, so she had left their house in Uyo and had come back to Calabar, her place of birth.
The funny thing was that her husband had two girls and no boy from his second marriage He regretted his hasty decision of going to marry a second wife but Aunt Vien refused to go back as long as the other woman was still there Her daughters had not agreed to go with her to Calabar, having lived in Uyo all their lives and were schooling there,They came to visit her occasionally and spent Easter, Christmas and New Year breaks with her.
Three of her children were nice to Oleng; Anietie- the eldest, Edidiong- the nicest, Mfon- the introvert.l Emem, her age mate hated her and didn’t speak to her The first and only time she had spoken to her was when they had first met when the latter had come to her room.

“So you’re the Oleng, my cousin The one wey carry belle? Do you know that I wonder that with so much publicity on c-ndoms, people are still foolish enough to get pregnant? You were greedy, weren’t you? You wanted it wh0le See where it has gotten you now And that your mum had to bring you here to be a burden to my mum To all of us in short because now you have my room to yourself because there is no way I am going to share this room with you I no want make you vomit for my body Mama Baby!” she had jeered wickedly at her and left the room, leaving Oleng to cry her eyes out.

To be continued