Stab In the back

I can never forget the look of condemnation Banke gave me that day. I hadn’t expected that reaction because I knew she wasn’t exactly a saint either. Then it occurred to me that the reaction was more about the person I had done it with than the act itself.
Banke: What???? How? Are you no longer a virgin?
Me: I had sex a few weeks ago
Banke: With who???
Me: Who else now? Emeka! What kind of question is that?
Banke: You see why I don’t like that boy??? So he could not use protection even if you are naïve shouldn’t he know better??? Agbaya!
Me: Please insulting Emeka won’t change the situation. I don’t know how to tell my brother and I can’t even reach Emeka. He is offshore for the next two weeks.
Banke: You want to tell your brother you are pregnant at 20?
Me: I will be 21 in August
Banke: So??? I pity you. That Emeka that is still struggling to eat. Where will you live? You will move to Bayelsa? Didn’t you tell me you can’t go and visit him because he is living with 2 other guys? Or you will live in Afolabi’s house with a baby? Se you know you won’t graduate with us? You will be due by the time we defending our project. I hope you know”.
Me: You think I haven’t thought of all this???
Banke: When did you find out? Ehn Anjola
Me: Last weekend.
Banke: Why didn’t you tell me now. How many weeks is…wait o how long ago did Emeka come to Lagos was it not two months ago???
Me: Yes it was
Banke: So you are already two months pregnant!!!! Are you ok this girl??? What is this rubbish love that is shacking you that will not make you realize you were pregnant for two months!
Me: Stop shouting now do you want the whole school to know. You know my period gets delayed sometimes and I thought it was the stress of my project now. Besides I was treating Malaria the whole of last month and you know. I thought it was Malaria. I mean we did it only once I didn’t think I could get pregnant so easily”. Even I knew I sounded stupid saying it but it was the truth. Who gets pregnant the first time? It just seemed like a badly written Nollywood movie.
Banke: Anyway, two months is not too late. I will escort you.
Me: Escort me to Bayelsa? You think I should go and meet Emeka?
Banke: What are you saying? I will escort you to go and have it taken care of now, and the earlier the better.
Me: God forbid! I will not get rid of my baby. Especially Emeka’s baby. He loves me and he will marry me.
Banke: You are very naïve Anjola Adekoya and you are about to ruin your life”.

With that my best friend stormed off and left me on the steps of the senate building crying. Later that day, I summoned up the courage and sent Emeka an email. I knew he wouldn’t receive it immediately but whenever he did, I knew he would come and do right by me. The email read

“Obi’m…your wish came true. We are going to have a daughter and I know she would look just like me. I love you”.
I didn’t hear from Emeka for another one week and I just kept waiting for him to read his email and call me. One hot sunny afternoon I was walking back to my hostel from class. I saw one of my friends walking past, I called out her name and a wave of dizziness instantly hit me and that was the last I remember of that day. A few hours later, I woke up and found myself on a hospital bed. My brother was asleep in the chair next to me. The pain in my abdomen was so terrible I just knew there was no way I was still pregnant. My brother woke up as I screamed in pain and he went to get the Doctor.

The doctor informed me I had miscarried my baby because of the bouts of medications I had been taking for malaria. I was in the hospital for a week and did not hear from Emeka. On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Banke finally told me that Emeka had called her when I was in the hospital since he could not reach me. He had received the email I had sent earlier and he wanted to talk to me but as I was indisposed, he had spoken to Banke. Banke told me she explained the situation to him. According to her, he had hung up and never called back. Two days after I left the hospital I got a mail from Emeka it read:
“I loved you, I trusted you with my heart, I dreamt with you, prayed with you…and this is how you chose to repay me. I would have forgiven you any offence but deceiving me into thinking you were pregnant for me knowing full well the baby wasn’t mine is unforgivable. Have a nice life”.

I was devastated I called him countless times he wouldn’t pick, sent him emails. I went to his parent’s house to ask about his whereabouts they told me he said he never wanted to hear from me again. My brother eventually found out I was making efforts to contact him and he threatened to throw me out if I did not stop. I eventually sent him a final mail telling him how hurt I was that he left me when I needed him most, it never delivered. I figured he had stopped using the email account or blocked me.
I heard a few months later from one of his friends that he had done exceptionally well in his service year and his company had sent him abroad for a course. I did not hear from Emeka for another five years by then it was too late.