I kept on crying in silence until I could cry no more. I just sat there on the toilet seat and stared into space for as long as five minutes until I heard the sound of the siren which indicated long break was over. I heard two other girls come into the washroom so I wiped my face with my uniform, stood up from the seat, flushed the toilet and came out pretending like I had just used the toilet. I found out that the girls were jss2 girls and not my set mates. I went over to the sink, washed my hands and headed for my class.
When I got to the class, I found Anabelle sitting on her chair and reading a book so I went over and took my seat beside her. When I sat down, she looked at me and gave a puzzled look. I looked at her hoping she wouldnβt start with her questionnaires, then I asked why she was staring that way.
βWhat took you so long?β she asked.
I told her that I had a running stomach and she believed without asking further questions. We had Introductory Technology and so Mr. Alabi walked in, which shut everyoneβs mouth. All through class, I was just thinking and thinking, I didnβt know what I would do next. If there was anyone I was going to speak to about the child in my womb, it would be uncle Sam since he caused it all.
I needed to act fast and prevent my tummy from growing bigger so people wouldnβt suspect. I had heard when other seniors talked about how some students had been expelled for getting pregnant. I didnβt want my case to be that way. I am so sure that throughout that day, I panicked a lot. My heart was pounding and I didnβt think it would reduce. School ended and the boarders left school for the hostel while the day students went to their various homes.
When I got to the hostel, I went straight to the room, took off my shoes, put my school bag aside and layed on my bed without taking my uniform off. On a normal day, I would have taken it off, washed it and possibly taken a shower but I was in no mood to do all that. In fact, I was very weak. I felt sick thinking about everything all over again. In my mind, I was hoping I wasnβt pregnant and that I was getting it all wrong. I forced myself to sleep until I heard the bell ring for dinner.
When I got to the dining hall, I almost felt like throwing up because of the strong smell the yam and egg possessed which was supposed to be our dinner. I thought the egg smelled rotten and so I instantly lost my appetite. I decided to go back to the hostel and prepare for prep since it was immediately after dinner. We usually had prep in school and so I got my things ready and without waiting for anything or anyone, I left the hostel for school. I got into my class, went straight to the back and sat on one of the chairs. A few minutes later, senior Daniel walked in. I was surprised because I didnβt think anyone would guess I was already in school.
βWhat are you doing here all alone? Waiting for your boyfriend abiβ he said as he walked up to me and took the seat in front of me. Iβm pretty sure he was trying to make me laugh or smile but I just shook my head and told him I decided to come early for prep. He said he had asked after me at the girls hostel and was told that they hadnβt seen me until he found someone who told him she had seen me going towards school with my school bag. I didnβt mention not having dinner because he would be upset with me and try to get me to eat something. He was a nice senior but I just wasnβt in the mood to talk to him. He saw that I gave him straight answers when he asked questions and didnβt smile at his joke so he asked if I was okay. I told him I was fine, just tired and again he believed me so he came closer and hugged me. I already got used to hugging senior Daniel and so I hugged him back. I actually felt good hugging him. It reduced all of the tension and pain I was feeling at that moment. I actually felt loved but he was another person I wasnβt willing to share my secret with.
βI love you, my baby!β he finally said and let go of me. He told me to try to balance school and get enough rest so I wouldnβt feel tired and weak all the time. I nodded and held back the tears that were already forming in my eyes. Why couldnβt I tell anyone about the real pain that I was going through. I wanted to scream and tell someone that I was being abused by uncle but I just couldnβt. He stood up when we heard other students voices and told me he would see me after prep.
During prep, I was asked to jump by my school mother, senior Onome, who caught me putting my head on the table to sleep several times. She always tried to make sure I wasnβt wasting my time during prep and so whenever I was caught doing something else other than studying, she made sure she punished me for it. I was really feeling sleepy and tired but she wouldnβt understand any of that and so I kept jumping until I was able to stay awake a few minutes before prep was over. When we got to the hostel, I went straight into the bathroom, washed my uniforms, took a shower and went straight to sleep. I didnβt even talk to any of mates throughout that night, including Anabelle.
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Uncle Samβs POV
It was a Friday morning and I was too tired to stand up and prepare for work. I had slept late thinking of what to say when I eventually call the girls hostel to speak with Meso. I had collected the hostel information from my brotherβs wife so I could contact my Meso. I needed to talk to her because since the night of my misbehaviour, I hadnβt felt peace. I needed to hear her voice. I needed her sincere forgiveness. I was quite shocked that she hadnβt said a word to anybody because I thought that would be the case but I already had a feeling she wasnβt going to spill.
Later that Friday afternoon, I got home early and the first thing I did was dial the hostel number. It started ringing and before I knew it, a woman answered;
βHello? Riverdale girls hostel, how may I help youβ the lady on the other end of the line said.
βGood afternoon, my name is Sam, Mesoβsβ¦I mean Mesonmaβs uncle. Please, I would like to speak with herβ
βDo you mean Mesonma Okojie?β
βYes pleaseβ
βOkay, please hold on. Let me get herβ
βAlright thank youβ
After about three minutes waiting, I heard my Mesoβs voice;
βHello?β she said.
βHello, Meso. It is Sam. How are you?β
βIβm fine, uncle Samβ
βHowβs school?β
βfineβ
βAnd the hostel? Hope youβre coping?β
βUncle Sam, thereβs something you need to know,β when she said this, I suddenly became anxious to know what was up.
βMeso, what is it?β I asked.
βuncle Sam, I canβt tell you on the phone.β
βYou canβt tell me on the phone? why?β I asked squeezing my face. βDid anyone hurt you? Because Iβll come over to your school right now and give them a warningβ
βNo, uncle Sam. Itβs worse than that. Please just come to school right now.β
βMeso, are you okay? whatβs wrong? Iβll be there in a few minutes okay? Please just be okay for me. Iβm coming,β I said as she replied with an okay before dropping the call.
What could be wrong with Meso? I thought. I didnβt understand because it was Meso who barely wanted to see my face and now she insisted I drive down to her school. Has she told someone about what happened between us? Is this some sort of plan? Something doesnβt seem right. I finally told myself that it wouldnβt get up to that extent. I called her and not the other way round so there was no possibility of her snitching on me. I took up courage and decided to drive down to her hostel.
When I got there, I greeted the security officers that were at the gates and told them I was there to see Meso. One of them went inside and came out in about two minutes with a woman. I was still standing at the gate because they said they werenβt allowed to let unexpected visitors walk in. I greeted the lady and told her I was there to see Meso so she took me to her office and told me to have a seat.
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Mesoβs POV
That Friday morning, I had decided to call uncle Sam and tell him about my situation. I didnβt want to keep shut and allow my tummy grow bigger while I was still in the hostel. After school that Friday, I decided to call him after our afternoon siesta, an hour of the day when every student was to be in bed, sleeping and just resting. I was going to tell him about my pregnancy but not long into our siesta, one of the young house mothers called for me. I went into her office and she pointed at the landline phone that was on the table, saying my uncle was on the line. It was at the corner of the room, the spot where one was to answer calls from home so I approached the table and picked it up.
βHello?β I had said before uncle Sam revealed himself. He asked about my well-being and school and all in which I replied but I decided to bring up what I had planned on telling him but I couldnβt talk freely because one of the house mothers was still in the office with me. So I told him he needed to come to school. I made it known to him that it was urgent and so he said he would be in school soon before responding and dropping the phone.
I stood up from the chair I had been sitting on, greeted the house mother with a thank you before leaving. Not long after, she came to call me again and this time as I got into the office, I saw uncle Sam in his corporate clothes sitting on the chair in front of the house motherβs desk. I falsely smiled at him while he stood up to hug me. The house mother then said I was excused to talk to him since I knew him while she left the office to give us some privacy. Immediately, without beating about the bush, I told uncle Sam that I was pregnant. I told him that I hadnβt seen my period for the past two weeks and I wasnβt feeling normal. I told him I got irritated easily and didnβt have the appetite for the meal we were being served at the hostel.
When he heard this, I could tell from his eyes that he was shocked. He put his palm on his mouth and shook his head. He was disappointed. I even almost burst into tears because I knew this wasnβt a small issue. Despite it all, I still saw my uncle Sam as the man I loved like my father but more like an elder brother, that was why I didnβt want to tell anybody because I knew he would be in so much trouble. He told me it was going to be okay and that we would try to get rid of the baby. At first, I objected and didnβt hesitate to show how scared I was but he calmed me down and kept on saying it would be okay. He hugged me and I hugged him back, the man who had hurt me and gotten me pregnant at this stage of my life.
To be continuedβ¦β¦β¦
