‘Wham’ and she fell from her chair.

“Are you stupid?” Grandma yelled.

“Your parents pay a lot to send you to school. You think it’s plucked from the trees erh”

“Maa please. You will hurt her” Mum interceded on Mimi’s behalf. I could see how uncomfortable her boyfriend felt. He was literally moving uneasily in his seat.

My sister; Mimi, got pulled out from school when she was confirmed pregnant for her senior high school boyfriend.

Mum was devastated. Grandma looked like she will strangle her any moment. All I could do was sit still and watch.

The meeting took place about 5 minutes ago between the two families and my sister was already receiving slaps.

 I felt bad for her but there was nothing I could do for her at that moment. The last thing I wanted to hear was I, being blamed for my sister’s mishap. She was in school alone when it happened.

No one else could be blamed but her.

She pulled herself up from the floor, weeping and shaking uncontrollably.

After 30 minutes of listening to both sides, my phone rang.

“Am outside your gate”

“Alright. Let me get her ready”

I excused myself and picked my sleeping daughter from her room. Kwame was already in the compound when I came out with Aria and her bags.

 As usual mum had a problem with it.

I dropped her in his arms

“She’s getting heavy” I confessed

“How long has she been asleep for?”

“30 minutes”.

“I should have come for her tomorrow”

“No, its fine. They are here for my sister”

“Hope everything is okay?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

Some of my cousins were trying so hard to concentrate but Kwame’s presence got them interrupted.

He whispers in my ear.

“I better go”.

“Yeah” He kissed her forehead lightly.

I saw them go and i returned to the meeting. Kwame has got a new job which permitted him to spend time with Aria, even on a Saturday.

 He now works as a sales agent and as a delivery man on Fridays. The news about my pregnancy, got him working two jobs. Thankfully, he’s being paid more than he was at his old place.

Am in my second month but hardly showing. Kwame visits a lot at night and at times when my parents are asleep. He sneaks in to cuddle with me.

He does that for the baby and when am experiencing a little bit of pain in my lower abdomen.

 At last, we went along with his plan and called Maame.

Shockingly, she was the backstabber. Lying to

Kwame about the audio and causing our relationship to be on the rocks. Apparently, she loved Kwame but since she could not get him to like her back, she decided to bring confusion in our relationship without being caught. Now that I think about it, she might be the reason why an unknown person drugged me and almost raped me.

 Why did I not notice before? Kwame was as shocked as I was. Blaming him for believing her will not return our past love back to us.

“Will you forgive me for been the cause of our relationship falling apart?”

I was trying to wrap my head around the situation. Whether he was at fault or not, whats been done is done

“The audio sounded like me to be accepted as true. I have no one else to blame but Maame. She cost us our relationship.

 I know that but what about the future? Are we not going to talk about that? A new baby is on its way and am not proud to say that I live with my parents and that am not married.

No pressure on you but I want to know what you think about all this?”

He looked hurt and disappointed.

“Come here”. I went to him and he hugged me.

“I want you to forgive me”

“For what?”

“Forgive me for putting you in such a weird situation….. Am sorry for making you a single mother and I want you to know that, I never regret having had our daughter.

She’s the reason I work hard all the time”

I looked away but he held my chin back to face him.

“I will make it up to you… Give me some time to make you happy again which I know will be soon. You will see.”

A smile escaped my lips

“What are you up to?”

He gave me a cocky grin.

“Just wait and see”

Did he start to love me again after something has been cleared up? What about all those times when I wished he would come to me?

It feels like a dream. I will not accept him back so easily after all I have been through. Being emotionally deprived and all.