Tears of an Orphan
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Episode 13
© Mary Francis Solomon
Cynthia was discharged from the hospital the next day after she was admitted.
As soon as they got home, Mr. Olajide told his wife to allow her to rest for a while. But Cynthia’s heart was heavy. She kept wondering why her uncle had been looking at her strangely, the way his eyes followed her was different, suspicious, as if he was watching her too closely.
Around 8:00 p.m.,Mr. Olajide made sure his wife was not around. He quickly went to Cynthia’s room and shut the door behind him. He sat on the bed and told her to sit and look at him.
“Cynthia, so what Eric is saying about you is true?” he said, trying to control his anger so he would not do something irrational because she was still weak.
Cynthia was confused. She could not remember what Eric might have told his father to make him say that. She looked puzzled.
“I don’t understand what you are talking about, Uncle,” she said innocently.
“Oh, cut the nonsense! Why will you tell me that? Who is that boy that made you pregnant?” he shouted.
Her heart skipped and started beating fast. She wasn’t even aware she was pregnant because it wasn’t up to two weeks since her last monthly flow.
“Pregnant?” she said in shock.
She was so scared because of how her uncle was looking at her.
“I… I… I am not pregnant,” she stammered.
“You are very stupid for saying that! Don’t make me do to you what you will regret,” he said, obviously angry, thinking Cynthia was trying to cover up.
Mrs. Olajide had gone to the bedroom earlier looking for her husband. She did not see him there. She came out to the living room and asked her children, “Where is your father? I’ve been looking for him, I didn’t see him.” The children told her, “He’s in Cynthia’s room.” She felt alarm immediately.
She had been observing her husband since the time he came back from the doctor’s office. He wasn’t himself. When she asked him what the problem was, he only said Cynthia had low blood pressure and dehydration, that she was very weak and fainted. He carefully left out the part of Cynthia being pregnant because he knew his wife would not take it easy with her.
She quietly walked to Cynthia’s room but decided not to knock. She pressed her ear to the door to hear what they were discussing.
Inside, Mr. Olajide’s voice thundered.
“Cynthia, I will ask you for the last time. Who is the one responsible for your pregnancy? I am not a fool. Have I ever asked you this question before? Why are you hiding it? Are you planning to abort the baby?” he said angrily.
Wow! This little prostitute is now pregnant, Mrs. Olajide said in her mind. But how? I made sure I kept her busy to even think of boys. How did she get pregnant?
Cynthia’s heart was torn. She cried uncontrollably.
She thought within herself: Should I tell them the truth, that it is their son, Eric? Or should I lie and say I was raped by strangers? If I tell them it was Eric, Auntie will kill me and may never believe me. But if I lie and say it was strangers, maybe they will pity me.
She wept harder.
As Cynthia was crying, Mrs. Olajide knocked at the door.
“Who is there?” her husband asked.
“It’s me,” she replied.
He told her to come in. She entered and she closed the door behind her.
“Darling, I’ve been searching for you all over — I didn’t see you. What is happening here and why is Cynthia crying?” she asked curiously.
“Babe, Cynthia is pregnant. That is why I’m asking her who is responsible,” he said.
“What! Pregnant? Cynthia, what really happened? Who made you pregnant?” she asked, shocked.
Cynthia kept on crying, not knowing what to say.
Her mind was restless: Tell them the truth, maybe it will save me… but what if they don’t believe? What if they beat me more?
She finally dropped on her knees, crying bitterly. “Uncle, Auntie, I’m so sorry. This is not what I wanted for my life. One evening when you sent me on an errand around 11:00 p.m., some young boys dragged me into an uncompleted building. They raped me.” She cried afresh.
Mr. and Mrs. Olajide exchanged glances in surprise.
“And you did not think it fit to tell us?” Mr. Olajide asked, regret showing on his face. “We would have taken you to the hospital, treated you, and cared for you. Why wait until it turned into pregnancy?”
“Why do I feel you are not telling the truth?” Mrs. Olajide snapped. “I remember Eric said he saw you with a boy near that building. Stop pretending! It was with your consent you slept with him. Tell us who made you pregnant!”
“Babe, stop that,” her husband cut in. “She said she was raped. Do you want her to keep hiding things from us? Let us treat her kindly.”
“Kindly? You don’t know this girl. She dey form innocent. She just wants pity!”
“She fit deceive you, but she no fit deceive me.”
“Cynthia, talk now — who give you bele?!”
“I swear, Auntie, I was raped… but it is someone you know,” Cynthia said, trying to twist her words.
“Who?!” Mr. Olajide yelled. “Tell me the name of that uncircumcised goat so that I will go and cut the thing between his legs that he cannot control — so he will not repeat it again whenever he sees another woman!”
Cynthia trembled. “Uncle, I can’t say it… I’m scared. He has warned me never to tell you. He has been abusing me. Uncle, I swear I am not a loose girl. You know I don’t even go out. I am just a victim.”
“Then if what you are saying is true, tell us the person’s name!” they both pressed.
“It’s Eric,” she finally said, dropping the bombshell.
They were shocked.
Mrs. Olajide recovered first. She rushed at Cynthia and gave her a hot slap.
“How dare you! How dare you say my son impregnated you! Are you crazy? You want to ruin his image? You think Eric will sleep with a poor girl like you?” she shouted and slapped her again.
Before she could land a third slap, Mr. Olajide pushed her onto the bed.
“Stop that! Are you insane?! So because it is your son, you want Cynthia to die? You prefer your son’s image over her life?” he shouted, shaking with anger.
Mrs. Olajide was shocked at his outburst. “Heey God ooo! Wonders will never end. You mean you believe this useless girl over your own son? Ẹ̀mi ò ní kú lórí ọmọ o! (This child will not be the death of me!)”
“Yes!” he shouted back. “I will believe her over and over again! She cannot just come and lie about him. You did not train him well. He is so wayward I sometimes doubt if he is even mine. I tried to correct him many times but he refused to change. So I will not be surprised if he is the one that impregnated her. Go and call him now!”
She sat there, refusing to move. Cynthia felt a little relief in her heart that her uncle finally stood for her.
Greatness and Eric were in the living room, playing ludo. They were laughing until their parents’ voices rose. They stopped and exchanged worried glances.
“What could make Daddy and Mummy quarrel like this?” Greatness asked.
Eric’s heart skipped when he heard his father call his name. Fear gripped him. He suspected it had to do with Cynthia. He thought of escaping, but before he could, his father dashed out, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him into Cynthia’s room.
Greatness was confused. She wanted to follow, but her father barked, “Don’t come here! We are having a serious discussion here!”
She quickly ran to her room, heart beating fast, wondering what was happening in the house.
To be continued….
Inspired by the Great Teacher.
Do not copy or edit any part of the story without the author’s consent.
Stay blessed, till we meet in the next episode.
Written by Mary Francis Solomon.