Unfulfilled promises 44&45

Unfulfilled Promises

Written by Audrey Timms

Episode 44 and 45

Oleng was the one who enabled her elder sisters to make peace with her because they had been very angry and disappointed in her. Aunt Vien finally came to terms with her daughter’s pregnancy and hired a private doctor for her. Emem finally gave birth to a baby boy much to her mother’s joy. Her dad also had to accept her and her pregnancy. He was happy at the male child his two wives had been unable to give him.

Emem finally gained admission into the University of Uyo and of course, left the child with her mother who took care of the baby with the help of Oleng. The baby reminded Oleng of her own loss but she always pushed the sad thoughts aside whenever she carried the baby.

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Oleng was now in her final year at the university. She and her friends, Jenny and Debbie and their boyfriends went to a new joint- Flavour, close to their school one afternoon after lectures.

“Oleng, look at how those guys are staring at you.” Francis, Jenny’s new boyfriend observed and the others at the table turned around to look at the guys who were actually staring at her.

 

Oleng didn’t even bother looking. “Let them stare. Afterall, they’re the owners of their eyes.”

“See Oleng, I must confess that you baffle me. A correct babe like you is still without a boyfriend at this age and time. At first I thought you were into sugar daddies but that’s not correct, then I thought maybe runs girl because of your expensive clothes and jewelleries but that is not true either. Lesbian? No. You’re just a normal girl with no interest in men just because you’ve been hurt once. Na wa for you o!” Mark, Debbie’s boyfriend said, staring at her in wonder.

Oleng just shrugged for an answer. “Once bitten, twice shy.”

“This your shyness don pass me o!” he replied laughing.

“We’ve talked our mouths off concerning this topic but she refused to budge. Well, it’s to our favor though. I can’t tell you the amount of money Debbie and I have made from guys who bribe us to talk to her on their behalf.” Jenny put in, laughing with Debbie.

“I’ve warned you girls. By the time they come for their money, I won’t be held responsible. Na una sabi o!” Oleng told them smiling as she took a bite from her burger.

“They no go come for anything. We always tell them that we tried our best but you refused to listen to us. Story don end.” Debbie said and she and Jenny laughed again earning smiles from the others at the table.

“I won’t miss your wedding for anything. Even if I’m in the North Pole, I must come to see and pay homage to the guy who would finally win you.” Francis told her, smiling mischievously.

“I’m not a contest to be won and I’d love to have you at my wedding. Hope Jenny will be your wife then?”

 

“If she’d have me.” he said looking at his girlfriend with love in his eyes.

“Are you proposing to me?” Jenny asked smiling.

Francis raised his hands up in mock surrender. “No, my sweet. When I do, you won’t be expecting it and you’ll have no option but to say yes.” he said arrogantly.

Jenny laughed and threw the serviette at him.

“I want to order for more drinks.” Mark said, signaling a waitress.

When the waitress came, she gave a huge gasp. Oleng who was staring at her plate looked up and was shocked also.

To be continued

Episode 45

“Tessy!” she exclaimed.

“You!” Tessy exclaimed eyeing her from top to bottom. She took in the expensive looking clothes and jewelleries Oleng had on and how good she looked with bitterness. Oleng in turn couldn’t believe she was looking at Tessy who had always looked good in her mother’s house, looking dark and ugly. It looked as if she had been suffering. Oleng knew she had been bleaching then but she had probably stopped doing that which made her look terrible.

“Tessy. I’m happy to see you.” she got up, smiling but Tessy looked at her coldly.

“How are you?”

“How do I look?” Tessy snapped in anger “How do you think I’ve been? Ever since your mum drove me out of her house, I’ve been going through hell. My parents couldn’t afford my school fees so I had to drop out and fend for myself.

But look at you, you’re looking good. No one who sees you now will know that you were once pregnant.” Not minding the huge gasps at the table, she continued bitterly,

“By the way, what did you do to the pregnancy? Did you abort it or did you drop it in the toilet after giving birth or in a gutter? Knowing your mum, I know she would have forced you to have an abortion. Hope you didn’t lose your womb in the process. Personally, I don’t care because if you hadn’t foolishly gotten pregnant at the young age of fifteen, your mum would never have thrown me out and I wouldn’t be suffering today. But here you are, looking good as if nothing happened. I’ll never forgive you for the misery I’m facing now.” With a sob, she ran away.

If a pin had been dropped at that particular moment in the restaurant, it would have been heard. While talking, Tessy had unconsciously raised her voice and everyone in the restaurant had listened with rapt attention.

For the first time in her life, Oleng knew the true meaning of the words, ‘I wish the ground would open up and swallow me.’ She just stood transfixed as the world stared at her. Some pitifully, some jeeringly and her friends with shock and bewilderment.

She got a grip on herself, carefully picked up her hand bag and walked quietly out of the place with all eyes on her. She controlled herself in the taxi on the way home but immediately she got home, she ran past her aunt who opened the door, went to her room, threw her hand bag on the floor, jumped on her bed and burst into uncontrollable tears. Her aunt found her like that on the bed weeping bitterly. Her aunt asked her continuously what the problem was before she finally turned to look at her with tears still dipping profusely down her lovely face.

“Am I the first teenager to get pregnant? Will my past haunt me for the rest of my life?” she cried out.

Aunt Vien was bewildered. Then Oleng told her in between tears what transpired between her and Tessy at the restaurant.

Aunt Vien shook her head profusely.

“No. Tessy shouldn’t have done that. The fact that she’s suffering now is entirely not your fault. Afterall, if she had been the companion she was supposed to be to you, you probably wouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place and she would still be living with your mum. Don’t mind her, my dear.” She consoled her niece.

“Aunty, the most painful aspect is that she had to embarrass me like that in front of my friends. I don’t mind the strangers, after all I don’t know them but before my very own friends that I didn’t tell a word about it is totally unforgivable. How am I going to face them now? How am I going to face the whole school because other students were there? I feel like dying!”

“Don’t talk like that my dear. There’s nothing you can do about it. Call your friends and tell them everything. As for the students, people must surely talk. If you’re in this world and people don’t talk about you, know that there’s something wrong because people even talk about the dead. Don’t mind them. Just put up a bold front. If they laugh at you, ignore them. If they confront you, tell them you are better than them who have committed countless abortions or given their girlfriends money to do so. In everything, ignore them.” she advised.

“That’s so easy to say but not so easy to do.” she told her aunt sadly “Eric, I’ll never forgive you.” she declared and started crying again.

Jenny and Debbie called her continuously but she refused to answer their calls. They both sent text messages telling her they hold no grudge against her whatsoever and their boyfriends had made sure Tessy was sacked. They pleaded with her not to cry. She ignored the messages and continued being moody the whole weekend.

When they didn’t see her in school on Monday, they went to visit her. They were surprised to see her still crying. They comforted her and told her they understood what happened. She told them everything that happened. They felt sorry for her the more.

“Remember I told you to be careful what you wished for when you girls wished to have my mother as yours. My mother is a nightmare to have. I only see her once a year. That’s if she’s chanced to come and spend Christmas here with us. She leaves a day or two after Christmas. So you can see,” she spread out her hands as she explained to them. “I might be the most beautiful and the best dressed in our department as I was awarded but it doesn’t mean I don’t have wounds from yesteryears. When people tell me they envy me because I have beauty, brains, wealth, substance etc, I just smile because they don’t know the burden I carry within me. They don’t know my inner pain” Tears dropped from her eyes again.

To be continued