The man stared silently at me. It was a big struggle for him, trying to process what he’d just heard. And then I saw the look in his eyes change from that of someone who had a bit of respect for moments ago to that of someone who suddenly looked at me like I were some street tramp who lured his nephew to bed. And I could not blame him for whatever he thought of me. I brought this upon myself. I had no business visiting a boy I knew little or nothing about.
“When did this happen? I mean, how old is this pregnancy you’re talking about?” the man finally found his voice.
“It’s just a couple of weeks old, sir.” I answered, looking away from him.
“And who confirmed to you that you’re pregnant?” he quizzed me further.
“The doctor,” I replied, still unable to meet his gaze.
“You have been to a doctor?”
“Yes, sir,” I told him. He took another long puzzled look at me and then asked, “Who took you to the doctor?”
“My mother and I went together,” I returned. He became more alarmed.
“So, your mother already knows you’re pregnant?” he had the look of a frightened man on his face. He knew that could only mean big trouble.
“No, she didn’t go with me the following day when I went to pick up the result of the test I did. I haven’t told her anything yet.”
The man shook his head, stared up into space and then returned his gaze to me. “Does Bobby know about this?”
“Yes, sir, he does. I was here two days ago to tell him,” I answered.
“And what did he say?”
“He said he would look for money so we could do…we could do…..” I could utter the words.
“An abortion?” the uncle asked. I could not respond. He sighed in exasperation.
“How did you let yourself get into this mess when you should be concentrating on your studies? How could you be going about having sex with boys when your mates are busy trying to get into the university and…..” the man was blabbing, running me down without waiting to hear the whole story.
“He raped me! Bobby raped me!” I yelled at him, telling him the bitter truth he would not like to hear. He could not complete his sentence. And the man froze.
His jaw dropped. His mouth hung open. His eyes lit up with shock as he gazed at me in disbelief. Slowly, the man looked me up from head to toe, gave an exasperated sigh and then reached for my hand as he held me gently.
“Bobby raped you? Are you sure about this?” the man asked, his voice coming out almost in whispers, like he didn’t want anyone else to hear what we were talking about.
“Yes, sir….Bobby raped me,” I was able to let the words out faster this time. “And then, in larger torrents now, the tears started to course swiftly down my face.
“Please, come inside,” the man said to me as he led me inside the same apartment where Bobby had taken advantage of me.
“Now, tell me exactly what happened,” he said as he sat me down on one of the sofas.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and told him about how I had met Bobby in church and how he had been on my neck asking to be my friend. I narrated how he had been asking me to pay him a visit and how I finally agreed.
“How many times did you visit him here?” the man asked me.
“Just once, sir, I was here just once,” I answered.” Today is the third time I would be coming here. The second time was days ago when I came to inform him that he’s gotten me pregnant.”
“So, the first time you came here was when he raped you?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“But how did it happen? Didn’t you shout or struggle with him?” the man quizzed me further.
“I did not have to struggle with him, sir, because Bobby drugged my drink,” I told him.
“What? Bobby did what?” the man was totally bewildered.
“When I noticed he was coming on too strong for me, I told him I was not interested in sex. I told him I would leave if he kept pestering me for sex. He apologized and appeared to have forgotten about the idea. Then, he asked if he could get me a drink, that was when he drugged my drink and raped me. I didn’t know when I dozed off. I only woke up to find that he had violated me. And now you say he has run away to Lagos, what am I going to do now?
The man was dazed to say the least. From the look on his face, it seemed as though I was reading a script from one of those Nollywood movies. Apparently, the man could barely believe Bobby had done half of what I said he did.
“You mean Bobby actually did all these to you?” he asked me.
I nodded. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure, why would I be lying to you, sir?” I was half yelling at him. “Why would I be here this morning if the story didn’t go the way I just told you. I didn’t expect I wouldn’t meet Bobby here, I had no idea he was out of town. “
He took in all I said and I guessed he realized I made sense because he didn’t ask me the question again. “So, what did Bobby say when you came to see him days ago and told him you were pregnant for him?”
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “He said he would do something about it today, that I should not worry.”
“So, he accepted the pregnancy is his?” he asked me.
“Of course, yes,” I’d thrown back, feeling slightly irritated he was asking me that question after I had told him all that happened between Bobby and I.
The man was silent for several minutes. He paced up and down in silence like one who was faced with the responsibility of taking the most important decision of his life. The man was scared but he tried hard not to show it. But deep down inside him, he knew his nephew had gotten him into big, big trouble.
“Sir, how can I get to see Bobby?” I had to break the silence. Time was clearly not on my side.
“You want to go and meet him in Lagos? Have you ever been to Lagos? Will your parents allow that?” he asked me.
“Sir, does it really matter anymore what my parents will allow? The truth remains that they will skin me alive if I return home and they find out I’m pregnant!” I told him with tears in my eyes. “Sir, how are you going to help me? You are Bobby’s uncle, how will you help me find Bobby, please, sir, I beg of you?” I pleaded with him as I went on my knees. And the tears came tumbling down my face in torrents.
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