THE MAN I THOUGHT HE WAS

LOVE TURNED SOUR

New month, new beginning." "Happy new month."These were chants of people around.

"Oh, it's a new month already" I just realized. April is fast gone and I did not receive any salary for that month as promised by obim.

"Maybe he forgot." I thought. Reminding him of that would be so ungrateful of me so I never did. He has been funding my needs, paying my bills, and catering for me, both the ones I demanded and the ones I never did. All these were just enough for me. I erased about demanding the promised salary completely out of my memory.

Seated in Mr. Ike's shop, I allowed my gaze to race on the people engaged in a rally about sanitary pad. "One girl, one sanitary pad." They echoed it, almost like a composed song. There were gifting every young lady on the street of Etegwe a sanitary pad each. One of them beautifully gave me one. Right there, it hit my head that we were in the second week of the month and I was yet to see my period. It normally arrived at the first week of every month. "Maybe there was a shift." I thought, so I had to wait.

The second week passed followed by the third week. I went to the hospital to check if my system was okay and I was confirmed to be six weeks pregnant.

"Hmm, six week pregnant cha! It's like these people do not know what they are doing." I forced a smile, thinking out loud.

"How manage kwanu? Is it just that once I had sex with obim that I wasn't even aware of. Just that once o. How then could I be pregnant?" With my eyes fixed at the test result in my hand right before the hospital gate, unending thoughts and questions filled my mind. I wasn't sure if I was confused, happy, or remorseful. Confused about the test result, the possibility of being pregnant just like that. Happy for carrying obim's child. Remorseful for taking in out of wedlock, and for disappointing the entire members of my family.

"What will my parents think of me after all their advice against ime mkpuke? But on a second thought, obim is capable of facing the outcome." Sharply, I decided to put him on a call to inform him about news.

"Hello, obim good afternoon."

"Good afternoon my Love. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. E...ee...eem please can we see this evening?"

"Someone is already missing me," he teased and then continued.

"Sure, sweetheart. Yes we will."

The phone call was very brief unlike our usual lengthy talks. I threw my phone into my handbag like I was at war with it, flung my eyes at the hospital sign post and hissed. Going by the heat of the moment, I headed straight to the house to cool off the body and brain that got overheated with lots of thoughts and emotions. The temperature too wasn't helpful. It was so sunny that one might be forced to think the ozone layer fell on the earth surface.

Obim came around in the evening, but discussing anything with him in the house, concerning the matter at hand was not convenient. Auntie I.J was around. I sent him a text message demanding we go out on a date which he agreed on.

"Bia nwanyi, get something for me and the kids when returning." Auntie I.J requested.

"Mike bring back my niece on time o." She continued.