Ride Her Shoes

11- The escape

Nmachi sat on the cold floor of her hut staring at her stomach while holding the pregnancy test result which stated that she was pregnant and three weeks gone. She couldn't believe that it had been two weeks since she sent her last letter to Echezona and hadn't gotten a reply from him yet.

She had asked Ukokwe numerous times if she was sure the letter had been delivered to Echezona to which she would always affirm.

The news of her predicament had spread so fast like wildfire throughout the village and in less than a week, the youths of the village and women as well would assemble in her compound to carry out a protest against what she has done without caring about who was responsible for it.

"You have finally succeeded in bringing shame to this family," her mother wailed from outside the hut, "How am I going to face my fellow women? How will I talk in the meetings and even go to the market?" She asked but Nmachi dared not answer to avoid the worse.

Nmachi couldn't step out of the house for the fear of what people might say to and about her. Her only eyes through which she sees the village was Ukokwe.

Her parents were not taking it lightly with her at all. Although, her father had become lenient with the passing of each day, her mother just went on and on like a time bomb beeping until it explodes.

Nmachi wanted her mother to yell at her, to beat her if need be so that she could at least ease her anger and stop reminding her of her situation but none of that was happening.

The rafia covering the hut was raised and Akudo raised her face expecting to see Ukokwe whom she had sent to the Post office with yet another letter for Echezona but her eyes met that of her father and she quickly looked away in shame.

"I fed you, paid your fee in that good for nothing school and the only thing you can bring home to me is an abomination." He said in a voice full of sorrow. "I should have just listened to your mother."

He walked further into the dark room while folding his hands at his back,"What have you asked of me that I haven't given to you?" He asked her but it was a rhetorical question,"You should have asked me earlier to divert the mo-"

"Nma- Papa, I di-didn't know you were here." Ukokwe stuttered upon barging into the hut. Nmachi's father shook his head and walked out of the hut.

The moment Ukokwe was sure that it was just her and Nmachi in the hut, she ran to the corner where Nmachi sat and hugged her so tight that the tears Nmachi had been holding back began to flow so freely from her eyes.

"I am sorry," she cried,"I'm dead. I just want to go into the river and drown."

Gently, Ukokwe pulled out of the hug but their foreheads were together as their hands were intertwined with their eyes closed but that of Nmachi was wet from all her crying.

After staying that way for a few minutes, Ukokwe detached her forehead from Nmachi's and her free hand as well, then she began to fondle with the wrapper had on her waist.

Upon loosening it a little, she brought out some money tied together using a rubber band and Nmachi gasped in shock.

"Where did you ge-" she began but Ukokwe was fast enough to cover her mouth using her palm.

"Shh, be quiet," Ukokwe warned her,"Listen, I over heard my mother talking about the village youths coming to shame you before sun down and take you to the village square."

"I-how did you get to know?" Nmachi asked her but Ukokwe wasn't going to repeat what she just said.

"This is 500nai-"

"Chimo!!!" Nmachi shouted and Ukokwe was trying to surpress the urge to smack her on the head."Where did you get this much money?" She asked and Ukokwe rolled her eyes.