Lotanna wanted to be in love, always fantasizing about a happy marriage and a house full of kids. She never expected to turn pregnant when she met 'the one,' and she certainly never expected 'the one' to be engaged to someone else.
Desperate to lea...
The drive home wasn't smooth because I got lost in my thoughts when Hannah tried to talk to me. You are pregnant. Give yourself some breathing space, young lady.
She tapped me on my shoulders. "Are you ok?" she asked. I could see the concern written all over her face, but I didn't want to trouble the only friend I had.
Christa had to report to Port Harcourt, but she didn't know for how long. I was stuck with myself and my twin babies, which I didn't know how to handle.
"Lotanna, please talk to me. What's going on? You have been moody all day. You didn't eat or even talk to anyone while at our ant-natal class."
"I am ok, Hannah. A lot is going on right now. I will be fine, don't worry," I finally said.
The car came to a halt, and I quickly got out without saying goodbye. I walked past Musa, who was rambling about something I couldn't understand, and ignored him, walking straight into the house. I saw Grandma with her friends in the living room, "Good afternoon, I will just go upstairs and take a nap so I don't disturb you," I said as I walked towards the stairs.
"Come back here, young lady," Grandma uttered.
I turned and went back to where she was, only for my face to meet with her palm. I held my cheek in surprise. "You slapped me?"
She scoffed. "I will do it again if I have to. I thought I warned you to stop following men around, but you didn't listen to me. You had to let him drop you off again. Who are you trying to show off to?"
I could hear whispers coming from the women who sat behind her. They couldn't do anything but watch an old lady abuse her fellow woman for misconduct without asking for an explanation. "Are we still on this?" I asked.
She laughed mockingly. "You must be stupid to ask such. Your mother didn't tell you that this was the worst place on earth you could have chosen to come to, yet you came?" She scoffed. "So, that means she didn't tell you what happened to her when she was pregnant with you, right?" She shook her head.
What was she saying? What did she do to mum that mum didn't tell my younger ones or me? I didn't have time for this. I just needed to ignore the fact that she slapped me and go rest so I could wrap my mind around everything that was happening. "Mama, can we talk about this after your friends have left because this is a personal matter?"
"You are out of luck today. These people are here because of you, and I have decided you will leave my house today. Go in there, pack your things, call that boyfriend of yours to come to pick you up."
"What do you mean, leave?" I couldn't believe my ears. Why was she telling me to leave her house?
She turned to her friends. "She has gone to smoke that thing these young girls smoke these days." Then turned back to me. "I can't harbor someone who got pregnant out of wedlock. If the church finds out that you are here, they will strip me of my title as a deaconess, and I can't allow that to happen. It didn't happen when your mother brought her pregnancy here, and it won't happen now that you have followed in your mother's footsteps. So, young lady, go up there, pack your things, and leave my house."
As what she just said sank in, my eyes glimmered with watery tears, and I felt as if the universe was about to crumble at my feet and swallow me. "I am your granddaughter! You should have my back!". I sobbed, and tears flooded like the waters rushing down from a waterfall, and the only time I stopped was to fill my lungs with fresh air.
I went upstairs and picked up all that I could. I could not take everything with me in my condition, and I didn't want to stress the babies. Thinking of them and not me was the best way to survive. I walked downstairs, and I stared at the women. There was anger in me, but at the same time, there was sadness. "I will come back later for my remaining stuff. Just don't throw them out," I said as I walked away.
══✿══╡°˖✧GRANDMA✧˖°╞══✿══
There was a knock on the door, but I didn't want to answer because I knew it would still be that little girl. She didn't give up, or maybe her boyfriend came to pick up the rest of her things?
The knock on the door continued. I had to check for myself. "Lotanna Lewis, yes, you are my granddaughter, but you are not coming back into this house until you get rid of that growing stomach. You will not disgrace this family," I said as I opened the door. But it was a fair-looking lady, who, of course, had to be pregnant, standing before me. She looked familiar, but I couldn't remember who she was or where I had seen her.
"Good afternoon, ma. I am looking for Lotanna. She left her medication in my car when I dropped her off earlier."
"Wait, what do you mean? You were the one dropping her off in that black Toyota jeep?" I asked sparingly.
"Yeah, that was me. You seem surprised. Is there any problem?"
I knew I had made the wrong decision for the second time, and I didn't know how to make this right. But then, I had to do what I had to do to save myself some shame. "No problem at all, my daughter, so what can I do for you?"
She laughed," Please, where is she?" She asked, trying to look around for her.
"She no longer stays here, but you can leave a message."
The lady shook her head. "I just dropped off Lotanna here thirty minutes ago, and you are telling me she has left?"
"Look here, young lady, I have sent her away. If you have nothing more to say, leave. I was in a meeting when you rudely interrupted me," I retorted, shutting the door, but she held it open.
"I must say that I am appalled by your ignorance. It is human beings like you who drove me into politics to help reform the way we Nigerians think. You have a long way to go, and you need to disengage from your superstitious beliefs because being a single mum is the same as being a mum. If anything happens to my friend Lotanna, I will send the DSS to come and pick you up. I do not care how old you are. As an elder, you are supposed to teach and lead us in the right direction, but not every adult is an adult. Some of them are still children, yourself included."
"Who gave you the right to talk to me like that in my house? Are you the president?"
She scoffed, "Oh, no. I am not. I am just an ordinary woman who is reasonable and occupies the minister of Women Affairs seat of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Have a great day."
She walked away, leaving me cold and dry with my thoughts.
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