the kids are depressed

•SOUL

"Soul woke up crying..."

Not a lot of people knew this, but Soul has a baby. She's just 17.

She told me she gave birth to her daughter during the lockdown and up until today I still find it hard to believe—but I've seen the photographs of her little girl and I know it's true.

Everyone thinks Soul is quiet and timid, but I wish they knew how playful and outspoken she was when she got really comfortable; she's precious to be honest.

Today she woke up crying her eyes out. Her step mum had barged into the room in rage.

"Can you shut your stupid baby up?! Why do we have to suffer because of your inability to close your legs?" The woman had inquired in rage. It was only 3 in the middle of the night at the time and the baby right next to soul was as peaceful as babies could be except from her frequent whines that Soul constantly tried to curb by patting her stomach.

"Please ma," Soul rose up respectfully, "don't call my baby stupid," she had her head bowed. She loved and cared for her baby despite the circumstance of her birth, but she still bore the shame of teenage pregnancy as well.

"Eh eh? So now you have mouth to talk? Is it because my husband is still letting you stay in this house even after your disgraceful act? Someone that should have sent you out of our house a long time ago—it's not your fault now, Shebi you have tasted what big women eat abi? Why won't you take your mouth to tell me that your baby is not stupid."

"Insult me all you want, just don't involve my daughter, please."

The woman sneered at Soul as if she'd just heard the girl speak Swahili.

"Soul abi what do they call you? It's today that I confirmed that you really lack brain and shame! Is it something like "my daughter" that girls your age are bragging with in this country? Especially in this age and time? How many years did that small girl that sang Bloody Samaritan take from you again? They called you Soul when they should have just called you Shame, maybe you'll have that at least," the woman ended her rage with a loud hiss before slamming the door close.

Soul turned to her daughter who had her eyes open in excitement with a smile on her face that went on to revealed 3 small teeth and she began to cry. She didn't cry because she hated herself for the mistake she made; she was done with that—neither did she cry because she believed any utterance from her stepmother, she knew the woman was bathed with bitter leaf water as a kid and there was no way that her character wouldn't exude bitterness; she weeper because she knew her daughter would still have to spend the day with the evil woman. This was her father's standing order and she had to obey but she didn't have to like it, and she didn't like it for one bit. She spent hours in school wondering whatever was happening with her little girl. How was she being treated? What words was the bitter woman planting into her little head? One day, she came back from school to find her daughter sleeping.

"She just fell asleep," her stepmother threw her smile at her in response to Soul's question about why her daughter was so deep in sleep. "She was playing throughout," her bitter stepmother added and Soul just couldn't bring herself to believe the woman. Something was wrong and she felt it in her bones. Her suspicion was confirmed when her daughter still hadn't woken up after several hours, it was unlike Soul's daughter and she stated her fear. "Just relax, I told you she played throughout," her stepmother tried to reassure her once again until a friend of her stepmother pulled her aside to inform her of the overdosage of sleeping medicine her stepmother was giving her daughter, and when Soul confronted her, she manipulated the situation and made herself the victim. "So, it's a crime that I did you a favor eh? It's not enough that I have to look after you, but now I'm looking after your daughter too and what I get as a thank you is this demonic accusation? Let it be unto me as I wish for everyone!" She landed her feet on the ground and started to swear not to babysit Soul's daughter until Soul apologized to her for drugging her daughter.

What made Soul furious was the fact that she couldn't tell any of these things to her father. She already knew whose side he was going to be on, besides—hadn't she brought this upon herself?

She smiled back at the little girl and wiped off her tears as she placed a wet finger in the tiny palms of her daughter and smiled when the little grabbed it. The cuteness of it almost gladdened Soul's heart and she didn't know when she closed her eyes and slept off until she woke up to shouting. She could hear her step mother filling her father up with lies about how the little girl was disturbing the peace of the house and how she couldn't handle it anymore.

"I'm not going to babysit while one...girl, goes for an excursion my dear—it's not me that—don't beg me, stop begging me! Okay whatever,"

Soul heard her grumbling and knew that her father had managed to convince her to watch over the baby while she went on the exposure thing that morning.

She turned to look at her baby and gave a weak smile as the tears began to fall down her cheeks at the sight of the peaceful child who was fast asleep.

She was about to get herself and her baby ready for the day when my text dropped on her phone.

TEMI: HEY! HOW IS...YOU KNOW WHO?
I HOPE YOU'RE STILL COMING.

She responded with a SURE, but never showed up that day.