VALLEY:The Trials Of A Girl Orphan

CHAPTER 10

I sat down quietly at the shop. I was four months pregnant already. Aunty
Kemisola had done so much for me. She had registered me for the ante-natal
program and made sure I had good food. I had decided to keep the baby. I had
been told that abortion could take my life. Even though, I would have been happy
but aunty Kemisola didn’t allow it. She told me to keep believing that all will fall
into place.
I was certainly not a blessing. My life was messed up. I thought I had found a
place with Aunty Kemisola but I was certainly wrong again. Her fiancé, Uncle Biyi
had finally secured her a scholarship in United Kingdom. She was to travel there
to go meet him. I was happy for her but sad for myself. Where would I start from?
With a baby in my belly? I cried so much but she comforted me and prayed for
me. She promised to help me in the little way she could.
As I sat down, tears flowed down my cheeks. She was leaving Nigeria in a week.
A week! I tried to fight back the tears but couldn’t. Ha! Keyshia Omotolani
Sobowale, the daughter of a very rich business man who lived in a mansion and
ate three- course meals now at the mercies of the street. Life should at least give
me a season of laughter. I had been through a lot.
The D day came. I followed Aunty Kemisola to the airport. When last did I take
a trip to United State of America? Aunty Kemisola gave me a new phone and also
a little sum of money to fend for myself. She hugged me tightly and kept
encouraging me to keep my baby and also make sure to never stop dreaming of
being the medical doctor that I always wanted to be. She promised to keep
praying for me. I waved goodbye as she left me. Hmm, back to square one.
********
I entered my one room apartment at Iyana Church. I had gotten back from work. I
started working as a laborer at a building site and I earned petty amount to fend
for myself. I had sold the phone Aunty Kemisola gave me. Omo! I couldn’t allow
hunger to kill me after spending the money she gave me to rent an apartment. I
knew I needed a roof over my head at least because of my condition. I planned ondisposing the baby once I put to bed. I knew I couldn’t cater for the baby’s needs.
I planned to drop her at the roadside. I was scared of making the baby’s life a
mess like mine.
I was 6 months pregnant when a tragic event took place. I had gone to a
building site at Monatan. I was already very tired and stressed out. I had decided
to go home a little bit earlier than usual. I wasn’t feeling too well. I just wanted to
get home, eat and sleep.
Alas! The devil struck again. One of the tenants in the house had forgotten to
turn off the gas cooker in the morning while leaving for work. Unfortunately, the
building had been engulfed. I wept as I saw everything burn to ashes. Luckily,
nobody was in the building. My one-year house rent, my clothes and everything I
had managed to raise were gone forever. The fire fighters got there but it was
already too late. The landlord already travelled abroad. He wasn’t a nice man at
all, he would never refund the money. I had spent just 2 months. Where exactly
do I start from?
********
The stench of the urine in the building made me feel so irritated. I saw a rat
running out of one of the uncompleted rooms. I sat down on the little plank on
the floor. It was already getting dark. It was probably around 7pm. I had decided
to spend the night in the uncompleted building. I laid down to sleep.
Hours later, I woke up to hear gunshots. The shots were very near. I got scared.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Three young men entered the room I was in.
“Ha ha, make we kill this one” one of them said.
“Wetin you dey find for here?” The tallest of the guys said.
“Oga, make we finish am jare.” The stout one said.
They continued to argue. Two policemen came inside and they were arrested.
Unfortunately, I was arrested with them. I tried to plead my innocence but they
didn’t listen. The thieves made it worse. They claimed that I was one of them.The DPO, a woman of about forty, was placed in charge of the case. She was
very disappointed in me. She couldn’t imagine how a pregnant woman could
agree to do such a dirty business. I found out that the three guys had stolen 2
million naira from a nearby bank. I tried to explain everything to them but nobody
believed me. The thieves conspired against me. They claimed I was the gang
leader and I had decided to be on the lookout since I was heavily pregnant. They
said I had dressed up as a poor lady so that no one would suspect me. They
claimed that I was the one in possession of the money. Later, I learnt they had
hidden the money in a bush on their way to the uncompleted building. I kept
crying and pleaded that they should say the truth but they were very callous. They
accused me of being the one that allowed the police to apprehend them since
they stopped to talk to me.
We were charged to court. I had no lawyer to defend me. The thieves got a
good lawyer that were able to prove me guilty. As the judge passed his verdict, I
wept. I was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment alongside the thieves. I got
moved to Agodi prison. I was treated with levity because of my condition. I was
made to sweep a particular warden’s room every day.
Abisola was a very vibrant young lady I met in prison. She was imprisoned for
stealing. Her boss had made advances to her and since she refused to succumb,
she was framed and imprisoned. We became very great friends. We spent most of
our night time talking about how unfair life was for orphans. She was an orphan
too. Her parents died in a plane crash when travelling to Asaba for a cousin’s
burial. She started living with her grandmother at age three. Her grandmother
died when she was ten. Her aunt got her to work as a house help to a rich man
and his wife. The man had framed her for stealing his money. He had no evidence
against her but he was very influential so he got her locked up and awaiting trial
for 2 years already. She never allowed this to discourage her. She had considered
that as God’s plan for her to encounter Jesus. She had given her life to Christ
when some evangelists came to witness Christ to her in the prison and she found
peace even in the prison yard. She tried to win me over to Christ but I certainly
didn’t want anything to do with Him. I just wanted to have a good life on my own.*******
Exactly 3 months later, I fell into labor. I was rushed to the hospital in a police
van. Finally, my baby girl arrived exactly a week to my 20th birthday. She looked
so thin but actually very beautiful. She was very stressed out when she arrived as I
was in labor for almost 5 hours. Immediately I saw her and held her, I stopped
thinking about dumping her. I was a mother now. She was my responsibility. Her
sweet smile made me weep and remember that night when I was molested. I held
her so close and decided I would do all I was able to to ensure that she had the
best in life. I would ensure her life never ended up like mine.
I was feeding my baby some days later when I got a ray of hope. Two police
officers came in. They congratulated me. I had thought they wanted to take me
back to prison. i was wrong. They brought me good news. One of the thieves had
confessed to my innocence. He pitied me after seeing me struggling during labor
at the prison yard. He finally revealed the truth and now I was free to go. I was
over joyous. I knew it was back to street life but at least I had freedom.
Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital with my baby. My baby
lacked a lot of things. I wasn’t able to buy the baby stuff. Luckily, an NGO visited
the hospital during my stay and they gave me almost everything my baby needed-
a shawl, clothes and lots more. My daughter indeed brought a lot of happiness
along with her. I decided to name her Oluwafimidara.
Some months later, Oluwafimidara fell ill. I knew I hadn’t gotten her all the
vaccinations she needed as a child. In fact, I wasn’t able to complete much of the
processes at the hospital. I had gotten a job as a cleaner in a particular hotel.
From that job, I was able to afford a one room apartment and at least two meals
per day. Life got a bit better.
One day, I was at work. I had noticed that morning that she had not eaten very
well. I had thought it was a minor issue. I got to work and dropped her with a
coworker. My co-worker came to me minutes later. Oluwafimidara was crying
profusely. Her skin had turned blue. Her breathing was irregular. I rushed her to
the hospital. The nurses collected her from me. Minutes later, the doctor called
me to his office. My baby was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. She had blue baby syndrome. She had a hole in her heart. Her case was very severe as the
doctor told me. The cause was unknown but the risk factors included alcohol
during pregnancy, drinking water with high nitrate content, poor nutrition during
pregnancy etc. he told me she was born with this defect, her chance of survival
was very slim. 66% of affected children didn’t live up to 1 year. The doctor asked
me some questions. He was right. Fimidara had poor weight gain. She was always
crying most times. She had fainted once before. I had thought it was nothing since
she came around before I even went to get help. Now, her skin was blue, a
symptom the doctor called cyanoses.
I got very scared. I knew I didn’t want her in the first place but now that I had
her, I didn’t want to lose her. Sometimes, I had decided to give up but whenever I
remembered I had to give her a good life, I brace up. I lived for her. She had been
a very good company. She used to listen to me when I talked. She used to disturb
me with her cries in the middle of the night. She was my best friend. I couldn’t
bear losing her. I wanted to train her to be an independent woman. I wanted to
give her the best of the best.
The doctor told me the solution was for her to undergo a surgery. She needed 2
million naira for the surgery. I couldn’t afford that. I didn’t have anyone to run to
for help. I just kept crying. I left the doctor’s office and went to the ward where
Fimidara was. She was crying in the cot. I wept too. I couldn’t do anything to help.
I carried her in my arms. I sang to her. I held her very close. I didn’t want anything
to happen to her. I didn’t know if that was the last time I would see her. She
stopped crying for a moment and started smiling at me. She gave me so much
happiness. I stayed with her till late in the night, fed her and put her to bed. I left
to sleep at the waiting hall of the hospital.
A woman woke me up the next morning. She was wailing. Her husband had just
passed away. I felt really sorry for her.
“Miss, the doctor wants to see you.” A nurse said to me.
I went to the doctor’s office. I was right. That was the last time I held Fimidara in
my arms. She passed away in her sleep. I looked at my baby’s lifeless life. The one
person I was living for was gone. I wept. What else was left? What did life have to offer? It gave me happiness and took her away in six months. I rushed out of the
hospital crying. I kept walking away.
When will my life get better? When will I find lasting happiness? What else did I
have to live for? I had lost my whole family. I had hawked on the streets. I had lost
happiness. I had slept under the bridge. I had been raped. I had been imprisoned
for a crime I knew nothing about. There was only one thing left – to lose my life.
There was no point roaming around the earth again. I left Lagos thinking that
Ibadan would be better. I forgot that the cities aren’t affecting me. I was the bad
luck. My life had been filled with ups and downs. Sometimes, when something
good happened, I thought breakthrough was here until it all crumbled down
again. Death was the best option. I should just end it all.
I saw an oncoming car. I couldn’t take it anymore. God wasn’t ready to kill
me. I would kill myself. I immediately jumped right in front of the car.
********
I opened my eyes. What? I was alive? Why? Death, why nah?
“Doctor! She has opened her eyes” I heard a woman staying beside me say.
A young female doctor came in. She examined me for a while.
“Mrs. Shokoya, she’s fine now. She’ll just need time for her wounds to heal. She
should be fine in a week or two.” The doctor said
“Thank you, doctor Joke” The woman said.
The doctor nodded, smiled and left.
“Why did you jump in front of the car? Why did you want to implicate me? What
type of girl are you?” The woman said angrily.
I burst into tears. She calmed down for a while.
“Why are you crying? I am sorry for shouting at you.” She said as she sat down
beside me.
I explained all I had been through for the past 4 and a half years.
“What did you expect me to do? I am frustrated. Please ma, just tell the doctor to
inject me to death. I want to die.”
“No, no dear. Don’t talk like that” She said calmly.