MuNa √ (COMPLETED)

#8 - WANT TO 🤰

Muna sat with her head backwards as she waited in the waiting room of an office she never knew existed until last week.

She looked down at her stomach and ran a hand across it. It seemed like it was getting bigger everyday. The woman on the seat opposite hers was staring at her with eyes wide open.

"How old could she possibly be?" she heard her ask the man beside her.

She felt herself blush in embarrassment. Thank God she was dark-skinned or she would be looking like the inside of a raw meat.

'So it was getting visible' she wondered.

Her stepmother beside her was busy reading a magazine which had been on the table without a care in the world.
Muna couldn't imagine how her life had changed in just two weeks and how she no longer had any interest even in the things like this that used to be one of her favourite things. She hadn't even watched TV or E! since then.

Muna still couldn't believe that her parents were really going to give her baby up for adoption. In fact she hadn't believed it until her stepmother had told her yesterday that they had an appointment with an adoption office today.

Her mind went to how she and Kesi had quarreled earlier in the week cos she refused to try aborting the baby again. She was convinced he didn't mind killing her as long as he got rid of the baby in the process. He said his mom said she got pregnant on purpose but they weren't going to succeed. Muna didn't care anymore about him or his parents or what anyone thought. She found herself thinking about the baby most nights alone and wondering what the baby would look like. That was basically the only thing on her mind apart from writing her exams well. She was determined to pass regardless.

"Mrs Nnadi?" the young woman/girl sitting on the front desk called cutting through her thoughts. "Ms. Abangwu will see you now."

Muna and her stepmother stepped into the office and were greeted by a smiling motherly looking woman. She stood up and rounded her desk to greet them.

"Mrs Nnadi, it's good to meet you," she said, shaking hands with Muna's stepmother. "What's your name?" she asked turning to Muna. She sounded like a school headmistress and Muna automatically knew she would be pronouncing Sir as Ser and come as calm.

"Munachi."

"Please have a seat." she pointed to the two seats on the other side of her desk before going round to her desk.

"My name is Evelyn Abangwu. I have been running Hope for Children Agency for ten years and I can assure you that we are a very professional, trustworthy and result-oriented organisation.
We pride ourselves on our confidentiality. What happens in this organization stays here and you can trust that any information you share with us wouldn't be shared with anyone."

"This booklet I'll give you contains a form to fill and our rule book containing a few rules and regulations to guide you and things you should know." she said, extending a booklet to Muna's stepmother.

Muna peered into the booklet as her stepmother opened it and saw a form resembling that of a bank with too many questions.

"Can we take the form home with us?" her stepmother asked.

"Of course. Filling this form and signing it doesn't obligate you to give your child up for adoption. You are free to change your mind 60 days after signing it and choosing the adoptive parents if you're no longer comfortable with going through with the process. How far gone are you?" she asked Muna.

"19 weeks."

"Hmm. Girl or boy."

"Girl."

"Ah! you're in luck. I have two couples right now who are looking to adopt a girl child right now."
She went on to explain that Muna would be in control of the adoption process and choose the adoptive parents herself and the type of relationship she wanted to have with them during and after the process.
She also explained that there would be one on one interviews between Muna and the couples in order for her to know the couples personally.

Muna and her stepmother left a few minutes later with a promise to come back next week and with multiple reassurances from Ms Abangwu that the process would be smooth and comfortable for Muna.

                         ******

A month later, Muna and her stepmother arrived at the adoption agency for their almost weekly meeting.
They had met with the couples two weeks ago after going through their impressive profiles and she and her stepmother had made a quick decision on who they wanted to adopt the baby and today they were meeting the couple again to sign the adoption agreement papers.

They had had to choose between Mr and Mrs Etukudoh, a couple in their thirties who had been married for five years and were childless and Mr and Mrs Adeyinka who already had three boys (with the youngest in secondary school and the older ones already in the University) and were looking for a girl child.

In the end, they had gone for the second couple because her stepmother had liked them best.
Muna had tried to hold it off and take a long time in making up her mind but her stepmother felt it would be best if they didn't waste any time.

"Good afternoon, Roselyn and Munachi," Ms Abangwu greeted cheerily as they stepped into her office.

"Good afternoon," Muna and her stepmother replied in unison.

"How are you and how is the family?" Ms Abangwu asked, smiling in that way Muna had become used to in the last few weeks.
After all the pleasantries, she informed them that Mr and Mrs Adeyinka were already waiting then took out her file and began to ask Muna her routine questions.

"Have you been taking drugs or alcoholic drinks?"

"No," Muna answered.

"Taking your vitamins?"
She nodded.
"Have you been going for your ante natal?"  Another nod.
"Been having sex recently?" Muna shook her head.
"Done any strenuous activity or fallen ill?" Another shake.
"Okay. Let me let Mr and Mrs Adeyinka in."

                     ******

Muna lay on her bed with her mind all over the place. She and her stepmother had just come back from the adoption agency a few minutes ago after signing the adoption agreement papers with the adoptive parents for her child.
It was final and Muna was supposed to be happy but the uneasiness she had been feeling throughout the process hadn't left her.
She knew they were perfect and would make perfect parents for her baby.
But Muna was still unhappy. Even way more unhappy than she had felt almost two months ago when she had found out she was pregnant.
And in that moment she realized something.