UNEXPECTED STITCH

ARINOLA

I was awake but they didn't know that my dad was pacing up and down.
I listened for familiar sounds but the place sounded so foreign. Where was I again? I know I'm not at home, the air felt and smelled different.

"Calm down, my husband, try to calm down. With the way you're taking this thing when Wale comes he'll be suspicious" My mother said.

What is she talking about?

"I will kill her," My father said angrily.

Uh oh, what did I do this time? I was sure he was talking about me.

"No one is killing anybody, you have to be careful with this matter. We can still salvage the situation" My mother opposed.

What situation? What were they talking about? I wondered.

"What if wale is responsible? We're not yet sure of anything, we just have to stay calm till she comes back " my mother begged my father.

Responsible for what, am I, could I be...? No, no there was no way.

"If Wale was responsible, she wouldn't have planned to escape with her useless good for nothing lover, this is why she was planning to escape" my father yelled.

"Honey, go and talk to the doctor, this thing has to be kept a secret. No one must know or hear about this, Wale especially" My mum said.

Am I pregnant? Oh my God, oh my God! What the hell, this baby chose to come, now? Of all times! It can't be true.

What if it was true, what if I was pregnant? For real, I haven't had my period. The headaches, the dizziness, and nausea, how could I have ignored all that?

Amid the chaos, another chaos has been born, this baby sure had shit timing.

If It is true that I'm pregnant, Wale isn't responsible.

I have always forced him to use protection, Osaze on the other hand, well, Osaze does whatever he wants and never listens to me.

"Go to the doctor honey, tell him that this news has to be kept between us.  Also, ask if an abortion can be arranged quickly" my mother urged my father.

"I'll do that, in the meantime, wake that girl up and make her talk. We need to know who is responsible for the baby before we proceed with an abortion. I'll be right back" My father said.

I heard the sound of his footsteps leaving the room, I expelled a tiny breath once he was gone.

"This girl will not kill me, I thought she was smart. How could she get pregnant? This stupid girl has ruined me" my mother wailed.

I felt a sting on my hand, she'd hit me. My eyes flew open.

"What is it?" I rasped, my voice sounded foreign to me.

"Arin, you're pregnant" She spat.

I swallowed hard, to hear it from her confirmed my fears. I was pregnant with Osaze's baby.

"You're pregnant and you're six weeks gone. Anyway, your father has gone to talk to the doctor, hopefully, we'll be able to fix your mess" she said.

I didn't know what to say, I didn't even know how to react.

Should I jump for joy? I'm having Osaze's baby, surely we could work things out now and get married, just like I wanted but what did that mean for Wale and my Parents?

Should I weep and panic?
I've ruined my father's plans, he will surely kill me now.

"Is it for Wale?" she asked looking at me intently, I saw hope in her eyes but I had to tell the truth.
I shook my head slowly, the flicker of hope in her eyes died as quickly as it had come.

"I hope you know you're going to have an abortion, we're not going to let your bastard ruin our plans," she said harshly.

I shook my head, my hand moved to my tummy and I clutched it possessively. My baby was no bastard, my baby had a father and he would be loved and raised by his father.

"My child is not going to suffer for my mistakes, for our mistakes. My baby will live" I said.

"You stupid girl listen to me..." she began but I cut her off.

"No, you're not listening to me. And trust me when I say it'll be in your interest to listen to me" I gripped her hand angrily now.

"I'm done being a pawn for you and your husband, tell him that if he tries to harm me or my child he'll regret it," I said.

She froze "Arin, you don't know what you're doing. Why are you acting like a child, we're so close to our dreams now. So close, you want to throw everything away, just like that. I am your mother and I want what is best for you. You have to listen to me child" My mother said.

"You want the best for me?" I laughed. Who did she think she was kidding? She and her husband only cared about their pockets.

"Bringing Wale into our lives was my idea, you two might have been controlling the game for a while now because I let you. That's all over now. If you two try to double-cross me, I mean the slightest mistake or any damn threat from you or your husband, I'll tell Wale everything. You both will listen to me and do everything I ask if you don't want to lose your money bag. The first thing you should understand is no one is touching the baby do you understand? no one will dare hurt my child!" I screamed at her.

"Stop shouting, that's enough. Do you want people to hear you, I will talk to your father when he gets back, just stop shouting before you ruin everything" she hissed.

I know she was wondering where my newfound courage came from. I guess I was already developing natural maternal instincts to protect my child because I'd be damned if they took this gift from me.

Wale walked in minutes later clutching a bouquet of roses. He hurried to my side when he saw that I was awake.

"Baby, you're awake. Finally, I was so worried about you. How are you feeling, do you feel well?" He kissed my cheeks.

I nodded weakly and smiled at him to reassure him.

Wale turned to my mother, "What did the doctor say, is the test result out?" he asked.

"No, my husband is talking to the doctor" My mother replied looking at me.

"Mum, why don't you go and join dad and the doctor. Give wale and I privacy" I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked. She was probably afraid that I was about to tell Wale the truth.

"Yes," I replied. She nodded and walked away. I waited till she was out of the room before speaking to Wale.

"Are you still going to propose?" I asked.

He looked stunned "What?" he asked unsure of if he had heard me right.
"I overheard my parents talking about it" I lied.

He laughed nervously "Oh, well, yeah, I was going to but that's not important right now. Your well-being is all that matters for now. You gave me quite a scare yesterday. Seeing you fall and tumble down those stairs, that scared the hell out of me," he said.

"I'm sorry, you know how nervous I get, I was literally shaking when I overheard them talking about the proposal," I said.

Well, that wasn't a lie, I had been freaking terrified.
"I'm sorry I made you nervous" he brushed my arm gently.

"It's not your fault, blame my parents who weren't discreet enough," I said bitterly.

"Why were you so terrified though? Does marrying me scare you that much?" He asked.

"Well, it's a big step to take. Forever, that's a big step to take. Are you sure you're prepared to commit to us for the rest of your life?" There was a huge lump in my throat as I hoped he would say no and this entire fiasco would be over.

"Do you even have to ask, of course, I want to spend the rest of my life with you? And you, would you have said yes?" he asked.

I nodded, swallowing the truth, and hurling out the lie "Of course, I would have said yes" I replied.

"Are you also sure you want to spend the rest of forever with me? No pressure Arinola, if you're not ready, I will wait until you are" he said.

"Do you even need to ask? You know I would, and why wait when we know what we want?" I smiled.

"As cliche as this sounds Arinola, you've made me the happiest man in Lagos right now. I love you so much, thank you for accepting the best thing that will ever happen to me" he picked up my hand and kissed it.

I hid my fears behind a loud giggle that sounded nothing like me. What was I doing? Yeah, I was pretty much wondering the same thing too.

"As much as I would love to put a rock on your finger, I didn't bring the ring. I guess we should save the official proposal for when you're out of this place" he kissed me and I choked on the tears that were about to flood my face.

I wished he would stop kissing me and He did. He finally pulled away when we heard the deep voice of the doctor.

"Mr. Solade, Miss Ajisafe" He acknowledged us, and We both turned to look at the doctor.

"Yes doctor, are the results out?" Wale asked.

"Yes, I've talked to her parents already. Arinola is lacking vitamins that are all. A good diet with lots of vegetables and fruits and a healthy dose of multivitamins will keep you out of here for a long time" the doctor said.

Good one doctor, I wonder how much my father paid him to keep his mouth shut.

"Arinola, you need lots of rest coupled with a healthy diet. With minor exercises included, you'll be fine" The doctor smiled at me.

Wale nodded "I'll take good care of her, don't worry. We'll do everything you've said and she'll be better in a few days" Wale assured the doctor.

I'm sure he will, he always takes care of me.

I remembered the voice I'd heard right before I'd lost consciousness, I know what I have to do now. I knew how to fix this mess.