It's a Saturday morning, and Bassy was attending to customers walking to and fro in her Aunt's provision shop. The market was busier than usual on Saturdays because it's the main market day in Abudu. People come from far and near to buy things at the Abudu market on main market days, so it's always a busy day for buyers and sellers.
Bassy's Aunt Akpan wasn't around today; she went to her friend's father's burial, leaving only Bassy to attend to the customers. It wasn't a big deal for Bassy; moreover, this was not the first time she was working alone on a market day because her Aunt mostly goes to functions on Saturdays. Sometimes it would be a wedding ceremony, baby shower, birthday parties, etc.
But what made today seem unusual was the fact that Bassy wasn't feeling too well. She had been turning around for over five hours, making sure every customer got what they wanted without any complaints. At some point, Bassy felt so exhausted that she couldn't comprehend it any longer. She was feeling dizzy amid the dazzling lights. She considered sitting down on the white plastic chair in the shop for a while, but she couldn't have enough rest as clients began ranting and yelling on top of their voices for her to get up and attend to them. Some even threatened to call her Aunt to report her, which prompted her to get up since that was the last thing she wanted.
Suddenly, Bassy's hands started moving in a blur, juggling orders from the impatient customers. Each order became a herculean task. With each passing moment, Bassy's breath grew shallow, her chest tightened with the effort of it all. It was like the world around her was spinning in a dizzy whirl. She was really desperate to maintain her normal face, but as the relentless barrage of demands mounted, she felt herself teetering on the edge of collapse, just as she felt herself slipping into the abyss.
"Why are you so slow when lots of customers are queued up? Have you lost your mind?" Aunt's voice cut into the chaos as she arrived, making Bassy fade away out of fright.
As consciousness eventually crept back into her weary mind hours later, Bassy found herself enveloped in a cocoon of stained white, the soft hum of machinery and distant voices filled the air. Wondering where she could be, she tossed her neck slowly, her gaze scanning the room in an effort to figure out where she was. Suddenly, the scent of antiseptic mingled with the faint scent of roses, making her promptly sit up.
Bassy realized she was lying on a hospital bed. It was a government hospital and the nearest to the market. Lots of people had come together with her Aunt to ensure she was alive.
Everyone was thrilled to see her sit up. They said words of prayers, thanking God she was brought back to life, and began to leave the hospital one after the other.
The disdainful look on her Aunt's face frightened her, causing her to be nervous about what was going on.
"Don't be too harsh on her, Akpan. She's just a little girl growing up," one of the market women advised Aunt before leaving the hospital.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Akpan. I didn't deliberately collapse in front of our clients. I tried everything within my power to hold back but couldn't," she said with her voice barely audible and cracky after hearing lots of people pleading with her Aunt to forgive her.
"Are you sorry for your pregnancy or what? Because I don't understand, Akpan," Akpan started pouring out her rage.
A shiver ran through Bassy's spine as the words hit her deeply, prompting tears to drop from her eyes continuously.
"I'm pregnant?" She stammered.
The question prompted Akpan to get up from the small couch where she was seated beside her to land a thunderous hot slap, causing Bassy to scream in pain and fury.
"How dare you ask me that stupid question?" Akpan yelled, causing her voice to echo through the hospital walls. "You are almost three months pregnant, and you are asking me that stupid question? Bassy, are you out of your mind? Didn't I warn you to stay away from that boy?"
Bassy began choking up. It was as if her world was about to end. "I swear to God I didn't know I was pregnant. I know I've been feeling unusual lately, but I never thought of it to be pregnancy," the word was too heavy to come out of Bassy's mouth as she couldn't stop tearing up.
Akpan sighed, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. "I see. So you've been sleeping around with men behind my back, huh?" She spoke with a low tone, narrowing her gaze in disappointment.
"It's only Edu I've ever had sex with, Aunt, and we only did it once when he was about to travel. I swear with my life on my mother's grave..."
"Shut that lying mouth up and let my sister rest in peace," Akpan prompted, making Bassy's chest beat against the back of her hands.
She was extremely frightened of collecting another hot slap; moreover, her strength was fraying at this point.
"Well, it's a good thing Edu's mother still lives in Abudu, so you absolutely have two solid options to choose from. It's either you go to live with your husband in Abuja or you live with Edu's mother. Because as for me," Akpan clapped her hands together as if she was removing dust from her palm, "I am done with you. I've been sheltering you for over six years now since your mother, which is my sister, died, and I'm not going any further to train a bastard. I forbid it. I warned you not to bring disgrace to me, but you didn't listen. Now there is nothing under this planet Earth that anyone will say that will make me allow your two stingy feet to step into my home again because you are an abomination." Akpan stepped out of the hospital room after saying all that was on her mind.
"Please, Aunt, I'm sorry," Bassy cried out loud uncontrollably, but Akpan ignored her completely, heading straight home.
The sound of Bassy's cry echoed all over the hospital, causing the nurses to hesitantly dash to her ward.
Bassy begged the nurse to beg her Aunt for her, but they told her she had already left. One of the nurses felt sympathetic for her as she was crying inconsolably, promised to go home with her and beg her Aunt.
It gave Bassy a wave of relief, and she thanked her very much.
Bassy and the nurse strolled to her house after she had closed for the day.
The fact that the entire market women had to know Bassy's predicament before her hurt her even more. It made her wish she had shaken off the fear of her Aunt's reaction and just talked to her about her strange feelings.
Bassy couldn't shake the fact that she was pregnant off her head, as her Aunt's words kept repeating in her mind nonstop.
"It's okay, everything will be fine," the nurse stroked her shoulder softly, observing how terrible she looked. "No one is above mistakes. The only people that are considered foolish in this world are those who don't learn from their mistakes.
"No no no, Aunt, no, please, I'm begging you! I don't have anywhere to go," Bassy cried out loud upon sighting Akpan throwing out her clothes from the compound the moment they approached the house.
The nurse also pleaded with Akpan to forgive Bassy. Akpan told the nurse to take her home and take care of her if she was truly kind enough.
Akpan attempted to beat Bassy up, but the nurse held her hands, which triggered her wrath even more, prompting her to chase them both away. The nurse got furious at Akpan's uncharted behavior and left Bassy to go home.
She felt like taking Bassy to her house, but she wasn't sure if her husband might want that, as she is newly married. Plus, it's a small village, and she doesn't want to be too involved in the case, with the consciousness that everyone knows about Bassy's condition already.