Edu was sitting on the cozy couch in the living room watching a movie when his dad walked over to him, annoyance written all over his face.
"So, you're old enough to get a girl pregnant, huh?" Ali asked, raising a brow with a mix of puzzlement and fury.
Edu jumped off his seat as the words hit his ears. "Pregnant?" he muttered to himself, confused about what was going on. Then, he had a flashback to what happened between him and Bassy the week before he traveled.
"Oh no," he muttered inwardly as the weight of the word "pregnant" sank in.
His dad glanced at him, startled and unsure of what to do or say next. After a while, he asked, "How long have you been having sex with the girl?"
Edu slowly reached his right hand to the back of his head, scratching it. He looked extremely ashamed and shocked. "Only one day," he stammered, his head bowed down.
"Don't lie to me!" his dad yelled, widening his brow.
"I swear, daddy, it was just one day. We did it the week before I traveled," Edu spoke with a tone barely above a whisper.
"How many rounds did you two have?" his dad asked, considering Edu's sincerity evident in his body language.
Edu tried to meet his father's gaze. "I don't know what you mean by rounds," he said.
His father chuckled. "I see. How many times did you two have sex that day, since you're claiming it was just a one-day thing?"
"We only did it once," Edu replied.
"Well, that typically means you're not responsible for her pregnancy. She's been sleeping around with men, and now that she's pregnant, she's looking for someone to blame for her stupidity. But I won't let that happen. I won't let anyone tarnish your name in that village," Ali uttered, sounding annoyed.
"Honestly," Edu choked out, forcing the words from his mouth. "Our biology teacher taught us that a girl can get pregnant as soon as she sleeps with a man."
"So, you knew about this and still decided to sleep with a woman with that tiny thing between your legs?" Ali shouted, his voice echoing through the building. "How can you be so stupid as to sleep with a girl without even thinking of wearing protection? I thought they said you were very smart."
"I'm sorry, dad. I didn't think it would result in this," Edu replied, his tone filled with fear.
"I see. You're sorry indeed. You didn't think it would result in this because you think it's just water you have inside your penis, don't you? Did your biology teacher also tell you it's water you have inside your penis?" Ali continued to yell, each word louder than the last.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, he flinched and sat down on the sofa. He became mute for some minutes, thinking of what to say next.
The television Edu was enjoying suddenly turned into background noise as he was lost in turmoil, thinking of how Bassy would be feeling right now. He felt a hint of regret for insisting they have sex that day, wishing he had listened to her.
"Please, can she come to stay with us for a while? The shame will be too much for her to bear," Edu broke the awkward silence, his words making his dad glance at him furiously.
"Are you out of your mind? Do you even think before you talk, or do you have a fish brain?" Ali replied. "You want to bring a girl to whose house?"
"Then let me go back to the village and take responsibility," Edu said in a soft but firm tone.
"What about the music label that wants to sign you? Do you even know how lucky you are that Maven Studio likes your singing talent? You want to bring a village champion into your life at this stage? Don't you know this is a lifetime opportunity you're tampering with?" Ali spoke, his voice echoing throughout the room. "You're not going anywhere," Ali replied, getting up from where he was sitting. "
Here's the corrected version:
"You're not going anywhere," Ali replied, getting up from where he was sitting. "You're denying that pregnancy whether you like it or not. and that's that's final."
"I'm confiscating your phone and everything that could possibly take you back to that village until you come to your senses."
As he walked out of the room, shouting furiously, Edu couldn't shake off the fact that Bassy was pregnant. He wondered how he could reach her or have a word with her, but nothing surfaced.
Zoe suggested that Bassy should go and tell Edu's mother the truth before anyone else does. Bassy stood up, strategically walking back to Edu's house, and Zoe decided to go with her upon realizing how reluctantly she was walking.
Oyo was cleaning the house when Bassy and Zoe arrived. They greeted her and sat down.
"Oh, I see you've been at Zoe's house. I was wondering if you went back home," Oyo said sympathetically, glancing at Bassy. Bassy tried to figure out how to air her predicament out to Oyo for the second time as Zoe gave her an encouraging look to speak up.
"Please, can you help me call Edu?" Bassy managed to say in a low tone.
Oyo winced as she sat down on the bench with Zoe and Bassy. She gently took her hand to the back of Bassy's head, stroking it slowly.
A shiver ran through Bassy's spine upon hearing Oyo's words. "Edu's father called me a few hours ago before you walked in."
"Oh no, that means she already knows," Bassy whispered to herself in turmoil.
Oyo spoke in a low and sad tone. "He said Edu told him he's not responsible for your pregnancy, but I believe either him or Edu is lying. I asked him to give the phone to Edu so I can hear it from him myself, but he said Edu had refused to talk to him. But it's okay, my child. You can stay here with me for now until we hear from Edu."
"Thank you, Ma," Bassy hugged Oyo, tears streaming from her eyes.
"You need to stop crying, my child," Oyo said softly, wiping away her tears. "You've cried enough. I left some garden eggs I brought from the farm at home for you. Hope you like garden eggs?" Bassy nodded wordlessly, overcome with grief.
Talking about garden eggs reminded Zoe that she was making food for her parents before Bassy walked in. She promptly stood up to start going, waving them goodbye. Oyo suggested that Bassy should see her off at least halfway, which she did.
"Wait, I didn't quite understand what Ms. Oyo meant that you can stay here for now until she hears from Edu. Does she mean that if Edu denies you, she's going to throw you out like your aunt did?" Zoe asked, her tone puzzled as they walked out of the compound. "But Bassy, do you really think Edu denied you?"
"No, I don't think so. I think his father is the one trying to rob me of this. But my God is alive," Bassy replied. "I don't think Edu would ever think of doing that to me. I really wish to hear from him. I've missed him so much."
"Yeah, me too. Bassy is a good guy, and that's why I encouraged you to say yes to him. I never knew it would turn out like this. I'm really sorry, Bassy. I feel like I put you into this mess," Zoe held Bassy's hand, meeting her gaze with honesty.
"Don't say that, Zoe. You did nothing wrong. Besides, I love Edu so much, and I still believe he loves me too. But the truth is, I still can't believe I'm pregnant," she muttered with sorrow. "It's really going to affect my studies, and the shame is too unbearable."