I heaved a huge sigh of relief. I was thankful to God that its not what I feared that happened. How would I have wriggled my way out of it? What would I have told my mother? Would I have said the doctor was lying against me?
“Is that true, Rosemary?” mother turned to me. “You did not even say anything like that when you returned from the hospital.”
“It’s because I did not want to bother you and father about it, but I will be okay.”
“But the doctor said the test is important, or didn’t you hear him just now?” mother reacted. She turned to the doctor, “So, you want her to take the test now, doctor?”
“Yes, I do. But first, let her come over to the hospital so the nurses will check her up and then we determine the exact type of test that will do and tell her how much it will cost.”
“Okay, doctor, thank you. So, when do you want her to come to the hospital?”
“Today, if possible. The earlier we do it, the better,” the man answered, a satisfied look on his face. He has played a fast one on me. He wanted to get me to come back to see him and he had succeeded.
“Rosemary, did you hear that? So, when are you going to go to the hospital?” mother asked.
“I will be there tomorrow in the morning, I have some things I need to do today,” I answered.
“Like what things?” mother fired at me.
“Don’t worry, mummy Rosemary, tomorrow is still okay. If she can’t make it today, let her come tomorrow,” the doctor agreed. My mother thanked him, promised I would be there the following morning and he took his leave.
I had never felt such huge relief in my entire life. This man practically scared the living daylights out of me. What in heavens name was he thinking, coming over to my house like that? Apparently, the whole idea was to scare me into giving in to his demand. But, most frighteningly, the idea was to let me know I was at his mercy. The man could very easily blackmail me by threatening to tell my parents that I got pregnant if I fail to do his bidding. Even when I have managed to get rid of the pregnancy, he could still come after me if I fail to give him the sex he was asking for. And there was no way my parents would not believe him if he tells them I got pregnant and got rid of the pregnancy. He was the most popular doctor in the community, everybody liked him and trusted him. Nobody, not even my parents, would disbelieve him if he told them I just had an abortion. So, in a nutshell, I was in really serious trouble with this man!
How do I wriggle out of this? From the way I see it now, even if Bobby raises the full money for the D&C and I get to do it elsewhere, this man will still come after me, demanding for sex or else he would spill the beans to my parents. Should I go ahead and do his bidding? Should I go ahead and offer him my body so he would let me be?
I could scarcely sleep that night. It was apparently the longest night I had ever known. It took eternity before it was break of dawn. I could not wait to get out of bed, do my chores and run off to meet Bobby so he could take me to the doctor he talked about and evacuate the baby in my womb. I was scared at the prospect of going through an abortion at my age. I had read so many dreadful things that have happened to young ladies who go through abortions, especially multiple abortions. And the very thought that I could possibly end up with a damaged womb after the D&C just frightened me to my marrows.
But I had no other choice. There was no other option on the table. It was either I go ahead with the D&C or go through the shame and the stigma I would put myself and my parents through if word got out that, I, Rosemary, one of the brightest girls in the neighbourhood, had gotten pregnant. The shame, I feared, could kill my father. He had invested every drop of his sweat, his earnings, on me and my siblings. To pay him back this way would so definitely shatter him. And my mother? She would cry and cry until there would be no more tears left in her eyes. And as for me, that could mark the end of my education. That could mark the beginning of a very bleak and gloomy future for me. I had to think of way out of this mess I’d gotten myself into and I had to do that fast.
Once the day broke, I got out of bed and promptly went about my chores. Dad was surprised I had gotten up that early. He was usually the first to wake up in the house. He liked getting up early to prepare for work. A few hours after, mum called me into her room.
“Rosemary, remember yiu have to see the doctor this morning, I don’t want you to disregard what he said o,” mother warned. “Go and find out the kind of test you will do first and let him tell us what it will cost and leave me and your father to worry about where the money will come from.”
“But mother, I swear I am okay, I don’t really need this test…,” I tried one last desperate effort to dissuade her from compelling me to go see the doctor.
“That is not for you to say, Rosemary, let the doctor decide that,” mother retorted. “He knows what he’s doing. It’s his job. If you don’t need to do the test he would not have come to the house to say so. How many homes have you seen the doctor personally go to in this neighbourhood? But he came here to our house.”
Because he wants to sleep with your daughter! I almost screamed out to mother. But I restrained myself. I told her it was okay and that I would do exactly as she had instructed and moments later, I left the house. Mother’s thinking was that I was going to see the doctor. But that was far from reality. I wasn’t going to see any doctor, I had a big appointment with Bobby, the guy who got me into this mess!
