EPISODE 3:
Too Young to Carry This!
It all started at the beginning of the third term. Something felt different. My body was changing, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I confided in my closest friend, Toyin, and her words hit me like a brick: “Could you be pregnant?”
I laughed it off at first how could that even be possible? But Toyin wasn’t joking. The next day, she showed up with a pregnancy test strip and insisted we try it using my morning urine. When the test turned positive, my entire world flipped upside down.
I was stunned, numb, and terrified. Pregnant?! Me?! At that moment, our thoughts weren’t about what the next term would look like or school grades; it was all about one thing: getting rid of the pregnancy. Abortion became our only plan.
We found a tiny clinic and went in together. The nurse looked at us like we were grown women and said, “It’ll be eight thousand naira.” Eight thousand? Where was I supposed to get that kind of money? Without missing a beat, Toyin said, “Steal it from your aunty.”
So that’s what I started doing. I stole N3,000 first. Then a few days later, I took another N3,000. But I wasn’t slick enough my aunty noticed. She confronted me, I denied it until she searched my school bag and found the money. I couldn’t lie anymore. I confessed.
The next day, she followed me to school and made me collect the money I’d given Toyin. She warned Toyin to stay out of it or she’d face the school authorities and her parents. Just like that, it was no longer our secret. It was hers now.
That night, she and her husband came into my room and had “the talk.” They said they’d help me because we were family. They promised education, a better life, and even the possibility of traveling abroad... but only if I kept the pregnancy hidden.
The next morning, they drove me to school and made me lie to Toyin that I’d gone through with the abortion. After that, I was pulled out of school and told to stay home until I gave birth.
I wasn’t at peace. I still didn’t even know for sure who the father was. I decided I’d leave for village to find my mother, surely, she would understand.
I called her, hoping for comfort. But instead, her words crushed what was left of me: "Don’t come to my house with that bastard. Go to whoever got you pregnant and stay there."
Now, I’m left with no other option but to stay with my aunt and her husband.
And if you’re wondering where my father is in all this. May his soul rest in peace.
*To be continued…*
When I was under ten, two brothers; our family friends kept sexually abusing me. I tried to tell someone, but instead of being protected, I was blamed for “playing with boys.” I was just a small, innocent girl that they took advantage of. One was older, the other was younger, but both cruel. They would hold me down, cover my mouth, and take turns with me. I felt helpless, dirty, and ashamed. Things only changed when my family relocated. I thought I was finally safe but little did I know that I was wrong. Another so-called family friend, a man over twenty years older than me, began calling me to “help his wife.” What I didn’t know was that his wife was never home. And just like that, one day he locked the door, dragged me, and violated me. I begged him to stop, told him I was a virgin, but he only laughed and tore my clothes. Afterward, he threatened to kill me if I ever tell my parents about it. I ran home, broken, and cried until I could cry no more. I cursed him with every bre...
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