DEBISI

          

    "You are pregnant!"

      
  As the words made their way out of the mouth of the plumb sized doctor seated in front of her,Debisi's knees shook vehemently.

      Less than three days ago she was awarded the 'most devoted and spiritual teenager' by her church. How would she explain all of this to her pastors and friends in church?

    Tears dropped without interruption. In just a few minutes, her entire life was shattered right before her eyes.

"Young lady! Are you listening?" The doctor called.

    She looked up at him, “I heard all you said doctor. Can I see the test results?" She said amidst soft dripping tears. He handed her a white sealed envelope. She tore it open it and froze all over again.

She was indeed pregnant!

    Why did this have to happen to her? What wrong did she do to deserve such level of wickedness? How would she explain to everyone that the promising Adebisi Adekunle was pregnant with a bastard?

       She brought out her white handkerchief and dried her tears. She would continue crying at home. Creating a scene at the doctor's office would be terribly unfair. It wasn't his fault that she was pregnant.

        Hanging her black leather bag on her shoulders, she walked out of the hospital. She heard the doctor mumble some words but she was too pained to hear.

       She walked faster than her legs could carry her. She didn't slow down her pace until she was in the confines of her apartment.

      Hot tears found its way of her ears the moment her buttocks found the mattress.All her dreams of graduating with a first class in two years was completely shattered! All her life, she dreamed of becoming a respected female Entrepreneur but that dream was far from happening. She was totally done for!

She didn't need a pastor to tell her what her Father would do to her! Killing her wasn't even close to it.

    She brought out the torn envelope from her bag and kept it deep down into the box containing her clothes.

Her roommates seeing it would only make matters worse.

    No one except her best friend knew about the incident. She wasn't able to muster enough courage to tell her roommates what happened to her that night.

   She swore to herself that no one except Jide would ever find out about what happened to her. Jide wouldn't have known if she wasn't in desperate need of help and a place to stay on that cold night.

   This pregnancy just shattered all her plans of secrecy. Not only will everyone find out, they would also want an explanation. How would she explain to her parents that she has no clue who the father of her child was?

What words would she use in describing the worst night of her life?

After sticking the envelope below her clothes, she arranged her box well and closed it.

    The door opened while she was putting the box back to its place.

"Babe! Where have you being since morning? Myself and Biola were already getting worried. You just left this morning without notice"

"Chioma please don't be angry,I had to go to church for a quick rehearsal.  Yourself and Biola were snoring and I didn't want to be the one to disturb such sweet sleep" she pretended to be looking for something while taking the time to stylishly wipe her face. Lying and pretense was gradually becoming a part of her.

    When she was sure that her face was looking a lot better, she faced Chioma. "You guys didn't even think about cooking, I am so hungry" she caressed her tummy with her left hands.

"We actually cooked but you weren't in the equation. But there is some soup in the pot. You can make eba and enjoy our generosity"

    "You people are so selfish" she walked to the corner of the room and opened a small pot on the floor. "Vegetable soup?"

"Don't even give me that swollen look. You should be glad we even cooked at all" Chioma picked her system on the reading table and opened it. Chioma and her system were inseparable.

    Despite knowing her dislike for Vegetable soup,they still went ahead to cook it. Today must really be the worst day of her life. The last thing she was in the mood for was food!

   All the food talk was just so she would appear normal to Chioma. Of the three of them in the room,Chioma was the most observant. She had the ability to notice absolutely anything.

"I have to get to Jide's room. I'll see you guys later." She dipped her phone into her back pocket and made for the door.

"Oh! So who will eat that soup?"

"When you were cooking Vegetable soup, did it skip your mind that I don't like the soup?"

"Ungrateful child. Next time, we will quietly finish our food"

"I know that you are very nice. You guys won't do that to me." She opened the door and left, closing it behind her.

    The tears made their way out again when she was safely out of Obafemi Awolowo hall also known as Awo hall of the University of Ibadan.

   In no time she was knocking on Jide's door. He opened immediately he saw from the window that it was her.

"Jide,there is big problem!" She sat at the edge of His bed. With her two hands placed on her head,she looked like a wife who just lost her husband.

"What's up? All these your expressions eh,which one is big problem again?" He took the plastic chair and sat.

"Olajide,I am pregnant!" As the words fell  quietly out of her lips, another fresh flow of tears followed.

"You are what?" He stood up in shock,

        "What do you mean pregnant? How can you be pregnant? God cannot be that wicked and callous to allow such a thing happen"

"I haven't being feeling too well for a few weeks now. I kept postponing my trip to the doctor but I just kept getting worse. I went to see the doctor today and He confirmed that I am three weeks pregnant,I saw the test result with my own eyes!"

"What?" He ran his hands through his thick afro, "This isn't fair! Why did it have to be you?" The lines around his eyes were darkening. He was about to cry.

       "I am having to watch my entire life slip right before my very eyes. What would the church say? Who would believe my story? My parents would be terribly disappointed!"

    For a very long moment, Jide sat there,motionless,saying nothing. She understood this posture like the back of her palms, he was in deep thought.

"I think we should speak to pastor Micheal about this!" Jide blurted when he was done thinking.

     "You must be really drunk. Telling a pastor is the last thing I expected you to suggest. That would shatter my name completely. Have you forgotten that I was given the 'most devoted and spiritual teenager' award on Sunday? I cannot tell any pastor. I just can't"

    He stood from the plastic chair he was sitting and joined her on the bed. He tenderly placed his hands over her shoulders. "I would be lying if I said I knew how you are feeling at the moment. But I am trying to bring up a solution here. The truth is whether or not you tell the pastors,they will still find out. Pregnancies can't be hidden. Your stomach would grow bigger and everyone will know but on the other hand,if you tell...."

     "How do I open my mouth to tell people that I was raped by five men whose faces I didn't even see?Do you think anybody would believe me? All those pastors whose name you are calling will be the first to call me a blatant liar. I am not telling anybody"

      "How do you plan to conceal your pregnancy from everyone?"

"I will have an abortion!" She blurted.

"God forbid!" The shock he felt was too much to keep him sitting. "Adebisi! You want to commit murder? What happened to the Debisi who preaches vehemently against fornication and abortion?"

       Deep anger rose up from down her intestine,"That Debisi no longer exists!" The look on her face scared Jide to his bones.   

    "Where did all my preaching get me? If God was fair,wouldn't He have seen all my service to Him and spared me? But what did our Dear God do,He sat down, crossed His legs and watched me not only get raped but also get pregnant! Don't even dare tell me about what's right or wrong"

     Jide stared at her without saying a word. How would he get into the heart of his friend? Whatever scripture he would quote would most likely not be new to Debisi.

   He just couldn't sit down and watch his best friend have an abortion. Apart from the fact that she would be killing an innocent child,it could also cost her life!

There was no way he was letting her do it.

"Debisi. Have you forgotten that All things work together for good to those who love God and are called.."

"Jide,just spare me all of that. I am having an abortion and that's final."

"What if you die?" It was important that he helped her weigh all the possible outcomes of having an abortion.

"Dying will be better than the stigma of having the whole world see me pregnant. I would rather die than have this child!"

"Debisi!"

"Don't even Debisi me. I have told you all I had to say. I am leaving" with that she left.

***********************

         Getting a doctor wasn't as hard as she expected. All she had to do was swallow all her Christian pride and walk up to some of the wild and happening ladies on campus.

    They started by insulting her and calling her names like,'hypocrite' but she didn't care. Maybe they won't have called her any of those names if they knew how she came about the pregnancy. Telling them the whole story would be too much information. So she said nothing. It was better to allow them believe she was a hypocrite than to tell them everything.

   The most senior and experienced of the ladies agreed to take her to see a doctor in two days time.

    Keeping the whole issue from her roommates wasn't easy at all. Chioma was off course already suspecting that something was going on.

"Are you sure you are fine?" Chioma asked her yesterday morning.

"I'm fine,just a little tired. All I need is a good sleep" even with her answer,she could see that ibo girl wasn't fully satisfied.

    Just two more days of pretending and all of this would be over. She could barely wait.

   She stayed away from class and as much as possible avoided all her friends from fellowship.

   Jide's missed calls on her phone,if counted should be close to hundred if not more. The last thing she could endure was someone preaching to her.

   She would do what needed to be done,maybe this would be a warning to God that He couldn't just do whatever He wanted with the lives of people and still expect them to obey His selfish commandments.

    All the reputation she had worked so hard to build couldn't just go down the drain like that,especially not for something she knew absolutely nothing about.

   Her ringing phone brought her back to the present. She deeply hoped it wasn't Jide.

   Her roommates said he visited the room almost seven times yesterday. She knew he would come looking for her,that was why she left the house as early as possible.

   She brought out the phone from her bag and checked for the Caller's Identity,it wasn't Jide.

 It was Felicia! She picked immediately.     

     "Hello Felicia" Felicia was the name of one of the ladies helping her with getting a good doctor.

"Babe! Plans have changed! The Doctor said he won't be around in two days time,so the abortion would be done tomorrow. Is that alright?"

"Its actually even better. The earlier I get this over and done with,the better. What time should I be at your room?"

"Six in the morning will be better. That way,we can prepare together and leave without too many blaring eyes"

"Alright Felicia. I will be there. Thank you"

"You're welcome. I just wish you would stop all these hypocritical lifestyle. All these people that will just be claiming Christians. You people are worse than us. Anyways,just be here tomorrow"

"Alright. I will. Bye" she dropped the call.

    Deep in the recesses of her heart,she heard a few voices but the clearest of them all not only applauded her but also made her feel like she was doing the right thing. She drowned every other voice and chose to listen to that one.

   The very voice that agreed with her decision. As she walked to her room,what was right or wrong was very far from her mind.

   All that mattered to her was saving her reputation. Even if she had to kill a child to do it,it was more than worth it.

  As far as she was concerned,compassion in her heart died the very day she was raped!

'Sorry baby,but I have to do this!'

***************************

        Morning came faster than she expected. She had her bath and prepared as fast as she could. She informed her roommates that she had a morning lecture but she would be back later in the evening.

"All these your professors that do not allow you guys sleep!" Biola remarked as she left.

      When she got to Felicia's apartment,they were already awake and preparing.

    Felicia and two other ladies would be the ones to accompany her. She would ever be grateful to them for their kindness.

"You can sit here. We would soon be leaving" one of the girls offered her a plastic made chair. She sat and consciously decided to forget about how nervous she was feeling.

     Felicia and her friends had assured her that the process won't take time at all. 'In no time we would be done' those were Felicia's exact words. And she believed.

    The trip to the hospital was a very quiet one. No one spoke. Debisi couldn't even find words to utter. Being quiet was the best thing and only thing she could do at the moment.

    She touched her stomach a couple of times,right inside it was a growing baby. And she was about to abort it.

   Her nerves shot up at that thought. Realizing that thinking about what she was about to do wasn't going to help,she focused on other thoughts.

   She saw herself graduating with honors,she pictured the smile on her mother's face as she walks down the aisle with a deserving man.

   She thought about all the awards she still had to get from church and the business world for her dedication and excellence.

There was no way she would allow a bastard rid her of such a bright future.

    Her fear nervousness began to rise when they started driving into a deserted bushpath. Where were these ladies taking her to?

How can a hospital be located at such a place?

   "Erm..erm..Felicia..where are we going to?". She managed to ask.

"The hospital. Just calm down,we will soon be there."

    When they got to the supposed hospital,Debisi was already scared to pieces.

    The place looked deserted and rickety. As if not even a single soul had entered into it in years.

"Good day ladies" A man in a white lab coat came out and greeted them at the door.

"Good morning doctor. Are you ready for us?" Felicia asked the man

"Very much ready. Who is the patient?"

     Pointing to her,she said, "she is the one. Please handle her with care. She is very young. If you know what I mean"

"I understand perfectly" he said and looked at her "please come with me young lady!"

   He sounded calm and educated but she just couldn't shake off this deep seated fear in her heart.

  Despite her fears,she accompanied the doctor to a room.  A nurse was laying the bed when she entered.

"Please get me the Cervical Dilators and the MVA" He instructed the nurse who left immediately to do as she was told.

"Please sit on the bed,we will begin the moment the equipments are here."

    The courteous way he spoke to her didn't erase the scare in her heart. She could tell them right now she wasn't interested anymore. She could say no to all of this and save the life of this child but what would happen to her future?

What would happen to her dreams?

How would she explain to the world that she was raped?

    The stigma would be way too much for her to bare! For the sake of her future,she would do it.

   Putting all her fears behind,she wore the white gown handed over to her by the doctor who didn't even bother to tell him her name.

"We will do this very quickly. In less than thirty minutes we would be done. Don't be scared. You are doing the right thing!" The doctor reassured her.

She didn't know why but his reassurance only alleviated her fears.

    The nurse gave her water and some medicines and asked her to drink it. According to her,it would make the process easier.

   Debisi the hater of drugs drank it in no time. After a while,the doctor injected her arm with God-knows-what. With her knowledge of abortion,it was obvious that she was undergoing a general anesthetic.

        The moment the injection got into her system,she immediately felt weak. It felt as if,she tried her best to stay strong but the anesthetic was stronger than her will power.

    Her head found the pillow and her eyes closed. She slept but not before feeling a stab of pain at her Vagina.

       The process of killing her baby had begun and she was going to sleep through it.

   Feelings of guilt,anger and pain tore at her heart. She couldn't feel any physical pain as she was under an anesthetics but deep down inside her soul,she was struck by an unimaginable pain. The pain and guilt of knowing that she was in the process of killing an innocent child.

      The pain was over shadowed by a stronger feeling. Anger towards God! If He could allow her go through an experience as gruesome as rape,then she would make sure She got back at her with every ounce of her being.

     In a few minutes,she would be done with the abortion. The moment she left this hospital,she would be the greatest threat God would ever have.

She would be the right hand man to the devil.

What she didn't know was that;

She wasn't leaving the hospital alive!

Her death was waiting for her.

In a few minutes,just like her baby,she would also be dead!