Chapter 2 Fears

CONSEQUENCE

2

Kachi sat on a wooden long chair,under a mango tree in peter's compound. Peter is her boyfriend.

"obim,you have not spoken to me since you came here,what is the matter?" Peter asked,before sitting beside her.

"nne,is everything okay?" he asked again after silence greeted him.

"Kachi? Kachi?" he called tapping her.

"peter ogini? what is it?" Kachi snapped taking peter aback.

"you are not saying anything to me and it's bothering me" he replied calmly.

Peter for one,genuinely loves Kachi and it bleeds his heart to see her sad.

"obim,talk to me,please" he begged again. The sincerity in his eyes pricked Kachi's conscience for yelling at him. She sighed and wiped away the tears from her cheek.

"Kachi,you are crying?...Kachi stop this suspence and tell me what happened" He said frustrated.

Kachi took her time to calm down before talking to him. She told everything that he needed to know.

"my mother suspects that I am pregnant" Kachi ended her tale.

"is that why you are crying?" peter asked,earning a scornful look from Kachi. "is it certain? I mean the pregnancy?"

"no. the result will be out soon" Kachi replied,marveled at Her boyfriend's nonchalant attitude towards the issue at hand.

"Kachi i don't know why you are killing yourself over nothing" Peter said.

"what do you mean by that?" Kachi growled.

"even if you get pregnant,it will be a good news" He said smiling but Kachi wasn't smiling. "OK am sorry. it's just that the thought of becoming a father makes me happy"

His actions and reactions caught Kachi off guard. Aside from how disappointed her parents will be at her,She also feared that peter might deny her child,judging from the stories of most girls who got pregnant and was denied by those responsible.

"you are not going to deny it?" She couldn't help her curiosity..

"deny my child?" peter furrowed his brows. He held her hands gently in his and massaged them with his thumb.

"Kachi,you should know that I love you too much to do that to you" He continued,but Kachi wasn't buying that.

"Peter,that is what is trending in this village. Young men denying their children" She rasped.

"even your friend,Ebuka did that with Chinelo.." She threw her face away.

Peter chuckled "I am not Ebuka. Kachi,I am peter,the son of Dike and I can never deny my child no matter what" He replied calmly.

His words melted away Kachi's heart. Now that she was sure that Peter wouldn't deny her child,if eventually she was pregnant,she only have to worry about her parents.

"But...what about my parents? they are going to be disappointed." She frowned.

"Don't worry about them,we will find a way out,together" Peter cooed and pulled her to himself.

"but we are not even sure if you are really pregnant or not" Peter said after a little while.

"well,the result will tell" Kachi replied and silence followed,each lost in thoughts.

+

At the market, Oriaku overheard some women discussing about a girl who got pregnant. She picked interest and stylishly drew closer to the group of women discussing.

"did you hear about Chizoba?" The first woman began

"which Chizoba?" the second asked.

"Ukamaka's daughter. Remember Ukamaka, the leader of Umuada" The first woman explained.

"yes what about her daughter?" another woman asked curiously.

"hmm, I heard that she's pregnant" the first woman said with disgust.

"is she married?" another person asked.

"why are you asking as if you don't know Ukamaka and..." the first woman said but the second woman cut her short

"and her show off" the second woman chirped.

"were you asked to contribute anything for anybody's marriage?" the third woman asked. She directed her question to the person who asked if Chizoba was married.

"if Chizoba got married, we all know that Ukamaka would have shut down the whole village" the second woman said in contempt.

"eh? So Ukamaka's daughter is pregnant, out if wedlock?" the fourth woman clapped her hands dramatically.

"yes o, my sister" the first woman replied.

"I remember the way she condemned Nkechi, before excommunicating her from Umuada when her daughter Chinelo got pregnant" Someone stated.

"yes I remember that day. Chai! I really felt pity for Nkechi. The poor woman was crying bitterly" the fourth woman cooed.

"this is the true definition of kamar,because..." the first woman said.

"what goes around comes around!!!" the other women chorused. They laughed and high fived each other.

"so what becomes of her?" the fourth woman asked.

"Bia this woman, why are you behaving as if you are not a member of the Umuada?" the first woman retorted.

"nne, okwanu ka okwu na ga'aga (my dear I want the discussion to keep flowing)" the woman replied defensively.

"first, she will be stripped off her leadership position and then excommunicated from the Umuada" The second woman responded.

"chai, poor Ukamaka. I hope she learns her lessons and not judge others in their bad times" the fourth woman said with empathy.

"that serves her right. I wish she would be given more punishment" the first woman said contempted.

"ah ah why?"

"because she deserves more and worst" The first woman said frantically.

"this is becoming personal. Are you sure there's nothing more to this than the matter at hand?" one of the women asked and the rest stared at the frantic woman with suspicious eyes.

"and I hope that all of you can stand before Ukamaka and say all what you just said behind her?" Oriaku asked. She was tired of the malicious words that was being lashed out at the poor woman.

"and how is that your business?" the first woman glared at her.

"it's not my business but remember, no body is perfect. It is her turn today, tomorrow might be the turn for any of you here, and just like you lashed at Ukamaka, people, even your friends will lash out at you" Oriaku replied.

"God forbid!!" the women said simultaneously.

"is that a curse?" The second woman asked.

"it's just an advice" Oriaku replied.

"Oriaku okwuruora, (Oriaku the mouth piece) thank you for your advice, but take it else where" the women taunted.

Oriaku left the scene but the women kept throwing tantrums at her. She even heard one of them telling her to make sure that her home is prefect.

NEXT DAY

Angry Oriaku stormed into the compound and met it exactly the way she had left it. She met Elizabeth on her way to the market.

After asking Elizabeth to read the result,Oriaku lost her joy. Even though she had trekked a far distance from her home and almost at the market,she couldn't continue her journey.

Oriaku got hold of a bucket full of water and splashed it on Kachi who has been sleeping. Kachi flawed her eyes open and met the angry eyes of her mother,staring daggers at her.