Chapter 3 Shame!!!

CONSEQUENCE

3

Oriaku was infuriated. She never imagined that her child would ever become pregnant out of wedlock...

'this is my enemies at work' Oriaku thought to herself. She thought of how she will become the topic for discussion among the market women.

"Mama,what is the meaning of this?" Kachi snapped.

"eh eh! Kachi so you still have the mouth to talk?" Oriaku asked angrily and flabbergasted. The nerve of her daughter.

"Mama why won't I talk? what did I do to you that made you pour water on me?!" Kachi retorted.

Oriaku chuckled in disbelief. "you have eaten what I ate that is why you have the guts to disrespect me in my husband's house".

" I don't blame you" Oriaku added.

"mama I don't know what you are talking about. what did you eat that I have eaten?" Kachi paused and observed her mother's face.

"see see,if someone made you angry at the market please don't put it on me. allow me to be" She replied angrily and folded her arms under her chest.

"Kachi! Eh Kachi?" Oriaku chuckled in disbelief

"even after bringing disgrace to this family,you now talk back at me!!!?" Oriaku yelled with so much anger that could shake a building.

Kachi was quiet surprised. She honestly didn't know what her mother was talking about. Disgrace? what did she do?

"Mama what are you even talking about? tell me because I am clueless" She demanded.

"This is what am talking about!!" Oriaku tossed a white paper to her before walking to a near by seat and plunged herself on it.

Kachi wondered what the paper contained that made her mother so mad. Nonetheless,she opened the paper and then it dawned on her.

It was the pregnancy result. Even though she already knew the content through her mother's reaction,she still had to read it to make sure her mother wasn't tricking her.

Kachi was a little bit educated than her parents. She had gone to the community school. Even with the poor education system there,she still managed to scale through. At least she can read and write.

Kachi buried her face in her palms,while listening to her mother query her.

"Kachi how could you? how dare you do this to our family?" The poor woman lamented. Her heart was broken.

"Mama i am sorry" Kachi apologized.

Both mother and daughter cried;Kachi felt guilty while Oriaku heart broken.

"You have disappointed me,your father and your self too" Oriaku continued.

"you have made me a laughing stock" Oriaku cried.

"I am sorry,Mama" Kachi apologized again.

"Sorry?" Oriaku scoffed. "you are sorry"

" what can sorry do now? absolutely nothing. You should have thought of how sorry you will be before opening your legs and allowing a man who is not your husband to get you pregnant..." Oriaku complained bitterly.

LATER IN THE DAY

The news of Kachi's pregnancy had gotten to her father's ears. The trios sat down in silence,each in his own thoughts.

"Kachi" Mazi Okezie called,breaking the silence.

"yes papa" Kachi's response came through.

"How old are you?" Okezie asked. His voice was calm,but the anger in it was visible.

"I am 19 years papa" Kachi sniffed back tears.

"19" Mazi repeated,nodding his head like he was just understanding what she meant. His daughter's act hurt him the most. Well every parent would be hurt if their daughters gets pregnant outside marriage.

"19 and you are already pregnant?" He asked rhetorically.

"who is responsible?" He continued his question,this time expecting answers. Even when Kachi hesitated,he still didn't repeat himself.

"it's peter" Kachi stuttered "Mazi Dike's son"

Okezie has no problem with the young man or his family,because they are a very notable people in the community.

His anger was his daughter getting pregnant outside marriage. Assuming the young man came to ask for her hand in marriage,he would gladly give her to him.

"well in that case,you have gotten yourself a new home" Okezie said after a very long silence. Oriaku snapped her head to face her husband,She was surprised by his statement.

"Papa..." Kachi called,not sure She understood what he said.

"I want you out of my house,this instant" He roared.

"hey..mbanu,nna anyi. it has not gotten to that" Oriaku pleaded with her husband.

"Papa please" Kachi pleaded in tears and quickly got to her knees. "I am sorry. I don't want to be laughed at"

"you should have thought of that before eating the forbidden fruit" Okezie replied. "and you are already a laughing stock but I won't be part of it."

"mama,please help me beg papa. Tell him am sorry" Kachi cried and pleaded with her mother.

"My husband please...have pity on her. Remember She's our only child." Oriaku pleaded. She was angry at Kachi,but she can't allow her daughter to leave her sight in that condition. She also wanted to take care of her grand child.

"Nna anyi please...at least let her stay till she gives birth,then you can send her away."

"woman,I don't want to hear anything from you again." Okezie shunned her. "when she was opening her legs did she think about her being the only child?"

"mistakes happen. I am sure she has learnt her lessons,oh biko. forgive her" Oriaku still pleaded.

"Oriaku not this kind of mistake,not in my house. and if you had taught her well,she wouldn't be in this mess..." Okezie snapped and walked away.

"oh now it's my fault okwaya? It is now my fault that she got pregnant?" Oriaku yelled to his hearing.

"if a child behaves well,it is the father's doing. but if a child behaves badly,it is the mother's fault. no problem! nsogbu adiro" She was angry.

"mama I don't want to leave please" Kachi cried and held her mother's cloth.

"will you let go of my cloth!" Oriaku said and forcefully removed Kachi's hands. "get out my sight!" she ordered.

Kachi reluctantly got up and left as ordered. She could hear her mother throwing insults at her...

+

At the market the women whom Oriaku confronted for gossiping about someone gathered to gossip about her.

"my sisters wonder shall never end" the second woman enthusiasd. She urged the other women to gather around her.

"mama ikenna what is the matter?" The third woman asked as she left her shop and walked briskly towards mama ikenna.

"you remember Oriaku, who came running her mouth here two days ago?" mama Ikenna asked and the others nodded.

"good. I hear her daughter is pregnant!" she announced.

"are you serious?" the first woman asked enthusiastically.

"yes oo. I heard it directly from nurse Eliza" Mama ikenna said with pride.

"where did you meet with the nurse?"the first woman asked.

"are you sure that your daughter is not pregnant too?" the third woman asked.

"Bia mama Emeka are you trying to insult me and my daughter?" Mama ikenna asked furiously.

"nooo, I am just curious" Mama Emeka shrugged.

"please don't mind her, give us the full gist" the first woman interrupted.

"I met nurse Eliza on her way to Oriaku's house. I was on my way to the market" Mama Ikenna began her tale.

"I asked her why she was going to see Oriaku and she told me how Oriaku had visited her with her daughter to get a pregnancy test done on her child" She continued.

"and out of curiosity, I asked her what the result says and waaaaa like a stream, Eliza opened her mouth and told me that Kachi is pregnant" mama Ikenna concluded her tale.

"heyyyy, I can not wait to see her excommunicated from Umuada. She had the guts to run her mouth meanwhile her daughter is no saint" Mama Emeka danced happily.

"I am looking forward to that as well" The first woman chirped...

"Oriaku, shame!!!" the women chorused. They spatted on the ground in disgusting before going back to their various shops.