Pregnant For A Stranger

Hannah was in the kitchen with her mother, preparing breakfast when suddenly her mother throw a surprising question to her.

" Why are all your friends male Hannah?" Her mother asked.

Ava left to where she stood and walk to her. " Why did you ask such a question mother?" Said Hannah.

" I have my reasons for saying that." Replied her mother. " It's not good." She added.

" Come on mother" Hannah rolled her eyes. " I like male friends because they're cool. It's normal." She added while her mother fold her arms and watched her.

" Female friends are just........" She drawled, looking for the right words. " They're jealous and troublesome. I can't have them as friends."

But her mother wasn't satisfied.

" Then why didn't you become a man?" Her mother asked.

" Mother!" Hannah exclaimed.

" Men are dangerous Hannah, I don't want you around them. You're a girl for goodness sake, and you should be with girls." Said her mother.

" Ouch!!" Hannah said and rolled her eyes. Slapping her forehead. " Not my friends mother, they're cool and fine." She persist. " Why can't you believe me for once mother?" She said in disappoinment.

" Come on Hannah, I don't like your lifestyle you have to change." Her mother said.

" I don't like all this...." Said Hannah with a frown. " I'm tired of this whole thing. I'm tired." She murmured and walk out of the kitchen, leaving her mother there.

" Hannah! Hannah!" Her mother called, but she payed deaf ears.

" I have the right to choose my friends, I know what's right for me." She kept murmuring and entered her room.

" Hello Hannah!" Someone called from outside. It sounded like one of her friends, Alex.

She quickly left her room and hurried outside. Just as she thought, there stood Alex on his usual dress.

" Hi!" Said Alex. " I thought you're not in." He said.

" Is that your good morning?" Hannah asked.

" Sorry." He apologized. " Good morning."

" Morning." Replied Hannah. " How are you little boy?" She asked.

" You're crazy." Said Alex with a little laughter. " You're not dressed, why?" He asked.

" I'm not done yet." She replied.

" Seriously?" Alex furrowed his brow. " What were you doing?" He asked.

" I was cooking." She replied. " Will you wait for me?" She asked.

" Not again Hannah. You did the same thing yesterday, and we went late. Remember what we faced." Alex said. " I don't want it to happen again please." He added.

" Why are you like this?" Said Hannah with a frown. " You're bad for my liking." She added.

" Yesterday......." He wanted to say something, but she cut him off.

" Let me get my bag." She said and rushed inside.

She picked her bag and hurried to the kitchen to tell her Mom. " Mother! I'm off....." She announced happily and ran out.

" So soon?" Said her mother. " What about your breakfast?" She asked.

" Later!" Hannah responded. " Let's go." She said to Alex.

" You've not taken breakfast?" Alex furrowed his brow, staring at her in surprise as they kept walking.

" Not your business." Replied Hannah rolling her eyes. " Keep moving or I will spank your head." She added jokingly.

" You can't do that, I'm not your mate." Replied Alex.

" Stop bragging. It doesn't suits you." Hannah said.

" I'm not bragging." Replied Alex.

" Tony is older than all of us, but he doesn't brag about it." She said and there's silence. " Next year, I'll be 20 too." She added.

" And I'll be 21." Alex said. " It doesn't change anything." He added.

" Ouch!!" Hannah muttered and he chuckled.

As they reached school, Alex and Hannah were about to enter class when suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.

" You again? What are you doing here?" It was a male voice.

Hannah and Alex turned immediately. There stood the guy that splash water on Hannah few days ago, while he's driving.

Hannah had given him the best insult of his life, that even when his father asked him to apologized to her, she wasn't ready to listen cause he's done it more than twice, and she'd recognized his car.

" What is he doing here?" Hannah asked Alex.

" What kind of question is that?" Said Alex. " How am I suppose to answer that?"

"Before I count one to three, I want you to leave this place!" He said angrily.

" You don't know what to say." Hannah said, but Alex pinched her, and drew closer to her.

" His father owns this place, and I'm sure he's the one that gave you the scholarship.

I don't think he will be happy if he finds out that you insulted his son." Alex whispered.

" We will talk about that later." Said Hannah. " Are you done with your counting?" She asked the guy.

" I can see that you lack manners." The guy responded.

" Who is talking? Look at this idiot. Do you know who you're talking to? I've heard a lot about you and I don't give a shit about that.

If you want it hot! I'll give it to you! I'm not the type of people you usually mess up with. Don't try me!

Talking about manners, your father was the one that begged you to apologized to me few days ago.

He begged!" She glanced at Alex. " This idiot refused to comply. Just an apology, it took him more than 30 minutes! The next time you try that shit again, I won't fail to break that stupid car of yours.

Look at his face! I wonder what girls see in you." She concluded and was about to enter the class, when the lady with him spoke.

" Be careful girl......." The girl drawled the last word. " We look cool but we are very dangerous." She concluded.

"Go to hell bitch!!" Hannah said and walked into the class.

" Did you just hear that Maxwell?" The girl said, staring at his face directly with a frown on her face.

" Don't worry Diana. It's not yet our time." Maxwell replied.

Alex wanted to follow Hannah, but Maxwell called him back. " Hey!" Alex turned to him immediately.

" Bro! I mean sir." Alex said.

" Who is she?" He asked.

" She's my friend." Alex replied. Her name is Hannah." He added.

" Is she schooling here?" He asked in surprise.

" Yes sir." Alex replied. " She's new here." He added

"Hmmm." Maxwell grunts and chuckle. " You can go." He said to Alex.

" Thank you sir." Alex said and walked into the class.

" It is good that you're schooling here with me." Said Maxwell. " I have my reasons for not touching you today, but if you cross my part next time. I won't fail to show you what I'm made of." He muttered and walked into the class as well, followed by Diana.

Hannah was heading back from school with her friends, when suddenly a woman began to scream. " Thief! Thief! Thief! My purse!" The woman began to cry as she kept screaming.

Hannah was surprised, but suddenly, a man passed them quickly with a purse in his hand.

And Hannah knew that it was the thief the woman was talking about. She quickly left her friends and ran after him. Hoping to get the purse from him, and return it to the owner.

People began to pursue her, thinking that she's the thief. " Catch the girl! Stop right now! Hold her!" They kept screaming, but Hannah didn't care about them. Her focus was on the thief.

Suddenly, the man threw the purse away and ran off quickly. Hannah picked the purse from the floor and turned back. Heading to the woman.

The crowd began to drag her, but she told them that she's not the thief. She also made it known to them that the thief has ran away, but they seemed not to believe her.

They drag her to where the woman was, and she thanked them happily, showering prayers of blessings on them.

When she opened her purse, she couldn't find her money. " My money! My money! Where is my money?" She asked staring at Hannah.

" I don't know what you are talking about." Hannah said.

" Return my money now!" She yelled.

" I'm not with your money ma'am. I was......" Hannah wanted to explain when a slap land on her face, and she tighten her face in anger. " Why did you slap me?" She asked the man who slapped her.

" Return the money now, or else....." Said the guy angrily.

" Don't worry." Hannah said within as tears gathered in her eyes.

" Return my money now or else we will hand you over to the police." Someone yelled.

" You can do whatever you want, I'm not with your money." Hannah yelled.

" What is going on?" Alex, one of her friends asked.

" They are accusing me. I didn't take her money." Hannah replied.

" Shut up!" Someone yelled.

" You thought we won't catch you. Shameless thief!" Someone yelled, and they began to drag her.

" Let go of me!" Said Hannah. " If you touch me again....."

" This girl is a dangerous thief. She can't even plead." Someone said.

" Why will she plead for something she didn't do?" One of Hannah's friend, whose name is Raymond said.

" How did you know that she didn't do it!" The lady asked. " Oh! Seems like you are an accomplice." She added.

" Excuse me!" Said Raymond, furrowing his brow, but the woman didn't say a word again.

" If you touch me again! You won't like the other side of me." Screamed Hannah, pushing their hands away from her. But the more she did, the more they dragged her.

" Are you going to return my money or not?" The woman whose money was stolen asked.

" Go and ask the thief." Hannah replied angrily. " If only I knew, I wouldn't have gotten myself into this mess." She added.

" She didn't take your money ma'am." Said Alex. " We were returning from school, and when she heard you shouting, she decided to help." Alex explained, but everyone paid deaf ears.

" We found her with the purse! Don't confuse us." Someone said.

" Collect your money ma'am. don't allow this thief to escape." Another woman said.

"Let go of me!" Hannah said as they began to search her. But they didn't find the money.

Instead of letting her go, they began to beat her and asked her to call her accomplice.

" She might have pass it to them." Said a man.

" Stop beating me!" That was Hannah's last words before a fight broke out. She was able to injure at least 8 people before the police arrived.

Hannah was arrested and her friends hurried to her house to tell her mother about it.

*

*

*

" I don't know why you find it difficult to listen to me Hannah. I have tried everything possible to change your lifestyle, but you keep making it difficult for me.

I don't want anything to happen to you. I have suffered a lot in this life in order to bring you up.

My father is rich, but look at the place I'm living. My only hope is that you will make me proud one day, and all my suffering will be over.

I pray that you stay away from those boys, I don't want anyone to ruin your future. You are all I have in this world Hannah. I don't want you to experience what I went through."Hannah's mother kept saying as she prepared to go to her shop.

Just then, she heard a knock on the door, and quickly rushed outside.

" Good afternoon ma'am." Hannah's friends chorused.

" Good afternoon." The woman replied. " Is there any problem? Where is Hannah?" Asked the woman suspiciously.

" Actually ma'am..." Alex glanced at others. " We were- we were- coming back from school, but something happened." He stuttered.

" Something happened to my daughter?" The woman's heart skipped a bit.

" Yes ma'am." Replied Tony.

" What happened to her?" Her mother asked.

" She was arrested by the police." Alex blurt out.

" Police!!" Hannah's mother exclaimed.

" They've taken her away." Raymond added.

" We just came to tell you ma." Said Alex.

" But what did she do?" The woman asked, already in tears

"Mother!" Hannah screamed as she saw her mother.

" Let's go." The woman said with a faint smile.

Hannah glanced at the police men and then at her mother. " Why?" She asked. " I'm I released?"

" Yes! You can leave." The officer said.

" Thank you so much sir. Believe me, I didn't steal that money." She said.

" Let's go Hannah." Her mother said to her. She turned to the officer. " Thank you so much officer."

" You're welcome ma'am." Said the man.

Hannah and her mother left the police station and head home. But Hannah noticed her mother's countenance and was worried.

" I didn't steal the money mother. I know you might be thinking......."

" I believe you Hannah." Said her mother. " Your friends told me everything." She added.

" My friends!" Hannah widen her eyes.

" Your friends came to the house and inform me." Her mother replied. " My worry is the money I used." She added.

" The money!" Hannah furrowed her brow. " Which money?" She asked.

" The money for our house rent." She replied.

" What did you use it for?" Hannah asked.

" I used it to pay the woman who arrested you." The woman replied.

" Mother!" Hannah screamed.

" I couldn't leave you there Hannah. I needed...."

" That's not right mother. How could you do that?" Hannah said a bit pissed.

" Do you prefer to....."

" I didn't steal her money. The thief ran away with it, you should've not pay." Said Hannah.

"Come on Hannah, I can't allow you to spend a night there. I don't want anything to happen to you." Her mother replied.

" Damn!" Said Hannah. " So what will happen now? How do you intend to pay the rent?" She asked.

" I don't know." Replied her mother confused. " And there's much food in the house." She added.

" This is unfair. It's not fair at all." Hannah said with a frown.

Few minutes later, they reached home. The moment they entered the house, their landlord came.

" Good day sir." Greeted Hannah's mother.

" Thank you." Replied the man. " You know why I'm here, I don't want any excuse this time." The man added.

" Sir actually....." The woman begin but he cut her off.

" Listen! listen to me madam." Said the man. " I gave you three months, good three months. Now that I'm here, I won't take any excuse.

I can't take this from you again. This is making four months since your rent expired......"

" Sir my daughter......" She wanted to say something, but was interrupted.

" I don't care! Your daughter stole someone's money and......"

" That's not true sir, she didn't steal anyone's money." Hannah's mother defend.

" I'm not here to argue with you. All I need is my money." Yelled the man.

" Sir please give me some tim..." She was interrupted again.

" What do you mean by time?" Asked the man angrily. " Look at me very well, do I look like a child to you?" He asked, but she shook her head negatively.

" I'm not here to fight or do whatever. If you know that you can't pay my money, then leave my house!" He said angrily.

" But Sir......" She begin, but was interrupted again.

" Now!" The man yelled. " Listen, if I come back and you're still here, you won't like what I'll do." He said and walk away, murmuring some words.

" Sir please don't do this to me. I don't have anywhere to go to. Please....." She begged, but it fell on deaf ears.

" Who's that?" Hannah said in surprise as she came out, with a towel around her body.

" We are finished Hannah." Said her mother. " Why must this happen to me?" She cried bitterly.

" What is it mother. I don't understand." Said Hannah.

" The landlord." Said her mother.

" He came? Oh my goodness!" Exclaimed Hannah. " What should we do now?"

" He doesn't want to listen to me Hannah. I don't know what to do." Replied her mother. " I think we should pack our things."

" To where?" Hannah asked. " Where's he, I need to talk to him. He might understand." Hannah said.

" He won't, he's given me a warning. It is better we leave." Said her mother.

"But mother I can......" Hannah began, but was interrupted.

" Can you listen to me, for once?" Her mother said.

" But....." Hannah was interrupted again.

" Let's go and pack our things. You don't know what he will do, if he comes back." Her mother said and pushed her inside the house.

" What kind of life is this?" Hannah muttered.

Some minutes later, they were done with the packing and were about to leave when Tony, one of Hannah's friend arrived.

" Ma'am." He greeted Hannah's mother.

" You're back Hannah." He said happily, staring at Hannah.

" Yeah." Hannah replied sorrowfully.

" Are you traveling?" Tony asked.

" Ye...." Her mother wanted to answer, but Hannah cut her off.

" No, the landlord said we should leave. I'm confused, we don't have anywhere to go." She said truthful.

" Why?" Asked Tony.

" Our rent has expired." Hannah replied.

" That's awful." Said Tony.

" We have to leave now my dear, he can come anytime. I don't want him to see us here." Hannah's mother said.

" But where do you intend to go now?" Tony asked with concern.

" Anywhere." Said Hannah's mother. " There will be a way, I believe." She added and wiped the tears that slipped out of her eyes.

She was about to carry one of the bags on her, when Tony stopped her. " Let me help you." He said and took the bag from her.

Hannah carried hers, and her mother carried a little one. Just like that, the three set out.

One question Hannah's mother kept asking herself was, " where I'm I heading to?"

Hannah on her part was confused, but Tony had a plan.