The Fall Out

Alake's hands trembled as she held the small, delicate leaf that had confirmed her suspicions. She was pregnant.

Panic set in as she thought about the implications. She was unmarried, and the father of the child was a god who had decided to keep their relationship a secret. What would her uncle and aunt say? What would the villagers think?

Was life not hard enough for her? The thoughts of bringing a child to the world when she was still living with her uncle and his cruel wife made her cry for nights. She realized that she did not even have friends with whom she could share her thoughts and fate. She had been subjected to daily labour since she moved with her uncle, which had made it difficult to meet people her age.

Determined to conceal the truth, Alake began to wear loose-fitting dresses and avoided social gatherings. But as the weeks passed, her pregnancy became harder to hide.

She decided that she had to break the news to Oranmiyan since he was to be the father. On her way to meet him in their usual spot, as she was walking through the market, she felt a sudden surge of nausea. She rushed to the side of the road, her hand covering her mouth.

Oranmiyan appeared beside her, his eyes filled with concern. "Alake, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice low and soft, and worry written over his face.

She was shocked but quicky heaved a sigh of relief when she realised it was Oranmiyan. The thought of a villager seeing her in that state made her afraid because she could not even imagine what Yewande would do to her. He grabbed her wrist gently and took her to a corner people hardly passed.

When she made certain that it was a safe space, she opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, unsure of how to reveal the truth.

"I-I am pregnant", she stuttered with tears swelling up in her eyes. These were not tears of joy but that of sadness, regret and doubts. She was not sure of how he would react as he was yet to meet her family or even marry her.

To her surprise, Oranmiyan's eyes sparkled as he lifted her off her feet and hugged her tightly. He planted soft kisses on her cheeks, professing how much he loved and was grateful to her. He placed her gently on the ground.

"You're pregnant," he whispered, his voice filled with joy.

Alake's eyes widened in surprise. She had expected Oranmiyan to be angry or disappointed, but instead, he seemed thrilled.

A little crowd had begun to gather where they were. Oranmiyan knew it was not a safe place to continue their conversation. He whispered to her in a seriouse tone, "Let's go". He knew too well to not be seen in such place with her, not when she was carrying the baby he had always hoped to have.

As they walked together, Alake noticed that his expression had turned completely serious. "We must keep this a secret," he said, his voice low and urgent. "My wives must not know. They might plot to harm you and the child."

Alake felt a surge of betrayal. Why had Oranmiyan not told her about the dangers of being with him? Why had he not prepared her for the risks?

As they walked, Alake's anger boiled over. "Why did you not tell me?" she demanded, her voice shaking with rage.

Oranmiyan's eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Alake. I didn't want to scare you away."

Alake's heart ached as she realized the truth. She was just a mistress, a secret lover. She was not worthy of being acknowledged as Oranmiyan's partner. At that point, she had no idea what she wanted to do anymore.

But as she looked at Oranmiyan, she saw the sincerity in his eyes. She knew that he cared for her, that he wanted to protect her.

"Please, can you do this for me? I promise to be there for you and our child. I will take care of you two and make sure you lack nothing. I will love you all my life and raise him to be a great man", he promised with tears in his eyes.

Alake sniffed and let out a sharp laughter.

"How do you know it is a boy and not a girl?", she asked him while eyeing him lovingly.

Oranmiyan smiled proudly and shook his head in mockery.

"The cub of a lion always looks like a lion", he replied sharply.

After a lot of reassurance and promises, Alake reluctantly agreed to keep the pregnancy a secret.

Weeks passed, and Alake's pregnancy grew more visible. No amount of big blouses and dresses could conceal it any more. She also would not stop vomiting and spitting. She became very slow in doing her chores and slept a lot. This was how Yewande became suspicious of her state.

One morning, while Alake was washing the plates and pots used the previous night, Yewande rushed in and commanded her to remove her clothes. She obeyed reluctantly.

Yewande was shocked at what she saw and almost fainted. The potruding stomach, black straight line that passed from her chest through her navel, big and round breasts threw her off-guard.

"You slut! How did this happen?", she screamed at Alake.

"You're a disgrace to our family," Yewande spat, her eyes blazing with anger.

Ade, Alake's uncle, tried to intervene, but Yewande would not be silenced.

"Tell us who the father is," Ade demanded, his voice firm but worried.

"I-I don't know", she stammered tearily.

Yewande dashed towards her and landed a hot slap on her left cheek. The impact sent her rolling on the floor. It was not something she did not expect as she had been subjected to series of physical punishments which included slapping, pushing and beatings.

Ade held Yewande down, afraid she might hurt her and he was not ready to be accountable for anyone, mother and unborn baby. They both asked her to reveal who the father of the child was but she refused to speak the truth. According to what she was told, she knew that Oranmiyan's wives might harm her and the child if they found out. Telling her uncle and aunt would mean that they would go to Oranmiyan's house and force him to marry her which would be dangerous.

Would she have to bear this alone? This was not how she thought her life would be.