Wale and I never stopped defiling each other secretly,
until one fateful afternoon when mom had to come home earlier than normal.
Before then, I had left school pretending I was sick. I met Wale in the sitting
room and without a word, he drew me close and we began fumbling with each
other’s sexual parts. We undressed each other, just as if the whole house was
ours, flinging each other’s cloths everywhere. We enjoyed the liberty and practiced
everything we had both watched on his laptop. I became his whore and moan
aloud. After countless rounds, we both got exhausted and fell deeply asleep.
Mom walked in unnoticed and saw both of us lying nakedly on each other. Her
bewildered scream woke us back to life and we started looking for something to
cover our nakedness because we were both ashamed.
Mom sat us down and began to cry. Saying why have we
decided to bring shame to the family? The dinner, that night was the worst I
have ever had because Wale’s mother and father were also present to rain
manners of abusive words on us. I was just praying it became over soonest. Wale
left with his mother that night and I went to my room coiled like a wounded
snake on the bed. I was not feeling any regret for what we have done, nothing
changed or affected the feeling I had for Wale. Wale became my bad habit and I
was not willing to let go. After a while, I sneaked out of school uncaught and
went to Wale’s place and luckily, I met him and his friends at home. They
excused us and left for their homes.
“What about your mom and dad?” I asked, facing the
floor because I was a little ashamed as much as I noticed he was too.
“They’ve left for work.” He answered shyly.
After that, there was a long silence between us. None
of us knew what to say next. Whether to apologize or point accusing fingers.
The silence was becoming unbearable. So I summoned all the courage I could get
to say why I came.
“Let’s get married.” I said.
The expression I saw on his face, hearing my words,
was as if a robber pointed a gun at him. It was obvious he never prepared for
this. But the fact is I love him now. The condemnation we received daily from
our parents made me believe we could not go back to our normal life again, because
there seemed to be no hope for us.
“How can that be possible? You are still in the secondary
school and I am just in part two in the University, who would believe we are
not crazy? See, I am afraid we have to stop right here and forget anything ever
happened.” He said.
With those words, I felt, for the first time, that he
was cheating on me.
“What do you mean? Forget what? Ho…oh…that means you
have been seeing another girl and you want to leave me to face the world all
alone, abi? I thought you said you love me, why would you have to change your
mind? I will kill whoever the girl is. Trust me!” I said and started crying.
“Stop it joor! I have not been seeing anybody. I love
you. I would love to marry you but what will the world say about us? Do you
think it is easy denying one’s true feeling? Stop crying now…” he said. But I
refused to stop crying. I wanted to hear more of his confessions that he truly
loves me.
“Ok. I promise to marry you if you would gain
admission next year into the University. By this we will both be away from home
and continue without any of our parents noticing us anymore. He said.
I stopped crying so quickly and looked at his face to
confirm the genuineness of those words I had just heard. He looked determined
and I was convinced he meant it. I left his place after I managed to pull away
from his warm hug and went home with a glow on my face.
I went straight to my room, searched out all the books
I would need to pass well in my WAEC, JAMB and POST-UTME and began to read. I
cut off with unserious friends and would always be found in the school library.
I had a goal, and I was prepared to get it at all cost. Dad began to notice the
new me and decided to buy more relevant books thinking, I had repented and
turned a new leaf. Mom still acted a little hostile but was convinced I have
become more serious with my academics. That year, I had the best result so far
in the whole Oyo state. When Wale later came home for session break, I showed
him and he was very happy and also confident that our plans would work out. The
following year, I scored 350 in JAMB and 315 in POST-UTME. I wanted to study
law and I got it so easily with my unbeatable scores into the University of
Ilorin.
Wale was at Obafemi Awolowo University but he would
always travel down to Ilorin every two weeks to check me up. None of my friends
recognized him as my cousin. Many of my friends even envied our relationship
and would love to be us. When I got to part three in the University, I got to
know that there was a course in the faculty called ‘Family Law’. Finally, I have
got what I need to defeat our parents, I thought. And I became Wale’s legal
adviser on family and marriage matter. He seemed to believe me against all odds
now. When we got to a certain point in the course where we discussed the
consent of parents in marriage, I realized Wale and I could get married without
them. So I lied to a few of my friends that our parents didn’t just want us
together for any just cause. They all agreed to act as our witnesses while we
went to court to tie the knot.
It was not long after Wale’s NYSC that I also
graduated. Before I went for Law school, I tried to convince mom that even the
Bible supported what we were doing. I said,
“Abraham married his sister, Isaac and Jacob married
their cousins, so why are you discouraging us?”
She got up and slapped me in the face and made it
clear in anger that I was going to regret it. The sting from her slap went
straight to my brain and blocked all sense of reasonableness. I could not think
straight. I knew something was wrong with the way I thought. I no longer considered
anything around me. I think I was emotionally going gaga. I wished somebody
could just wake me up. I have drastically kept in mute, all voices warning me
against all insanity. I just wanted to be me. I wish it was only me in the
whole world – no rules, no religion, no law, no customs, no culture, no moral
principles, no conscience, no nemesis, if possible, no God – just me! But I was
wrong.
When Wale’s dad finally knew we were still together,
he developed cardiac arrest, slumped and died at the same spot. My dad also
could not wait to be molested in mockery and so he walked in calmly and
poisoned himself. As if that was not enough a calamity, our mothers became
hospitalized for mysterious medical reason. I and Wale had to run away in shame
because we could not even stand the presence of our siblings. We ran to the
East. After settling down for about a week, I fell so sick and was taken to a
nearby clinic. The doctor we met there after diagnosis and treatment ignorantly
blew the alarm that I am with a baby. He said it has been three months now.
Wale sank right on the ground; uncontrollably wailing as if he just got the
news that his parents were dead. Right on the hospital bed that I was, I was
confused on what to do. Should I join him to cry or console him as others
around us who never knew why he was crying? Please tell me, has nemesis
suddenly caught up with us?
