FREE AT LAST

“the lamentation of the unborn”

Oiseoje Abode

“free at last”

Like a seed I was sown
In a soil deep and dark
Helpless and hopeless
Like a prisoner in a dungeon
5 At the mercy of the guard
Keep me or discard me
My fate uncertain
Till the day of harvest
All alone in the midst of co-prisoners
10 Sentenced to life imprisonment
Observing their state
A drop of hope
Filtered into my ribs
Fed through a tiny hose
15 My only source of strength
Sleeps in darkness
Rises in darkness
Counting my pulses
Hoping one day to see my kind
20 Like the plumule

I had one target- the exterior
Waiting impatiently for the set time
Suddenly I heard “pum”
The prison gate thrown wide open
25 Still I could not get out
From the other side I heard a deep voice
At the count of three push
1-2-3 puuuuuuuuush
Whoever did the pushing, I knew not
30 All I knew was that I was out at last
Though in the hands of the commander
But that bothered me no bit
After all, for the first time
I can see the light
35 I am sure they wondered why I wept
Tears of joy of course
If only they knew what I went through
These uncertain days
In my heart I whispered
FREE AT LAST

Oiseoje Abode
©2008

1

12th February 1980

‘Wow! What a beautiful necklace’, she said looking through the mirror. ‘I knew you would like it’, he said, caressing her fingers. In her heart she thought, ‘what a nice guy’. But can this be true of him, I think time will tell.

13th February 1980

Damian took Clara to a restaurant. He told her all the sweet words that crossed his lips. Could those words be coming from his heart, I still cannot tell. ‘O! I’ve never seen a man as nice as you before. In fact you are my dream come true.’ Suddenly, Damian held her hand, revealing a beautiful diamond ring, he said, ‘will you marry me?’ Clara looked into his glowing face, adjusted herself on the sit as tears dropped down from her innocent eyes, then she replied, ‘how can I reject such an offer. It’s about the best thing I have ever heard since I was born. Damian, I will marry you. I love you’. Damian slipped the ring into her middle left finger and gave her a warm embrace. ‘Please come over to my house tomorrow. I have a special valentine present for you’, he pleaded. ‘What time?’ she asked. ‘Six O’clock in the evening’, he responded. ‘Why six? Is that not too late?’ She asked. ‘Is just that I’ll be busy all day. That’s the only time I’ll be free’, he replied. ‘Ok I understand. Just promise me you’ll take me back home and your wish will be granted’. ‘I promise’, he replied smiling. Clara followed suit as they both walked out of the restaurant, making for the car.

14th February 1980, 6pm.

‘Hmm! The wine tastes nice’, she said. ‘I knew you would like it. It was made specially for you’. The words of a cheat, I guess. If only she knew that in the wine were some contents of aphrodisiac. Oh, poor child. ‘My eyes are dim, I’m so weak. Please take me to bed’, Clara begged. ‘At your service ma!’ Damian replied derogatively. Lifting her from the floor, with little or no effort, he lurched through the paths, making for the rest room.
Gently, he placed her on a spring mattress and took to her apparel. Immediately he tore them apart as if his whole life depended on them. Then he began to work on his. He pulled off every piece on him as if they were on fire. Then he descended on this creature. Flip flap flip flap he went, piercing through the flesh of the prey. The short lived event ended in an absolute exhaustion. Sad enough, it was in the midst of this chaos that I was planted. On this fateful day, my journey to the strange world began. I was helpless and hopeless like a prisoner in a dungeon.

15th February 1980, 5am

Finally, Clara opened her eyes to reality. The aphrodisiac had completely neutralized. Her first sight was the clock directly opposite her. Seeing the time, she jumped up only to discover that she was just the way she was when she first saw the light. Turning to her left, she noticed a nude figure beside her, snoring and turning at intervals. ‘I hope I am dreaming’, she whispered, closing her eyes and opening it at intervals. Alighting from the bed, she gazed at the floor. She observed her apparel miles away. Beside hers were his. At the other corner of the floor were her undies. Observing the whole scenario, she busted out in tears. Abruptly and uncontrollably she wept with no one to console her. Shattered and battered she was.
If only she knew? But how could she have known? How could she have known that behind the bait was a hook? How could she have known that behind the green grass was a green snake? Why really do people do what they do? What is done may be appealing but wrong may be the motive. Wrong motives are like hooks behind baits. They do nothing but ensnare their prey, to gratify their unwholesome desire. Moreover, right motives are like pearls within the shell of an oyster. They do nothing but adorn whoever finds them with its beaming radiance. Right motives who can find? Wrong motives who can decipher? Just like I said earlier, ‘only time can tell if a motive be right or wrong’. The deeds may fade away but the motive lives on.
Unknown to Clara, a seed had just been planted in her. She was badly upset at Damian’s actions. She was so infuriated that she shook him in an attempt to get him out of bed. ‘Damian what have you done to me? I thought you loved me but I have just discovered that you are a beast. If this was what you wanted all the while, why didn’t you tell me?’ ‘Clara, I’ll make it up to you’, he replied. ‘Make it up to me? After you have de-flowered me you say you’ll make it up to me? Damian I’m very disappointed in you’. ‘But I’ll marry you, Clara’. Clara looked at Damian with utter disappointment as she wore her clothes. ‘Is that your worldview of marriage?’ She replied. ‘Damian for crying out loud you drugged me. Is that nothing to you? I never knew you were such an irresponsible man’, taking off the ring from her finger. ‘Go and propose to pigs. You two could make a good match. As for me, forget you ever knew me. Erase my name from you memory. Good day!’ She threw the ring at his face and walked out of the door. Damian tried to stop her but his attempt proved abortive.
As for me, what happens to me? What will become of me if she discovers that I’m already growing in her? I was left at the mercy of Clara. At this point, she alone can decide my fate.

2.

Four weeks had passed and I was four weeks old. Clara had discarded all she possessed that connected her to Damian except me. Maybe because she had not yet known that inside of her was a scar that would always remind her of February 14th 1980. Ever since, Damian had made several attempts to get in touch with her but to no avail. He had even sent friends to talk to her but she turned down their request.
One morning, Clara woke up with a feverish condition. She could not decipher what was wrong being the first time to experience such. Suddenly, she felt like throwing up. Then she knew that something had gone wrong. Fear gripped her. Within a couple of minutes, she was in the bathroom, vomiting all that was in her bowel. Then she recalled some of the movies she had seen of how girls who were pregnant threw up. Her fear grew even harder. ‘I just hope this is an ordinary fever? I hope it has nothing to do with Damian? Please God’, she lamented.
At exactly 9am that same morning, Clara decided to see a doctor. A few tests were conducted after a few inquiries from the doctor. Her urine and other required specimen were collected. It was not too long the result of the test was revealed. “Congratulation woman…” At the mention of the word ‘congratulation’, Clara readjusted herself on the seat, groping at the doctor’s lips, wishing he could remain positive. But at a second thought, she wondered what was good about her being feverish. “Oh my mind be quiet and listen to what the doctor has to say”, she advised herself. “…you are four weeks pregnant”, handing over the report sheet. Clara was dumbfounded. A thousand and one thoughts ran through her mind within a second. All the doctor said after the ‘good news’, sounded like Greek. ‘May be I should tell the doctor to discard it immediately since nobody knows about it now’. ‘Yes I think that’s the best thing to do’. ‘But wait a minute, Damian has to know about it because he is responsible for this!’ ‘No why tell that ingrate? He does not deserve to know. But come to think of it, he deserves to know about it no matter what.’ Confusing thoughts ran through her mind until she did not know when she voiced out crying, ‘Oh Damian, just when I thought I had discarded all in me that belonged to you, here you are again right in my bowels’. ‘Woman are you okay?’ The doctor asked. ‘I’ll be fine’, Clara replied, standing to her feet with tears filled eyes and making through the exit.
Without wasting time, Clara took the next available taxi to Damian’s house. On reaching there, she met his absence. The security officer at the gate however gave her a clue leading to his whereabout. After a long traffic, Clara finally arrived at the restaurant where the
security officer had told her about. Damian was at the Chinese section of the restaurant with his newly found prey. He was busy exhibiting his pseudo-love for her when Clara dashed in. Without saying a word, she handed over the pregnancy report sheet to him. Damian looked at it and smiled ironically. Then he replied, ‘and how does this concern me? You go sort yourself out.’ Clara responded by giving him a ‘dirty’ slap. ‘You are a stupid man’, she added. ‘That is how you go about impregnating innocent girls and leaving them to suffer’. Damian rose up shamefully from his seat and made for the door, leaving his newly found prey behind. All eyes were glued to him as he walked away. Damian could not speak further because guilt had weakened him. Clara on the other hand still wondered where the boldness to confront Damian came from. She had mixed feelings. On one hand, she liked the way she confronted Damian. At least that would make him have a rethink unless he is a beast. On the other hand, what happens next?
My fate was uncertain. Here I was in the midst of co-prisoners. Everyday I slept in darkness and woke up in darkness. ‘When am I ever going to see the light? When am I ever going to see my kind?’ Clara had gone to some of her close friends to sample their opinion on what to do to me. Here are some of their responses; “Clara, that ‘thing’ will ever remain a scar if you don’t do away with it now. Of course if there is anybody you would want to remember, not that idiot”. “Clara, there is this man I know, he is skilled in
the act of ‘evacuation’. If you make up your mind, I’ll take you there tomorrow”. “Clara you have two options, discard that child and be free or keep the child and remain sad all your life”. Interesting advices indeed but what is your opinion Clara. She alone can decide my fate. God can only advice her to let me be but cannot force her against her will. ‘O! I wish I could talk from here. If only she could feel my pulse. It beats fast’. The lamentation of an unborn child.

18th March, 1980

Clara went to sleep like every other woman. As usual, she said a little prayer and slept off. Right in her sleep, she dreamt of me. Before her were two scenes. In the first scene, I was a child of two. She was so happy to have me in her arms. She watched me as I grew to become a child she was so proud of. I became a public figure and I was being invited for several events. But in the next scene, she saw me as I was being taken away by a strange hand. As the strange hand forcefully took me away, she begged and cried. Finally she sprang out of bed. It was exactly 5am, 19th march. Then she started crying. She wept because she had nursed the idea of discarding me. On this faithful day, the 19th day of March, exactly four weeks and five days after the sowing, Clara made one of the greatest decision of her life and that was, ‘to do everything in her power to keep me.'

3.

What a relief! My life was no longer in the hands of Clara but in the hands of God. My fingers were crossed waiting impatiently for the set time. ‘Will that time ever come?’ I pondered. Clara had made up her mind that she was going to remain a single parent until the right man comes. Clara became the topic of the day in her community. People who knew her scorned her; ‘I thought she was always claiming to be a nun or maybe she is pregnant of the second Jesus’. ‘Guys I told you, these people you think are quiet are the worst kind of snakes I have ever seen’. ‘I always knew that Clara was a harlot. There is nothing hidden under the sun’. These were some of the scorning words that were rained on Clara. Everywhere she went she was made a laughing stock.
In all these, Clara did not despair because she had seen something she was willing to die for than to spend the rest of her life not having. Clara was more concerned about the baby much more than what anybody had to say.
As for me, I counted my pulse hoping one day to see my kind.

A few months later

It was the set time for my release. Clara was in labour. She was taken to a nearby hospital. It was not too long the prison gate was thrown wide open. I thought I would just swim out or better still, walk out of the prison gate but yet I could not. The commander gave an order to Clara to push harder. In a second I wondered who this commander was. He had a thick coarse voice, ‘at the count of three push. 1-2-3 puuuuush!’ whoever did the pushing I knew not. All I knew was that I was out at last though in the hands of the commander. That bothered me no bit anyway. After all for the first time I can see the light. O! I wept. I’m sure they wondered why I wept, tears of joy of course. If only they knew what I went through these uncertain days. In my heart of heart I whispered, “FREE AT LAST”.

26 years on

Three years ago I graduated with a first class in Theatre Arts from one of the leading universities in the country. I majored in directing and currently, I have successfully directed 3 movies one of which was nominated for an academy award. I am sure you are eager to know who I am. Don’t worry I chose to remain incognito. Hey a minute please I think I have a call. “Hello mama, how is papa? Mama please give me a minute let me explain something to my viewers”. That man I just called papa is what you may call a step father but I refer to him as my Papa. He is a non-residential missionary. One more thing, he’s a great man. “Aha! Mama are you still there?” “Where else will I be my son if not there”. “Guess what, one of my movies has just been nominated for the academy award”. “O! My son I’m so proud of you”. “Mum I’m also proud of you. You died so that I can live. You are a true mother. I’m so happy to hear your voice. My regards to
Papa”. “Ok my son. Make sure you come for dinner on Friday”. “I will ma, bye.”

No child is a biological accident. As long as it is planted in the womb, it has started living like every other being. And like every other creature, they have a mission to accomplish. They are created to make impacts and if you discard them, their quota will never be contributed. Are you currently having a baby in your bowel and you are seriously considering aborting it? Please don’t, no matter the reason. It has the right to live just like you. Act rightly so that this world will be a better place. SHUN ABORTION.

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 30.01.2009

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Dedicated to all the babies in the womb yet unborn.