NEMESIS

   Can't she answer me was what grandma keeps saying. Of course, Bidemi could answer her, she is neither dumb nor deaf, but answering is the problem. She felt like a lump of clay has just been buried in her throat. She wants to open her mouth but instead of words coming out, tears start flowing down from her eyes like a broken oil pipeline. She was ashamed of herself, lost in her own thought and separated from reality. She wish to give an anwer to grandma but she kept looking for the right alphabets she is going to put together to form words. Grandma looks at Bidemi's face and that of suzan who is lieing on the sick bed struggling with life and death, her emotiom caught up with her and all mama could do was to start crying.
     Bidemi happens to be a young and promising girl when she started her elememtary school. She will always lead everyone in her classand even the brilliant boys in her class. She gained admission into secondary school at a tender age of nine. She performs wonderfully well and excellently to the admiration of her class teacher and her principal. She won many awards for the school and made a good name for the school. She was given a scholarship throughout her stay at the university after her secondary school education. 
     It was during her service year after her universitu education that she met Bayo. Bayo is a graduate a certified lawyer. Both Bidemi and Bayo promised themselves heaven and earth. Bayo promised to marry Bidemi. Bidemi loves Bayo so much that she surrendered everything and at thesame time sacrifice a lot for him. Just a few weeks to go on their stay at the camp, the duo played off and eventually both had sex. Bidemi wept that night as she has promised herself no man is going to see her nakedness except her husband and thar is going to be after their marriage. Bayo consoled her by telling her he is the rightful one for her and she should not disturb herself about that. This made Bidemi to stop crying and prepare for a future with Bayo after their service.
      After two weeks, their service year came to an end. Bayo resides in Port Harcourt while Bidemi lives in Ibadan. Bayo promised to come and visit Bidemi immediately he gets home. Of course, Bidemi believed this and both part ways at the motor park. It is now over a week that Bidemi has got back home In Ibadan expecting Bayo. She has tried his mobile number a number of times but it has not been reachable. It was after a month that she found out that Bayo has travelled out of the country. She does not know what to do, she was lost in thought and finally became unconscious. She found herself later at the hospital where she later heard that she is 2 months pregnant. She cried her eyes out of their socket. Her mother keeps looking at her, lost of words, her only hope is now carrying a bastard as a baby.
     Bidemi to some became the mock of the street, to some a practical lesson to their female children, some fell for the innocent lady while some actually don't know what to think or say about her case. She eventually gave birth to a baby girl after nine months through a ciserean operation thereby leaving her womb empty again. She could not further her education as she is tief down with the ups and down and the burden of taking care of a baby. After two years, she got a job as a secondary school teacher and she started leaving her two-year old suzan with her mother.
     Suzan happens to be a sharp and smart lad. She will always ask questions even though answers are not coming. She started schooling at the age of three. After five years, Bidemi and her daughter relocated to a room apartment. She has a lot of suitors but she turned them down because she has lost her trust for guys and accepting the proposal of one has become a problem to her. She prefers staying single than to become a burden to another. Suzan started asking for the whereabout of her father at the age of ten. Bidemi on the other hand will always tell her that her dad has travelled. The problem became some much that she, Bidemi asked one of her suitors who has become a friend of hers to act like suzan's Father. Kunle, on the other hand agreed to this arrangement and starting living up to the standard that is expected of him by Bidemi. He will come once in a blue moon to visit Suzan and Bidemi. Joy knew no bound for Suzan as kunle will always come with gifts for her whenever he is around and this continues for three years.
     Bidemi and Kunle got close in the process of this drama and both stay together whenever he, Kunle is around which is usually twice in a month. Kunle works in Lagos. Bidemi came back from the school where she was teaching angrily when she heard Kunle the owner of the promise ring on her finger is married in Lagos and he is a father of three. She storms the house angrily only to meet her 13-year old daughter in a pool of blood with tablets hanging in between her palm. She screamed and shouted for help. Some neighbours came in and Suzan was rushed down to a nearby hospital. The doctor recognized the tablet on her palm as drugs used in aborting a pregnancy. Bidemi and her mother were surprised, Bidemi was surprised because she knew Suzan does not keep boyfriends. How come?
    Having treated Suzan although one can still see death hanging in her eyeballs, she opened her mouth to speak after grandma had asked her who impregnated her and who gave her drugs for abortion. Tears welled up on Suzan's face, she speaks slowly. She never face grandma, she faced her mother instead and she speaks slowly. It was dad who impregnated, the word "dad" sounded like an alarm to Bidemi and he also gave me drugs to abort it and he threatened me that I must not tell anybody including mummy if I still want him to keep coming back home with gifts. Mama was lost of words cos' she knew the story around her pregnancy and birth. Who is your daddy was the next thing she could say?...Uncle Kunle; replied Suzan. Mama looked down from Suzan's face to that of Bidemi and she says, do you hear what she just said; who is daddy and who is uncle kunle?
     Bidemi was lostof words as tears flow down from her eyes freely. She could not believe what she just heard. How could she tell mama uncle kunle is the man who has been sleeping with her and at thesame time with her daughter unknowingly to her. How could she tell mama uncle kunle is the owner of the promise ring on her finger. How could she tell mama she has lied to her daughter about who her father is, how could she tell mama thesame uncle kunle has only been playing pranks on herand cheating her. How could she tell mama she has been housing a man who has promised to marry her for a couple of months now. How could she, how could she tell mama that she could not contact uncle kunle again as he has only lied about his whereabout and his place of work. How could she, she looked at the promise ring on her finger and she broke down into tears again.