Zakia - Episode 17

 

Before I decided to plan Mojeedu Rufai's death, I actually did tell him about my pregnancy. 

"I think I'm pregnant.." I'd said to him that night when he shamelessly tried to get too close. 

And it'd been right there, etched upon his visage: the shock; the disappointment, both morphed in a sequence. However, he didn't say anything to me that night, not even a single word, before vacating my room. 

From that day forward, he became very distant, I felt like he was avoiding me, I was baffled, and so, when I did get the chance, I repeated it to him for the second time, and at that point, I was more assertive. 

"I'm pregnant!" I said as a matter of fact. 

Only then, did he finally respond to me . "So what exactly do you want me to do now that you're pregnant?" 

I was shocked by this statement, but I just couldn't hold myself back, I didn't want to act like I was vulnerable. "I don't know Mr. Mojeedu Rufai, but does taking responsibility sound mature enough for you to do?" I said with sarcasm.

But he scoffed. "Take responsibility, you say. Zakia, since you got here, you've been my responsibility

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. I've been taking care of you, your clothing, what you eat, what you wear..all of that wasn't enough for you. And so, you just had to get pregnant." 

"What are you even saying? I didn't get myself pregnant you know," I fired back at him. 

"Then who did?" He'd dared to ask me. 

And from that very statement, I realised he wasn't ready to take any responsibility, I realised he could even go as far as getting rid of me and my baby. 

And my later conversation with Fatima (the dark-skinned girl who comforted me at the initial beginning of Mojeedu Rufai's blackmail) only proved it even more.. 

Really, I tried to conceal the fact that I was pregnant, however, as the days went by, the symptoms began to seriously wear me out, my tiredness became too much to be just fatigue.. "Zakia, you're pregnant aren't you?" Fatima had asked me at the early hours of that morning. I didn't respond verbally, I didnt have to. "Have you told him?" She asked. But still refusing to respond, I simply nodded. "And..?" She stressed even further. 

"He doesn't care," I replied honestly. 

Nonetheless, Fatima didn't look the least bit surprised, as I'd also been too curious to keep that mere fact to myself. "Why don't you look surprised?" I asked curiously. 

And then, she said to me. "Like I said Zakia, we've all been in your shoes. I can't even begin to count the number of babies that had to be flushed out of my womb.. It's not like I wanted you to know. When I got pregnant with what would've been my first child, I told the Bastard who was unfortunately the father, but he didn't care. He even threatened to kick me out of this camp if I didn't agree to get rid of the baby. I was really scared Zakia, I didn't want an abortion, and so I got lucky enough to meet up with a police officer, I explained everything to him thinking I was in safe hands, but you know what?" she asked rhetorically, pausing to glimpse at me as if to be reassured I was still listening. "It turned out that the police officer was Mojeedu Rufai's close friend.. I was left with no other choice.

Read " Instinct: The Sequel " by the same author ( Ishola Ubaydah )

. Living on the streets could be much worse, and so I just got rid of the baby, and several other babies I've had afterwards." 

"So what do you suggest that I do?" I'd asked in a sheer state of fright. 

Fatima sighed. "Honestly Zakia, I think you should just get rid of the baby, because if you don't, you're going to suffer either of two consequences; Mojeedu Rufai could either kick you out of this camp, out there on the dangerous streets, or.." Her voice trailed off. 

"Or what..?" I stressed impatiently. 

"Or he could forcefully get the baby out of you." She replied. 

That very information was like a warning to me. And from that moment on, I became very cautious. I was cautious of what I ate, what I drank, and even sleep became an almost impossible feat. 
Honestly, my initial plan had been to poison Mojeedu Rufai. I'd planned to sprinkle the rat poison I found in the kitchen into his food the next day; A peaceful death that was supposed to grant me and my child a safe stay at the Relief Camp. 

But things just didn't go as planned. 

Fatima had been right all along, because in the middle of that breezy night, Mojeedu Rufai had suddenly showed up in my room, with a  devilish smirk plastered on his face. "I'm not ready for any stupid child, especially from a filth like you," He spat. "Before you ruin me Zakia, I'll ruin you first!" 

And I hadn't even gotten the chance to think nor to comprehend anything, because the moment those final words escaped from Mojeedu Rufai's mouth, he started to physically abuse me. He beat me so hard, I couldn't scream out my pain anymore, he punched my stomach so cruelly, I could almost feel my unborn child dying. The closest object I could lay my hands on at that point was a table knife that littered the bare floor, and what I did next was all really just in self defense. 

I grabbed the knife in self defense. 

I stabbed Mojeedu Rufai on the neck in self defense. 

In an entirely different situation, I probably wouldn't have cared about dying, but in that very situation, a child, my child was involved, and I really didn't want him/her to suffer. I didn't want my baby to die just like that. 

I killed Mojeedu Rufai that night. He did struggle to survive, he struggled to hold onto the tiniest slither of life..

But the moment he finally gave up, I heaved a sigh of relief, and dialled the nearest police station's hotline. 

"I think I just killed someone," I whispered tearfully to the receiver.