The Dreams Of My Mother – Episode 3

Episode 3

Halima was the child nobody wanted their child to associate with. She was a Muslim, but she had gotten out of control of her parents. Her father was an Alhaji who was more concerned with making money than whether his daughter was walking in the path of Islam. Her mother had a big fabric shop in Ayegbaju International market, where she sold imported fabrics which she imported from Dubai and all around the world. So, Halima went out with aristocratic men, for her, it was not about the money, but about the domination of these men in bed, and the class. Halima was just 18, but she had the body of a grown woman with luscious hips and ample buttocks, her fair skin glowed and her eyes which were always

coated with Kohl, held Nubian promises. Aside her physique, Halima had also aborted so many pregnancies, that girls her age could not have done.

When Khadijat started crushing on Damilola, it was Halima she told. Halima advised her to go after Damilola, but Khadijat was a reserved girl and even she knew that Halima’s ways were not pure. But when Damilola began to pursue her, he was too charming to resist and she threw caution to the wind. Again, when Damilola asked that they consummated their love, it was Halima, Khadijat went to, and asked for advice. Halima advised Khadijat to give in to Damilola, that if she didn’t, another girl was going to give it to him and he would leave her. Khadijat, afraid to lose her new found love, gave in to Damilola, and here she was.

She had told Halima when she first found out she was pregnant, the latter told her not to tell her boyfriend, Damilola, for he would look at her as a girl who could not take care of herself. She advised her to abort the pregnancy, but Khadijat was too afraid to do an abortion and she had chosen to tell Damilola. But now that things had become worse, she had no other option but to abort the pregnancy, and restore peace to her family. So, she called Halima.

Halima: “I told you, telling him was not the right option, everyone knows you are pregnant now. Anyways, it is not too late, meet me at Shoprite, I will take you to my abortion doctor” she said when Khadijat called.

When Khadijat got to Shoprite, she was still sure she wanted to abort the pregnancy, so she went with Halima to the clinic where she told her was where she did all her abortions. But when they got to the clinic, Khadijat looked on, with horror, at the young girls lined up, some coming out of the inner consulting room with pain on their faces. She sat down with them and looked on with confused eyes, as Halima booked her for a D and C. She told herself she was doing this for the love of family, she was so sure that if she aborted the pregnancy, her family would be whole again, and things would go back to the way it used to be. But no one told her that, even if she aborted the pregnancy, the deed was done and her father would never see her as he saw her before.

Her name was called and she walked tentatively to the inner room, while her friend, Halima smiled at her encouragingly. Halima was smiling at her phone and tapping away in a chat with one of her lovers when Khadijat ran out of the inner room, screaming on top of her lungs.

Khadijat: “I can’t” she cried.

To be continued…