“Breathe in, breath out,” she says to herself and masters up the strength to walk up to him. She has been dating this guy since she was 19.She loves him, if love meant going back to the same person over and over again after several breakups ,each full of tears and immeasurable heart ache: she was doing all the crying and forgiving. “ He will understand,” she thinks out loud. He turns to look at her but immediately continues watching a football game on the television like he did every Wednesday. She is now sitting on her side of the couch. He was very particular about where everyone in that house should sit and especially when he was watching a game. She often feels she deserves a say even in such small things because she helps pay rent too. Today her feelings should be kept locked up because he has to be in a good mood when she breaks the news. The game is coming to an end ,and he is resigned to his team losing the match. He switches off the TV and is now looking at her probably about to ask what they are going to have for supper.
“I am pregnant Mark,” she finally says with a shaky voice. He pretends he did not hear what she said.
“ Isn’t it great?” she says to prompt a response from him.
“Listen, if I wanted kids with you Anna, I would have married you a long time ago,” He says and sinks into his seat.
“ What should we do?” she asks, her eyes welling up with tears.
“ I don’t know, keep it or abort it stupid,” he yells. “ It’s your child not mine,”he continues and leaves the room. She can’t breathe, and her stomach just turned. She quickly runs to the toilet and throws up a couple of times. How on earth was she going to raise a child on her own? She would have asked her mother for her help but the last time they spoke she made it clear she was done bringing up her own children with no help and she would not be willing to do it ever again; not even for her own daughter.
She is now back in the sitting room. Mark just walked back ,and he seems to be talking to her but she is too deep into her shock that she doesn’t hear him. He touches he shoulder and jolts her back to reality. “My friend knows a lady who can help fix your little problem, he says it will be quick.” he says and forces a smile. “ If you want this relationship to work , that thing must go,” he says and goes to wear his shoes and beckons her to follow him. He reminds her to carry a change of clothes.
They are now in a mud shack deep in the city slums. A girl in early teens sits with them on a small wooden bench. She is with a man in his thirties who keeps on tapping her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She is crying uncontrollably and he repeats the tap to re-assure her. “ Nobody will know dear, don’t tell them ,and I will let you and your mum keep staying in my house,” he says and she nods gently. Anna is disgusted on knowing he is the one responsible for the pregnancy but her own fear keeps her from speaking up. She hears women die during these abortions but she is willing to take the risk. She death .Just be better then rejection.
A lady emerges from a badly lit room and calls out her name. She gets up reluctantly and follows her. The room is dingy with the sickening smell of blood and urine. There is a raised table and a few long metal rods with sharp ends. There was a few hangers here and there and jagged forceps.
“Get on the table she is told with a little push, “ she climbs up and is now trembling and sweating profusely.
“ Why are you so afraid? nobody sent you to get pregnant, now open your legs, the lady says and tries to force them open. Anna pushes her and runs out of the room. Mark tries to force her back in but she starts to scream. He lets her go to avoid attracting unwanted attention to the hut. “ Don’t come back you stupid bitch, let me see how long you can survive on your own, “ says and gets back to his seat and tries to avoid eye contact with the other people in the room.
Anna is now walking bare feet between the tin shacks in the slum. She then remembers her college friend lived near the farthest end of that slum. She will go to her, maybe she has some hope to share with a broken spirit such as hers: there must be hope.
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