by B. Nyamnjoh
“‘All I wish is for us to see again and to be as we were before. If you’ve misplaced my telephone number, this is 77980674. Or you could leave a letter for me at the university. Do something, I would like to hear your voice or read your letter.
“‘Once more, I miss you terribly, I’ve borne too much and I suffer from your absence. Darling, remember one thing, I don’t want to lose you so soon, you’ve left your mark on me, I have a good impression of you; because every time we talked, you always came down to my level. Thus the chemistry was good between us. Let me leave you, and I think we’ve still got a long road to travel together. Till soon, I kiss you. Bye.’”
“She sounds sweet, but seems rather old fashioned, or is it her lover who doesn’t know how to send an email?” remarked Lilly Loveless.
“Perhaps the man didn’t give her an email address, or prefers letters that take time to compose and that are well thought out, to the easy and shabby emails people click to and fro without as much as reading over for spelling, grammar and structure.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think of that. Please continue.”
“In the second, she is even more desperate,” Britney went on: “‘Darling, I write to you one more time to remind you that I am alive. This is the second time I am writing to you and twice I have called to leave a message for you. I’m already tired, don’t you think? Do you remember what you told me one day that I couldn’t alone decide to end our relationship, as this was a matter for the two of us to decide? You would realise with me that you have done what you said I should never do. I would like you to keep your word. What I want now is for you to call me for a meeting. Let’s meet face to face, so you tell me that it is all over, that you’ve already found another girl, a girl better than me. Don’t you see that you would have freed me and perhaps you would have rendered me a great service? I also believe that it is important to be clear in life. To tell you the truth, you are making me do what I vowed never to do. To tell the truth, I’m ashamed of myself. I count on your understanding. I would like you to telephone in the evening, around six o’clock every day at the téléboutique where my sister works; as she would already be there, she assumes duty at this time every day except Fridays and Sundays. If you have forgotten the number, it is 77980674. Let me leave you, I count on you for the next meeting to say farewell the proper way.’”
“I notice that she doesn’t even have a cell phone of her own. Isn’t that odd?”
“New technology is a bit like Heaven,” replied Britney.
“In what way?”
“Many are called but few are chosen.”
“I like that.”
“Thanks.”
“Did she say how the guy reacted?” asked Lilly Loveless.
“That, I still have to find out,” replied Britney. “She was not in a mood to be interviewed, so she sort of wanted to chase me away by sharing her letters with me.”
“Do please follow up with her when she is in a better mood, as it seems you have quite some story to tell on this relationship,” recommended Lilly Loveless. “And remember to find out why letters and téléboutiques in this day and age when the email and cell phone are widely available.”
“I will,” Britney promised, noting the recommendation in her notebook.
“In the second case, what starts with a little light fun can lead up roads you didn’t imagine,” she started.
“I’m all ears,” said Lilly Loveless.
***
“Lionel, you see, is now 24 and a third year student here at Mimbo. In high school he dated Comfort, his classmate. At high school, junior students are called freshers. When school reopens in September, there is usually a rush by boys to pick up girl freshers, hence the name September Rush. No boy wants to be left out, for fear of being termed ‘chickless guy’ by peers. Lionel was thus lucky to have Comfort, whom he greatly admired and loved to show off amongst his friends and mates.”
“Sounds promising,” remarked Lilly Loveless, wetting her lips with some of the juice.
“Lionel had one thing in mind: how to convince Comfort to have sex with him as soon as possible. At school he would do everything, including visiting her room and staying late into the night, until Comfort would tell him to leave so she could sleep. One Friday night, he proposed an outing to a popular bar-cum-nightclub, where they stayed till 4am. Despite his efforts, he could only lay a kiss on her cheek. The next day he proposed going to a video projection hall with Comfort, where he managed to convince her to watch a pornographic film. His intentions were the same, to weaken her defences. He succeeded. As the film played, soon they were holding hands. Soon Comfort’s head was on his shoulder. Soon she was pressing hard on his arm. She moved closer to him. He pretended he didn’t know what was going on, but his body was telling its own story. When he spoke to her his voice was slower each time, taking longer pauses between sentences. He stared at her lips each time he spoke, oblivious of what exactly it was he was saying, or that the film was running. Without knowing it, he was getting closer and closer to Comfort. Slowly, he moved his eyes from Comfort’s mouth to her eyes and back again. Then, he placed his hand on her hip and brought her closer. Their lips met.
“After the film, Lionel feigned saying good night, but Comfort almost burst into tears, wouldn’t let him go and begged him to accompany her to her hostel which was off campus. Lionel went along, and spent the night with her. When he returned to his hostel the next day, his friends were teasing and hailing him at the same time: ‘Lionel don nang mboko eh’, ‘he don take baptism’, ‘Pa you strong’…
“Then Lionel’s relationship with Comfort intensified.”
“How so?” asked Lilly Loveless as Britney paused to sip her juice.
“He spent most of his time with her. She would prepare food at times and visit him at his hostel, where they would eat and study together.
Lionel’s feelings were centred on Comfort, and he saw no need to look at any other girl.
“On the other hand, little did he know she also had a relationship with a business tycoon. When she left school and went to town to see her tycoon, she would lie to Lionel that she was going to see her parents. Things came into the open one day when on her 18th birthday a terrible thing happened.”
“I hope nothing too serious,” Lilly Loveless interjected.
“You’ll find out if you let me continue.”
“Please proceed,” Lilly Loveless got the message.
“A party was organised in a bar owned by one of the discipline masters of the high school. The party took off at 4pm. There was the cutting of the cake, wishes by friends, and then dancing. The MC was a friend of Comfort, and had drawn up a list of who was to open the floor with whom. Naturally, Lionel was slated to have the opening dance with Comfort.
“What they didn’t know was that Comfort had invited what came to be known as her ‘illiterate business tycoon’ as well. As the couples went to the floor as programmed, there the tycoon walked in and saw his bloomy Comfort dancing with Lionel; and he was not amused. He stormed his way towards them, pushed Comfort down and removed the shoes she was wearing. He had bought her the shoes and would not let her use them to please a mere student, a ‘flying-shirt’ with no pockets and no wallet. He was terribly disappointed in Comfort, whom he had already introduced to his fellow traders at the Zintgraffstown main market, where he was highly regarded for going out with a high school girl. A rumour later surfaced that a medicine man had given him the task of impregnating a virgin school girl if he wanted his business to grow.”
“Such things happen?” asked Lilly Loveless.
“What do you expect of illiterate men like local market traders?” replied Britney. “If it is not a virgin school girl, it is the wife of your neighbour, your own daughter or even your mother, they ask you to sleep with. They ask for something impossible or very difficult, those fortunetellers, and you have to be illiterate enough to believe them,” she explained.
“So what happened in this case?�
�� asked Lilly Loveless.
“The business tycoon probably withdrew to lick his wounds or look for another victim. But for Comfort, the disgrace was unbelievable. Everybody felt ashamed and confused. Lionel could not bear it, and gave Comfort a slap on the face. Their friends left. The following day, Lionel’s stained name was splashed all over the gossip corners of the campus, including what the students, for reasons of their own, had come to term ‘Radio Bagdad News,’ the dreadful lampooning service that, like a precision guided missile, never missed an opportunity to make an inferno of life on campus. Comfort’s reputation was heavily tarnished as well. Her name and story were posted on every street on campus and in the neighbourhood. Even the birds seemed to shame her with the music they made round the campus. Although her friends did their best to keep her company and reassured, she never felt free. She kept a low profile in school for weeks until the news reluctantly died down.”
“Things must not have been easy for her,” said Lilly Loveless.
“And it gets more complicated,” continued Britney. “Too shocked by Comfort’s behaviour, Lionel decided he would end the relationship. He was surprised a few days later by a note from her begging for pardon. She gave reasons for her infidelity: it was because he did not support her financially and she was not very sure of him, given that there were boyfriend snatchers all around the high school. She promised to bury the past and to turn a new page with him.
“It took Lionel some time to consider her request, but after a while and with the active intervention of their friends they came back together and were on good terms. The relationship became very intense again, and this time, Comfort was showing her love through love letters and postcards.
“One postcard read: ‘Thoughts for a best friend: One of the most special places in my heart will always be saved for you: the one person I can always talk to; the one person who understands; for making me laugh in the rain; for helping me shoulder my troubles; for loving me in spite of myself, and always putting me back on my feet again; for giving me someone to believe in; someone who lets me know that there really is goodness and kindness and laughter and love in the world; for being one of the best parts of my life, and proving it over and over again; for being so worthy of my love, for being my best friend.’
“Another read: ‘Falling in love with u and loving u are the most wonderful things that happened to me. Let’s never forget that a love like ours comes once in a lifetime. You are so loving and caring to me. No one else has ever made me feel as happy, as content, as complete, as full of smiles as you do. I love u forever.’ There were many others: ‘I love having you in my life: I love all the joy that being with you brings to me, from our most intimate moments alone, to the pride I feel in you when we’re out somewhere together...’
“It was clear that she had turned a new chapter: ‘Lionel Love, I wish you knew how I have longed for a day to tell you how much you mean to me, how much I’ve come to love you, and how it fills me with joy to know that we are birds of the same feathers. But I thank God because he made a wonderful and special day like this, for you and for me to say: You mean so much to me and above all, I LOVE YOU.’
“On his 20th birthday, she wrote: ‘I love all that we share. I love the laughter, the understanding, and the fact that so much about us – our minds, our bodies, our hearts, our feelings – should touch so closely and perfectly together. I love how gentle you are and how sensitive, but most of all, I love the tenderness you save for me and me alone. I could never tell you how much that means to me. Happy Birthday, with love.’
“In a Christmas note to him, she declared: ‘Lionel, you are an embodiment of God’s perfect creature. I could never have wished for somebody better than you. I pray for you today and always to be merry and may you remain blessed.’
“The first year was over and they were both promoted to upper sixth. This time they reduced their leisure time. Though they attended all booms, they never visited the popular drinking and dancing spots as they did in lower sixth. Lionel remained the bright student that he was, and was rewarded with an appointment as class proctor. He performed his duty well and everybody loved him.”
“Sounds like trouble,” Lilly Loveless anticipated.
“Yep. Lionel was masculine and sporty – a very articulate footballer nicknamed Kling-Kong-Kong by admirers of his ball control. There was a soft side to him as well. He was intelligent, but he was also spontaneous, and his sense of humour added to his charm. With this charm and his accomplishments he was popular, and his popularity attracted girls. There were always girls around him. One day he was tempted to date another girl called Mercy. The outcome was a merciless disaster, not because Comfort found out about the relationship, which she didn’t, but because he contracted gonorrhoea. Even when he was taken to the hospital, Comfort ignorantly visited him, bringing food. She was lied to by Lionel that he was suffering from severe stomach ache.
“He got well and came back to school, promising never to forget the lesson he had learnt. Henceforth, he would trust no other girl but his Comfort. It was second term and book was beginning to be serious even amongst those who loved play more than they did their studies. Unfortunately Comfort became pregnant, and this affected Lionel seriously. They thought of an abortion, but he hadn’t the money even to pay a traditional doctor, let alone to afford a D&C. He informed his friends and since they trusted and helped one another, they donated money. With the money Lionel went to see Comfort to agree to a solution. Comfort did not consent to his proposal to have an abortion. In fact, she felt insulted that Lionel should take a decision of that magnitude about her pregnancy without consulting her.”
“Typical,” whispered Lilly Loveless.
“Curiously, her refusal to abort made Lionel furious, almost to the point of beating her. Why men always spontaneously resort to such easy solutions, beats me. In his case, whatever changed his mind, he never knew. He just left without offering any other word, thinking that after sometime she may think about the proposal and send him a positive reply.
“A reply was not forthcoming. He sent his friends to talk to her but Comfort stood firm in her decision and would not let go of the pregnancy. Lionel was doubly disturbed. Many questions came up to his mind that he could not answer. How would he tell his parents he had impregnated a girl? How would he cope with all the rumour and finger-pointing that were going to circulate about him? And worst of all, how would he face Comfort’s parents?”
“I see what you mean about things getting more complicated,” volunteered Lilly Loveless.
“Quite surprisingly, Comfort was much calmer about the whole thing. She even tried to console Lionel, telling him not to worry. She told him she was going to inform her mother and assured him that wouldn’t be a problem. He relaxed for a moment, but when she came back with the news that her mother wanted to see him, he was tormented once again. He summoned courage and went there. Her mother being an understanding woman, they made an agreement. Lionel had to inform his parents about it, so that necessary preparations would be made.
“Although completely jolted by the experience, Lionel managed to sit for his GCE exams, after which he left for Nyamandem where his parents lived. His mother was the first to notice a change in her son, but Lionel never gave away what actually was his problem. It was a friend who finally told his mother and father about the issue. They became furious, and his mother threw insults at him daily. At one time she said ‘they send wonna say make wonna learn book wonna go learn na how for make pikin.’”
“That’s a mouthful!” Lilly Loveless couldn’t help interjecting. “But I understand, so my pidgin must be getting better by the day.”
“As for his father,” Britney ignored the interjection, “he told him the plans he had made for him had to change because he now had to use the money to prepare for his newborn. Unable to feel free in their home, Lionel disappeared for a year. While he was away, news reached him that Comfort had given birth to a baby girl and that they were both doing f
ine. Presently the child is with Lionel’s parents and in primary 3. Lionel has lost contact with Comfort, who unfortunately never made her GCE. He, on the other hand, is a student right here at UM.”
Britney tipped the bottle in her hand up to drink the last of the juice and asked “Have you ever had an abortion?”
Lilly Loveless was caught a bit off guard, shook her head slowly from side to side and said, “Nope, I haven’t.” And to change the subject, asked Britney if she wanted more juice or a bottle of water.
“Nope,” she said, “let’s get on with our work.”
Lilly Loveless nodded.
***
With that green light Britney proceeded: “Rebecca is about 21 years of age and attending school at Standard Comprehensive College, Form Five. Her father is late and her mother is carrying on with petty-businesses, such as frying puff puff and beans for sale. Rebecca is the fourth child to her mother. She is already blessed with a fair complexion, Rebecca, which she herself has added to by polishing with bleaching creams. Though she finds herself being maltreated by the O Levels, she is determined to pursue schooling.”
“What do you mean blessed with a fair complexion?” asked Lilly Loveless.
“Here in Mimboland, lighter skin women are valued higher than darker skin ones.”
“Whom by?”
“Men and women alike. In marriage for example, the bride price for those who are fair in complexion is usually higher, as these women tend to be more visible than some of us,” Britney explained. “Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the electricity supply is very low and unstable, and when the lights are off as is often the case, lighter skin women are more visible than the dark skin women.”