───※ ·Third Person· ※───
Melanie is what we call a beauty, and she is gifted with brains too. Even at such a young age, she had many admirers. Why wouldn't she? She was tall, model-thin, and as fair as the morning sun. She was every guy's dream. She also had a lot of emotions going on. She had feelings whenever she met someone handsome, and she also wanted to go and have a little fun with her mate. But having a religious parent could be a good and bad thing.
"Do not have male friends; it's a sin." Her father had said one day.
"Do not talk to boys at your school; it's a sin." Her mother's voice had echoed one time in the kitchen.
"When you see a boy coming to the left, move to the right. When you see a boy coming to the right, move to the left. When you see boys coming in from both the left and the right, move to the center. When you see all three boys coming towards you, disappear!" Both her parents had exclaimed.
Melanie wasn't from a rich home, but her parents weren't really poor either. She'd gained a scholarship at her secondary school, so her parents would save the money for her university tuition fee. Being at a rich school, Melanie could see the lifestyle of many kids and always wished she had something close to that.
"Melanie," a girl from her class, called one day with an invitation in her hands. "I'm having my sweet sixteen birthday tonight, and I'm inviting you."
This was the first time Melanie was invited to something remotely close to a party. With so much excitement, Melanie took hold of the invite and protected it like an egg throughout the rest of the school day, after finding out that the invite was given to a selected student. Getting home, Melanie knew she had to ask for permission from her parents.
"I...I got invited to this party at school," Melanie stuttered, waiting for her parents' reply.
"Party?" Her mother had questioned while looking at her father. "Don't you know that going to wild places and doing worldly events is a sin?"
"At your age, you shouldn't be thinking about men or parties; you should be reading your book and staying to help your mother!" Her father had flared up.
"It's a birthday party hosted by a friend," Melanie had cried. "We just want to celebrate with her. Besides, I read my books and help mother all the time. I also obey your instructions; I haven't spoken to a boy in my life. Not even the ones from my class."
"You're not going!" And she knew that was final. Her parents weren't going to let her go. Melanie had given up and had gone over to her room to read her book. But minutes later, her door crept open.
"Your Father and I are going to the church elders meeting," her mother had announced, poking her head to look at her in the room. "Make sure you behave yourself."
"Yes, ma," Melanie had sighed. The house was quiet after her parents had left for the meeting, and Melanie was alone in her room doing nothing.
"I can go to the party and get back before Mum and Dad get home," she'd said to herself. She knew the meetings usually lasted a long time because they were always conducted by the main pastor. Taking her chances, Melanie got up and moved to her box to pick out her best dress. It was a black silky gown her auntie had gotten for her one day. She loved the gown so much because it made her complexion pop even more. Her parents also hated that gown because of how mini it was, but they couldn't destroy it because whenever her auntie visited, she always asked for it.
Finally seeing that she was ready for the party, Melanie rushed out of the house with no other thought in mind but to enjoy her day. And she did. For the first time, Melanie spoke to boys, and they weren't that bad either. Most of her classmates also enjoyed her company, which was a surprise because she wasn't one to interact with anyone in class. Melanie could also multitask. While having fun, she was self-conscious of the time. And when it felt like it was time to head back home, she said goodbye to the friends she'd just made.
On getting home, Melanie was filled with so much joy. But what dimmed those new-felt emotions were her parents waiting for her in the sitting room with a belt in her father's hand and a turning stick in her mother's. Melanie was confused. She was so sure her parents would still be in the meeting.
"So if the pastor didn't have other appointments and your mother and I didn't come home early, we wouldn't see the devilish thing you've been doing all this while?" Her father had charged at her with a slash of the belt. Melanie screamed once the item made contact with her delicate skin.
"We need to burn that dress," her mother had said, looking at Melanie like she was the devil herself. "We need to."
That night, Melanie didn't only receive many beatings that designed her beautiful fair skin, but also her favourite dress which was gotten for her by her auntie got burnt. The experience that night was something she'd never forget. Melanie was caged indoors after that day. She was monitored by her parents at home and by her neighbours and teachers in school, based on her parents' instructions.
Freedom came knocking at Melanie's doorstep when she finally gained a scholarship to the school of her choice, University of Calabar. She'd chosen a school far from home to be free from her parents and the constant eyes of her neighbours and the members of her church. Melanie had sworn to live the life she'd been deprived of all her life.
At the university, Melanie made friends. When choosing friends, she didn't go for the intelligent ones because she was intelligent herself and was good at multitasking, knowing she didn't get distracted easily. She went for the ones who knew how to have fun. Clubbing, to be precise.
Geraldine, Benecia, and Boma were the girls she knew had the big girl title in her department. They had the latest brands and changed expensive hair every day. She could've sworn she'd never seen them wear the same outfit twice. Luckily for Melanie, Geraldine and the girls were the ones to approach her, saying they loved her vibe and she could hang out with them if she wanted.
Of course, she wanted! Every night was for clubbing. Melanie watched the girls smoke different substances to get themselves high. The good thing about Geraldine, Boma, and Benecia was the fact that they never forced Melanie to do what she didn't want to do. So while the girls smoked and took drugs, Melanie stayed out of it. Still living this lifestyle, Melanie excelled in school with a very high CGPA.
One day, at the club with her friends, a bartender slid a drink towards her. Melanie stared at it, confused. "I didn't order this."
"He did," the bartender said, pointing at a distance. Melanie and her friends looked at a guy who was dressed in a really expensive black suit.
"He has an aura that can make anyone drool," Geraldine had muttered. "He's really sexy, you know."
"He isn't taking his eyes off of you," Boma had whispered. "I think it's finally time you get cured of your virgin disease. You're in three hundred levels, girl."
It was true. This beautiful man who was sitting with so much confidence had his eyes only on Melanie.
"Go on." Benecia had pushed her off the stool. "Go say thank you. You aren't in secondary school anymore. There's no one to tell you to run away from boys."
Melanie had told them about her upbringing, which made the girls swear that they'd bring all the fun she'd missed to her doorstep. Finally making up her mind, Melanie got up and slowly walked over to the reserved booth the man was at.
Melanie wasn't nervous. She was beautiful. And for the past few years, she'd been gaining curves in the right places. The man stared at her, and then a predatory smirk appeared on his lips.
"Hi," he said, then tapped his chair twice. "Please sit," Melanie gave him a cute smile and sat beside him. "I'm Segun, and you?"
"A Yoruba demon, I see." Melanie had joked. "Should I run away from you?"
"Do you think you can?" He'd questioned, leaning in. Melanie thought he was interesting, and he thought the same of her too. Slow but steady, they began to get to know each other. She talked about being in her third year of school, and he talked about owning one of the biggest networking channels in the country. They became friends and began to hang out a lot more than necessary.
"Would you be my girlfriend?" Segun had asked one day over dinner. If she said yes, then he'd be her first boyfriend, which was perfect for her to lose her virginity to, knowing how much she loved him.
"Yes!" She'd exclaimed with so much joy in her heart. She could see the future in him. In two years, they'd probably get married, and in three years, they'd have their first child. She was excited to see what the future held for her. That night, she lost her virginity to him which was a surprise on Segun's path. For someone as beautiful and endowed as Melanie, he never pictured her still being a virgin.
Everything was going smoothly for Melanie, and her life was turning out to be something out of a romance novel until something happened. She felt it rising in her throat, and with no hesitation, she rushed out of the lecture hall and moved to the corner of the room to throw up everything she'd eaten that day. Her friends were beside her in seconds, holding her hair up while patting her back rhythmically.
"Are you okay?" Benecia had asked, bringing out the water bottle from her handbag and giving it to Melanie so she could use it to wash her mouth and face.
"I've been feeling weak since last night," Melanie had informed "Probably fever."
"You need to go to the hospital then," Geraldine had said, but Melanie shook her head.
"Don't worry," she'd said to her friends. "My body will self-heal."
"Self-heal?" Benecia had looked at Melanie like she'd lost it. "You need to go to the hospital, and we're taking you there."
After class, her friends took her to the hospital for some diagnosis, but the news that came out next made everyone awestruck.
"You are three weeks pregnant," the doctor had informed Melanie. She was as shocked as her friends, but unlike them, she was the one with a child.
"I can't be pregnant; my parents would kill me." Melanie had cried out loud once they'd left the hospital.
"Calm down," Geraldine had held her shoulders. "I mean, you love Segun, and Segun loves you too, right? Why don't you tell him about the child?"
Geraldine was right. She'd dreamed of a future with the love of her life. He was also ready for marriage because he was rich. She could take him home, and her parents would approve of him.
That day, Melanie went to the place where Segun was residing, only to see Segun's friend Emediong there.
"Hey Emediong, where's Segun? I need to see him." She'd said this to Emediong while standing at the door.
"Didn't he tell you?" Emediong had asked. Melanie was confused, and Emediong could see that, so he opted to help her out. "Segun owns a networking channel. He was here on a business trip and has a friend. I asked him to stay with me instead of booking a hotel. He's gone back to Lagos."
"Lagos?" Melanie had fallen to the floor. Why didn't Segun tell her that he was only here for a business trip?
"Maybe you should call him," Emediong had suggested. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm pregnant," Melanie couldn't help but cry. "I'm pregnant!"
Going back to the flat she shared with her friends, Melanie decided to call Segun's line. She tried countless times, but his line wouldn't go through.
"You can just abort the child," Boma had suggested. "We've all done it."
Abortion was something Melanie wouldn't do. She'd never do it. Weeks passed, and she knew she needed to tell her parents about her situation. So she made up her mind to travel to Lagos.
Her tummy was already showing evidence of her carrying a baby in her womb, and the first person to see the sight of her predicament was her mother. The plate her mother had in her hand fell to the floor, and the food scattered all over. She'd told her parents she was coming for a visit the previous night but never said the reason. They were all excited that she was coming home, and the food on the floor was probably the one her mother had prepared for her.
"Melanie!" The yells from her mother were the reason her father rushed out to see what was going on. When his gaze landed on her slight bum, the disappointment was as clear as day.
"Mummy, Daddy-"
"Do not take another step in," her father had told her with anger. "Do not take that disgraceful step into my compound."
"Is this the reason we sent you to school? To come home with pregnancy?" The hurt in her mother's voice was just too much to bear. She couldn't imagine the disappointment her presence had caused. "Didn't we tell you not to go near a boy? Didn't we?"
All this time, her mother kept talking; her father had gone inside and was now throwing whatever property Melanie still had in the house.
"Go, leave before the neighbours or anyone from the church sees you. Go far away from here." Her father had an evident scowl. "You are a disgrace to us and will remain a disgrace. I never want to see you or the child in that stomach of yours. You are no longer my daughter."
Even to this day, Melanie has never forgotten that word. She couldn't go back to Calabar because she'd used all her money to transport herself to Lagos, and according to her friends, they didn't have much money with them either. Going back to Calabar would also be so shameful. Having a child without a man to own up to it was disgraceful.
Melanie was alone. Alone and stranded. From living under the bridge to working in a restaurant to finally having enough money to rent a one-bedroom apartment for herself. She'd imagine her future to be beautiful like that in a fairy tale. But now, she was a dropout with an unwanted pregnancy.
One day, Melanie was asked by her madam to go and get some things at the supermarket. When she got to the door, someone bumped into her. Looking up, her shocked eyes matched the person in front of her. Segun. He was as handsome as ever-even more handsome now. She'd hated that he left without saying a word, but she couldn't help but have hope that she'd finally found him.
"Segun-"
"Honey," Melanie's eyes had moved to the voice that had interrupted her. It was a beautiful, dark, tall woman carrying a toddler in her arms. "What's the hold-up?"
"Honey?" Melanie couldn't help but whisper to herself.
"Just...nothing," Segun had said, sidestepping Melanie like she was nothing. "Let me hold Queen."
Melanie had turned in time to see Segun holding the little toddler with so much care.
"He's married?" Melanie couldn't help but collapse on the floor, just like her world had already collapsed before her very eyes. She remembered her Boma's words and thought of aborting the child in her womb. The man she'd loved belonged to another, so what was there to live for?
Months passed, and Melanie found herself in the labour room, struggling to push out the baby in her. So many times she'd experienced blacking out, but her strong zeal kept her in check. After a successful delivery, she was moved to a different room when a nurse came to her with her baby wrapped in a white cloth. She handed the baby to Melanie, and Melanie could see how she was a replica of her father. Same nose, eyes, mouth, and beautiful dark skin. Staring at her beautiful sleeping form, Melanie decided to go with the name Nsikan, because what's greater than God?
───※ ·❆· ※───
Nsikan stared at her mother with tears soaking her face. She couldn't believe what her mother had gone through before having her. She'd never taken her to see her grandparents, and so she indirectly believed they were dead. Was this the reason her mother hated men before meeting Thompson's father?
"You didn't abort me even after having the thought," Nsikan said slowly. "Why?"
Her mother turned to her. Though her face wasn't as soaked as Nsikan's, one could see the redness in her eyes. "Because I'd already lost everything. I was already a dropout; my parents had already disowned me, and I had been lied to by the man I loved. Aborting you wouldn't reverse what had already been done."
"You didn't hate me," Nsikan whispered, wiping her face. "I reminded you of him, but you didn't hate me."
"You brought fortune to me," her mother said, moving closer to her and wrapping her arms around her. "A few months after you were born, a product company scouted me to be the face of their goods. Other companies and brands saw my beauty after that and contacted me. Influential people began socialising with me and inviting me to parties. I began getting successful."
Nsikan smiled when she saw her mum let out a small chuckle. "I swore to never be like my parents. I swore to give you the freedom you deserve and to act like your best friend so you wouldn't hide anything from me and so I could advise you in the best way I could. I also wanted to hide your father's existence from you, which is why I lied about how you came into this world. I hated men because of him and wanted nothing to do with them. All my life, I'd thought of my predicament. Maybe I should've listened to my parents and never gone near a man."
Nsikan reached to hug her mother tightly. "You made a mistake, and the best was for them to draw you in when you needed them the most, but they chose to keep their face."
Her mother couldn't help but feel the way she'd felt many years ago. The way her parents threw her out without a second thought. After that day, she'd never reached out to them. Many times she wanted to, but the way they'd acted towards her stopped her from doing so.
"Your father wants to meet you." Nsikan could feel her heart beating as she pulled away. "But I don't want you anywhere close to him."
"Mum-"
"Promise me," her mother said sharply. The hurt in her mother's eyes forced her to gulp. She'd experienced so much pain and didn't want to add to it. And so Nsikan nodded.
"I promise."
───※ ·❆· ※───
That's it for today's chapter. What do you think about Nsikan's mother's back story?
Till the next update,
Happy new month!