Him

Our love was like the whirlwind, dauntless and outrageous, sparing no one in its path. I met him during my one year Internship at the Nigerian Ports Authority. He was into haulage and I was working in the logistics department at the Wharf. His shipment was delayed on the high sea and he had a deadline to meet. I realized later that he didn't  know what strings to pull as he was new in the business. What do you expect from fresh graduate from LSU? A typical "ajebo", I was attracted to his shoes... Lol!

I walked up to him and offered to introduce him to my superiors who helped him get past all the customs bruhaha. I'd like to say the rest is history, but not in this case...

The Beginning

I dated Tomiwa the remaining two years in school, after my service year I found out about Pelumi one fateful Tuesday morning. I had gone for my usual early morning run before work and I just blacked out. I opened my eyes to see a Nurse looking at me, she asked if I knew I was two months pregnant and I couldn't believe my ears. I was pregnant but menstruating. I thought pregnant women didn't have periods, I was confused and angry, I even considered an abortion.

Wait before you judge me, I was a twenty three year old woman, at the beginning of a great career in a lucrative  industry. We all know a pregnancy is the exact thing that could stop me from reaching that peak I so wanted to be. I told Tomi about the baby and he was ecstatic, he looked at me like I just gave him the best gift in the world. With the look on my man's face, all my earlier doubts disappeared...

Gestation

I had a difficult pregnancy, coupled with endometriosis I was practically on bed rest all though the nine month gestation period. Delivery was by caesarean section and after everything, I was told I could never mother another child. My womb was weak and I couldn't carry another pregnancy successfully, I became depressed, by now I and Tomi weren't officially married, we were living together but we had only an introduction ceremony where the two families met.

Gradually, post partum depression sunk in. I lost interest in everything, Tomi got a lady to help with the baby and chores, that gave me enough time to wallow in self pity and cry. I hated everything and everyone, including myself. I gained weight gradually, adding a whopping 50kg in two years.

I found solace in junk food and the likes, I practically ignored Tomi and the baby. Pelumi grew into a sweet little child, extremely attached to the father and barely acknowledged me her mother. I couldn't blame her as I just didn't feel I deserved it after all I didn't play any role in bringing her up.

The Surprise

Tomiwa suddenly proposed to me on my twenty seventh birthday, I was astonished as we were still living together but not as a couple. He barely touched me since the delivery and it's been almost four years. Why the sudden change? I asked myself but I obliged and we had our wedding.

It was a quiet ceremony and everyone seemed happy except me. I blamed him for all these things; losing my job, inability to carry a child, weight gain and Pelumi. We had our honeymoon in Santorini, Greece. His business was now fully established and expanding, we could afford the best conveniently.

While on this trip, Tomi made love to me like we just met, just like the whirlwind romance we had at first. I fell for him all over again, it was like a switch was turned up in my head. Slowly, depression became a thing of the past. I found out about surrogacy and shared it with my husband. He was skeptical at first, but with little persuasion and a ever present desire to please me, he agreed. I returned home a woman on a mission, searching for the right one to carry my foetus .

Her

At this time, surrogacy wasn't a common thing in Africa. I had met with a couple in Greece who had their twin boys through this alternative but back in Nigeria, it wasn't easy.

I met Sade through a mutual friend, she just started an agency specialized in recruiting women willing to be surrogate mothers. I discussed my issue with her and she agreed to help. She decided to be our surrogate and I introduced her to Tomi. Three of us travelled to the U.S for the procedure, leaving Pelumi with my Mom. Tomi's branch was just growing over there and we decided to stay put for a while until Sade delivered...

Sade was a beautiful woman, light skinned and petite. She reminded me of a porcelain doll, elegant and simple. I realized Tomiwa had a soft spot for her and I attributed it to his empathetic nature. With this new competition, I decided to join the gym and work on my diet during the first trimester. My progress was quite impressive and by the sixth month I was back to normal before I had Pelumi.

I found them on our bed one cold night, I had been to a friend's place to visit. I walked in to see Tomiwa going down on her. The world stood still, I could feel my heart crack. I tried to scream but I could only let out a croak. I had lost my voice. Tomiwa just stood and covered her up, wore his clothes and left the room. I followed him to the sitting room, by now I was in tears. I couldn't believe they were lovers living right under the same roof as me.

Tomi told me he never wanted to hurt me, he just couldn't hold back. Sade was his first, they had dated during his days at LSU. They had planned this trip all along, He didn't want to tell me that first day because I was so happy and he didn't want to spoil that.

He told me the child she was carrying wasn't ours but theirs. Apparently the procedure didn't pull through but they kept it from me. Tomiwa fathered the baby naturally, Sade was carrying his child not mine. Suddenly I found my voice, I screamed like a mad woman.

I returned to Nigeria, a broken woman. I practically ran into my mother's arms at the airport. I had relayed my ordeal to her and I could hear her gasp as she stared at my emaciated frame.

"Mommy Mommy!" I heard a tiny voice say.

Lo and behold it was Pelumi, my beautiful child, my baby, the reason I didn't end my life in Louisiana.

"Mommy I'm so sorry, I love you so much. Mommy I'm sorry..." She was crying, I hugged her so tight, she is my only lifeline, my only hope...

Reminiscence

Staring out into nothingness as the wind swept my flowery skirt back and forth. I tugged at the single pendant fastened to the gold chain adorning my slender neck as the rain came down in torrents...

Inside was a locket, given to me by him during our short stay in Greece. Enclosed was a picture of the three of us, I, Tomi and Pelumi, behind was an inscription; "Moradekemi, my golden fleece".

Written byBello Adekunbi "Kunbella"