Bedtime Story- Episode Two

       

 Christiana was only sixteen the first time her eyes met with Bayo’s. She met him the day she arrived from the United States. She stared at him for so long that her mother became very irritated. Quickly, she said, “he is the grandson of the old woman that cleans our house.” To Christiana, it was such an awful way to describe such a young man with a face so handsome and an appearance so tender. Her parents noticed how attracted she was to him, so they tried to keep her away from him anytime she was seen talking to him. They told her many times that he was a young man with no class but Christiana didn’t show any concern for their words. Her eyes followed him anywhere he went.

One day, she stood behind him watching him paint a beautiful picture. She admired his artistic talent and it made her like him the more. Immediately Bayo noticed her presence, he trembled, his paper and painting brush dropped from his hand. Swiftly, both of them bent to pick up the items, but ended up with their heads colliding.

 “I am so sorry.” Bayo’s voice shook as he talked. “I a-m sorry,” he stuttered again.

“No problem" Christiana said softly but Bayo knew there was a problem. He was so shy he couldn't even comfortably speak with girls in his social class despite his good looks. He then wondered how he would talk to a very beautiful girl with such a high class.

“You paint so well,” she said and that opened up a smile on his face. Without hesitating, she talked about her passion for art, especially African art and told him her dream of becoming a great artist. She showed him many drawings she had made and he also showed her a few of his paintings. His paintings were so good; she stared at them for long. Her admiration for his painting encouraged him for the first time to appreciate his artistic talent. He had always kept his painting to himself.

             
For two weeks that Christiana’s parents travelled to Abuja, Christiana and Bayo sought the opportunity to spend time with each other. They drew and painted many beautiful images and they had fun as they criticized each other’s work. Although, Mama Cleaner, Bayo’s grandmother tried to separate them, but her efforts were futile. She knew her grandson had become very happy and jovial since Christiana’s arrival, but she was scared of what her employers would do if they found them together. Bayo used to be lonely and sad, born out of wedlock, his mother handed him over to his grandmother, to get a fresh start with her partner. Having no age companion to talk to, he grew up shy. Mama cleaner knew it was an opportunity for her grandson to have someone to relate with before Christiana returned to the United States where she schooled.

             
One day Christiana got tired of talking about African art and drawing different images. She asked him to share his experience with the ladies he had been with. But he had nothing to share. He felt uncomfortable; when she asked if he had kissed a lady before and he told her he hadn't, she laughed in a derisive way making him feel he should have lied.

             
“Have you had sex?” she asked. Her words made him cold and more uncomfortable. When she looked at him, quickly he hid his eyes from her to hide his shyness. “Have you had sex?” she asked again.

             
“Sex?” he broke a brief silence. Then he said, “very well.” He wore a fragile smile to hide his nervousness.

        
 “Very well?” she asked, looking disappointed. She was surprised. If he hadn’t had any experience with a girl or kissed a girl how come he had had sex with a girl?  “I am a virgin,” she said after a brief silence.

“Virgin?” he wished he had told the truth. He started to think of what to say in order to tell her the truth. After a while, he said, “I have never had sex.” Christiana laughed for so long before he started to laugh.

As Christiana talked about how her friends who made fun of her when they realised she was still a virgin, Bayo fantasized her in bed. He imagined her nakedness. Easily, he kissed her when she kissed him. All of a sudden, she jumped from her chair and she pulled him out of his chair. He wondered where they were going to till she pulled him into her big and well furnished bedroom.

            
 “You know what to do, right?” she asked and Bayo nodded. Quickly, she removed her top and her skirt, and then she fell on her huge bed. Disappointedly, she watched Bayo standing like someone lost in thought. He was scared. He was not only scared of doing what he had not done before, he was scared of her parents like they were standing behind him. He was also scared of his grandmother. Before Christiana made an attempt to pull him closer, he pulled his trouser down to his feet then he joined her in her bed. They had fun that night, unknowing to them that it would forever be a memorable night.

            
Christiana returned to the United States a month after her holiday in Nigeria. And three months after she returned, she was confirmed pregnant. “Pregnant!” Christiana's father, exclaimed. His heart jogged vigorously as he left his mouth agape. He wished it was a nightmare, a nightmare he could wake up from. Her mother wailed the more her husband repeated the word, pregnant. Christiana buried her head in her hand. She was too ashamed to stare at her parents.

             
Hell broke loose as they argued about Christiana’s pregnancy. Her father wanted her to abort the pregnancy, but her mother stood against him and he reminded her several times that the young man responsible for it had no future. He was the grandson of Mama Cleaner, a cleaner. However, her mother rang a bell into his ears, telling him that Christiana was the only child they had and if anything terrible happened to her she would drop dead instantly.  After three weeks of dispute over Christiana’s pregnancy, her father gave up over the matter.

           
 “I swear to God, that bastard will never set his eyes on the baby let alone touch it,” Christiana's mother yelled. She said those words over and over again after they had reached a painful conclusion that Christiana should keep the pregnancy.

................To be continued