Pills Or Your Womb..?

“Aunty Faith…” I pretend like I don’t hear her. “Aunty Faith, I know you’re angry… but something terrible happened” She continued with that pleading tone in her voice. I looked up at her, “You’re not dead, are ya?! You coulda called to say you weren’t gonna come” She went sober after I said that.

Tolani was supposed to do something for me the morning before, but she didn’t turn up – leaving me to do all the work, which was quite exhausting by the way! Of course I was pretending to be much more angrier than I was, I couldn’t stay angry for a long time at the sweet little thing. So, with the angry look gone, I raised my head, “Oya, I’m listening o. What happened?” *she sighs* “Well, let’s just say I’m hoping to God something isn’t wrong with my womb” Now, that caught my attention! Before we go any further, I’d like to add that Tolani is 18.

In my head, 18 and womb-going-wrong sounded so… wrong! “How do you mean?”, I asked. And the story began… “You know I was away for a while, so when I came back I decided to go pay the boyfriend a visit. He was complaining about how I’d been starving him and everything… at the end of the day he forced me, had his way.” Then she paused for effect. I didn’t breathe a word, silently beckoning her to continue with her story… “When he finished, he brought a glass of water and put a spoon of salt in it, in my presence… but since then I’ve been bleeding!” Oh Lordy! I asked, “How long ago was this?” “2 days ago” “What! You’ve been bleeding for 2 days!”

To cut the long story short, I convinced her that what the dude gave her wasn’t just salt water solution, he must have put something in the water before he brought it to her. I asked her to go back to him and threaten to have arrested until he confesses what else was in the water.

…. today!

“Aunty Faith, I’ve asked him o. He was apologising and everything. He said before he brought the water he had put grounded potash, postinor 1 and ampiclox…” “What?! All that?! What if you had died, would he apologise to your corpse? Or your mother? Truth is, he woulda carried and dumped your body in one bush like that! That is the gospel truth!”

Yes, she still bled for a couple days more, and yes! she’s still in fear that something might be already wrong with her womb. What is wrong with us girls?! Exactly what?! A guy shags you without protection, and then he gives you something to swallow, in the name of preventing an unwanted pregnancy; AND you use it!!! Why didn’t he protect himself in the first place? That’s one safe preventive measure; abi what rule says it’s the girls that must swallow pills, or if the worse has happened, do an abortion or deal with early motherhood?! What if the drug(s) killed you? When are we going to get wiser, huh? After many wombs have been destroyed, or some have bled to death?! Or is it after lives and careers have been destroyed?! Tuma pāgala hō ga'ē hō?

I’m not gonna advise any girl out there… you know what’s good for you and your womb. Good luck not ruining your future! Namaste!