Standing on the balcony outside the apartment, Akushika looked up, admiring as the clear blue sky and the ever-blazing sun brighten up the neighbourhood around. Coming out to gaze upon the peaceful and not-often busy community she found herself in turned out to be more of a soothing experience than she had anticipated. The past three days she had been there, every brief time to herself at this side of the flat always gave her a sense of calm.

Something she desperately needed, with the inner turmoil within refusing to totally abate.

There was no point trying to get in touch with her parents; they had blocked her number a long ago. Her only chance at communicating with them was to do what she had originally planned, to return to Accra and go back home. And at that moment, that felt like leaving heaven’s fields for the cells of hell.

Akushika shook her head. “Heaven’s fields,” she murmured to herself. “Yep, that’s actually on point.”

Three days in, and this old couple had shown her more affection and love than she had experienced from her own parents in the last couple of years. Remaliah, for all his tough exterior, was one kind-hearted gentleman with a heart of gold. That concern he showed her that fateful night was no one-off; he genuinely was a caring man who treated her with affection.

As for Drusilla… three days was more than enough to know that that woman was the walking manual for motherhood. She could not remember ever being smothered with a fraction of the care Drusilla had shown by Martina Acolatse. It really was amazing how they had embraced her with open arms and were giving her such warm treatment.

And, she had to admit, she found their bond so cute. The way they laughed with each other, teased each other and chatted endlessly in the evening whenever Remaliah came home was pretty adorable. She wasn’t used to such displays of affection, but she sure was loving it. It set the tone for that fuzzy, caring atmosphere she was in.

The problem, though? She still hadn’t told them she was pregnant. And she wasn’t too sure their treatment of her would remain the same once it was revealed. She had promised to eventually tell them the backstory behind her circumstances, and she had this gnawing feeling that once it was out, the sweetness would disappear, and they would see her as a bad girl and possibly throw her out. After all, this was a military couple, so to speak, and they definitely eschewed indiscipline of any kind.

But… would that really be the case, considering the little she had witnessed? Wasn’t she reaching with that assumption?

“I don’t know,” she murmured to herself, leaning against. “I mean, the way Sir Remmy and Maa Dru seem to be, it seems a little silly to think they’ll do that. They’re such a kind couple. It… it feels weird to assume they won’t want anything to do with me. But… but this is a military couple. They’ve lived in the barracks before, and they don’t condone these things. Young girls getting pregnant out of wedlock and all that. Surely they won’t tolerate this, will they?”

She sighed and shook her head. She didn’t know whether to dismiss this as a mere overreaction, or to take it serious. One thing was for sure, though: she had to come clean. After all, pregnancy was not something she could hide.

“I mean, look at how my own friend reacted to it. She didn’t even want me near her,” she reasoned to herself. “Even the one supposed to have my back didn’t spare me when I told her. Is it really likely that strangers I don’t know from Adam will be this kind? Honestly, Shika, be serious. I know you wish that they’ll stay as kind as usual, but… but it’s possible they won’t be enthused, and things would change…”

Even as she stated those words out loud, that deeper voice within her craved for the opposite.

Come on! Don’t let it be the case. This place feels so welcoming. It’s like God put me in their way for a reason. It’ll just hurt if I have to leave here. Besides, it’s like Maa Dru’s food doesn’t make me wanna throw up-

“Ahemm-hemm-hemmmm!”

Akushika nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of that cleared throat. She turned in the direction of that and saw a young man a few metres away from her.

He looked like your standard Ghanaian young man, with pretty bushy hair, and he had a small suitcase and a bag over his shoulder.

She had no idea who he was, but she certainly was not enthused by that.

“Oh, uh, umm, sorry about that, please excuse me-“

“Excuse yourself!” Akushika spat back rudely, a scowl slowly spreading across her face.

The young man looked surprised at that response. “Uhhh, okay? I… wasn’t expecting that…”

“Oh really? You weren’t expecting that?” Akushika asked sarcastically. “You do that just to frighten me and you weren’t expecting that? Are you serious?”

Now he looked pretty bewildered. “Uh, no, that wasn’t intentional. I have an issue with my throat-“

“Oh please, spare me the lies! That’s all you guys of today do. Hurt innocent girls and lie just to cover up your wickedness!”

“Uhm, miss, do you even know me that you’re saying all this?” the young man enquired, looking genuinely confused.

“I don’t need to! You’re all the same! Not one of you is different!” Akushika yelled, the rush of adrenaline fueling her sudden rage.

“Ah! But you, what dey wrong you? Small clearing my throat too, you dey snap? What this?”

“What this? You are asking me what this? Don’t annoy me any further, gentleman!”

“Ei, ei, ei, what’s going on, what’s going on??”

Before the young man could shoot back, Drusilla appeared from the left side of where they stood, having come out of the apartment after hearing their raised voices. She rushed to Akushika. “Akushika, what’s happening?”

“Isn’t it this guy?” Akushika barked, pointing at the young man. “Trying to make a sneaky move on me, scaring the daylight out of me with clearing his throat. He must think I’m some gullible idiot.”

The young man shook his head, now looking very irritated. “Maa Dru, I literally got off a six-hour trip from Accra to Kumasi. Why in the world am I coming to move on some girl I don’t even know? Look at where I am and where she is. What’s the sense in what she’s saying? And who the hell is she, by the way?”

“Please, please, calm down, both of you!” Drusilla pleaded loudly, gesturing to both parties to rein in their anger. Sighing once they both seemed to back down, she turned to the young man. “Raymond, this is Akushika. There’s a little backstory to why she’s here, but you’ll know later, please. I beg you.”

Oh dear. It’s their other boy I just attacked…

“And Akushika,” Drusilla continued, turning to her, “this is Raymond. The other one I told you about. It’s unfortunate your first meeting went like this, but… I understand why.”

That rush of furious adrenaline had worn off, and now regret was taking its place. That exchange of emotions looked quite apparent on Akushika’s face, and Drusilla had noticed it. The matriarch put an arm around her. “Ray, you just get to your place and rest, okay?” she said to him. “Please. Let me handle this. No more fighting. Just go and relax. I know you’re tired.”

Raymond still looked very annoyed, but the thought of resting after a long journey seemed more appealing at the moment. So he nodded, still murmuring angrily to himself, and moved toward his apartment, which was right opposite that of the Mills-Odoi couple, while Drusilla slowly led Akushika into their apartment.

Once they entered, Akushika covered her face and moaned. “Ohhhhhh, what did I just dooooo? Arrrgghhhhh!”

“Easy, my dear, easy,” Drusilla cooed, rubbing her on the back. “Like I said, I understand. After what you experienced a few days back, a reflex reaction like that can happen. I just wish it didn’t happen with Ray. But you don’t worry. Just take it easy. I’ll try and talk to him later on when he’s rested.”

Nodding as she moved to the dining room to take a seat, Akushika took deep breaths once she was seated.

What a gaffe! Maybe it was a reflex from when that guy attacked her, but surely the reaction was too much. She sighed. “Nice way to unnecessarily create enemies for myself. It’s not even a week, and I’m already messing things up.”

As she watched Drusilla walk into her bedroom, she caught a brief expression of dissatisfaction on the older lady’s face. Immediately, a voice popped up.

Look at that. You truly have messed up. Now even this sweet woman is cracking up. You’ve shot yourself in the foot, girl. The moment they discover you’re pregnant, it’s over.

Akushika sighed, rubbing her eyes.

It sounded pretty convincing. And she couldn’t lie, that look on Drusilla’s face was not a pleasant one.

“It’s true. I’ve messed this up,” she murmured. “I might as well just cement my problematic self to them tonight and reveal myself to them. Ugh, good job, Akushika. You just can’t seem to stop ruining your own life, can you?”

***

“Ummm, so the reason behind my predicament is because… I-I… I’m pregnant.”

Seated before the Mills-Odoi couple, Akushika had her head down as she blurted out those words. It was evening, and Remaliah had barely walked through the door and relaxed for five minutes before she let them know she needed to open up to them. Having stewed over this decision over the course of the day, she was convinced this would be the end of her stay there.

She looked up briefly. The looks on the faces of the elderly couple, as she expected, were that of surprise.

“Pregnant? But… but how?” Drusilla asked.

“What happened?” Remaliah added.

Akushika’s eyes fell. This was definitely going to be the guillotine drop. Her eyes began to well up with tears, as she struggled within herself for a moment before starting.

“Ummm… so… it-it was this one evening. I… I was supposed to be at home while my parents had to go to our hometown for some emergency. B-but… but I… I rather took advantage of that and I… I-I went for a party…”

Forging ahead, she continued to outline the circumstances that led to her situation. Her head still down, she had no idea what looks Remaliah and Drusilla had on their faces. All she knew was to let out all that was in her heart.

“… and I told him, and… and… he insulted me. Called me a prostitute. Said the nastiest of things to me. God, I was so hurt…”

At that point, it was no longer about exposing herself as a ‘bad girl’ to them. She was pouring out her hurt, and it was evident in the cracking of her voice and the failing struggle to hold back tears. Before she knew it, she was now talking about the reaction of her parents.

“And I somehow blurted out to her that I thought they said abortion is a sin, and… and she flipped out. She called my father and told him what I said, and they both claimed I was indirectly saying they are murderers and evil beings. I told them that’s not what I meant, but they wouldn’t listen…”

It was at that point that her fight to prevent from breaking down totally crumbled. Her words turned into bitter sobs.

“Ssshh-sshh-sshh, it’s alright, my dear, it’s alright,” the warm voice of Drusilla hushed, as she felt the lady wrap her up in a motherly embrace. “It’s okay. You’ve opened up, and that’s what matters.”

Akushika continued to sob as Drusilla continued holding her close. Remaliah simply remained silent, deep in thought.

Wiping her tears, she sniffed as she lifted her head and looked at Drusilla, then Remaliah. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“No, no, no, there’s no need to be sorry,” Drusilla insisted, helping her wipe her eyes. “We’re just glad you opened up about your situation. That will help us know what to do.”

Akushika looked at them once again. “Y-y-you’re gonna let me go, right?”

The couple looked stunned. “Let you go?” Remaliah asked. “Why?”

“B-b-but… I’m… I’m not a good girl-“

“Oh, please, that’s the last thing on my mind right now,” Drusilla interrupted, still holding her close. “And that’s not what you need right now. You’ve already experienced enough. This is your vulnerable moment; you don’t need to have your wrongs drummed into your head like that. That’s just wrong.”

“Indeed,” Remaliah agreed. “Look, I can understand your parents being upset at you breaking their rules and getting pregnant as a result, I get that. As a father of two daughters, I can understand that, I’d be very much upset too. But to disown you and throw you out like that? Far too extreme. But… but do they know you’re here?”

Akushika shook her head. “They don’t even want to hear from me. They blocked my number, and if I call through another number, they’ll reject the call.”

Remaliah looked amazed. “Ah! But who does that? That’s so unfortunate. The deed has been done, this extreme level of punishment isn’t necessary. What you need is support through this period. Not harsh judgment.”

“Exactly!” Drusilla added. “Look, as you’re here and we know this, we will help you. Who knows, that’s why God brought Remmy your way. No mistake warrants you being thrown under the bus like this. We’ll help you, okay?”

“Yes, we will. Don’t have any doubts about that. Look, now that you’ve mentioned it kraaa, Dru, I’m supposed to get in touch with Anderson this evening. I’ll ask him if we can book an appointment tomorrow.”

“Oh, yes, yes! Perfect timing. See, sweetheart? That’s a friend of ours, Dr. Anderson Asamoah. He’s an obstetrician. So we can see him tomorrow and get you properly started on this journey.”

Akushika didn’t know whether to burst into tears again or just remain shocked to the core.

She really had convinced herself that entire afternoon that this would be the end of the road as far as her stay here was concerned. She had honestly expected a reaction slightly similar to that of her parents. Maybe not as fiery as theirs, but something on a lower level.

But not this.

How were they already setting up an appointment with a doctor for her? And how come they weren’t condemning her for her actions?

This is unbelievable, she thought to herself while the couple made the call to the doctor. What did I do to deserve this? How am I getting this kind of treatment after that awful error I made with Drill?

She didn’t know the answer to those questions. But she was grateful.

And that was what mattered.

Just as we thought! This couple wasn’t going to toss her away just like that. looks like she’s got herself a new set of parents…