Family planning

Episode 1

"I'm pregnant already. But the problem is that my husband is not responsible for the pregnancy. And I don't want him to ever find out that I cheated on him with another man and got pregnant.

When we came to the hospital earlier today, I was hoping that we would go home fast untill the doctor said ....

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"I'm pregnant. This is a serious problem for me. I never expected to get pregnant now. How did this happen to me? My husband got a vasectomy because he didn't want me to get pregnant now. I'm still in 100-level and I would like to finish my university education before getting pregnant and starting to bear children. How am I going to explain this to my husband? How will explain to him that I got pregnant when I'm sure the baby is not from him?" Emilia was in his room at the female hostel when all these questions and thoughts came to her mind. She had just realized that her monthly flow was delayed by five days.

She had gone out to the pharmacy by the roadside opposite the school gate that evening and bought a pregnancy test strip. When she came back to the hostel, she dipped it in her urine and it showed the positive line. Her heart was pounding very fast because she knew that it would be hard to explain to her husband how she got pregnant when he was placed on family planning immediately after their wedding. The vasectomy which was performed on her husband would ensure that he will never be able to get a woman pregnant. Before that was done, some of his child-making liquid was collected and frozen by their healthcare provider at the hospital. Their plan is that it would be used to fertilize his wife when she finish her university education.

"What am I going to do? How am I going to break this news to my husband? I don't know how he would take it because he is on family planning and he would not expect me to get pregnant. I was so happy that I married a man who agreed to get a vasectomy and to allow me to complete my education before getting me pregnant. But look at me now. I'm pregnant in 100-level. I think I have been careless with myself." Emilia said. She was still holding the pregnancy test strip and looking at it like a stick of broom. She was so worried, so she decided to share the news with her friend, Edna. She left her room and proceeded to Edna's part of the hostel.

"I'm pregnant Edna! This is bad news for me!

I'm so worried and I'm scared I might faint.

"Why are you worried that you are pregnant? You are married for goodness sake. You have a

husband and think he would be too happy to hear the news. Why are you worried about your pregnancy?" Edna asked her friend Emilia who was sitting on one of the side stools in the house. Edna was drinking soaked garri. She had just returned from her last lecture for the day and wanted to use the soaked garri to hold her body before starting to cook.

"My dear, you won't understand. Ordinarily, this should be good news to me, but it is bad news! It is bad news because my husband has agreed that I will not get pregnant until I finish school. We had agreed that we will only start bearing children when I finish my university education. That was why we went to the hospital and did family planning on my husband. I'm not supposed to get pregnant because my husband got a vasectomy. He is incapable of getting a woman pregnant. Although, he visits me in school every weekend, but he can't get a woman pregnant because of the vasectomy. It will be very clear to him that I cheated on him with another man." Emilia lamented bitterly, Tears gushed from her eyes. She used one edge of her dress to wipe her tears.

"So, if I understand you very well, what you are saying is that this pregnancy does not belong to your husband? Is that what you are trying to say?" Edna asked with surprise in her face.

"Yes! I'm sure my husband is not responsible for the baby. I just told you he got a vasectomy. I'm in serious trouble and I'm melting away in fear." Emilia said. She was still crying and Edna was trying to get her to stop crying.

"So who is responsible for the baby? If your husband isn't responsible, who got you pregnant then?" Edna asked with curiosity. She leaned closer, so she could hear her friend clearly.

"I think it's Jerry." Emillia declared.

"Who is Jerry?" Edna asked.

"Jerry is my boyfriend here in school. We started dating two months ago." Emilia said. The tears in her eyes continued to roll down like water being poured from a kettle.

"You are married and you still have a boyfriend? How could you do such a thing to your husband? I really don't know how to advise you right now. All I can say now is that you should calm down so we can think of what to do." Edna said.

"No! I'm not calming down Edna. I will go home and tell my husband. I think he should know. I don't want to build my marriage on lies. My marriage is just one year old and I can't afford to get things wrong this early. I'm going to confess to him. I'm sure he would forgive me. I'm not perfect, I'm just human." Emilia said as he stormed out of the room. Edna tried to hold her back and advise her against confessing to her husband, but Emilia resisted her.

Soon, Emilia was on her way out of the campus. She was determined to tell her husband the truth and to seek his forgiveness.

"I don't want to abort this baby and I don't want to give it to Jerry my boyfriend. He is irresponsible. I was just having fun with him and I never knew he would get me pregnant. My husband is a good man and he would forgive me." Emilia said to herself as she drove out of the school gate in her car and headed to the town where her husband lives.

Watch out for episode 2.

Written By: Israel Usulor