happen?” asked Lilly Loveless.
“What do you expect of illiterate men like local market traders?” replied Britney. “If it is not a virgin school girl, it is the wife of your neighbour, your own daughter or even your mother, they ask you to sleep with. They ask for something impossible or very difficult, those fortunetellers, and you have to be illiterate enough to believe them,” she explained.
“So what happened in this case?” asked Lilly Loveless.
“The business tycoon probably withdrew to lick his wounds or look for another victim. But for Comfort, the disgrace was unbelievable. Everybody felt ashamed and confused. Lionel could not bear it, and gave Comfort a slap on the face. Their friends left. The following day, Lionel’s stained name was splashed all over the gossip corners of the campus, including what the students, for reasons of their own, had come to term ‘Radio Bagdad News,’ the dreadful lampooning service that, like a precision guided missile, never missed an opportunity to make an inferno of life on campus. Comfort’s reputation was heavily tarnished as well. Her name and story were posted on every street on campus and in the neighbourhood. Even the birds seemed to shame her with the music they made round the campus. Although her friends did their best to keep her company and reassured, she never felt free. She kept a low profile in school for weeks until the news reluctantly died down.”
“Things must not have been easy for her,” said Lilly Loveless.
“And it gets more complicated,” continued Britney. “Too shocked by Comfort’s behaviour, Lionel decided he would end the relationship. He was surprised a few days later by a note from her begging for pardon. She gave reasons for her infidelity: it was because he did not support her financially and she was not very sure of him, given that there were boyfriend snatchers all around the high school. She promised to bury the past and to turn a new page with him.
“It took Lionel some time to consider her request, but after a while and with the active intervention of their friends they came back together and were on good terms. The relationship became very intense again, and this time, Comfort was showing her love through love letters and postcards.
“One postcard read: ‘Thoughts for a best friend: One of the most special places in my heart will always be saved for you: the one person I can always talk to; the one person who understands; for making me laugh in the rain; for helping me shoulder my troubles; for loving me in spite of myself, and always putting me back on my feet again; for giving me someone to believe in; someone who lets me know that there really is goodness and kindness and laughter and love in the world; for being one of the best parts of my life, and proving it over and over again; for being so worthy of my love, for being my best friend.’
“Another read: ‘Falling in love with u and loving u are the most wonderful things that happened to me. Let’s never forget that a love like ours comes once in a lifetime. You are so loving and caring to me. No one else has ever made me feel as happy, as content, as complete, as full of smiles as you do. I love u forever.’ There were many others: ‘I love having you in my life: I love all the joy that being with you brings to me, from our most intimate moments alone, to the pride I feel in you when we’re out somewhere together...’
“It was clear that she had turned a new chapter: ‘Lionel Love, I wish you knew how I have longed for a day to tell you how much you mean to me, how much I’ve come to love you, and how it fills me with joy to know that we are birds of the same feathers. But I thank God because he made a wonderful and special day like this, for you and for me to say: You mean so much to me and above all, I LOVE YOU.’
“On his 20th birthday, she wrote: ‘I love all that we share. I love the laughter, the understanding, and the fact that so much about us – our minds, our bodies, our hearts, our feelings – should touch so closely and perfectly together. I love how gentle you are and how sensitive, but most of all, I love the tenderness you save for me and me alone. I could never tell you how much that means to me. Happy Birthday, with love.’
“In a Christmas note to him, she declared: ‘Lionel, you are an embodiment of God’s perfect creature. I could never have wished for somebody better than you. I pray for you today and always to be merry and may you remain blessed.’
“The first year was over and they were both promoted to upper sixth. This time they reduced their leisure time. Though they attended all booms, they never visited the popular drinking and dancing spots as they did in lower sixth. Lionel remained the bright student that he was, and was rewarded with an appointment as class proctor. He performed his duty well and everybody loved him.”
“Sounds like trouble,” Lilly Loveless anticipated.
“Yep. Lionel was masculine and sporty – a very articulate footballer nicknamed Kling-Kong-Kong by admirers of his ball control. There was a soft side to him as well. He was intelligent, but he was also spontaneous, and his sense of humour added to his charm. With this charm and his accomplishments he was popular, and his popularity attracted girls. There were always girls around him. One day he was tempted to date another girl called Mercy. The outcome was a merciless disaster, not because Comfort found out about the relationship, which she didn’t, but because he contracted gonorrhoea. Even when he was taken to the hospital, Comfort ignorantly visited him, bringing food. She was lied to by Lionel that he was suffering from severe stomach ache.
“He got well and came back to school, promising never to forget the lesson he had learnt. Henceforth, he would trust no other girl but his Comfort. It was second term and book was beginning to be serious even amongst those who loved play more than they did their studies. Unfortunately Comfort became pregnant, and this affected Lionel seriously. They thought of an abortion, but he hadn’t the money even to pay a traditional doctor, let alone to afford a D&C. He informed his friends and since they trusted and helped one another, they donated money. With the money Lionel went to see Comfort to agree to a solution. Comfort did not consent to his proposal to have an abortion. In fact, she felt insulted that Lionel should take a decision of that magnitude about her pregnancy without consulting her.”
“Typical,” whispered Lilly Loveless.
“Curiously, her refusal to abort made Lionel furious, almost to the point of beating her. Why men always spontaneously resort to such easy solutions, beats me. In his case, whatever changed his mind, he never knew. He just left without offering any other word, thinking that after sometime she may think about the proposal and send him a positive reply.
“A reply was not forthcoming. He sent his friends to talk to her but Comfort stood firm in her decision and would not let go of the pregnancy. Lionel was doubly disturbed. Many questions came up to his mind that he could not answer. How would he tell his parents he had impregnated a girl? How would he cope with all the rumour and finger-pointing that were going to circulate about him? And worst of all, how would he face Comfort’s parents?”
“I see what you mean about things getting more complicated,” volunteered Lilly Loveless.
“Quite surprisingly, Comfort was much calmer about the whole thing. She even tried to console Lionel, telling him not to worry. She told him she was going to inform her mother and assured him that wouldn’t be a problem. He relaxed for a moment, but when she came back with the news that her mother wanted to see him, he was tormented once again. He summoned courage and went there. Her mother being an understanding woman, they made an agreement. Lionel had to inform his parents about it, so that necessary preparations would be made.
“Although completely jolted by the experience, Lionel managed to sit for his GCE exams, after which he left for Nyamandem where his parents lived. His mother was the first to notice a change in her son, but Lionel never gave away what actually was his problem. It was a friend who finally told his mother and father about the issue. They became
