And when she finally summoned enough courage to make the call, she expected the worse. With quivering fingers, she dialed Ifeanyi’s phone numbers. A minute later, the phone line went dead. Her world was about to crumble, tears cascaded down her eyes, she was in pain, traumatized and not totally surprised at the same time.
Lillian, a successful I.T consultant with one of the leading telecommunications company in the country had been single for over a year. After a long feud with close friends, she succumbed to the idea of a girl’s night out. Surrounded by her friends at the club, she felt safe in her little comfort zone. The music was loud, the lights were blinding and the atmosphere, electric. Everything was happening too spontaneously, too crazy for her liking. She was about to leave, against the wishes of her friends, then Ifeanyi walked in. In an instant, everything seemed to stop, the lights suddenly became drab, the music sounded hollow and she started to feel a tingle deep inside her very essence.
She knew the implications; she desperately tried fighting this feeling, to no avail. Then something snapped, she ordered for a glass of champagne, obviously trying to numb the feeling with some alcohol. It became more complicated; Ifeanyi strolled up to her, adorning an almost impeccable smile. She timidly smiled back, apparently, the alcohol had been a futile effort. She was excused by her friends and was left at the mercy of this total stranger who looked like a mini-god.
They got talking; Ifeanyi introduced himself as a model based in London. He had come to Lagos for a friend’s wedding. Oddly, she felt at ease with this stranger, they got dancing and with a whisper in her ears, Ifeanyi invited Lillian to his hotel room and they eventually ended up in bed together. She knew Ifeanyi was going back to London the following day, she was also aware that they might never cross paths again. They exchanged phone numbers even as she knew he was only trying to be a gentle man. She never expected to hear from him. A month later, Lillian missed her period, she had only slept with Ifeanyi. She went for a test and the doctors confirmed she was pregnant after a one night stand.
Struggling to accept the harsh reality that stared her in the face. She flashed back to the genesis of her ordeal. She had never done anything like that before, but she was single at that time and he was damn gorgeous. She conceded, thinking it was harmless fun because of the contraceptive pill she was on.
Now, she was faced with the imminent challenge of being a single parent. Although she was disappointed, she vowed to be the best mother in the world. She was too fragile to endure a termination, the doctors had told her. 30 minutes later, her phone rang, she was frantic. She reached for the phone gingerly. It was Ifeanyi, he wanted to know if she was doubly sure he was the dad. Teary eyed, she said yes and he agreed, to her utmost astonishment. More tears poured and she really hoped to continue hearing from Ifeanyi.
For the following two weeks, Ifeanyi kept calling Lillian. It seemed too good to be true. 6 months into the pregnancy, she got the greatest shock of her life. Ifeanyi wanted her to have the baby in London. He had finalized all her travelling arrangements. One month later, Lillian was in London. She gave birth to a girl child and they named her Alexandra. The couple intends to come back to Nigeria for a small traditional wedding ceremony before permanently relocating to London.
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