1 Screwed

"I'm pregnant", Tiwa said, breaking the 10-minute silence between her and Ari. She had driven over as soon as Ari confirmed that he was home and alone. Though she desperately wanted to talk to him, the sight of his accommodating expressions left her broken.

"Okay. Surprising but...okay", was all Ari could utter through the silly grin plastered on his face. And that grin was more than enough to turn Tiwa's face the colour of wine.

"Seriously?! That's all you can say? I just said I'm pregnant and all you can do is grin and say okay? Ari! What kind of a person are you?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, sweetie, go slow. What the hell do you want me to do, or say for that matter? Your expect me to start acting all paranoid and woke simply because you're what...preeg-nant?"

"But at least you should feel my worry", Tiwa sobbed.

"Oh please give me a break Tiwa. Fi mi le".

With that, another bout of silence descended on the room. Each of them was lost in thoughts, Tiwa, of agony, Ari, of nothing, as usual.

It was surprising how these two stood each other. There were direct opposites, grossly incompatible. The both of them had met in a mall. It happened that Ari had finished shopping but while about to pay, discovered that he had forgotten his wallet at home. Tiwa had saved him the embarrassment by footing his bills and he expressed his gratitude by driving her home.

"Who's responsible?" Ari breathed lightly

"Some guy".

"What do you mean some guy?"

"You don't need to know. It's my problem, not yours."

"How sweet. You drove out here at such urgency to tell me that?"

"It's for Temi, a guy I used to know".

"A guy you used to know? Isn't Temi supposed to be your boyfriend?"

"We broke up two weeks ago, before I found out I was pregnant."

"Have you told him?"

"No. I don't want him to know."

Another long stretch of silence.

"So what are you going to do?"

Tiwa kept mute and stared at Ari till realisation dawned on him.

"No you're not", Ari bellowed, real concern in his eyes now.

"Yes, I am. I feel so ashamed of myself right now. I don't want to raise a child on my own. I don't want my child to be fatherless. Ari, I'm an inspiration to many ladies out there. And all of a sudden, I'm pregnant. Not as a wife, but a baby mama. No Ari, I just have to."

"Well he has a father. Go make things right with him".

At this point, Tiwa was beside herself with righteous indignation. She had told Ari that she had just discovered Temi was a drug trafficker, which was why she had left the relationship, without thinking about all the good times they spent together, or all the expensive stuff he had bought her. She had been hoping Ari would understand and support her decision to abort the baby. Now look at him going all hot and righteous on her, for the first time.

"Arinzechukwu Louis, are you cruel or just plain stupid?"

"Be on guard when she calls your name in full. I'm a little bit of both, Miss. You know I'm stupidly cruel. But I still have good definitions of right and wrong. So I can't support you kill your unborn child."

He walked towards Tiwa after another round of uncomfortable silence and pulled her up from the settee.

"Tell me Tiwa. If your baby had a good father, would you still abort it?"

"No. Never. I'll just go ahead and marry him."

"So it's not about getting pregnant out of wedlock, but conceiving for the wrong person, right?"

She nodded and dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.

"And you're utmost concern is that your child should have a home and an identity, not so?"

She nodded again, wondering where he was going with all this talk.

"Then marry me, Tiwa".

"What?!"