Chapter Two

For the next 10 minutes every where was quiet except for the clock’s tick tock. Tony's eyes became misty and bloodshot. He tried to speak but could not find the right words to say.

When he recovered from the shock, he said Ella, henceforth I know you not and pull out your name from mine we are no more Elton you are just Ella and I'm just me.

He got up to go and Ella blocked the way and held him by the fringe of his trouser lamenting, You mean you'll do this to me after everything, to just get up and abandone me in the middle of the river? that's not possible we fell into this mess together, and together we shall clean up this mess.

After much argument from the duo, they both agreed to go home and think about what to do. 

Tony was a very responsible child with a high dosage of respect for his father and his paternal grandmother.

He became afraid of taking a rash decision in the matter at hand and he was also afraid of discussing the matter with his family but, he finally  made up his mind to go home and inform his people and bear whatever consequences awaits him.  

He had thought of turning his back on Ella for her to dance the music alone but his conscience objected to that and the next option he thought of naturally was abortion, but due to his child upbringing, abortion wasn't an option as it was distasteful to him. Tony Traveled home to break the unsavory news he felt his grandmother might be a little easier to handle at that first instance than his father.

On getting home, he called his grandmother's attention telling her he had something important to tell her. When Tony's grandmother learnt that her youngest grandson Tony, the brightest hope for stronger elongation of their family has been able to impregnate a woman, she saw it as a blessing in disguise that must not  be allowed to slip.

She pretended to be angry with Tony and rebuked him but finally asked him if they've done anything to harm the unborn baby and Tony's reply was no. Happily, she spoke with authority even without confirming with her only son Tony's father, that she was going to do everything to get Tony married to Ella. With his grandmother's support and assurance, Tony was emboldened and happily went back to school to break the good news to Ella the custodian of the most wanted and golden baby whose birth in their family, would herald a new dawn. 

 Two days after, Tony came back to school and he visited Ella  to break the news to her by telling her that they are getting married soonest. On his arrival, Ella hugged and gave him a passionate kiss after which they had sex.

After their intense love making, Tony told Ella that they will be getting married soonest and out of ecstasy Tony move to hold Ella but incredibly, Ella gave him a hard push that almost sent him kissing the floor.

Tony was so flabbergasted as he couldn't understand what that push meant until Ella started  unpacking her bag of scurrility. Tony for crying out loud, you have hurt me deeply, I'm frank with you. You went home to bargain for your marrying me without discussing it with me it is objectionable to my person.

" What do you want me to do Ella"

"Good question. I need money, this mess must be cleaned up"

"What does that mean?" 

" It means i need to abort this child. I want to be free"

 Who has done this to you Ella? because the Ella I see now, subtends the Ella I fell in love with. Who is that wicked man or woman that gave you such advice? My own Ella just changed suddenly."

Before Ella could realize what was going on, Tony dashed out in a flash from her apartment and went home feeling confused and depressed.

The evil seed was truly sown by one female student named Jaruma whom Ella made her only confidant, she was the only person that was aware of Ella’s pregnancy.

 Ella once overheard from the gossip machine how a student got pregnant out of marriage and Jaruma was her only saving grace.

 Thus as soon as Ella noticed that she had become pregnant, she immediately ran to Jaruma for counsel and solution. Jaruma's beauty blinded her sense of judgment and rationalization as nothing else mattered to her in life except her own self and her illusive beauty. 

Jaruma is a hedonist to the core and offered herself to prostitution and every other form of loose life abhorrable to every woman of decency. her orientation and value system were very wild, weird and she had no principle as her activity begins and ends in front of a mirror primping and preening.

 That was the evil girl into whose claws Ella unfortunately fell and became completely the opposite of her former self because she confided in Jaruma before informing Tony about her condition. 

Look Ella, i can't deceive you because what you did is not out of the ordinary. It's not evil for a young babe, a beautiful one for that matter to win the attention of a guy and if in the process of the game of Love which every other young lady plays and she gets pregnant, it's no big deal. You simply did what other young girls do and incidentally got into this present condition.  You want to die because your father can't take it? must he know? is he an oracle? 

My friend, just go ahead and do what other girls do. You are not the first person to ever get pregnant neither will you be the last to have it terminated.

Well, I suppose the guy who got you pregnant is Tony? but Ella denied saying it was some other person that is why she is confused. But Jaruma, what about the option of getting married Ella questioned. To who? Jaruma queried with a grimace. Look Ella, don't be a funk, get married at this age for what? you mean all this your beauty and youthfulness will just be wasted in an early marriage? don't you know that marriage is a bondage?

I am not saying you should not marry but my dear it's damn too early but if you insist, you can go ahead and suffer it  but as for me, I'm going to enjoy this life first before entering into that bondage called marriage.

Ella got scattered and battered badly by Jaruma ideologies and postulations as  thoughts were criss-crossing her invaded mind. She has been a good girl to Tony and every other person that knew her but her meeting with Jaruma devastated the very fabric of her norms and values and also weaken their self structures. She was brain washed and  became a negative wonder as her mode of dressing was brought to conformity with Jaruma's. 

Jaruma coaxed her to do away with some of her dresses which decoded timidity and poverty such were the ones that cover up her body properly but in Jaruma's world, a woman should bare it all. 

 Ella, use your endowment to the best of their advantages. flaunt them to the fullest let the guys see your wares. A good trader displays all her goods so as to attract the best customers therefore advertise that which you've got and attract their favour and patronage. Everything about Jaruma's dressing was nothing but eccentric not minding her age size and frame and she succeeded in pulling Ella to it.

Since it had become clear to Tony that somebody had influenced Ella's mode of life and she has completely changed, he decided that he might need to be gentle with Ella if he would succeed in turning her around. So the next day he went back to see her. Ella my love, I've taken much time to think about our discussions and actions of previous days please my sunshine, you know how we started think of how we loved each other. That baby there in your womb is most wanted.

My grandmother is already waiting eagerly for the day of carrying that baby, the Golden child please let's help that old woman accomplish that Joy. Tony knelt down before Ella pleading.

Tony, don't try to fool me by kneeling down. So you want your grandmother's Joy accomplished to the detriment of my youth and academics? You want your grandmother's happiness and my sorrow accomplished right? listen to me Tony, I don't want to imagine myself wearing an apparel of motherhood at this age, it is totally unacceptable. What then becomes of my academics? Tony moved closer to her and held her hand looked at her directly in the eye and said to her "once we get married my angel, nobody will expel you from the University after all this is our final year".

Ella withdrew her hands fiercely from his and said to him that she has decided, that he should give her money to abort the baby and can still get married later. "my mind is strongly made up on terminating this pregnancy"

"Is this how you really are Ella?"

 "How else were you expecting?"

"I should have known" 

"what  would you have done?"

 "I will not have fallen for you. You know, you pulled me onto yourself and pushed me into this mess".

"I taught you're a man why did you cave in?"

"I know it's always the case, women will lure men into the act but thereafter men bear the full brunt and suffer the repercussion."

When it became clear to Tony that's all his pleas for Ella to let his own baby live were wasted,  he got up and left but not without handing out a threat to Ella that if she ever aborted his baby, he will go anywhere to deal with her for revenge. He also promised Ella that he will quickly inform people that she was pregnant for him so as to prevent her from aborting his baby.

This threat and promise made Ella angry and also scared. she reasoned that she will need to act fast before Tony outsmarts her and put an impediment in her moving wheel. The Devil took advantage of her state of mind and she hatched a plan that she would act like a moving train that destroy's everything on its way.

She reached out to Tony and did her best to convince him and agree with her abortion plan, but he refused and insisted on her keeping the baby. If Tony had not opened up the matter to his grandmother, he may have had a space in his mind to think about the abortion option moreover, Tony understood clearly the child bearings situation in his pedigree so the baby in Ella's womb was like the proverbial apple fruit which the blind steps upon: if he misses it, he may not find another. Hence Tony was not ready to let go of his unborn baby.