Bad Liar

My Parents Disowned Me

I'm on a taxi that I booked when I left the clinic a while ago. I feel so lost right now. What am I even going to do now, I can't tell my parents I know they will want me to show them the owner and he's the last person I want to involve. I hate him every time I remember how he treated me when all I ever wanted was to patch things up.

I remember how he left me on the middle of the road alone crying and he didn't even show some sympathy. I honestly would never want such a person to be my baby's dad, ever.

Right about now I can't help but cry in silent. The taxi driver has been looking at me from the rearview mirror and I can see pity in his eyes.

I wipe my tears from my face as I turn my hear looking on the window of the car. A minute later I hear him asking where I'm dropping from.

"Uhmmm... Ms, where should I drop you from? We have entered the main tarmac, but I don't know where to turn to?" he asks as I didn't tell him where I was going when I got on the taxi. "Are you alright Ms" he asks again as I didn't reply to his first question. "Yes. Drop me off at Matero Choppies" I tell him.

Few minutes later I drop off and start walking by foot. I would have dropped off at my house, but I want to walk a little so I can process everything.

I'm holding my the results in my hands and looking at them while thinking of what to tell mom as I know that she's definitely gonna ask about the check up.

"I'm not gonna show mom these results yet, I need to think of how to handle the situation" I tell myself as I fold and pack the results in my bag.

I can see my house already. i walk few more steps and I'm at my door step already. I hold the door handle and push it in and the first thing I see is dad sitting on his favourite couch. I can hear my heart pounding like it wants to come out of my chest.

Dad hasn't been home for a while, he had gone for a business trip and I honestly didn't expect him to be home this early. I wanted to talk to mom first before dad.

I completely forgot that I'm still standing at the doorstep since I opened it about a minute plus ago.

"Amira why are you still standing there? Ain't you coming in and I was expecting a big hug from you. Are you not happy that dad is back?" Dad's voice snaps me out of deep thoughts.

"Uhmmm... Dad... When did you arrive, you've come back early this time around huh" I tell him while getting hold of myself. Both mom and dad gives me the weird look because I always complain when dad takes longer coming back, but today it looks like I wanted him to go for a whole month.

They laugh at me as I am acting silly and weird.

"Where are you coming from darling?" dad asks as he remembers today is a working day and I'm probably supposed to be at work. "Uhmmm..." mom cuts me short as she replies to dad saying "She went for a check up, she hasn't been feeling well lately, so she went to see a doctor".

Oh gosh, mom why do you have to have a big mouth. "Oh and yet, tell me how it went. Did they found you with any sickness or perhaps malaria?" she adds on as she come close to me and hold both of my cheeks.

"Ahhhh... Uhmmm... well actua.. " she cuts me short again nervously "hey speak up, why are you stuttering huh?".

Gosh mom.

"I just haven't been having... uhhmmm...enough rest, that's all. I was told to have enough rest" I tell them hoping they don't ask me about the results.

"Well, I want to rest a bit, if you don't mind" I tell them as I walk towards my room.

"Gosh sweetheart you scared me the way you're stuttering as though you were caught eating sugar. She teases me but I don't reply anything, I just open the door of my room and close it from the inside.

I've been in my room since 1 in the afternoon. I wake up to a sound of a knock on the door.

I lazily get off my bed, walk few steps to my doorstep. I unlock the door as I hold the keys and I open it.

It's mom on the door. She looks a bit worried, I wonder why.

"Why did you lock the door. You got us worried, you've been in your room since 1 in the afternoon" she looks so worried.

She gets worried over nothing many times. "Gosh mom I'm in my room it's not like I wasn't home" I tell her while hitting my hand on my forehead.

"Yes I know, but you haven't had your lunch, this is 5pm and you're still sleeping, late alone you locked your room" She raises her eyebrows and gives me a weird look. "Wow... Have I slept for that long in the afternoon?" I don't know if I'm asking myself or mom. I don't really sleep during the day. Oh no what if she gets suspicious. I know it's probably because of the pregnancy that I'm sleeping so carelessly.

"Uhmmm... I was resting because the doctor told me to rest more" I hope she buys it. "Oh I forgot. Should I bring your food here?" mom asks, but I don't feel like eating at all, so I just tell her that I will soon be out of my room.

Mom's face looks disturbed as though she has seen something. Her attention isn't on me anymore, but on something behind me and that's in my room.

"Uhmmm what caught her attention?" my brain ask me. So I turn my head to see what she's looking at. Oh Gosh I forgot to close my bag earlier when I came from the hospital and the envelope is showing with my name on it.

"Mom let me quickly freshen up, then I come to the sitting room ok" I quickly try to draw her attention to me and as soon as she did, I make her leave my doorstep.

"Phew" I breath out heavily.

I should probably throw these results before it puts me in trouble. I take out the envelope from my bag and press it on my bed. "I will quickly bath and get rid of the results when I'm done. I will probably throw them in one of the bin, but of course I will first tear them" I tell myself before going to take a shower.

I'm bathing while singing a song done by a Zambian artist, Kantu--mungeli

"Sindiwe mistake hey little one, sindiwe mistake hey little one, ndiwe mungeli, you are a product of love, ndiwe mungeli, you are miracle love"

"Oh my God!"

A sound of my mom's voice came from my room. I stop singing so I can hear what's wrong, in my mind I'm thinking she just saw something or dropped something. She usually scream like that most times.

"But why did her voice came from my room" I ask myself confusingly. I finish bathing and came in my room only to find mom holding the envelope I left on my bed.

My heart is pounding so heavily right now and my legs have just frozen because all the sudden I can't move.

"Amira what is this?" she asks me looking directly in my eyes, giving me a murderous look. "uh-huh mom let me explain" I respond in a scary and anxious tone of voice. I'm fidgeting my fingers anxiously while looking down.

I'm still standing on the same spot and looking down. I hear footsteps coming close to me, I pull my head up, mom is coming towards me furiously.

"I asked you a question young lady and I need the f****g answers!"

Oh God, mom only uses these kind of words when she's really pissed and right now I think smoke is actually coming from her ears.

"Well...these are my results. I was gonna tell but I didn't think dad would be home today because I wanted to talk to you first before dad" I reply with a trembling voice.

"What!" she's even more shocked and if I wasn't in my bathing towel right now, I'm pretty sure she would have dragged me to the sitting room by my hair or hand.

"I give you 5 minutes to dress up and come to the other room" she tells me furiously and when leaving my room, she shuts the door loudly.

It's honestly been a very long time since I saw mom this furious and I wonder what she's gonna do to me when I go down.

I quickly dress up but I'm so nervous and anxious, I hesitate going to her. I open the door and anxiously walk to mom. Oh no dad is also sitting on the couch but his face is not as earlier when I came from the hospital. The cheerful face is gone and serious is on.

"God please help me" at this point I feel like disappearing and hide somewhere were I don't have to face these two.-my parents.

"Who's the bustard that did this to you?!" a shout comes from mom.

"She's not talking alone, you better answer right because this is not a TV show" dad shouts as I haven't replied mom.

"Well uhmmm..."

Dad cuts me and asks again.

"Don't waste my time and just give me the f****g answers. I said who's the owner of this s**t?!"

"M-M-Miles" I reply while crying.

"Who the heck is Miles?" mom asks

"M-m-my e-e-ex boyfriend".

I know this is the most stupidest thing, how can anyone be pregnant for their ex.

"Miles? Where does he leave and what does he do? Does he know you're pregnant?" Dad asks as though he's going to marry me off.

I do not want to involve him right now, but he has to know about this. But again what if he refuses to accept the pregnancy, what will I do.

I just reply to the last question.

"He doesn't know about it yet. I haven't talked to him for 3 weeks now since we broke up" I reply thinking they will make sure I take them to Miles but they decide to shock me.

"Good. There's no need of letting him know, you have to abort and get rid of the damn bustard" dad tells me and he's dead serious and what's worse, mom quickly agrees.

"Yes, you have to get rid of this nonsense"

Wait what...! How can someone who has. given birth before think of such a thing, I mean this doesn't make sense at all.

"What...! No please. Mom how can you agree to such a thing, seriously. You're a mother yourself, how can you think of killing an innocent soul" I talk while crying.

"That is disgrace to our family. A lot of people respects and adores our family. You want tarnish our reputation with this nonsense?" dad speaks with so much anger.

"But..." mom cuts me short. "Not another word Amira Banda. You will do as we instruct you, that's that" mom commands and shock me at the same time. Is she really serious? How can she agree to such a horrible despite being a mother.

I know what I have done is wrong and punishable, but this is not the right punishment. I will do anything they want me to, but definitely not killing my baby, hell no. Since I've found out about my pregnancy, I've been having imaginations of how my baby will look like and how I'm going to shower it with lots of love. And now they want me to abort it? No damn way. I'm ready to sacrifice anything so I can keep my baby.

"We will not continue this conversation. This is 5pm, get ready, we're going to the hospital" dad uses a venom voice and his words sounds like the last.

"No". I stand up from my sit and they both can tell that I'm dead serious.

"The audacity! How dare you refuse to do one simple thing and you have the guts of standing up while talking to me" dad sounds so furious right now and if I continue, I will get the beating of my life. But then if I don't speak up now I might just loose my baby and I'm not letting that to happen no matter what.

"No dad, I am not going to the hospital because I'm not loosing my baby" I cry out.

"What the hell. That's not going to under my roof. I will not let you disgrace me like that" dad yells at me.

"Amira just do what your father is telling you. You're still young, you will have children in the right way" mom advises, but her advice is lame to me.

"No! I will not do no such thing mom" I reply angrily hoping they will understand and let me keep my baby, but what they decide next shuts me down completely.

"Well, if that's what you want then so be it. You're no longer my daughter, I disown you. I will not have a child who disrespects me in my own house!" dad has a final say. "You have brought this upon yourself Amira Banda. Just do what your father is telling you and avoid all this" mom speaks with no empathy at all. "M-m-mom you agree with what dad is saying?" I am confused right now, how can she just agree with what dad is saying without objecting. They're both acting like total strangers to me.

I've never seen my parents act up like this before. I know them as loving and so caring, so what to that. How did they change so suddenly.

"I stand by my words and I'm not changing..." before I finish talking, dad interrupts me.

"Then so be it, we are no longer your parents! You can pack your things and go embarrass yourself somewhere else not here" he talks and look away.

I hold my palms together while crying and pleading, but in vain. So I slowly walk towards my room and pack a few of my belongings. Few minutes later I come out of my room and walk towards the outer door. I hesitate a bit, I turn around looking at them, hoping they stop me from walking out that door but they're both still not paying any attention to me. So I walk out and close the door behind me.

It's 2 minutes and I'm still standing outside wondering where I will go because I have no where to go. Lauren comes first on my mind, so I decide to go to her. On my way there, I call her to let her know I'm coming. I explain a bit about what just happened.