NOT A BED OF ROSES

BIRTH

Gera screamed in unbearable pain. She wouldn’t have believed a pain of that magnitude existed in life, had it not been for the baby in her stomach fighting its way to the exit out of the small world it had stayed in Geras womb for nine months. The midwife urged Gera to put in more efforts in pushing out the baby than she is putting in screaming out her guts. Madam Bella is the only local midwife around the vicinity where Gera resides with her mum and siblings, there isn’t enough income for the family to even feed on so a local midwife is the best they could do when Gera entered into labor that fateful day.

Madam Bella seem to have no consideration for the fact that Gera is just a little girl of fifteen with the big task of pushing a whole human life out of her stomach, she felt more anger than pity puzzled by the courage the little girl possessed to mingle with the opposite gender to the extent of engaging in an act only reserved for married adults. After several minutes of relentless screams and great expression of pain, Gera heaved a heavy sigh of relief as the baby gave a piercing cry announcing its arrival into a world outside its mother’s womb. At last! A bouncing baby girl is born. Stella, Geras mother who has been in the room the whole time leaped in happiness dancing vigorously, how else could she express the relief, her daughter was only a baby that has been carrying a baby.

A child is a blessing no matter the circumstances surrounding its birth, or so people always say. The actual reality behind Geras pregnancy is what the majority of people around her considered a slip-up. A fifteen years old girl is expected to go to school and make her parents proud not hang out with a man and get pregnant. Well, when Gera was loving after Johnson, she taught the pleasure and the butterflies in her stomach was all there is to gain. She never envisioned herself in a situation where she would have a pregnancy to deal with as a result of hanging out with a guy like her peer groups were doing.

Johnson on the other hand is just at the starting point of his life as a young man, at just 20 years of age and still under his mother’s shelter, girls and fun were the peak things. The relationship between Johnson and Gera that led to the birth of Cherry their daughter is what could be described as a short lived fun. They had only agreed to date themselves four months earlier before the pregnancy was discovered. When Gera found out she was pregnant, it was through her mother Stella, as a little girl, she had no knowledge of the symptoms of early pregnancy, although she felt the changes within herself but she could not fathom out the actual meaning.

After thorough observations, Stella unbelievably concluded that Gera is pregnant before taking her to the health center for test confirmation. Well, the deed is done. Stella is not a woman to beat about the bush, she rather strike the nail directly on its head, after confirming Geras pregnancy she instantly demanded to see the boy that is responsible for it. It wasn’t difficult for Johnson to present himself as the part doer of the deed. Stella made it clear to the hearing of Johnson and Gera when she summoned them, the only option there is pertaining the pregnancy is to keep and raise the Child. She stated the proverb that said when a child is ready to grow big teeth, he should also be ready to grow big lips with which to cover the teeth. Johnson in his own mind of confusion had little or nothing to say.

Cherry is born! There is joy and rejoicing in both families. Both Johnson and Geras Mums are overjoyed for the birth of their granddaughter. The both families had some things in common, Geras family is a simple one with a single parent. Stella, Geras mum since the death of her husband had single-handedly raised her children, all four of them. Gera happens to be the third child of the family, she was only five when their father succumbed to the call of death via a short term strange illness. From then onwards, Stella had managed to raise the children with plenty of struggles, doing petty trades and menial jobs here and there. Despite working very hard, there is barely enough income for the family, all they could afford were basic needs in the poorest form. For Johnsons family, the case is not very different. Lilian, Johnsons mum have had her own share of marital misfortunes to deal with, as a result of that she had six children out of three failed marriages. None of her estranged husbands were responsible enough to support Lillian and their own children.

After the end of her last marriage, Lillian took it upon herself to cater for her family’s needs through every means possible. Johnson is the second of all Lillians children, fully aware of all the struggle his mother engages in to cater for them, Johnson started working early enough to assist the family. Unlike Lillians first son who seem to take after his father in waywardness and irresponsibility, Johnson took every job offer he came across, from selling in the street to small house repair jobs to clearing of bushes and cleaning jobs. Unfortunately a lot of hard work wasn’t a way out of penury and low life standard for Johnson and his family, in fact he still had to manage the small apartment with his mother and all his siblings.

Well, this is the state of life in which pretty little Cherry was born into. A fifteen years old mother and a twenty years old father, both under the struggling roof of their mothers and siblings. Both exposed to very little education, with little or no opportunity to a better present or future life. Ignorant of all these fact, Cherry cuddled innocently in her mother’s arms, crying peacefully longing to be fed. As she breastfed the baby, Gera awakened to the reality before her. In her hands is a new born child, her own child, ‘This is the greatest mistake of my entire fifteen years on earth’ she thought to herself. In her young mind of confusion, Gera stared on at Cherry with no emotions of a mother, but with pains and regret of what she assumed to be her own carelessness.