Timber
I came from school one day and saw that my mom had brought in a new house help—Doris. She had completed S.S.S and was waiting for her results. I was in S.S. two. What caught my attention about her was her buttocks; large and curvy. Anytime I set my eyes on her, I started having ideas.
One afternoon when we were alone I tried to kiss her and she pushed me away. I didn’t force it. I tried to use words instead. I don’t remember exactly what I told her but with time she softened up and bowed in my direction just like the sunflower does to the sun.
One night I sneaked into her room and it happened. She didn’t fight it. She even asked for more. It became a thing between us. We seldomly slept at night. Anytime we had solitude, we used it to our advantage.
School reopened and I went back to school. When I came back again for vacation, Doris was gone and my parents had separated. It was my dad who moved out of the house.
Mom told me what happened. She said, “Doris is pregnant and she’s not saying who is responsible. I’ve taken her to her parents but I believe she’s not talking because it’s your father who made her pregnant. That good-for-nothing father of yours has given her money not to speak out.”
I didn’t know how to feel. My dad got my girlfriend pregnant? How? Does that mean Doris was doing it with me and my father at the same time? Two things happened to me at that very moment. I hated my father and hated Doris but I was hurt that she was out of the house. I missed her sometimes and wanted her around.
One day, Dad came home to pick up one of his things and he saw me. He was a shadow of himself. He had grown lanky and looked like he had been thinking a lot. Whatever was going on had affected him greatly. He saw me and asked, “Did you ask of my whereabouts from your mom and she didn’t tell you?” I shook my head. He asked again, “And you don’t care to look for me?” I stood still.
He got closer to me and said, “I’m having issues with your mother and not you. I’m at Uncle George’s place. Come there this evening and let’s talk.
I was there and throughout the evening he didn’t mention the issues he was having with my mom. I felt he was too embarrassed to talk about it so I asked, “Mom said you impregnated Doris. Is it true?” He laughed. I was shocked he would laugh at such a question. He answered, “I’ve known your mother for over twenty-six years. After your sister was born, she didn’t see me for over a year. I didn’t cheat. How much more when she lives with me now? She’s only paranoid. Doris knows the man who got her pregnant and I’m not the one.”
I didn’t know who to believe but my dad’s countenance spoke of someone who didn’t care about the accusation. That notwithstanding, I leaned towards my mom because she sounded like she knew everything that happened. Even my sister told me that one night she saw my dad coming from Doris’ room. I had to believe them.
I was in school when my mom visited. She didn’t come with food like she usually did. She was very angry and it showed in the way she stood waiting for me. “Speak the truth. Did you ever sleep with Doris when you were on vacation?”
I lied at first and then later confessed to her that I did. She slapped her forehead with her palm. “You’re conniving with your dad to outsmart me? Say the truth. Your dad told you to say yes?” I shook my head while looking at my feet. She screamed, “Then get ready. You’re going to be a father. You can’t be a father and live in my house for me to take care of you. When you’re coming home, bear it in mind that you’re your own man now.”
A week later, my dad came to see me. It wasn’t even visiting hours but he sneaked in. He was gentle with me; “Doris has finally spoken. She named you as the father. Did you do it?”
He was very calm with me so I confessed right there and then. He repeated the words of my mom; “You’re going to be a father so get ready.”
I thought he was going to scold me or beat me for nearly breaking up his marriage but he didn’t do such a thing. He said, “We’ll talk when you come home.” And then he walked away.
It was a terrible term for me. I didn’t know where I would go during vacation. I didn’t want school to vacate. At some point, I felt like ending my life. A father at sixteen?
I went home and the situation was still the same. Dad was away. The separation was still on. Mom was still blaming my father. She still didn’t believe me. By all means Dad should have been the culprit. I started asking myself if Mom already had issues with my dad. It was like she wanted to be right so she could leave my dad.
Our home dynamics were different. Dad didn’t have a say in so many things because Mom had money to take care of herself. Mom had more money but my dad paid for almost everything including our fees and medical care. Mom was busy becoming the leader of the women’s group in the community. She dressed for it. Bought a car to fit the glamour and attended functions. She was a good mother but as she grew up, her priorities changed
My dad held my hand and took me to visit Doris’ home. I couldn’t look her in the eyes but she looked happy to see me. My dad told her parents; “My son has said the truth so we are here to apologize to you for what has happened. I failed as a father, please forgive me. What’s the way forward?”
By the time we were leaving there, my dad had promised to take care of Doris until she delivers and also pay her fees if she wishes to go back to school. He was very desperate to make things right so Doris’ parents wouldn’t be upset.
When we came back I told Mom we had visited Doris. She got upset and nearly hit me; “You and your father know what you’re up to. Leave here and go and live with him. A dog can’t birth a dove. You two are the same.”
She didn’t send me away but the next vacation, I decided to go and live with my dad because he had gotten his own place. I went there and looked at the arrangement of his room and concluded, “These two are never coming back together again. Dad looked settled.”
The greatest decision I ever took as a child was to go and live with my dad. I didn’t get the luxury but I got the promise of peace and stability. Soon, my sister came to join us. One evening my mom drove by and came to snatch her away.
By the time I completed school, they had divorced. Dad looked worried but there was contentment in his worries. His face looked smiley and sad at the same time. I don’t know what they call that.
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Doris gave birth to a girl. My mom didn’t go with us to name her. It was my dad and my uncle George and two of my dad’s friends who went with me. Mom didn’t go but she sent her insults and my junior sister delivered them to us.
Doris went back to school. She wanted to be a teacher so Dad helped her get a training school and paid everything in full. When I was in the university, Doris was also studying to become a teacher. Our daughter was left with Doris’ parents but Dad sent money for her upkeep.
One day, I called Doris on the phone and for the first time I apologized to her for everything that had happened. She said, “I’m the one who has to apologize. If I spoke early, your parents would have been together.”
We talked often. We talked about future plans for the kid, we talked about what to do with our lives. When we came back home on vacation, I travelled to pay them a visit. One day her mom said, “You two have grown very well together. Why don’t you get married so your kid would have a home?” We both laughed it off. She still had a big back and a curvy heart. I liked her but I didn’t know how she felt about me.
It was when we both started working that we talked about the possibility of a relationship. My dad was like, “Because she has a child for you?” I answered, “Naaa, she still has it. Whatever made me fell in love with her.” He told me, “Give yourself the chance to know what you really want. We’ve already paid for our sins. You don’t have to marry her to make it look like that was the plan of God.”
Two years after that conversation, we got married. Mom was there. She played her role as a mother for that day. I saw her laughing with Dad. They hadn’t spoken in years but that day they laughed and talked as if everything was alright.
I live with Doris and our daughter now. You should see our daughter today. Nobody believes she’s our daughter. They think she’s my junior sister. Some think she’s my wife’s little sister because of the resemblance. I look at our life now and I bless my dad for sticking with us, making things right for us.
What Message Do You Have For Your Father Today? | Beads Media
What happened to me happened to some friends. Their parents abandoned them but my dad didn’t. He paid the price for me so I could walk under his shadow to greatness. Not long ago I asked if he had issues with my mom before that incident occurred. He told me, “There is a lot I haven’t told you. It’s better that way because I don’t want you to see your mom in a different way than you do now. Be her son let her be your mother. Time will tell”
#MyFirstRelationship
—Kyei
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