Ngozi had a gloomy look on her face. She held a
piece of paper in her hand. Although she was an
illiterate and couldn’t read, she knew exactly
what the paper contained. The doctor had
explained it to her. She should be happy about
the news but she felt the exact opposite.

Ngozi was married to Emeka, who was a driver
at a cement factory. His meagre salary wasn’t
quite enough for the family. They had Eight
children and they were all living in a single
room. All the children where all asleep now.
Emeka came into the house around 11pm and
after an exchange of greeting with his wife,
Ngozi, he went to the bathroom, which was
shared with the other tenants to take his birth.

When he came back to the room, he sat down
to do justice to the large plate of eba and egusi
soup that his wife placed before him.
Ngozi waited patiently until he was halfway
through before speaking. She’d decided that she
wasn’t going to beat about the bush.

“I am pregnant”, She blurted.

Emeka didn’t reply, he just stared at her. He
didn’t even realise that the big morsel of eba he
was about to put in his mouth had fallen from
his grasp.