I've been very ill lately. I was down with a bout of illness. I'm someone who doesn't visit the hospital quite often. In fact, I haven't been to the hospital for a serious illness since last year when I went to FMC, Umuahia because I suspected I had ulcers. When it comes to malaria, I'm fortunately a very scarce customer (using the lingo of business) at the hospitals. I don't like being a patient, it's boring and of course full of fatigue.
However, last week and two weeks ago were not my favourite weeks of the year. I was minding my business in my shop when I noticed that the fan was becoming unbearably annoying. I was cold. I turned the fan off. I went home and noticed that I was shivering. The weekend came and went; I believed that life had returned to normal. Unfortunately, it was on Monday, August 31st that I had the unfortunate fat of being beaten by rain. It's the rainy season here and it's been raining cats and dogs on most days. This day, I was caught in the rain without an umbrella. I don't like carrying those with me because I would either leave them behind in the bus or keke or not even remember to bring one along with me. On this day, it didn't rain, it poured.. There was no such announcements of an imminent downpour on Magic FM for me to expect the showers of doom. I was drenched. And yeah, I became the typical chick caught in the rain. My hairs and feathers stuck to my skin. I returned home to remove me wet dress only to welcome the cold embrace of malaria.
I didn't want to visit the clinic. Was it not malaria? I just needed to pop some tablets/caplets into my mouth and I would be alright. I was starting a new job and I didn't want to let my employers down. So, I decided to visit the clinic, after all. A good friend recommended a doctor friend of his whom I had consulted in the past. He was warm and a very jovial gentle man, the doctor, that is. We exchanged pleasantries and he went down to business of checking my vital signs. His amiable nurse had checked my weight and blood pressure. In the consulting room, the doctor asked for me age. I told him. He asked me if I had any children, I replied in the negative. He was surprised if not flabbergasted. He wanted to know why I was denying the world a copy of my "beautiful face." I had no answer for him, except the usual, "But I'm not married" one. He told me that it didn't matter. That I should hurry up and have a child. I was disappointed. Not with him; but with myself. Why did I have to wait for a doctor to tell me to have a child, my own child not for him?
I left with my medication and the doctor's recommendation or should I call it "prescription?" Why didn't someone tell me this ten years ago? I know most societies including mine frown at unwed births. In fact, among the Ngwa of Abia State, it's a shame and many mothers make their daughters who have children out of wedlock miserable. The children are often taunted and called all sorts of names including the dreaded and outlawed one "bastard." Hmm...maybe it's all right for a young woman to have a child even if she isn't married before she's able to have a family of her own. What man will marry a girl who has had a child out of wedlock? Oh! I know a few girls who refused to abort their fetuses and became mothers who also were "lucky" to still find young men to marry them. Yes, you read me say lucky, because it's customary in my place to marry off such an unwed mother to an older or old man as punishment. Has time changed?
Anyway, I'm taking my doctor's recommendation seriously. Nowadays, all a young lady needs is a good head on her shoulder, a good education and a good job to support her child. It ain't fun to be a single mother...forget the baby mama/baby daddy drama...nobody wants all that. He can keep his child support AS WELL AS his child visitation rights. If he's the responsible kind and the child wants to see his father, good. Otherwise, he's well advised to leave us alone.
So long a reply to "go beat menopause." Haba!
No comments:
Post a Comment