Leticia walked up to the side of the bed where she had placed her small travelling bag. She appeared visibly shaken, she felt used, she felt tricked, she had left Frank for Gabriel and now that decision was about to haunt her. She sat on the bed to recount the issues that had just happened. "No, Gabriel can't do this to me", Leticia said. "Who does he expect to take me in"?, she asked herself. She went back to the hall with tears in her eyes and sat beside Gabriel. He immediately shifted and looked at her almost fuming, "What are you still doing here?", Gabriel asked. "I am not leaving this house tonight or tomorrow", Leticia said. "I love you Gabriel, please don't abandon me in my condition". "I left Frank for you because I saw a prospective future with you, now you are abandoning me just because of a pregnancy", Leticia said. "Don't give me that crap". "You left Frank with your eyes open so don't pin that on me". "Your eyes were widely open when you slept with him for him to get you pregnant". "Don't tell me that he drugged you". "You have no excuse whatsoever, Leticia". If I were you, I would find my way back to Frank and apologize to him and hope that he would take you back if he loves you and wants to father your unborn baby", Gabriel added. "It is too late for that to happen, Gabriel, Frank is getting married to the nurse and I don't think he would change his mind because he was quite clear when we spoke", Leticia said. "Leticia, that is your funeral", Gabriel started. "I seriously want you out of this place”. “I am being a gentleman about the whole thing, I am not changing my mind so don’t bother trying to plead”, Gabriel added. True to his words, Gabriel’s position didn’t change despite the pleas from Leticia. Gabriel still held on to the uncertainty of what the future could bring if he accepted responsibility for the unborn child. He repeated his words to sound clearer to Leticia. . “Leticia, your chapter in my life has reached its end and it would be only logical for you to find the exit because I would not take upon myself the burden of taking care of another man’s child knowing full well of the repercussions it might have in the future”. Leticia gathered some courage and packed her stuff out of Gabriel’s house. When she got home, her father noticed a change in her countenance and upon enquiry; he received the shock of his life. His unassuming daughter had taken seed out of wedlock. That was not even a point of major concern, his major worry was the story linked to the pregnancy and the controversy that lay in its wake. Augustus decided to speak to Frank’s parents to decide on how the situation was going to be managed. “My son has made his choice and we are in support of it”, Frank’s mother spoke as Augustus visited Frank’s house. “We are willing to cater for the child and we would make sure that Frank fulfils all his responsibilities in the child’s upbringing but marriage between them would not be possible. Augustus, looking at the way the meeting was going spoke with a heavy heart, “I was not expecting the meeting to take the turn it is taking, I was hoping that we could come to a reasonable agreement but it seems we are not on the same page on this matter”. “I beg your pardon, sir, this is my home and I would not have anyone come in here to insult us”, Frank’s father spoke. “I didn’t mean to be rude but please, sir, let me go back home and consider the proposal offered, thank you”, Leticia’s father said and left their house. Leticia and her family accepted the terms of frank’s parents. Soon, Frank and Rita got engaged and had scheduled a date for their wedding. Rita was at work one day when she was told that she had received a visitor. It was Leticia. “Rita, I know you don’t like me, but I am begging you with the mercies of God Almighty, allow Frank to do the right thing which would be honourable”, Leticia said as she saw Rita entering the visitor’s lounge. “And what is the right and honourable thing, my dear?” “Marrying you as a second wife or divorcing me and marrying you?”, Rita asked. “If this is why you came here, please forget it”. “Frank and I are engaged and your baby won’t be a distraction at all, we love each other and I plan to stick with him through these times no matter what”, Rita added. “My dear, stop doing this to yourself, Frank doesn’t belong to you anymore”. “The only thing that the two of you would only have in common is this unborn child and I would make sure it stays there, trust me”, Rita added. Frank held the same view as his parents and Rita. He had already committed his future to Rita and there was no way he was going to undo his actions. Many people criticised his decision as going against tradition but any time that issue was raised, Frank’s only response was, “I don’t really care what you think, I have made my choice”. “I am not going to change my mind”. Soon, Leticia gave birth to a healthy baby girl and she was named Bridget. Frank had also gotten married to Rita but Rita had not gotten pregnant yet. Leticia’s daughter was a joy to behold and the pride of Frank. He was so intrigued at the thought of being a father. He captured most of his moments with Bridget on camera. He normally visited Leticia’s house alone and mostly on weekends to spend time with his daughter. Leticia took the opportunity to use the affection that Frank had for Bridget to get him to her side again. On one of his visits, Leticia threatened to kill the baby if Frank did not divorce Rita and take her as his wife. Frank knew he was just calling his bluff so he just brushed her aside. He only took her seriously when she rushed out with the baby in her hand and headed for their backyard. Frank got alarmed and quickly rushed after her. When Frank got there, Leticia had entered a wooden structure which served as their washroom. Frank quickly went in and to his amazement, Leticia held the baby loosely over the open cesspit and away from Frank. "Even if you so much as think of taking another step closer, I am going to drop this baby into this pit and it would be a lose-lose situation for both of us and for you especially", she dared Frank. Frank stood there already furious but at the same time helpless because he knew that the Leticia he had known earlier had changed completely and he knew that her threats were anything but empty. He knew also that any wrong move he made was going to be disastrous. "Tish, that little girl is your baby; our baby, at least think of the number of months you had to carry her in your womb, think of the frustration associated with her birth and do not take any decision that both of us are going to regret", Frank begged as he stretched his hands toward the little baby girl in a frantic effort of saving her from being dropped. "Tell me if what you feel for me is love or just pity? "Tell me if you would even be standing here right now with me if not for the reason that we have a daughter together. I trusted you Frank, the least you could have done was to reciprocate that trust, instead, you stabbed me when I least expected and left me begging for dear life. The only way I can settle this score is by undoing what the two of us have done", Leticia said as she dangerously dangled the baby over the open cesspit. "So does that give you the right to play God? Does that give you the power to decide who lives and who dies? What we feel for each other is between the two of us and it is beside the point of you taking it out on this innocent baby”, Frank argued. All this while, the little baby was crying uncontrollably but the two adults cared less about the tears and screams of the baby or the stench emanating from the cesspit and kept on arguing with each other. "I never expected things to turn out this way but unfortunately, they have Frank, they have", Leticia continued as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Leticia, I wish things would have turned out differently but they didn’t and even if I wanted them to, it would be impossible”. “Try to understand where I am coming from”, Frank said as he uneasily moved towards Leticia in the stench-drenched washroom. Leticia took a step backwards and suddenly slipped towards the tip of the open cesspit….. FINAL EPISODE COMING SOON….WATCH THIS SPACE. My name is Edwin Oko Lamptey and this is my PRICELESS DREAMS© from MY RANDOM AFRICAN THOUGHTS.
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