Chapter 4: Truths and Threats

"No need to dey hide am from me." I look Morayo with empty face, like say the matter no concern me. "I know about the pikin."

My voice low, but my words heavy. I no wan shout, I just talk am straight. I dey look her eye, make she know say I mean am.

Morayo heart miss one beat.

Her mouth open, eye wide. Hand wey dey rest for table begin shake small. E be like say she swallow stone.

"You..."

She even begin stammer.

She try talk, but voice crack. For all my years with Morayo, I never see her speechless like this.

After long silence, she finally talk:

Her voice soft, almost like whisper. Na the first time I see her dey fear me small.

"Me and Seyi—na mistake. Nobody plan am," she say, her voice crack as she wipe sweat from her forehead. "I no fit sleep since that day."

Her voice dey shake, but she try hold am together. Her hands join, she look down, avoid my eye. For the first time, I see shame for her face.

"But since e don happen, wetin we go do? We gats accept am like that."

She talk am like say na ordinary thing. My body cold. My mind dey race, but I just dey calm. E be like say I don dey accept am since.

Na rare thing for Morayo to explain herself give me.

She always dey hold herself, like say she no owe anybody story. Today, she dey explain, dey beg with eye.

Before, she no dey send my feelings, talk less of explanation—always talk say e too stress her.

I remember times wey I go talk, she go wave am off. "Abeg abeg, Tunde, leave all these your talk."

As she see say I no react, small vex show for her face.

Her mouth bend, eyebrow rise, voice turn sharp. Na so Morayo dey be when she no like as person dey act.

"The pikin go still call you papa. No be you always dey talk say you want pikin?"

Her logic dey funny me, but I no fit laugh. I dey look her, my heart dey squeeze.

"Blood no be everything. I no even understand why you dey make noise."

She add am, voice small but strong. Na like she dey challenge me, say make I try anything wey I like.

"Five years together, and na only this small thing you wan use scatter everything?"

I look her. I no talk. For my mind, I dey count the number of times wey she say my feelings no matter. Small thing, na me be problem.

[Supporting guy love na surface. Na only him own pikin he want. Now wey babe carry another man belle, he dey vex anyhow. In the end, he no really love babe—na only her body he want.]

[Supporting guy no love reach. If to say he love am well, he for gree accept her pikin. How he go allow make her pikin no get papa from day one?]

[Babe don already try reach, but supporting guy just dey push her anyhow. Person no fit watch this kind thing.]

[If na bloodline dey worry supporting guy, make e go born him own! E no fit, na babe e dey blame, dey do like victim—real mumu.]

[No vex, abeg. Supporting guy no get many scenes remain. Main guy and babe go come back together soon. By then, supporting guy go dey regret, but e go too late.]

I dey read all these things for my mind, na so my blood dey boil. But my face still dey calm. I dey ask myself, so I no get right to pain?