UDEME
©Kikelomo Fadugbagbe
Episode 5
While Udeme was fast asleep her stepmother contacted the midwife to come and carry out the circumcision
Udeme woke up with severe pain. She already knew what happened, seeing the satisfied look on the face of her stepmother.
“Mama Why?
why did you do this to me
She walked out slowly, groaning in pains
Jesse got home and was worried about her lover’s where about.
“Was she looking for me,
He went out and started searching for her.”
Udeme could no longer move, she sat under a tree, she sat there weeping, and screaming Jesse’s name.
Jesse decided to go to her stepmother’s house, getting closer, he heard his name.
“That’s Udeme” He ran faster
“Udeme what happened to you?”.
“My stepmother,” she said pointing to her private organ
“Ah! Let go to the clinic, I’m going to arrest her for this no body can stop me” She rushed her to the clinic
“Doctor how’s she doing,” He asked curiously
“Hmm, she’s gotten some infection, we have to induce her labour, so she will not infect the baby.”
“Ok doctor, hope she will be fine”
“Sure, we will try our best” hours later, Udeme gave birth to a bouncing baby girl.
“Her baby is alive and fine but she couldn’t make it,” the doctor said.
“Udeme!!”Jesse screamed her name rolling on the floor
The Doctor held him “Young man, I know you want to file a case against her stepmother but I advise you not to waste your money. Carry your baby and leave this vicinity.”
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“So that was how I carried you and returned to the city, the main reason I named you after your mother, Udeme” Jesse narrated
“Wow, what a wicked stepmother,” His daughter said
“You see reason why I don’t want to take you to your mothers village, they are evil.”
“Do they still practice the act.” She asked
“Yes, they do”
“Thanks Dad, you already gave me an article to write about. , I’m going to write about female genital mutilation.”
“Is okay, just go to bed so you can wake up early tomorrow.”
Udeme could not sleep after her dad told her about her late mother, she tends to feel the pain her mother went through. Udeme was a brilliant student, she look exactly like her mother aside bearing the same name, she was in primary 6, and the senior perfect of Glorious Kid Primary School, her future ambition was to be a journalist and Human Activist.
“Udeme wake up your school bus will soon be here.” Her Dad tapped her.
“Good morning Daddy”
“Good morning my angel”
“Daddy, I had a dream”
“What dream?” He sat beside her
“I saw my mummy in the dream, she asked me to run from her stepmother, that she’s coming for me”
“Coming for you?” Jesse laughed, “My angel that’s as a result of the
story I told you last night, maybe you are thinking about it. That woman should be dead by now, she had a life-threatening wound on her leg at that time she can’t be alive, quickly go and take your bath.. I made breakfast already”
Udeme dressed up and went to the dining. she split out the egg her Daddy made after taking a bite
“What is that?”
“Daddy this taste horrible, you need a wife, Please go get one, you have my permission” she carried her bag and ran to meet her school bus.
Jesse smiled “Little Udeme will not stop amazing me, she said I should go get a wife, the egg is not that horrible now” He tasted it and split it out as well. “Oh no, too salty”
Udeme shared the story with her friends; Ella and Joyce
“I want the two of you to support me, let’s stop this barbaric act in my mothers village.”
“Can we, are we not too young?” Joyce said
“Together we can” Ella assured.
To be continued…
