CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP

This is a true-life story of a 21-year-old young lady that was approached by a guy who asked her to pretend that they are married with a marriage certificate just in order for him to get a United State of America’s (USA) Visa, and afterward they will separate. Since the lady obliged, the guy began to create a bond of friendship. Sometimes he goes to visit the lady in her parents’ house. Due to how he showed care and love to the parents of the lady, they picked interest in him, not knowing the agreement between the two of them. The parents then convinced her to marry the guy, just as every parent would always want a loving and caring guy as a son-in-law. As a young lady, who still doesn’t really know what she wants in life, she finally agreed to marry the guy for real this time. One would have expected that she will finally fall in love with the guy, but sadly, she realized that she doesn’t love him. She tried to get her parents to understand how she feels, but to the parents, they have found just the perfect husband for her.

Despite all her attempt to persuade her parents about her not loving the guy, they went ahead to plan for her traditional wedding, which she refuses to oblige to. But just as every woman, especially mothers, will always use emotional blackmail with their tears to get what they want, the mother quickly activated this strategy on the lady. She started crying, telling her that she wants to bring shame to the family. "What would people say about our family"? And so on. The lady who could not stand her mother’s tears had to give in against her will, and they finally got married.

Each time she tells her parent that she doesn’t love the guy, they will tell her to shut up, and that she’ll get to love him as time goes on. The mother even narrated to her how she never loved her father when they got married, but had to love him with time, and today, they are still together in marriage. But the lady kept complaining that having sex with the guy irritates her. This may sound disgusting, but that is how she described her feeling, and that she does not have feelings for the guy. But her parents kept on persuading her.

One day, her ex-boyfriend who she had loved that resides in the UK, showed up, and they had to hook up. Emotions were rekindled and one thing led to another, and she slept with her ex. Now she has a two-month-old baby girl, and she does not know if the baby belongs to her husband or her ex. But she has this feeling that the baby is possible for her ex because she could see the resemblance. In her curiosity to confirm, she went for a DNA test, but the hospital management requested for the presence of her husband, meanwhile, her ex has gone back to the UK. And she couldn’t tell her parents who have taken this decision for her without her consent and have always shut her up each time she raises issues concerning her marriage. She doesn’t know how to tell them, that she’s not sure who the father of the baby that her mother came for “omugo”(an Eastern Nigeria's tradition where the mother of a bride goes to take care of the newborn baby for a period of time) is for. And she can’t even dare to tell her husband that she’s not sure about the paternity of their bundle of joy. Since she could not carry the burden of this secret alone, she had to tell the sister to her ex, who assured her that if peradventure the baby is their brother’s, that they will accept her and inform her brother in the UK.  

Knowing that her husband’s genotype is AS and hers is AA, while her Ex’s is AA too, she decided to go for a genotype test. Interestingly, the baby came out to be AA, even though the doctor told her that since the baby is still too young, that the test result is not absolute.

 Now, this lady is in a state of total confusion and even considering suicide, for the fear of the consequences of her actions and the shame this will bring to her family which has always been seen as a role model in their community.

 Of course, the mistake has been made already, there is no need to throw blames at her for her actions,  but she really needs advice on what to do right now. 

Written by: Manuel

manuelnonso.blogspot.com