I am young when I meet this scoundrel. He treats me wonderfully, showering me with compliments and behaving like the perfect gentleman. But the moment he gets what he wants, he vanishes from my life. Our breakup devastates me, yet I do not immediately understand the consequences of our brief time together. I am stunned when I discover Im pregnant. At first, I resolve not to confide in my mother. However, realising that I cant hide my pregnancy for much longerespecially as I am already four months alongI make the difficult decision to tell her. She wastes no time in telling my father.
All I receive from him are accusations, and from my mother, only regret: I wish you had never been born.
Gripped by the fear of shaming our entire village, my parents convince me to end the pregnancy, though it puts my own health at risk. Reluctantly, I comply, and in the days that follow, I cry bitterlyconsumed by the feeling that I have betrayed my own child. I still seek forgiveness from God for what I have done. Life, for me, has ground to a halt. I would have welcomed my own end, not just of spirit, but in truth. Yet my parents remain unmoved. Their only concern is their reputation.
After two years in their oppressive home, I finally escape. I finish my education, and I carve out a successful career for myself.
At last, I achieve everything I once only dared to dream. Yet, there is one thing I can never obtain, no matter how much I earn: a family of my own. It remains the one thing money cant buy. I lost the chance to become a mother long ago. I meet men, I receive proposals, but once they learn of my infertility, they quietly slip away. My parents are to blame for all this. They have stripped me of the chance to experience the joy of motherhood. I have no desire to see or speak to them. When my father suffers a heart attack and my mother begs me to look after him, I refuse. They have betrayed me, and I hold them completely responsible. To ease my conscience, I send them money every month.
But I swear to myself, I will never inflict such pain on my own daughter. Parents should support their children, not turn their backs in a moment of need. My parents never realised the happiness they robbed from my life.
