Abandoned - S01 E01

Story 19 hours ago

Abandoned - S01 E01

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 1

ABANDONED, Episode One

Everyone in Alagbado knew Ayo. Not because he had a big shop or drove a car, but because of how poor he was. He had no job, no business, and no clear source of income. People called him "that poor man." Nobody even remembered his name. They only knew he was always struggling.

Sometimes, children in the area would laugh at him when they saw him carrying his torn bag around. He was living in a one-room zinc house that leaked whenever it rained. Hunger was normal to him. Poverty had become part of his daily life like water and air.

Ayo has a wife. When Ayo said he wanted to marry Benny, people were shocked. Benny came from a family that wasn't rich but had a decent standard. Her father was a retired civil servant and her mother sold provisions in front of their house. Benny had finished secondary school and was learning tailoring. When Ayo brought marriage talk, her parents almost fainted. "You want to marry our daughter with what? Poverty? Hunger?" her father shouted. "Go and look for food first before you talk about marriage," her mother added. But Benny kept quiet. She had already made up her mind.

Benny had seen something in Ayo that others didn't see. Maybe it was hope. Maybe it was love. She believed he would change. "I'm not marrying his present condition," she told her younger sister. "I'm marrying his heart."

Her parents warned her, her friends begged her, even neighbours shook their heads, but Benny didn't listen. She went ahead and married Ayo. They had a small wedding inside a church with only a few people present. There was no wedding gown, no rice, no drinks. Just prayers and simple blessings. Benny moved into Ayo's leaking room with only one Ghana-must-go bag.

The marriage was tough from day one. They had no mattress. They were sleeping on mats. They shared garri with groundnut in the afternoon and boiled yam at night. Some days, there was nothing to eat. Benny would just drink water and sleep. But she didn't complain. She would tell Ayo, "It's only for a while. You will soon make it."

Ayo always nodded, but nothing was changing.

He kept applying for jobs but none came. He once worked at a block industry for a week but was not paid. Still, Benny believed. She stayed and supported him with the little she made.

One month into the marriage, Benny fell sick. At first, they thought it was malaria, so they bought agbo. But the fever didn't go. After one week, she visited a local nurse who advised her to go for a proper scan. Ayo borrowed money from a neighbour and they went to a nearby clinic. After the scan, the nurse looked at them with surprise. "Madam, you are pregnant with triplets," she said. Benny laughed and looked at Ayo. Ayo didn't say anything. He just sat down. Benny was happy. She thought it was a blessing. But for Ayo, it was fear.

From that day, everything changed. Benny became weaker, and her pregnancy was showing faster than usual. The nurse explained that carrying triplets was not the same as one baby. Benny stopped going to her tailoring shop. Ayo had to beg for food and help. The neighbours who once pitied them started avoiding them. Nobody wanted to carry the burden of triplets. Benny tried to stay strong, but she was always tired and hungry.