Married But Available. B. Nyamnjoh

you heard the saying that every crisis has its opportunists?” replied Britney. “Believe it or not, in major schools around major cities in the country, children are basically awash with more money than sense. They are wayward at school because of their economic might. Oh, they have nifty little cell phones, leading to some schools banning any kind of communication device which is not on the school list. This includes laptops, MP3s, CDs, VCDs, DVDs, flash sticks, etc. Calls are made at the school office or from other phones outside the school when children are allowed out if they are boarders. Some have cars either because parents have given them to compensate for their absence, or the cars are stolen from parents or guardians. The cars allow them to maintain girlfriends who are school children or even school leavers of the same age or older. Those who live alone have parties to die for on weekends, with booze, music, videos including porn and sex on the side. Maids paid for by parents to ease domestic chores may also be reigned in as girlfriends or sex partners. The kids are consumed by a fascination and fixation with designer clothes and shoes, original music and videos of trendy world class singers. The girls all want to look like Barbie doll, and believe that nothing larger than size zero is fashionable, but junk food and an easy life are making the realization of this dream size impossible for most of them. Too much lunch money for school or general discretionary spending means that they just can’t eat their cake and have it. Failure to slim down in reality is compensated for by a taste for luxury through trendy outfits, boutique shoes, jewellery and perfumes imported from Muzunguland, and not from China whose products they consider too cheap and too inferior to be of interest.”

      Lilly Loveless was spellbound, and her notebook said so.

      “Believe it or not,” added Britney. “And it was a real surprise when Rebecca was presented with the shoes. Instead of the words ‘I don’t take presents from boys I hardly know’, she thanked Richie for being more than kind. Little did she know he was building an intention of having her. This he made known to his friends, but to Rebecca he gave the impression his gift was obligation free.

      “Rebecca was a strong chick who had given ‘tête’ to many boys trying to associate with her. Through repeated visits paid by Rebecca to Richie’s house, things finally changed into a love relationship. Jeff, her former boyfriend who had moved to Sawang, soon became forgotten. Now she thought of the fact that she had seen in Richie a new guy who could buy her ‘boutique shoes’ which at the time were not common. She gave the impression of not being aware that Richie could quite simply want to take advantage of her nose for material things.

      “Their kind of relationship was that which was known all over the place. Richie was a student and had peers who liked to show off, such that when they went to the nightclub they bought beer, whisky, and chicken so that their table showed that they had money. He bought Rebecca expensive track suits, shoes, dresses…, and more of the same, again and again.”

      “I smell trouble like burnt cooking,” Lilly Loveless insisted.

      “Be patient,” Britney rebuked, gently. “They went out together for lunch, picnics, shopping and nightclubbing. Not once did she stop to ask where Richie, a simple student without a job, got the money to lavish on her.”

      “Is it normal for girls to ask?”

      “Shouldn’t a well brought up girl ask?”

      “I suppose she should, but do they?”

      “The fact that Rebecca didn’t doesn’t mean they don’t.”

      “I give up,” smiled Lilly Loveless.

      “Rebecca’s misinterpretation of dating led her into a gutter big time,” Britney went on. “She became pregnant and it was the worst time in her life. She had been despising her mother, not helping her, sleeping out for weeks and absenting herself from school because she had to satisfy the wants of her guy. So she did not know how to go about the pregnancy.”

      Lilly Loveless looked perplexed. “Britney, don’t people use condoms?!”

      “Not as much as you would think, especially with the risks of getting HIV. With the excuse that you cannot enjoy a bath with a raincoat on, or eat a sweet in its wrapping, some go to the extent of perforating their condoms, if they bother to wear them at all. Others start off with condoms and then abandon them into the relationship claiming familiarity – ‘I know you, you know me now, no?’ In some instances, the condom simply comes under too much pressure and explodes. And the consequences are frightening. A high school student who died recently was discovered to have kept a diary with 87 cases of girls he had infected with AIDS. A male university student diagnosed with AIDS had the audacity to tell the doctor: ‘I got this thing from the University of Mimbo, and I will take it back there. They will see red.’ Not to mention a highly placed customs officer in Sawang who uses the sumptuous bribes he receives daily to lure unsuspecting beauties to his lair, where he injects them with the most lethal strand of HIV known to exist, thanks to his frequent flyer status.” Britney was bitter. “If you investigate further, these are probably guys who had a chance to make a difference from the outset. Stories abound of girls who take a condom from their purse and ask a man to push it on only for the man to push it away saying: ‘You don’t expect me to eat banana without taking off the skin, do you? I’m not a pig, mind you.’”

      “And the authorities do nothing to curb such irresponsible behaviour?” Lilly Loveless was scandalised.

      “Mimboland na Mimboland,” said Britney.

      Lilly Loveless nodded: It said it all.

      “Anyway,” Britney continued, “Rebecca’s pregnancy was about three months old and she had not yet informed Richie. One day she gathered courage and told him and they decided to do a D&C, so she could once more be stable and could go about her daily activities and enjoying life unencumbered.”

      “Interesting,” said Lilly Loveless, more to herself than to Britney. “In Comfort’s case abortion vehemently rejected, but readily accepted in Rebecca’s case. What accounts for these different attitudes?” She spoke out as she wrote in her notebook.

      Noticing that the question was not addressed to her, Britney continued with her story. “Rebecca was faithful in her relationship, but Richie was not. He went out with a girl in their school called Annette. During his 17th birthday party there was a quarrel and a fight. Rebecca could not bear seeing him cheat on her because she had a jealous mind. She never wanted him to talk to any girl. So she was totally devastated when she realised that he had something to do with Annette. Rebecca could not feel free because she was not a ‘bed sharer’ with any other girl. She had become so close to Richie that her school life was affected. She loved him and always wanted him to be near her. And when he was good he was really good. At times, he went to Sawang and brought his father’s car and took her together with her friends to the beach. Rebecca did not believe there could be anyone more than Richie ever.

      “They were both at school, but Richie was better able to combine what they did with studies, while Rebecca repeatedly failed her exams. The more time she spent away from class, the greater she failed. Richie would take her to all the nightclubs around, enjoy life, and yet pass his exams when he sat them. For Rebecca the story would be failure, however hard she tried to make up. Studying for exams was like the ‘callé callé’ of her life, and some of her friends would laugh at her behind her back by saying things such as: ‘Who needs brains when you’ve got tits?’

      “So you can imagine how she felt when she failed the GCE and Richie passed. He organised a party but she did not bother attending.

      “Things got worse when she discovered that she was pregnant yet again. She had a light fever and was vomiting. So she went for a pregnancy test. The results of which were positive. But she was not having things her way this time. Richie, her ‘jackpot,’ did not have money to afford her another D&C. He tried to play games with his parents in the hope of getting some money, to no avail. His aunt later got wind of the pregnancy, called for Rebecca and told her not to do away with the child. With no money forthcoming, Rebecca reported the matter to her uncle who was the assistant commissioner of police, and Richie was locked up.”

      “Locked