Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea

Charles grew up in the village. His parents, though very poor and stark-illiterate, vowed to send their son to the School of Seminarian studies to become a priest. Through savings, they spent their money to sponsor the education of Charles. At the time, Charles was just done with his elementary studies. In a forthnight, Charles would be on his way to the Seminary school in the city. His uncle, John Bosco, was responsible for the admission into the school.

Charles left his parents and journeyed with his uncle to the city. It was in the city Charles was made to see life from a different perspective. As a matter of fact, a month after his admission into the seminary school, he realized that in the city, one has to think beyond the box and obliterate the ‘village’ champion mentality for great opportunities. Charles was enjoying the best of schooling in the heart of the city whilst calling to know how his parents were faring in the village.

The first six years of Charles’ education at the seminary was a success. He came out tops and this made everyone, including his colleagues his friends and enemies.  He attracted a number of scholarships that saw him through for the next eight years. He won a lot of prized from the competitions he took part in, making his parents very proud of him. His handsome and high intellectual quotient attracted all manner of ladies to him. This would spell doom for him for years to come. 

Two years before his being ordained a priest, he felt madly in love with Amanda. Earlier, he had sworn an Oath of Celibacy but was about violating the law. Charles never knew he had more enemies than friends. Even his so-called friends were on a look-out for his shortcomings to jeopardize his priestly ordination. His love for Amanda, who happened to be a close friend to Justice, Charles’ classmate, so flourished that, the violation of the Oath of Celibacy but also succeeded in getting her pregnant.

Charles though he could get out of the light of guilt to avoid people getting to hear or see the obvious pregnancy in a not too distant future. He failed to come terms with the truths that nothing is hidden under the sun, though it may take time and the wall has ears. Charles made the costliest mistake by letting Justin know about the relationship with Amada. Worse still, Charles was unaware that Justin got to know from the horse’s mouth, ten months before delivery. Justin would stab him at the back with this evidence to ruin his priestly ordination.

Charles, without informing his parents in the village about the sad development, decided to secure an apartment for pregnant Amanda at the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, the finances Charles had acquired ought to be used to financially see to the completion of his seminary education and support his parents in the village. Owing to the development, Charles had never reported to the village to see his parents. However, he was able to relief his parents’ worries by letting them know soon after his priestly ordination, he will spend quality time with them.

Back in school, the rumor circulated the length and breadthof the seminary school that Charles would be a father in three months time.  As a matter of fact, those, he saw as his enemies, put o his face that he had a would-be baby mama. Charles depicted a sense of guilt and as they say: “a guilty conscience fears no accusation”.  The speculation got to the desk of the priest in charge of the school. He asked other seminarians the authenticity of the rumor. Interestingly, majority of them attested to the fact. The priest-in-charge decided to hear from Charles. Charles kicked against it, claiming it was false. Confused the   Priest-in-Charge was, considering the majority of the seminarians held firmly to the claim, decided to meet with Justin. With a handsome pay  and psychological back-ups, Justin opened up and in the presence and to the very surprise of Charles, not only confirm she was pregnant but asserted to them where his girlfriend, the rumored pregnant lady, Amanda stays.
He could not believe what he heard. He wanted to see for himself the claims Justin made.

 Eventually, Charles, Justin and other seminarians who claimed the rumors were true went to the place where Amanda lived-at the outskirts of the city. Lo and behold, they found a heavily pregnant woman trying to carrying out some chores. He craved for her indulgence which she granted. 

“What is your relationship with Justin?” asked the Priest-In-Charge.

"He’s my boyfriend and the father of my unborn baby’.  She replied, looking honest.

He became crossed with Charles.

“I am very sorry for this wrong act. I know I have violated the celibacy law. Please forgive me”, said Charles who was really tensed in fear.

“I have forgiven you”, said the Priest-in-Charge. He continued in anger: “but you will have to face the penalty which you already know. In some months to come, you will be a father and the seminary won’t stop you”.

He concluded: “unfailingly, by tomorrow, your priestly ordination and scholarships will be officially withdrawn from you. You will be rusticated from this seminary”.

This was a straw that broke the Carmel’s back as his parents dreams of seeing him become a priest was  thwarted because of his uncontrolled thirst for lust. To make matters worse, he did not inform his uncle thereby keeping every of his family member in the dark. The next day, as promised, the Priest-in-Charge officially declared and disclosed in a letter, issued to Charles in private that he has been rusticated from school and all scholarship benefits have been withdrawn. He was not to be seen around the school premises again.

Charles is cu rently out of school, jobless with a due-for-delivery Amanda and his parents and other close relatives unaware of what has happened. He is left between the devil and deep blue sea of whether to tell his hypertensive parents in the village who anticipates his priestly ordination of what had happened and attend to heavily pregnant Amanda later, let Amanda go see her people or attend to Amanda’s condition with little or no finance and relate  to his people; seeing in particular his parents in the village the current development.