When the Blind Lead the Blind.

IT WAS A Saturday morning. Julie, a starry-eyed seventeen-year-old had just taken her bath. Subsequently, she stood before the full-length mirror in her room. Staring at her image in the mirror, she began to inspect her self-adjudged beautifully-shaped body. This chore had now assumed a weekly devotion.

   She started from her face. The pimples were still there but with a brown skin, the tiny spots were not as pronounced as those you would find on very light-skinned girls.

   She was about to lower her gaze in extending the inspection to her chest when suddenly, the intention was interrupted by the sounds of rapid knocks on the door. On instinct, she crouched defensively. Luckily, the door was locked.

Quickly, she dressed up in a mini-skirt and a short-sleeved shirt. Opening the door, she went into the adjacent children living room where her friend was already seated.

   “Gloria! Gloria!!” Julie called fondly as she sat opposite the other young lady.

   “Eh…eh…don’t call me.” the other one feigned anger. “Don’t call me at all because I’m angry with you.”

   “Who is it?” she asked.

“It’s me.” Bayo, one of her brothers announced from behind the closed door. “Your friend, Gloria Savage is here to see you.”

      “Okay…” she answered quickly. “Tell her to wait for me.”

“I know why you’re angry with me, Gloria.” Julie smiled apologetically at the guest. “But you just have to forgive me.”

“Julie, how could you be absent at my birthday party?” Gloria bellowed in wonder. “And you know how I relied so much upon you to brighten up the party?”

    With a tinge of embarrassment, Julie began to explain.

   “I was down all day with menstrual cramps.”

   “Really?”

“Yes…it happens that way each time I have my period and it can be terrible.”

   Gloria studied her briefly for a few seconds. Then, she began to giggle.

   “Oh…oh!! Julie…haven’t you started having sex?”

   “What?…”

   Julie sprang to her feet nervously to look around. She wanted to be sure that no one was eavesdropping, although her friend was not, in the least, bothered.

   “Hello!…” the other girl sneered. “So…haven’t you?”

   Julie blushed in acute embarrassment as she shook her head slowly.

   “No.”

“There you are…once you start having sex there’ll be no more cramps.”

   Over the next couple of hours, the brash visitor went on to present her naïve friend with an advice laced with warped, contorted concepts of human sexuality.

   As an antidote to incessant menstrual cramps, therefore, Gloria placed all emphasis on sexual intercourse.

“But, Gloria,” Julie groaned, though excitedly, “I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“What…are you kidding me?” Gloria expressed surprise with disdain. “At a ripe age of seventeen, you don’t have a boyfriend?”

   “No.” Julie replied, almost apologetically.

“My…oh…my!” the girl stated in amusement. “Anyway, I’ll advise that you make yourself available. I mean, there are boys all around you, for God’s sake.”

“Alright… I’ll see what I can do” Julie concurred and then whispered. “So, you have been having sex?”

   “Oh, sure.” Gloria answered with a confident smile. 

“Ah.” Julie’s palms flew to her mouth in a bid to stifle her cries of excitement.

“And let me give you another word of advice,” Gloria continued to talk. ”Make sure you go for an older man. Small boys are too inexperienced to do it right.”

   Gloria imparted more and more of her false concepts on the naïve girl until noon when she departed.

   Julie was, once again, in her room that afternoon when the arrival of her private teacher was announced to her. It was then, on impulse, that she hatched a plan. 

Excerpts from The Price of Ignorance. http://www.amazon.com/The-Price-Ignorance-Femi-Olawole/dp/0615842968