By Adesida Adewumi MD
Please note that I have the permission of both David (not the real name ) and Chioma (not the real name) to write this story.
I was a medical student in the university when I met David, a law student then. We became friends. One day also, I went to read in one of our lecture theatres in the night and I met Chioma, a student of psychology, we became friends too. David later met Chioma through me in one of those hectic lecture days in the academic area and we all became close friends. Chioma was in a relationship with Korede (not the real name), a medical laboratory student then.
So one day as a medical student I was taught in class about AZOOSPERMIA.(Azoospermia is a medical condition in which a man ejaculates only fluid without any sperm inside the fluid. By implication the man can never impregnate a woman). This was the first time as a medical student I heard anything like that. This excited me and I told David about it in the evening when we met in class to read. He too was thrilled to hear such thing existed. Out of curiosity, he told me “let’s go and check our sperm na, how are you sure you don’t have it” referring to me jokingly. We laughed over the joke then we decided to go to the teaching hospital of the medical school for the test.
We were told we needed to stay away from sex and masturbation for 3 days before they could do the test for us. We told them we were good Christians we had never had sex before in our lives and we didn’t masturbate. Then they did the test for us. One week later we went back for our results. My own result was good but call it a coincidence, call it a joke, lo and behold David had Azoospermia o. We laughed and looked at each other and laughed again. ” Is this a joke? ” David asked the lab scientist. He replied us that it was not.
David became sad but I encouraged him that we should go and see a doctor because the implication was he might not be able to father a child. He refused he said he would like to repeat it somewhere else before believing the result. I agreed with him. Days, weeks, months and years passed by, either by intention or omission, David did not get to repeat the test again.
Chioma and Korede graduated before us. They were both posted to Lagos state for their NYSC. They finished and got jobs in Lagos state and decided to stay back there. They left us behind in school as we medical and law students are always metusellahs of campus spending 6 – 8 years in school depending on number of ASUU strikes and Alutas. We spent 3-4 more years in school but thank God we finally graduated. I took my oath as a medical doctor then finished my one year housemanship and was posted to Borno state to serve. David went to law school graduated and went for NYSC too, coincidentally he was posted to Lagos state where Chioma and Korede were staying. He too equally got job after NYSC and decided to stay there. I too got job after my NYSC in Borno state and was redeployed to Abuja where I equally settled down.
One day David and Chioma called me out of excitement telling me they were getting married. “I don’t understand what two of you are saying, what of Korede you were dating on campus before?” I asked Chioma. She said their genotypes were not compatible and they had to break up but they were still friends. I jokingly pulled her legs to be careful of friendship with her ex o because I knew they were lovebirds back then on campus. I congratulated both of them in advance.
Then I remembered the Azoospermia test we did on campus. I called David privately and asked him if he ever checked again and it would be necessary to repeat it before they got married. He agreed with me and went for the test. A week later, he called me the result was still the same. I counselled him to tell Chioma since they were getting married and should also go for treatment this time around. He said he would not tell Chioma now. What of if they didn’t end up getting married, she would know this big secret about him. I said okay carry me along in the treatment.
He delayed their wedding for almost two years to treat himself without Chioma knowing the reason. One day Chioma called me and complained bitterly to report David to me that I should talk to my friend she could not understand why he was delaying their wedding. she was not getting younger. she had clocked 32 years already. I called David to appeal to him to tell Chioma about this problem since solution was not forthcoming. He told me he would not tell her.
Two months after, I just saw wedding invitation card in my WhatsApp from excited Chioma who later called me “Dr Ade, we are finally getting married hurray!!!” . A part of me was happy for her but at the same time breathed in deeply because of what I knew. I called David again to appeal to him to tell her. He still refused.
Fast forward, the wedding took place. I was in attendance. Korede was also in attendance. It was a reunion of sort. After wedding, we all went back home. To my shock, Chioma missed her period one month after the wedding o. They sent me the pregnancy strip with two red positive lines. Unbelievable, I called David later. “How far guy? You people went for assisted fertility or artificial reproductive method (IVF)?” To my surprise, David said he was as shocked as I was o. “Or a miracle has happened?”. I asked him to go for the test again. Lo and behold the test was still the same AZOOSPERMIA.
David was seriously confused but he didn’t know how to question Chioma since he never told her he was infertile in the first place before the wedding. As he was down compteplating this, Chioma did her Obstetrics scan lo and behold twins, two boys. David told me. I asked him when did he plan confronting Chioma over the issue on ground. To my shock, he said I should forget about the issue for now o. Exactly 9 months, Chioma gave birth to two bouncing baby boys.
Fast forward, Chioma conceived again barely one year birthday of the twins. Again David and I were shocked to our bone marrow. David went for the test again, still no single sperm. “What is going on” I shouted to David. “He said he doesn’t understand too” I asked him to discuss this matter with her. He said he would address it that day. Days turned to weeks I didn’t hear anything from David again. One day, he just called me out of blue moon that Chioma was having another twins again this time around baby girls. Unbelievable, “what is going on here?”. I asked him if they had discussed the issue. David kept mute again o and accepted the baby girls even after repeating the test and still had Azoospermia.
Now where problem started from. I guessed David told Chioma he was okay with the four children she should go for family planing but suddenly again third pregnancy happened o. Then fight started. David accused Chioma of infidelity and bringing bastards to his home. Chioma asked him how did he know they were bastards if not that he was a pathetic heartless callous liar. Chioma called me too to accuse me of knowing this secret and conspiring with my friend to decieve her into the marriage. I told her I took an oath to keep people’s secrets. I explained all the efforts I made to make David tell her but David refused. I begged her to understand with me on this but all attempts to defend myself proved abortive.
To end the long story, I forgot to tell you that Korede’s full name was TAIWO KOREDE, he was a twin himself and in their family,his younger ones were two sets of twins. Twins run in their family. Are you thinking what I think you are thinking? David asked for divorce. Chioma confessed that Korede was the father of the children but korede was not aware. Korede was married and had three children with his wife. It just happened Chioma and Korede were just having extramarital affairs as far as Korede was concerned but to Chioma it was a plan hatched to have children in her marriage and to pay David back for his betrayal.
Genotype test was carried out, none of the two twins had sickle cell disease. I wondered why Chioma would go back to be impregnated by a man she left because of genotype incompatibility. She said it was never her plan to do so. That she discovered all the results David kept secret in his file a day after their wedding as she was arranging her baggage in their new home. She said she called Korede who was a practising lab scientist, who asked her to come and see him with them. Korede interpreted the results for her. She was shattered. She cried on Korede’s shoulders for hours one thing led to another and the rest was the history you are reading today.
So who is guilty among us? David? Chioma or my humble self? I will leave you to be the judge.
▪︎ Dr. Adewumi is a Family Medicine Specialist, based in Kano. Follow him on Facebook at “FROM INSIDE MY CONSULTING ROOM “; his health page on YOUTUBE and INSTAGRAM @doctorhealtheducation; on Twitter @doctorhealthed1; and on WhatsApp at: +2348068649694. He gives daily education on health plus free daily consultation.