06/17/2026
Bad Influence: Episode 3: The Price of Pleasure
Fikky and Judi were back to their old ways. It was like nothing had ever changed. They laughed loudly, painted their nails, wore short skirts, and spent time with different boys—mostly the workers from the nearby building site. Some were bricklayers, some were electricians, and a few even claimed they had "big connections" in town.
Every day after school, Fikky and Judi would sneak out to meet the boys. The boys bought them shawarma, gave them airtime, and even sent money once in a while. Sometimes, they would lie to their parents and say they were going for school lessons, but instead, they went to cheap lodges.
To them, it was fun. They felt admired, respected, and grown-up.
But the fun didn’t last long.
One Saturday morning, Judi woke up with serious itching. She scratched and scratched but the itching didn’t stop. Then small rashes appeared on her thighs and lower stomach. She ignored them at first, thinking it was heat. But by the third day, she had painful sores and could barely sit.
She stopped going out. She told Fikky she had malaria, but Fikky didn’t believe her.
One day, Judi told her aunt that she wanted to visit a friend in the next town. Instead, she went to a small clinic far from their area, hoping no one would recognize her.
The nurse ran some tests and gave her the result: she had an STD.
Judi’s heart broke into pieces. She couldn’t speak. She looked at the paper in her hand and felt like disappearing. The nurse tried to comfort her and gave her some drugs.
Judi didn’t tell anyone. Not even Fikky.
She returned home and acted like nothing happened. But she became quiet. She no longer laughed loudly. She stayed indoors more often. She took her drugs in secret and cried silently at night.
While Judi was battling with her own secret, Fikky started noticing something strange about herself.
She felt tired every morning. Her body felt heavier. Then she missed her period.
She told herself it was stress.
But when a second week passed, and then a third, she began to panic. Her heart beat faster every time she checked the calendar.
One day after school, she sneaked out to a chemist and bought a pregnancy test kit. She went home, locked herself in the toilet, and followed the instructions carefully.
She waited.
Her hands were shaking.
The result showed two lines.
Positive.
Fikky screamed, but quickly covered her mouth. Her heart was racing. Her eyes were filled with tears.
“No, no, no,” she whispered.
She sat on the floor and cried for a long time.
When she finally calmed down, she began to ask herself a painful question.
“Who is the father?”
It was the hardest question in the world.
She had been with too many boys. There was the one who gave her a wristwatch. Another one who used to buy her suya. One promised to take her to Lagos. All of them were part of her past—but now, none of them mattered.
One by one, she tried to reach them.
Some didn’t pick up.
Some picked and hung up immediately.
One said, “Are you mad? Don’t ever call me again.”
Another said, “Pregnant? With whose child? No be only me you dey follow.”
Some blocked her completely.
Fikky was shattered.
She sat in her room, hugged her pillow, and cried until her face was swollen. Her mother knocked on the door, asking if she was okay. Fikky lied and said she had a headache.
Her whole world felt like it was falling apart.
She wanted to run. She wanted to scream. But she didn’t know where to go.
Her secret was growing inside her, and there was no one to turn to.
Judi still didn’t know about the pregnancy, and Fikky still didn’t know about Judi’s sickness.
Both girls were drowning silently in their own pain.
The price of pleasure had come—and it was heavier than they could carry.
Moral Lessons:
1. Every action has consequences. What seems like fun today can become pain tomorrow.
2. Quick pleasures often lead to long-term regrets.
3. When we hide our mistakes, we carry the burden alone.
4. Not everyone who gives you gifts truly cares about your future.
5. Real friends look out for your safety, not just your happiness.
6. Your body is not a game. Protect it. Respect it.
7. A moment of truth is better than a lifetime of hiding.