Episode 5:
He would creep into my room under the cover of darkness, the same way shadows crawl silently across the walls. I knew what was coming when aunty handed me that same cup of tea with the strange drug. It numbed me, body and soul.
And though the pain of what he did was unbearable, I’d rather drift into that fog than feel every cruel thrust while wide awake. At least in sleep, I could pretend I wasn’t there.
One morning, the doctor examined me and said something that sent a chill down my spine "Her private part is still too tight. She might need a C-section." I was a virgin.
I was a virgin remembered?. That truth clung to my heart like a scream that no one could hear. Aunty's solution? She increased the drug dosage, claiming it would help my body “open up” and make childbirth easier.
I believed her. I thought they were helping me.
Now, he came three times a week. Regular. Scheduled. Expected. The drugs dulled the pain, so I took them without resistance. I had become numb to the pain, to the shame, to my own existence.
Then something shifted!
Aunty came home one day glowing, announcing her pregnancy with joy.
But i got to know, it was a lie, one morning she walked into the living room without her pregnancy belly prop, Iooking at her, I was shocked. She sat beside me, not as a caring aunt, but as a master of manipulation. And confessed, it was all to cover for me. She said once the baby was born, she’d claim it, collect money from her husband and send me back to school.
Although she still wore the fake belly, but only when going out to keep up the appearance.
Weeks passed and a new house help from Ghana arrived. She cared for me for just over three months, until I tried to whisper my truth, told her I got pregnant yet never lost my virginity. She was stunned and mentioned fibroids, she shared her suspicion with aunty. And i guess for the reason she was dismissed, yes aunty asked her to leave immediately and punished me with silence and labor.
She said “Since you can't keep your mouth shut, you’ll do everything yourself now,” she spat. And just like that, I was seven months pregnant, when the help left, the thought of only person who i could talk to and ask for help gone sometimes drive me insane.
One night, I had took the drug again. But couldn't sleep instead a pounding headache kept me alert. They both came and kept asking if I had taken the tea 'I told them yes' and truly I did.
The next morning, the doctor was called again. Tests revealed I had developed high blood pressure. And that cause an argument between them. Right there, he told her to stop giving me the drug, he insisted. They fought. And for once, I saw fear in their eyes.
To be continued…
When I was under ten, two brothers; our family friends kept sexually abusing me. I tried to tell someone, but instead of being protected, I was blamed for “playing with boys.” I was just a small, innocent girl that they took advantage of. One was older, the other was younger, but both cruel. They would hold me down, cover my mouth, and take turns with me. I felt helpless, dirty, and ashamed. Things only changed when my family relocated. I thought I was finally safe but little did I know that I was wrong. Another so-called family friend, a man over twenty years older than me, began calling me to “help his wife.” What I didn’t know was that his wife was never home. And just like that, one day he locked the door, dragged me, and violated me. I begged him to stop, told him I was a virgin, but he only laughed and tore my clothes. Afterward, he threatened to kill me if I ever tell my parents about it. I ran home, broken, and cried until I could cry no more. I cursed him with every bre...
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