ONE WRONG TURN
EPISODE 3
We Just kept looking at each other’s eyes, for the first time, I looked at him without turning my face away. My heart was beginning to melt de-ep down inside, it was just like a dream come true. He had really innocent eyes, his gaze was pure and directed, he ba-rely blinked. For once, I noticed his pink thinl-ips, they looked so lovely. His eyes made me flutter inside.
I felt weak and vulnerable. He moved his hands to my cheeks, gently brushing them. Cold shivers ran down my spine. This is a great sin am about to commit, I said to myself, I felt guilty inside. He pu-ll-ed me closer and k!$$£d me. I was scared to death, I wanted to resist this, but I knew I did not want this to end.
It was my first k!ss, something I never thought I could experience this early being in the custody of my strict parent. Suddenly, he pu-ll-ed hisl-ips away from mine, got up and started apologizing profusely,
” I’m sorry Ruth, I didn’t mean to do that, I was just carried away, I didn’t mean it plea-se. Don’t be offended”.
I stood up, feeling a little disappointed. I didn’t want the s-en-sation to end. I [email protected]£d his shi-t, pu-ll-ed him closer to myself and k!$$£d him. I could tell he was a little startled, even my own boldness surprised me, was I stupid or something?. I have never felt anything like this before. Why then did mum lie to me that guys are not different from a wolf? I asked myself, cos the experience of my first encounter with a guy felt like living in heaven…
Suddenly, someone shouted from the window, ” Children of Satan! I have caught you today”.
*Shocked*…What have I gotten myself into?..
We both turned around, and behold it was the Catechist. He started walking menacingly towards us. I hid behind Matthew, and buried my head in his back. I was de-eply ashamed. Reality had struck me. The Catechist is a friend of our family, he and my dad were in the church planning committee. He has always praised my dad for having well-behaved children. I knew I was in big trouble, there was no way I was going to get out of this, at least not without some lashes from my father.
The Catechist tried to snatch me away from Mathew’s back, but we kept turning him in circles. He grew angry, and [email protected] Matthew. Matthew stood motionless, holding his face in his palm, as the Catechist snatched me from behind him.
“You this lady, what have you turned to all of a sudden?” He lifted his hands, and aimed a [email protected] at my face. I shut my eyes ti-ghtly, anticipating the sting from the [email protected] It never [email protected]£. After a few seconds, I slowly opened my eyes, and looked up. Matthew had intercepted the [email protected], he held the Catechist’s hand in the air as they struggled. Sarah hurriedly walked into the building, she was shell-shocked when she saw Matthew and the catechist.
I could see the disbelief in her eyes as she held her mouth in her palm. She beckoned on me to follow her, and bolted away. As I took the first step towards my escape, the catechist shouted
“will you st©p there” I froze. He let go of Matthew, and [email protected]£d hold of my hand.
“I will take you to your father personally, he must know that you are now a prostitute” he taunted.
At this point, tears began to roll down my cheeks, I fell on my knees pleading and sobbing, promising never to repeat this mistake. Matthew joined the begging but all to no avail. He dragged me out of the building, all the way to his motorcycle, order me to climb on, and zoomed off, to my father’s house. I was shedding tears all the way, I know my father will be at home at this time.
How bad can this get? I kept wondering as tears flowed freely.
My house was a 5 minute drive from church, We arrived in no time. The catechist jumped off the bike like a professional high jumper.
The look on his face was one of excitement rather than anger, I couldn’t un-derstand why. Maybe he has been looking for my downfall for long, who knows! He ban-ged repeatedly on the gate with so much vigor, as if he was trying to drive a nail throu-gh it with his ba-re palm.
“Yes? Come in”, an obviously irritated voice replied from the compound.
The gate flew open, and I was surprise to see David. How did he get home before me? I wondered. He too was bewildered to see me soa-ked in tears, with the catechist maintaining a firm grip on my hand, as if I was a criminal.
“Good evening sir” he muttered.
“Is your father at home?” The catechist queried…..
“Yes but……
He interrupted before David could finish the statement. He pushed him out of the way, and dragged me along, I was alre-ady sobbing uncontrollably. David locked the gate quic-kly, and ran after us.
The sitting room door flew open, there was my father. His glas-ses Hung on his nose. He was so engrossed to notice who just entered the sitting room.
“Ekurole sir (good evening sir)” the catechist greeted in Yoru-ba language.
My father recognized the voice, and quic-kly sat up on the sofa. He turned around, and immediately saw me cringing behind the catechist, sobbing loudly. He sprang up from his seat, and rushed towards me.
“Ruth, are you okay? Where have you been, what happened to you?.
The catechist jumped in.
“You won’t believe were I saw your daughter just now. This small girl is now a prostitute”
My father was startled, a look of confusion enveloped his face.
“What is he talking about?” He quizzed, directing a stern gaze at me.
The catechist continued.
” you know that house we are building for Reverend father, the one at the other end of our compound. I have been going there to inspect the place for more than one month now, each time I go there every Saturday morning, I always pick up c0md0msachet, and even used c0nd0ms. I wondered how this was made possible in the church premises. So today I said I must go and see what is always happening there every Friday and to know the perpetrators of such ungodly act.
On getting, behold! I saw your daughter, with that useless boy called Matthew. The position I met them both ehn! I was really shocked. Even when I wanted to correct them, the boy started fighting me”………
“Enough!” Thun-dered my father. He turned towards me with blood shut eyes,
“Ruth, so you have decided to disgrace me? After all my discipline?”……
“No daddy, I did not….
A [email protected] landed on my cheeks before I could finish. I had ba-rely recovered from the shock of the [email protected], before my father took off his sli-ppers and began to give me a thorou-gh beating of my life. I tried to run away, but daddy [email protected]£d hold of me, threw me to the floor and kicked me, he was just too strong for me to take any action.
“You want to bring shame to my name? You want to make me a laughing stock? So this is why you wanted to go to practice alone eh? So that you can turn to another thing . You refused to come home with your brother. I will kill you before you disgrace me. Foolish!”.
I was on the floor, wailing and screaming in pain.
My immediate elder brother Daniel rushed out from his room. My agonizing screams must have alerted him. He rushed straight at me on the floor, and shielded me from my father’s wrath and sli-ppers.
“Daniel get out of my sight, let me kill this prostitute” Dad roared.
“No, daddy, It’s enough, she is the only sister I have, maybe you should kill two of us.” Daniel fired back.
Dad struck him in the head with the sli-ppers, before putting it back on.
“Your mother will continue from where I st©p when she returns from work” he said, As he made his way towards his room.
Daniel helped me up to my feet, the catechist and David were nowhere at sight, as he carried me off to my be-droom.
I la-id motionless on my be-d, staring at the ceiling with tears falling freely from my eyes. my whole b©dy ached. A lot of thoughts rushed throu-gh my mind.
I was truthfully guilty, but the catechist exaggerated & fabricated the whole event that ensued between I & Matthew. Daddy did not even listen to me. He now thinks I am a….
Well maybe mummy will listen to me, she will un-derstand that I am not a bad girl. This is just a feeling I couldn’t control cos i’ve never felt this before. All I nee-ded at this moment is just parental care, guidance and advise instead of the beating am getting….
I await mum’s reaction on the matter as I [email protected] my be-d.
.
.
What can you say about this Ruth inward statement “All I nee-ded at this moment is just parental care, guidance and advise instead of the beating am getting”
Is she right at this age or she really nee-ds the beating from her parents?
ONE WRONG TURN
EPISODE 4
I must have been in the room for close to two hours, lost in my own thoughts. I wasn’t crying anymore. A blank stare registered on my face.
My door flew open suddenly, the sound of the door knob [email protected] the opposite wall jo-lted me back to reality. I must have been so carried away, I didn’t notice she had returned from work.
She hasn’t undressed at all, she was still wearing her white go-wn. It was her uniform. She is a nurse, who runs her own maternity somewhere in a local community in Lagos, Ajegunle.
Her pres£nce brou-ght about another round of tears. I actually thought she was going to pacify me, or at least hear my [email protected] of the whole situation.
But the look on her face told a different story. It was a look of indignation and outright disappointment. She stood there looking at me for a few seconds before she finally spoke out.
“So you have started slee-ping with those small small boys in church abi?”
“Mummy I did not…..”
“Shut up”
“It wasn’t……. ”
“Keep quiet, I said! Now tell me, how long have you been slee-ping with him?”
“Mummy, it’s a lie, I didn’t sleep with anyone, I have not done it before, I’m a v!rg!nI swear…. I replied, crying, hoping my tears would convince her.
“Hmmm, we will see about that, I’m coming” she said, as she walked away from my room.
I stayed on my be-d, confused, and wondering what my mum was up to. I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not. At least she hasn’t added to my father’s torture,……yet.
Twenty minutes pas-sed, I must have been falling asleep when my door flew open again. My mum was back. She had taken off her uniform. She was wearing a t-shi-t and shorts. She was clutching on to a pair of surgical gloves. Gently, she locked the door, and began to wear the gloves.
A lot ran throu-gh my mind. Why did she lock my door? What does she nee-d surgical gloves for? Today was the day all my affection for my mum died and was buried!
Take off your [email protected] and spre-ad your legs”, my mum ordered. (That was how strict my mum was)
“But why?” I inquired
“You said you are a v!rg!nright? Oya let me check whether your hy-men is still intact or you are deceiving me”
Those words hit me like a bolt of lightening. The very thought of my mum inspecting my v!rg!nhole infuriated me. My countenance changed, I started to cry again.
“No mum, you can’t do that, It’s degrading. I won’t let you t©uçh me”
“David! Daniel! Come here” My mum shouted from my room.
“If you won’t co-operate with me, i’ll tell them to hold you down for me, It’s either me and you, or you allow all the men in this house to see your n-kedness today”
David and Daniel were alre-ady outside my door, inquiring why my mum wanted them. My crying intensified, a feeling of frustration enveloped me.
“Oya I’m waiting, or should I open the door for them?” My mum said impatiently.
Slowly, I obeyed her, with tears gushing out of my eyes in torrents.
I la-id still, and moved my legs [email protected] What she was looking for, or hoping to find I had no idea.
By the time she was throu-gh, I wasn’t crying anymore. My countenance changed. It wasnt just sadness anymore. I was bitter. A feeling of anger and hatred overwhelmed me.
My mum, propped herself up, and walked away, without saying a word to me. She probably discovered I had told the truth, but pride and shame won’t let her apologize.
I turned around and looked at the wall clock, it was almost 1am, I have been de-ep in thought for hours. My mind went over the day’s activities.
My parents have locked me in a cage, my mum humiliated me. My father wants to kill me. I felt alone and depressed.
There was only one ray of sunshine for me today. Someb©dy loves me. He told me himself. I had never felt so loved before.
Despite all that happened today, i’ll do anything to get that k!ssagain, to fall helplessly into his caring arms.
He‘ll be my shoulder to cry on. I must see Matthew again, no matter what it takes. He alone can help me find happiness in this little world of mine where no one cares about my happiness.
But how do I escape from the watchful eyes of my parents? I know after today, dad will never allow me attend practice again. But I must find a way, I know just the right people who can help me. Sarah and Hannah. I can’t wait to see them.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 5