Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 11
:
:
Episode 11
That day I ate around 10pm in the night.
If not for that Okpa and sachet water I bought earlier in the day, I
wonder what would have become of me.
My madam c@m£ back with her husband and dished some jollof
rice into my plate and handed it to me.
I thanked her and sat on the mortar to eat.
The food was still warm and delicious not minding the fact that it
was cooked early in the morning before the incident with the
white woman took place.
I ate fast and then had the plate washed and kept on the rack to
dry…
*************************************
The next day was a saturday and unfortunately for me I didn’t
wake up early.
I was very tired and exhausted when I went to be-d the past night
so I didn’t know when morning c@m£.
The fury which the piece of wire landed on my n£¢k this time
around was ten times more painful than I had ever felt before in
my life.
I screamed so loud that my madam’s husband ran into my room
to find out what was happening to me.
As soon as my madam heard her husband’s footstep
approaching, she threw the piece of wire un-der my be-d and
frowned at me as warning not to talk.
“What’s the problem?” My madam’s husband asked as soon as he
got to my room.
I kept quiet sobbing hysterically.
“Why are you crying?” He asked again staring at me.
For a reply, I sobbe-d the more.
“Darling why is she crying?” He asked facing his wife – my
madam.
Madam kept silent.
“Can someone plea-se tell me what is happening here?” Madam’s
husband insisted.
I didn’t talk, madam didn’t talk.
In anger, the husband stormed out of the room and into their
master’s be-droom…
Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 12
Episode 12
Later in the evening, when my madam’s husband c@m£ back
from work, he called me aside and asked me why I was crying in
the morning.
“Nothing sir,” I replied not wanting to betray myself.
“Come on dear,” he urged on. “Your madam is not here so be
free and tell me what happened.”
I kept silent for some seconds before I replied.
“Madam flogged me with wire,” I revealed. “And hid it un-der the
be-d.”
“Really?” He asked.
“Yes sir,” I replied. “plea-se let me finish up with the plates,” I
added.
“Ok,” he replied and left.
I finished washing the plate and went to dispose off refuse for the
day.
I didn’t go over to Chidimma’s compound to call her like before s
I c@m£ back early.
Then I proceeded to look after the little baby as madam took her
evening bath.
There was this way my madam’s husband was looking at me
that made me uncomfortable but I pretended like I didn’t notice.
I focused on the baby I was babysitting and ignored him
completely.
My madam soon finished taking her bath and joined us in the
sitting room.
She collected her baby from me and ordered me into the kitchen.
I obeyed immediately and left the sitting room.
Inside the kitchen I thought about my life. There wasn’t any hope
that I would go to school and my madam and her husband didn’t
seem to be thinking in that direction.
Then I thought about my madam’s husband and the way he had
been looking at me recently and wondered what exactly he had i
mind.
At fifteen, my b—-t had developed to a sizeable extent and my
h!ps were innocently rounded.
Could that be what the husband was staring at? I couldn’t tell.
I sat in the kitchen till it was time to prepare dinner then I set to
work grinding, pounding and cutting the necessary condiments
nee-ded for the soup.
When I was done, I took over the baby while my madam set to
work.
Within 2hours, the soup was re-ady so she and her family ate first
before mine was dished into one ru-bber plate and I ate without
any complaint or grudges.
I then proceeded to wash the dishes used in preparing and
serving the food before I finally went to be-d.
Around 1.00am midnight, my madam’s husband sneaked into
my room while I was fast asleep and started tou-ching me all over
I woke up with a start, shocked and surprised but he hushed me
and begged me to cooperate but I resisted and pleaded with him
not to f0rç£ me.
Feeling angry and humiliated, he ti-ptoed out of my room and
went back to their master be-droom…
Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 13
Episode 13
The husband’s countenance towards me changed dramatically
after that night and bec@m£ harsh and aggressive.
He barked at me at the slightest opportunity and complained
about everything I did.
The day I mistakenly poured water on the floor while trying to
fetch drinking water, I got a very dirty sl@p on my face and a
promise to make it worse next time I ever tried it again.
My madam noticed the change in the husband’s behaviour too
and wondered secretly within herself even though she didn’t
mention it to me.
One evening while I was washing plates inside the kitchen,
madam’s husband c@m£ into the kitchen and stood quietly behind
me.
It was when he cleared his throat that I turned abruptly and my
legs shivered.
“You think you’re smart right?” He asked staring at me.
“No sir,” I replied still trembling. “I’m sorry sir.”
“You rejected my proposal right?” He asked again. “I will make this
house very unbearable for you till you learn your lesson.”
The words s£nt shivers down my spine and my legs wo-bbled
out of fear.
During my quiet moment I thought about all my madam’s
husband said to me and felt the nee-d to give him what he wanted
atleast to have his support.
Madam’s maltreatment alone was hell not to talk of when Oga
joined in the maltreatment, the situation was terribly horrible.
But then I didn’t know how to call the husband and tell him my
decision.
Day after day, more and more punishments c@m£ my way and
Oga st©pped intervening in madam’s mistreatment unlike before
when he never supported my madam.
Then one evening when I c@m£ to clear the dishes which the
husband used in eating water melon, I gathered courage and
blinked my left eye to him which he instantly interpreted and kept
silent.
I had learnt back in the village in normal gossip among village
teens that blinking to a man signified interest so at that point I had
to employ it on my madam’s husband.
Then that night, the expected happened.
My madam’s husband sneaked into my room and this time I
didn’t resist.
In the darkness of the night, his f!ngerssearched for the we-tness
of my young orifice and when he found it, f!ngered it gingerly.
Then he ordered me to pu-ll my p@n-t and I obeyed instantly out o
fear.
He opened my legs wi-de and l@yon t©p of me as I felt a ha-rd p@rt
of him push into me and felt sharp severe pain.
I restrained myself from screaming for fear of waking my madam
but I couldn’t help muffling a gro-an .
He wasn’t gentle at all and moved in and out of me erratically till
he started convulsing like an epileptic and I felt warm liquid spurt
into me.
Then he coll@psed on t©p of me p@n-ting.
Next thing he got up, wore his bo-xers and ti-ptoed back into their
master be-droom…
Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 14
From that night onwards, madam’s husband bec@m£ friendly
once again towards me to the great consternation of my madam
The husband defended me at the slightest opportunity leaving my
madam marvelled and confused.
There was a day my madam hit me for spilling water mistakenly
on the kitchen floor while washing plate.
That day was a saturday and my madam’s husband didn’t go to
work.
The pain of the flattened right palm of my madam landing on the
mid-region of my back made me shout out as she continued the
as-sault unperturbe-d.
Hearing my scream from inside the be-droom, my madam’s
husband hurriedly ran from the be-droom to the kitchen to find
out what was happening.
“Could you imagine that this stupid girl carelessly poured water on
the floor upon all my warning,” my madam explained as soon as
the husband got to the kitchen.
“And so bloody what?” The husband barked shocking my
madam into silence. She had expected her husband to support
her like before but surprisingly the response she got was more
shocking than expected.
“Enough is enough with these your wickedness,” the husband
continued. “And let this be the last time you will ever treat this
young girl like this. I even regret why I bailed you from that police
custody, wicked woman.” The husband bawled.
My madam couldn’t utter any word in reply. She was de-eply
stunned by her husband’s sudden and unexpected outbur-st
wors£ned by the fact that it all happened in the pres£nce of the
most insignificant of people – my humble self.
The husband turned and went back into the be-droom.
My madam stood still not knowing what to do again. I stood
where I was equally confused.
At long last she slowly went into the be-droom with her husband
while I remained in the kitchen half-happy and half-confused.
Throu-gh out that day my madam didn’t utter any word to me.
She didn’t issue any order as usual and I did just the chores I
knew I had to do.
The whole house remained silent like a grave yard sake for the
occasional cries of the baby which st©pped as soon as my
madam intervened with b—-t milk and lullabies.
And so the silence continued till night c@m£ and everyone went t
be-d.
Around 3am, the husband ti-p-toed into my room once again to
enjoy my young innocent honey pie…
Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 15
Episode 15
The husband found me lying innocently on my small mattress
with an ugly-looking night go-wn.
He didn’t utter any word but stared on at me for some seconds
before he drew close.
I woke up when I felt a hand gently tap me on the shoulder and I
opened my eyes.
“Baby its me,” he whispered. “Its me baby,” he repeated.
I alre-ady knew what he wanted so I didn’t waste time in pu-lling
my p@n-t and positioning myself adequately for him.
He entered from the front as usual and started thrû-sting like a
typical he-goat mating a she-goat.
But then as he gradually approached the point of no return, the
door to their master be-droom gently creaked open and the
husband froze with fear and paused abruptly in the middle of his
thrû-sts.
He was lying in-between my legs when the door opened and
madam walked out of the room and towards the toilet.
The lights were off so everywhere was dark except for the torch
madam br@ndished.
The husband motioned to me to keep silent which I obeyed.
He hurriedly withdrew his d!ck from me and quietly wore back his
bo-xers.
Madam walked straight to the toilet and pushed the door open.
The door opened but there was no one inside.
The husband saw the opportunity and slid back into the master
be-droom.
After some seconds, my madam closed the door and returned to
the be-droom.
I listened attentively as madam asked her husband where he had
gone and the husband replied that he had gone to the balcony to
bring in his clothes.
After that, everywhere bec@m£ silent again.
But then my instinct told me that madam must have decoded
what happened even though she didn’t voice it out.
It was the question she asked me the next day that s£nt my heart
and entire b©dy quivering anew…
————————————————————
“My husband c@m£ to your room last night, didn’t he?” My
madam asked peering suspiciously into my face.
“Madam No o,” I lied h0tly.
It was very unthinkable for me to accept such ugly truth not to
talk of voicing it out.
“Oga no come my room o,” I added.
“Can you swear by the name of God that Oga no come your
room last night?” she continued.
“Madam I swear, Oga no come my room, I swear.” I replied.
“Its alright, let’s watch and see,” she concluded and walked back
into their master be-droom leaving me standing alone in the
kitchen and battling with my unsettled conscience…
Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 16
Episode 16
I was surprised when my madam’s husband c@m£ back in the
evening with new clothes that he bought for me.
It was quite unusual and very unexpected.
Madam’s face grew long and villified from anger and
dis£nchantment.
She couldn’t hide her bitterness.
She hissed, sighed, ban-ged the door, frowned her face and all-
what-not just to register her annoyance but the husband ignored
her.
Extremely villified, she lost her temper.
“Stupid man!” she bawled. “You’re not ashamed of yourself? No,
tell me, are you not ashamed of yourself? Common housemaid?
That’s what’s turning your head. Because of this small girl of a b
—–d you no longer know your wife!” Madam sparked.
“Don’t insult me,” the husband warned calmly but sternly. “I said
don’t insult me,” he repeated.
“And if I insult you what will happen?” madam countered. “No, tell
me,” she continued. “If I insult you what will happen? IMPOTENT
MAN!”
The last insult was too much for the husband to bear.
He lounged ferociously at his wife and landed a thun-derous sl@p
on her left cheek.
The sound of the sl@p jo-lted me and left me staring at the couple
with fear, confusion and awe.
Even though I was p@rtly happy that madam was at last tasting a
piece of her own cake, I was scared of the uncertainty and the
possibility of the transferred aggression that could turn towards
me.
“Heeweeoooooo,” my madam cried out in pain and fought back,
scratching her husband all over with her long sharp nails.
Irritated by his wife’s effrontery and aggression, the husband
continued his as-sault with aggressive ferocity.
His sl@ps turned into b!ows and his wife into a punching bag and
me into a spectator.
“Oga biko ozugo,” I pleaded in ibo on my madam’s behalf. “Oga
abeg e don do,” I continued.
The husband ignored me and the fight continued.
“You will kill me today,” my madam cried. “You must kill me
today,” she continued. “Whether you like it or not, you must kill
me today!”
The husband continued the beating as the wife held tenaciously to
his trou-ser.
The children were slee-ping in the master be-droom so they didn’t
hear what was going on.
At long last, Oga and wife bec@m£ tired and the fight c@m£ to an
end…
————————————————————
For days madam’s face remained swollen and she and her
husband didn’t speak to each other.
Oga st©pped eating madam’s food.
The gap developing between them further strengthened my affairs
with the husband.
Night after night he sneaked into my room and enjoyed my
honey pie.
There were days he c@m£ back earlier than usual when madam
wasn’t around and we did it freely all over the house.
I knew I was pla-ying a very dangerous game but then I was only
doing all I could to survive
…Agonies Of A House Girl – Episode 17
:
:
Episode 17
******************************
The silence between my madam and her husband lingered so
long that at a point I began to pray it doesn’t lead to divorce.
How could I come to terms with myself if I should bring
separation between my madam and her husband joined by God.
The thought alone scared me.
Madam and her husband were like two enemies in one house and
on different occasions, clashes occurred.
There was one p@rticular saturday that madam wanted me to go
to a nearby supermarket and buy provisions for her.
Oga at the same time wanted me to prepare his breakfast first
before anyother thing.
Conflict of authority ensued.
“Before I close my eyes and open it, run to the supermarket and
buy me those provisions,” my madam ordered.
“If you move an inch I break your head,” the husband countered
“You aren’t going anywhere till you’ve served my breakfast,” the
husband affirmed.
Husband and wife stood at crossroads and none was willing to let
the other triumph.
I stood at the centre of the whole drama utterly confused. It was
then that I realised the authenticity of the proverb that stated that i
was difficult if not impossible to serve two masters at the same
time.
The drama continued for more than ten minutes before madam
had enough and faced the husband.
“Ken, what exactly is your problem?” She asked calling him by the
first name.
“Mabel, what exactly is your own problem?” The husband threw
back.
“You’re b!tt!g more than you can chew in this house,” my
madam added.
:
“You must be crazy,” the husband thun-dered. “My friend go and
prepare my breakfast,” he added turning towards me.
This time madam didn’t counter the order so I set to work.
Within one hour the breakfast was re-ady and I served it and then
ran off to the supermarket to buy the provisions for madam.
I got to the supermarket within five minutes and found out on
getting there that the provision my madam s£nt me to buy was
finished and were yet to replace the stock. So I returned to the
house to inform madam about the new development but she
barked at me and asked me whether that supermarket was the
only supermarket in the neighbourhood.
I went back in search of the provisions in the other supermarkets
and it was when I entered one of the supermarkets that my eyes
caught one cute guy that c@m£ to buy things as well.
I felt the funny bu-tterfly in my tummy and developed feelings
instantly.
But then the guy was de-eply engrossed in what he was buying
and didn’t notice me.
Out of disappointment, I bought the provisions hurriedly and left
forgetting my change in the process.
I was de-ep in thought thinking about the guy and the whole
drama when I got to the house and madam demanded for her
change.
By then the husband had left the house and went out.
The sl@p that landed on my face when I couldn’t produce
madam’s change was sufficient to kill a one month old baby if no
older.
More sl@ps followed in quic-k succession and with pain I ran out of
the house to get the change.
Tears flowed freely as I ran to get the change.
On the way I pas-sed the cute guy that made me forget my
change and he pas-sed me by and took not even a single notice on
me.
There wasn’t anything attrac-tive about me so I didn’t necessarily
blame him.
My clothes were tattered, my hair un-combe-d and my footwear
were old and worn out.
My tears increa-sed after I pas-sed him by and soon got to the
supermarket to retrieve my change.
Then I headed home…
Tbc