Stepping right in, was the dawn of a beautiful Monday morning. Looking at the time, all dressed up ready for school; it was 6:00am and I was certainly glad to be back at school to familiar smiling faces all around.
What a relief that had for me, seeing that the weekend wasn’t fun at all for the family; father was out again on some Saturday night paroles with the men around the hood. Honestly, nobody really cared as that came as a breath of clean fresh air for mother and the housemaid, Martha who was only 17years old and was scolded and beaten badly by my father for ever letting in the neighbors to rescue mother.
According to him, that act puts him in a bad light before his peers and whatsoever goes on in one man’s house is no business of another.
I just don’t want to think about that night. The memories still linger on heavily on me like a weight of a bag of cement but at the age of eight, i had learnt to let it pass by because Ooh yea, there was still innocence that seem to push the thoughts aside into the recesses of one's mind until when one has come of age and then dang!!!!!….. Something in the present triggers that rusted bullet from the gun of your past!
Funny how life works; what you sow, you will surely reap and need i say that my time of harvest is now????
Flashing back, it was the end of school that day and as usual, father didn’t come early enough to pick me up from school… i was the only girl child amongst few kids waiting to be picked up by their guardians.
Teachers who waited for extra moral classes had either wandered off to chit-chat with fellow colleagues or had gone to rejuvenate. So, much attention wasn’t given to the few of us who were patiently waiting for their parents to come pick them up and that gave me the freedom to gallivant around the school vicinity.
Out of boredom , Curiosity led the best out of me when i found myself in the senior secondary session which was far from the primary session. It was quiet because a lot of students had gone home. I got into each classrooms picking up used chalks that i would take home to practice writing on my homemade blackboard when all of a sudden i could hear voices of two boys from the junior classes, chatting wildly away… I took a few step further to see their faces and figure out what they were doing in the classroom.
Peeping from outside of the window, i saw them smoking and laughing over a magazine {back then i didn’t know what the magazine was all about but after years of growing up, i understood that it was a magazine that had something to do with erotic pictures and stories, the magazine was called “hint with the lead fictional character called pamela”}.
With my heart beating fast as though something bad was going to happen, i tried moving away from the window when all of a sudden i felt a hard push that made me tumble into the classroom. In pains, i cried out and turned to have a look at the heartless human that did push me over without the feeling of remorse…. It was one of the boys, i saw smoking something that smelt awful.. He was joined in by his red eyed partner and in a split second i could feel a chill run down my spine. They really didn’t look friendly at all.
Both of them rough handled me, dragged me into the class and started asking me questions.
“what do you think you are doing spying on us, ehhnn smallie and what are you still doing at this time in school when all your mates are home? ”
My—my daddy has not yet co..me to pick me up? – I replied, stuttering
So, maybe we should take care of you before your daddy comes, right??- one of the boys said while slipping his fingers into my uniform , finding his way into my pant and fingering my clitoris…
Even though, i loved the sensation that it aroused in me, i was afraid and i cried out but my mouth was covered by the other accomplice’s hand…..!
The one fingering me, knew that they could be caught in the classroom with windows and door open, so he went over to lock the windows and the one door meant for escape, leaving the room peach black!
I was screaming in tears and muffled by that strong hand around my mouth, i didn’t know what was happening but i sensed it was going to be bad….!
Soon after locking the exits to the classroom, he came over to me, pulled down my pant and bent down to lick on my clit with his tongue obviously practicing what they had read or watched. I didn’t know what feelings came over me at that age but innocently, i liked it but the in a dark room with two strangers was the most dreadful thing i could ever ask for even an enemy…
A sharp pain busted through my brain.
"What was that???"
This guy had inserted his manhood inside of me and that tore me into pieces…. he was thrusting quickly like he was in a rush to get to his peak and get away before they really get caught …it could have taken minutes or hours but all i could remember was that i was at the verge of fainting, when all of a sudden, light shone into the room and i could feel being whisked away by a strong arm, serenaded with alot of noise at the background. All i could remember now was that i was gradually slipping into the state of oblivion!
But that pain still lingered on.
********************************************
“Helloooor…Tara!!!” The lawyer snapped into my thoughts
“Are we together???” He asked.
Just realizing how far gone I was in thought and knowing that he asked a question that’s still pending, I jolted back into his exquisitely furnished office and stared at his well groomed white beard with a frown cascading through my face.
“yes, we do have history”
….”Five years ago….in London” I swallowed hard.
“I am sorry things didn’t work out well between you two, Ma’am” The lawyer said.
“Mr. Nkwe only wished for you to be well taken care of but the global financial crisis hit him so hard just as it did many business gurus and investors. It was only fortunate that Mr. Saul who stepped right in and agreed to cover the remaining debts as part of the take-over package purchase.
My stomach just dropped like a faulty elevator.
“Debts?” The word came out of my parched mouth like a ghostly whisper.
“But I thought everything had been seen to. Nkwe assured me everything was sorted out, that there would be nothing to worry about.”
Even as I spoke those words, I realized how stupid and naïve I sounded. I sounded exactly like the empty-headed trophy wife the press had always made me out to be. But then didn’t I deserve the slight? After all, I had been a naïve fool to take Nkwe at his word, five years ago, only to find out within hours of marrying him, his word was not to be trusted.
Mr. Rufai, the Italian-Nigerian born lawyer looked at me gravely and saw right through my thoughts.
“Perhaps, he didn’t wish to distress you with how the current situations of things were towards the end but let me make it clear that without Mr. Saul’s generous offer to you, you would be in deep waters instead. Every financial institution is jumpy these days and Mr. Saul has agreed to cover all future requests for payment.”_The lawyer said.
I quickly ran the tip of my tongue across what remained of my lip-gloss, tasting a sweet and sour cocktail of strawberries and fear.
“that’s rather too generous of him” I said, keeping my shoulders straight and my spine straighter.
“Yes, but then he is one of the richest men in Europe and his construction company has grown phenomenally well over the last few years. He has branches all over the world even in your country of birth, I understand. Do you intend to return to Nigeria now?”
I am beginning to think this old fool had been paid by Saul to rub it in. what’s with all the hype and going back to my country, really!
I would love to go home but back to what? The incessant bombings or to the life of hustling; seeing that I know no one there. Its been 12 years since I left the shores of Nigeria through a so-called Aunty who promised my parents that she was going to give me good education soon after father retired and was helpless to the family. Only to be introduced into sex slavery at the age of 17, paying my way out of prostitution through to Aunty Uduak for three years until my late husband found me and paid all the debt I owed her because he thought I was too beautiful to be held down in a brothel.
“No…I have a friend that I would love to visit, I might just try to find a job while I am here”.
I could see the cynicism in the lawyer’s eyes as he got to his feet. I supposed from his perspective I deserved it, after all, I had all intents and purposes been a kept woman for the last five years. No doubt he thought finding a regular job with the sort of perks I had been used to will not be easy.
I was aware of the precarious position I was in. it wasn’t going to be easy, but I needed a regular flow of income to help my family back home in Nigeria.
I glanced at my Michael kors’ wristwatch, leaving the lawyer’s building. I had less than three hours until I saw Saul for the first time in 5years. My stomach fluttered with feathered wings of fear as my footsteps click-clacked along the marbled floor.
Fear, or was it excitement?
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