At the End of the Tunnel #5

 Continued from #4

I was still in my distress state when Gboyega,her eldest child walked into the kitchen to drop his plates. I was expecting him to put it in the sink and leave it there for me to wash as was his usual practice. But to my surprise,he started washing including the ones he met there. 

I quickly sprang to my feet to stop him from doing so as that could lead me to another round of trouble. I was thrown into confusion where he told me not to bother taking the plates away from him that he was there to help me seeing that I have been working since the day began.”Okay” was all I could manage to say. 

I was totally lost for words. Gboyega wants to help me wash the dishes? Unbelievable! I tried to sit back but couldn’t due to the fear that his mother could walk in anytime. I had to mount surveillance.

He was done in no time and left immediately he put the last plate in the rack. And for the first time,he bade me goodnight with a smile on his face.

 That was how he started being friendly to me. There were times he would smuggle snacks,meat and every other edibles he could lay his hands on into the kitchen to give me . He even promised to help me talk to his mother to allow me go back to school.

I was more than happy to hear that from him. At last,the light will shine on me. I believed he would pull through for me because their mother never refused them anything.

Our friendship grew by the day until he started acting funny. Whenever we are alone together or he came to the kitchen to assist me ,he would put his arms across my waist and looked at me in a manner I could not describe. He graduated to touching or smacking by butt anytime I walked pass him and nobody was looking.

 Sometimes he stayed up in the night pretending to be reading in the sitting room while I slept. He would start caressing anywhere he could lay his hand and ran away when I stirred as if he wasn’t the one. This went on for about four month and I couldn’t tell anyone about it. Who would I even tell? His mother would never believe me.

There was this particular day that my aunty and her husband traveled to Ibadan to attend a funeral ceremony. So,we were at home all by ourselves. As usual, I was already lying on my mat waiting for sleep to envelope me after dinner when he invited me to join him in watching a drama showing on the television. I tried to resist the urge but after much persuasion, I obliged him. We have been watching the drama for about twenty-five minutes or so when the light went off.

We were still waiting in the darkness hoping that light would be restored back in no time when he crawled up to where I was sitting on a couch. I initially thought he wanted to confirm if I was still awake because I have been yearning ceaselessly all the while only for him to start caressing my legs and before I could say anything, he had proceeded to my lips. 

He was so slow and gentle. I could swear that his mouth tasted delicious. Well,the reason for that wasn’t far fetched as he’s been munching on biscuits all the while. The one he gave me was still lying on the floor. I hoped to eat it the following day.

I resisted him at first but when he pulled me closer to himself,I became lost. He was such a good kisser and I couldn’t but wonder where and how he learned the art. As if bitten by a snake,I jacked back to the present and pushed him away from me. He launched forward to grab me but I was fast enough to dodge him and threatened to scream .

Thank God,I could still hear voices on the street. I guess the threat of screaming made him have a rethink because he pulled back immediately and went into the room he shared with his siblings. 

“Thank God I was able to put him off. That was a close shave” I whispered to myself.

I slept off few minutes after he left. I woke up startled in the middle of the night when I felt a hand roaming my body. The mysterious hand started from my legs before moving up to my thighs and gradually walked itself to my tummy. I could feel the softness of the hand right there in my sleep. The hand felt so good that I began to have this nice feelings creeping into my system. I was praying that the hand would continue working its magic on me when it stopped.

I was still sleeping while all these went on. I seriously thought I was dreaming and didn’t want to wake up. When I thought the hand had left,I felt another touch on my body and this time,on my boobs. The hand was struggling to free the twins from the top I had on when I opened my eyes.

I was surprised to see Gboyega kneeling beside me completely naked. I quickly sat up to run a check on my body to ascertain how far he has gone. He wore a deadly look that could terrify the bravest person. 

I was sore afraid and confused and didn’t know the next line of action to take until he started tugging at my top again. Common sense told me to stand to my feet and look for something to I could use to defend myself. 

And as if reading my thoughts, he suddenly held me by the throat and threatened to strangle me if I wouldn’t be calm. I was fast losing my breath. So, I started begging him amidst tears to free me but he wouldn’t. He later let go perhaps because of the fear that I may stop breathing. I quickly murmured a thank you before he changed his mind.

 "I think you should allow me do what I want to do with you because you have so much to benefit from it than me.Do I even have anything to benefit from it? Bimbo, you know I promised to talk to my mother on your behalf so she would allow you go to school. I am only trying to help but am afraid I won’t be able to continue with this attitude of yours. 0nce you allow me,I promise to talk to mother immediately she comes back from her trip.” he said.

At the mention of the word school,I began to think within me if I should allow him since going to school was my top priority .As one voice was telling me to go ahead and satisfy his demand,another was telling me to remember my vow to remain celibate till my wedding night. 

“What if he’s lying? How sure I’m I that he’s been talking to his mother on my behalf? No! I am not going to do this,” I said to myself.

 Only god knows where the courage came from when I pushed him. He was caught unaware,so he staggered left and right. I made an attempt to stand up but he was quick to regain his balance and didn’t waste time to pin me down again. 

“I don’t even need your cooperation again. You bitch.” he said as he held by the neck with his left hand while the right was used to pull up my top and at the same time patting my legs with his feet as he was already on top of me. 

It then dawned on me that there’s absolutely nothing I could do to break free from him. And this brought tears to my eyes. Like a pro,he yanked off my skirt and pants in quick succession. My top that seemed to be stubborn was torn,and I could see him grinning and licking his lips continuously at the sight of my firm,rounded and full boobs. 

“If you can stay calm,you will surely enjoy this” he said as his right hand found its way up and cupped one of my breasts. I was still thinking about the next line of action that would break me free from my captor when he rammed his penis into my vagina."

"Yeh! Mo ku o” was all I remembered saying before I went blank.

I didn’t know how long I was in that state before I came back to life. I woke up to see myself in a pool of water. He must have poured a full bucket on me when I fainted. 

"Thank God ! Thank God!" I heard him whispering to himself as I tried to stand up. I couldn’t remember anything that had happened before I went off. It was the sharp pain I felt between my legs as I managed to stand up that brought back the memories. 

“Gboyega,you raped me? What did I do to deserve this from you? God will judge and punish you,you this son of the devil” I said as the tears started flowing freely again.

“If you had cooperated with me as instructed,it woudnt have turned out that way” he said.

“You still have mouth to talk,you bastard?” I asked him .

His last statement infuriated me more than the deed itself. I need to teach this fool a lesson,” I told  myself as my eyes darted about frantically in search of a weapon.

Finally,my eyes settled on a razor blade lying gently on the table. I moved to the table slowly and sat on it so he wouldn’t know what I was planning for him. I picked the razor quietly and stayed there on the table waiting for the right time to strike. 

The opportunity finally came when he turned his back to me as he was putting on his shorts. He was so engrossed in it that he didn’t know when I tiptoed to where he was. And by the time he realized, it was too late. I didn’t have any part of his body in mind but he made my work easier. I had raised my hand to slash him anywhere my hand deem fit when he turned back to face me.

He made an attempt to snatch the razor from me. 

“Bimbo, you mustn’t go down without a fight,I heard a voice saying within me, and without thinking  twice,I kicked him in the stomach. Yeh! He let out a yell as he fell on the floor. 

“This is the opportunity you have been waiting for,the voice said again.” The voice seemed to be the ginger I needed.

 The hand holding the razor moved swiftly and landed the weapon on his back and i made sure I cut him in three different spots at the back before moving to his arm. 

Yeh! He cried out in pain each time the razor ‘kissed’ any part of his body. My anger must have brewed up to one hundred and twenty percent because the cut on his arm was very deep. His cry this time was so loud that his immediate younger sister,Tomilola rushed into the sitting room. I could see surprise written boldly on her face when she saw Gboyega half naked and me, completely naked. 

“What is going on here?” she asked no one in particular. 

“Ask your shameless brother,” I said as I rushed out of the sitting room.

I ran into the bathroom like someone being chased by a masquerade and bolted the door. "

Did I just lose my virginity,and in that manner? How will I face that idiot again? Maybe I should run away from home. But to where? What kind of life is this? And I begged Baami to allow me stay back in Ayetoro. Is this the good life I was promised? Haa! I am doomed. Which man will marry a broken pot like me.” 

A broken pot is the term used for a girl that has lost her virtue in my town. I asked myself as I broke down in tears.

I didn’t know when I slept off on the bathroom floor. It was the bang on the door accompanied by my aunty's voice that woke me up. They had returned from their trip. 

“Open this door this minute,you witch. So,you want to kill my son. Is it a crime to want to help my brother by bringing his daughter to live with me?”

I summoned courage to open the bathroom door. I thought there was nothing she could do that could be worse than Gboyega had done but I was surprised when I opened the door. I must have underrated the woman.

To be continued.

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At the end of the Tunnel #4

Continued from #3

Aunty Kubura and her family lived in a two-bedroom flat in the Surulere area part of Lagos. I was given a hearty welcome when we finally arrived at her residence. Her husband and kids all welcomed me in a manner that suggested that I was been expected by them. I almost had a second thought about how terrible my staying at theirs was going to be because of the fracas that happened between me and the madam of the house. Amidst all of that, I could still feel her blood boiling underneath her skin. I guessed the whole family must have discussed my coming to live with them before she came home to pick me. 

Maybe I was just being paranoid for no reason. She seemed a nice woman who could have treated me the way she did at the motor garage because I wasn’t smart enough. It could even be as a result of the stress of travelling such a long distance in such a terrible manner. Those were the thoughts on my mind as I struggle to feel at home as her husband had urged me to.

I was later ushered into a room where I put my things. The room obviously was for the children judging from the way it was arranged. There were two beds placed side by side and another one standing alone. There was also a wardrobe, a standing mirror,reading table and a book shelf.

She had three kids,a boy as the first and the other two were girls. The boy whose name I was later told was Dele was a year older than me while the girls were ten and eight respectively.

After dinner that night,I was handed a newly bought mat and a covering cloth. She told me I was to sleep in the sitting room at nights while my things remained in the children’s room. She shared the other room with her husband. I was stunned when the instruction was given.

“ But mummy,I called her the same way I have heard her children called her. Can’t I share the bed with one of the girls or be allowed to lay my mat in the room?”

“Share what? Share the room with my children? You really seemed to be oblivious of where you are. What were you sleeping on in Ayetoro?”She asked.

“Mat ma,but this is Lagos and I also want to enjoy been here.” I replied.

She burst into an uncontrollable laugh that nearly made me think she was becoming mad.

“But this is Lagos.” She repeated my statement with a twisted mouth that made her look like an imbecile.

“You want to contaminate my children with your bush skin?” She asked rhetorically.

“The mat is what you’ll be sleeping on,and the sitting room is where you will lay  it. If you are not satisfied with that,you can go lay it at the balcony or can as well go back to Oshodi to bring your people that you had beat me up in the afternoon.”

 She said with a tone of finality and left before I could utter any word.

I sank into the sofa close to where I stood and contemplated sleeping on it but decided against it on a second thought. What if she comes to check on me in the middle of the night? I asked no one in particular. And sleep was fast beckoning on me. I was very tired and had no choice than to spread the mat in the available space. I think I dozed off immediately.

I was woken up at exactly four o’clock the following morning.

Wake up, we have a lot of work to do said a voice that I couldn’t figure out who the owner was as I was still enjoying my sleep. All I knew was that I heard a voice from afar. I was brought back to life with a kick that made me jumped up as if I have just been stung by an ant. I was greeted with a cold stare from my aunty. Her gaze on me was scary and threatened to burn me if I should spend another second on the mat.

“Good morning ma.” I said kneeling when I finally regained consciousness. My greeting was left hanging in the air for lack of a response. Follow me, was the reply I got instead. And I quickly sprang up and followed her into the kitchen.

We had barely got in when she started talking.

“Listen,this is the first and the only time I would come and wake you up. You have to learn to wake up early everyday to begin the day’s work because I wouldn’t want daddy and the children to be late for work and school. The first thing you will do once you are up is to heat water for their bath after which you cook breakfast. No laziness would be tolerated. Is that understood?”

 Yes ma,I answered.

         ********************

It was the third month of my stay in Lagos and I was yet to be enrolled in any school to continue my studies as she promised my parents back at home. I have waited all the while thinking she was yet to find a good school for me.

Why would it even be difficult to find me one? Can’t I go to the same school with her children? I asked myself on a particular evening and thereafter decided to take the bull by horn while we were preparing dinner for the day.

Have I told you? I think I should. The whole kitchen affairs have been handed over to me like a mantle since my third day of arrival in the house. She came into the kitchen only to confirm what stage I was in cooking at every point in time,make comments and dish out the food. Sometimes, her visit dashed me a good knock on the head or one of my ears drawn whenever she felt I wasn’t fast enough with the cooking.

“What are you still doing? Aren’t you supposed to be done? Abi you want all of us to die of hunger before you finally complete the cooking? Let me even see the yeye food she’s cooking. Is this soup not too thick? Ehen,why would it not be too thick when you don’t know that money is hard to come by?”

 She would rant endlessly.

I was left to wonder what could be the reason for such ill treatments. Pounding yam that was no task to me back at home was soon to become a repulsive activity because it was never appreciated anytime I prepared it. It was either too hard,too soft or lumpy as she would always say including her children. They were that spoil.

Once I woke up at four in the morning, there was no absolute rest till late in the night. I would start by heating water for bath and tea after which I make breakfast, dish and pack everyone’s portion into their food baskets. I would later bring out the clothes for washing,re-arrange the rooms,sweep the whole house,prepare lunch,run errands,make dinner and wash the used dishes before calling it a day. I dared not sleep before anyone in the house.

My meals were eaten in the kitchen because doing so with them in the sitting room always left me heartbroken. It was either I was eating too fast,too slow,making mouths or just didn’t know the right portion to scoop into my mouth at once. She always complained. So, I resorted to eating in the kitchen where I was quite sure of not being judged. Thank God,kitchen utensils do not have eyes or mouths.

As you may probably be thinking about what her husband’s disposition to the whole drama was. Hmm! That’s a juicy story on its own. Her husband was nothing compared to the men I knew back home who were regarded as God by their wives. When they talked,the women dared not respond without being told to do so. Their wives served their meals on their knees.

He is best described as a ‘dundee united’. He didn’t have a strong authority on the happenings in the house. The madam was practically responsible for the decisions made in the house. The last time he interfered while she was having one of her sessions with me,he was told the history of his great grandfathers. 

Aunty Kubura was good at using her tongue. So, you can see that I was solely on my own whenever she came down on me.

Surprisingly, her children were not punished when they committed the same ‘crimes’ I got punished for. They were too perfect that I was convicted for some of their atrocities while they jeered at me.

So, I decided to talk to her about my schooling that fateful day. I had prayed all day for courage to be able to speak and get a good response from her.

“Mummy,I started. There’s something I had wanted to talk to you about.”

 At this juncture,she gave me her attention and had her eyes fixed on me. I suddenly became jittery and sweaty. She was still looking at me waiting to listen to what I wanted to tell her.Oh no! My tongue just refused to lift itself and my lips seemed to be glued to each other. All the courage suddenly disappeared into the air and I was completely lost.

“Have you suddenly become dump? I thought you have something to say or you just want to waste my precious time?”

I was brought back to the present by her voice. “Yes ma.” I answered.

“I just want to remind you about going back to school because this is my third month in Lagos and I am already tired of staying at home all day doing nothing.” I said.

“Really! You are idle.” That means the house chores are not enough to keep you busy. I think I will have to find something to do about that.”

 She said and left the kitchen.

It then dawned on me that my hope of getting a formal education has been dashed. And right there and then,I decided not to talk to her about my studies again. I would rather leave my fate in God’s hand to determine.

I quickly finished cooking so as not to incur her wrath once again. I have had enough to last me till the following day.

 To be continued.

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