Several months later, Mr. Joshua had to travel to the city to attend a nine day teachers' seminar on the new educational policy and the new syllabus for all schools in the country. Before he departed the village, he begged his wife to take good care of Kate when he was gone.
"o dear, don't make me look like a bad person to her. You know well that I will take good care of her. I have been doing that since the first day when she came into this house so what's ordinary nine days when she has spent almost two years already in this house?" she asked glibly.
"I'm just saying darling. Never mind that though. Please take care of her…."
"I will. Now you have to go so that you won't miss the bus to the city; else, you be able to go till the next seven days when the bus comes around again"
"Thank you but I am already dreading a journey inside that dilapidated bus, its noise is deafening. Joy, Rose, come here girls and say goodbye!" he shouted as he carried his battered suitcase. Joy came out of her room with a scowl on her face, it was obvious from her expression that she hated the fact that her father made her stop playing just to say goodbye. Meanwhile, Kate emerged from the kitchen where she had been washing dishes and scrubbing the floors. She looked dirty and worn out. For an instant, Mr. Joshua wanted to talk sternly to his wife about the way she made Kate to do all the chores in the house while Joy walks freely through the house with that silly scowl on her spoilt face like a pregnant, insolent lizard but he decided to let it go. The day for that is coming. "Joy, take this money, use it to buy whatever you want. Now you may go into your room."
"Thank you, dad" Joy murmured and sluggishly moved to her room.
"Now Rose, take this and use it to buy anything that you want"
"Ah, the month has not ended sa, how come you give me this much?" she asked appreciatively "Thank you very much sir, may God Almighty bless you and grant your heart's desires with journey mercies sa. I have to run back to the kitchen now and finish the chores"
"Alright, go ahead. Goodbye"
"Bye" she replied and ran happily back into the kitchen. Mrs. Joshua saw her husband o the village square where the bus used to park and she came back home when the vehicle left fifty minutes later.
"Rose! Come out now"
Kate ran into the living room.
"I'm here ma"
"Where is the money that my husband gave you?"
"It's right here at the tip of my wrapper- it's knot…"
"Bring it. When he gave you the money, what did you supposed to say? Will you be feeding yourself now that he has gone? Can that money see you through the nine days you this unmannered ingrate!" she collected the money angrily and hid it in her bra "I hope you are through with the kitchen now?"
She shook her head.
"What have you been doing since morning then?"
"I've been doing it ma but I just rested a while ago and I am hungry because I have not eaten since morning…."
She slapped her hard across the face.
"Shut up! The bible says that a lazy person does not suppose you eat and that's what you are, idiot. You finish that thing and I might let you eat. Otherwise, you won't eat anything in this house till you are through"
Joy came out from her room.
"Mummy, my clothes are dirty right now and I have headache. Tell her to help me to wash it" Joy said.
"Not now Joy. She will do that first thing in the morning but right now I want her to scrub that grimy kitchen into a sparkling thing!"
Later in the evening when both Mrs. Joshua and her daughter had gone out visiting friends and families, Kate alone was left at home to do the chores and wash the dishes. She sneaked out as usual and visited Ayoka in the dilapidated hut that she had been living in since they came into the village two years back. When they'd both eaten, she told Ayoka what she was passing through. Not that she was a good listener but Kate felt deeply sad and she needed someone to talk to very badly. Without minding if Ayoka was listening or not, she told her everything.
"Mama, the place is like hell now. Now that my boss has travelled, madam is treating me very badly" two ripe silent tears cascaded down her face in small streams but she made no move to clean it. "Just yesterday, when my boss went out, madam beat me till hurts to even cry. She said I spilt something and broke her plates when it was actually a plate that I accidentally broke" she sobbed.
"Dad dulduudoo dad ad dadadadafuooduoodoo!" Ayoka sang happily, playing with some stones and calling them her children affectionately.
"It would have been better if it's only me and I don't have to be worrying about you because I would have left the place but if I leave, there is no job in this village that I can do. Yet I need to provide for our needs and I need a paying job to do that" She sobbed harder. "But you know mama? I'll never leave you no matter what I am passing through. I'll endure it all for you" She packed the plates from and dusted her cloths. "I have to go now. Mama, don't cause any trouble while I'm gone, you promise?" She asked like she always did, otherwise, Ayoka could be beating everyone she sees on the streets without a reason. That was one of the reasons why the villagers at Erinla hated her.
"I'll promise fi you will buy me a bunch of bananas and salt and oil to eat it with" Ayoka replied, momentarily pausing from her play and forgetting her children.
"Okay, I will do that as long as you don't cause havoc or problem in the village. Take care and goodbye mama"
When she got back to the Joshua's house , Mrs. Joshua was already inside and waiting angrily for her.
"Where have you been since?" She demanded as Kate steps in.
"I am sorry ma, I I went to my mama…." She stammered.
"You said that you are an orphan and we didn't know of any mum. So think of another lie before I descend on you now!"
"It's true ma!" she began to cry "I went to see mama. He…"
"Thief, liar, idiot, fool, nonsensical…" Mrs. Joshua shouted as she beats Kate mercilessly. That night, Kate cried throughout and she didn't eat anything. Later in the middle of the night, she was roughly woken up by Mrs. Joshua.
"Rise up and listen. Get your bag and put your rags in it and leave my house and my family. When my husband comes back, I'll tell him that you said that you don't want to work here anymore. But if you don't do this, I'll kill you before he comes and lie that you die from natural causes. Do you understand me or do you need some serious beatings before I explain again?"
The look on Mrs. Joshua's face showed that she meant every word she had said. Kate rose up from her mat without a word and began to put her cloths into her woven bag. She was calm and resolute about it, knowing that that night was her last night in the house. Five minutes later, she was inside the room she rented with Ayoka. She slept fitfully because Ayoka was hotly arguing with some people that she couldn't see. Above all, she was screaming at the top of her voice until the early hours of the following morning when she suddenly stopped and fell backward, she was fast asleep immediately. Kate heaved a sigh of relief and she lay on her side, hoping to get some hours sleep before Ayoka wakes up again and start.
When the day broke, she decided to find another job even though it was obvious that there was none in the village. She found none throughout the day and the next few days. On the sixth day, a miracle happened.
Kate was still roaming through the village, asking from house to house if anyone would be willing to offer her a job and accommodation when she saw an old woman who was coming from a farm. The woman expertly balanced a big basket of yams on her ancient head and she leant heavily on her blackened walking stick as she shuffled forward; a step at a time. Kate's heart went out to the woman immediately she saw her so she offered to help her carry her basket. The woman accepted, she was glad to be free of the cumbersome load. The walk from where Kate found the old woman to the latter's house was long and it became especially arduous because Kate had to carry the heavy load. When they got to the old woman's hut, the old woman offered her drink and after Kate had accepted the offer gratefully, the old woman tentatively asked if she would eat. While Kate was eating, they began talking and Kate told the old woman everything about her life.
"Hmm, what a very wicked world. How can you as young as you are be passing through all these at this tender age? I will help you my child. I have a daughter in Lagos…"
"Lagos, where is that old one?"
"It is a beautiful city. By all accounts of all that I have heard about the place; it is a paradise, a heaven on earth. A golden city where all the streets are paved with gold and diamond. My daughter is successful there. She will come home to me soon so I want you to follow her. She will take good care of you" the old woman said.
"That's good. But I can't go because of my mother"
"Don't worry about her. She will be living here with me"
"But I hope nothing bad will happen?" Kate asked fearfully "You don't know my mother. She can frustrate someone to make one misbehave. I don't trust her grandma….."
"Did I not say you shouldn't worry? She will be living with me and I will make sure that she doesn't misbehave" the old woman assured.
"Don't worry nothing bad will happen. You deserve the best this life has to offer but if you use her as an excuse not to do what you ought to do in life, you might end up being poor like me and I don't want that to happen to you. You must not waste your precious life in this village. You just get your things ready so that when my daughter comes, you'll go together"
"Okay grandma. Thank you" She knelt down to thank the old woman for her kindness.
In the meantime, she began to follow the old woman to her farm and they began living in the woman's house. Kate was very hard working both at home and on the farm. She fetched water, gathered firewood, washed the old woman's cloth and cooked meals for the three of them without grunting or grumbling. Over time, the old woman loved her so much that she didn't want her to go again when the time came for Kate to go to the city with the woman's daughter.
"You must go" the old woman said resignedly. "if I truly love you and want you to succeed then I must not let you stay here in this village"
Three weeks later, the old woman's daughter came to the village with a lot of goodies; her name was Funke. Se agreed to take Kate back t Lags with her sfter much persuasion and begging from the old woman. Early the following day, they both left the village for Lagos in Aunt Funke's car. When they were about to leave, Ayoka gave Kate a crown woven from a sweet smelling rare grass.
"Don't let this crown get lost. Queens wear crowns so you too must wear one" Ayoka said and everybody laughed.
"Okay, I will wear it always. Mama, please don't disturb grandma. Don't fight anybody and don't dirty your cloths. Do you promise mama?" Kate asked Ayoka.
"Yes I promise" Ayoka said promptly. "Bye, my doll!"
"Bye mama!" Kate said and hugged her tightly. Tears ran down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand, she blew her nose on the tip of her wrapper. They left the village and headed towards Lagos. At first, Kate sat glued to the window like an anxious bride, meeting her husband to be for the first time. As the car rolled and ran through the uneven terrain, Kate watched as landscapes and the lush rich green vegetation rushes past with amazing speed but she later gave up the views to a very deep sleep where she dreamt of being in Lagos and how she treated as a queen immediately she entered the golden city. She dreamt that many beautiful fairies welcomed her and gave crowns hewn from the most precious and rarest gems. This beautiful dream lasted for the five hours it took them to reach Lagos.
When she woke up, they were already in Lagos. The Lagos of her dream and imagination sharply contrasted with the reality she was presented with. Instead of gold lined streets with heavenly beauties, what she saw were tall brick buildings, some of which looked dirty and overused. Once again, she was trapped by the sight of so many people who were moving to and fro in all directions. It brought to her mind the colony of soldier ants when an intruder steps on their columns.
Despite the noise, the heavy traffic and angry looking faces, Kate felt wonderful and happy she too was in Lagos and that she could tell the villagers about Lagos too. Above all, she felt wonderful, knowing that she was part of all these people and noises all around. When they got to Aunt Funke's house, she was shown her room.
"Wow, this is a very beautiful house Aunty Funke!"
Aunt Funke said nothing.
"Go to your room and undress. I hope you know hot to prepare food?"
"Yes though I cannot prepare some foods. I can prepare pounded yam, yam porridge, amala, eba, eko….."
"Okay" Aunt Funke cuts in suddenly. "I'll teach you the ones that you don't know how to prepare as soon as possible. Now let's go to the kitchen, my husband doesn't would soon be home and he doesn't like not finding his food on the table."
After supper that night, Aunt Funke and her husband were in the living room watching a programme on the TV when Aunt Funke called Kate into the room and introduced her to her husband.
"Kelvin, this is Kate; she is from the village and she would be staying with us…."
"What do you mean by staying with us?" her husband asked angrily. He was and heavily built. His head was shaved clean and it was shining like the back of a new clay pot. His face however was filled with hair that swallowed up his chin, nose and mouth. "Have you turned my house to a charity organization where you can be dropping the orphans, the hopeless and the unfortunates?""Kelvin please hear me out for one. She needs help. Besides, she would be useful to us in the house. She will be doing the chores in the house and that will relieve me a lot."
"I don't care whether she is good or not. I don't just want to see her in my house!" he said and he stormed out. That first impression about him made Kate hate and fear him very much afterwards, whenever she was in his presence, she always trembled with fright.
"Don't worry, you can go to your room. I'll talk to him later" Aunt Funke assured her and Kate left for her room. She lay awake throughout the night, thinking if she had not made a mistake by coming t Lagos and if she could return to the village. But she realized with sinking feelings that even if she wanted to return to the village, she couldn't find her way back alone and she was sure that Aunt Funke would not be willing and ready to take her back.
The following day, she woke up early and began doing the chores. By the time Aunt Funke up, she was almost through with the chores and breakfast was almost ready.
"Have you warmed water my husband will use to bath?" She asked as she came into the kitchen where Kate was washing the dishes.
"Good morning ma. No, I have not…"
"What nonsense are you saying this bush girl? What have you been doing since you woke up?"
"I have fetched water, put the food on fire…."
"Shut up and get the water on fire now! Can you imagine this nonsense?"
"Yes ma" Kate said and scurried out to the bathroom to get water.
When uncle Kelvin woke up, Kate greeted him but he didn't reply her. She was sad and heartbroken, she wished that he would stop being harsh on her.
"Is my breakfast ready?" he asked menacingly.
"Yes sir, it's on the dining table"
"Go to my room, you'll see the dirty cloths there; was everything and iron them when they dry and before I come back home in the evening. Also, I want to eat pounded yam tonight, make it soft and error free, did you hear that?"
"Yes sa" Kate said submissively.
He left home by 7AM, Aunt Funke left for her shop thirty minutes later. Kate continued the chores till almost 3PM. By the time she was through with the chores, it was already time to prepare the dinner so she began almost immediately without resting a bit. She knew that Uncle Kelvin was not happy to have her in his house and she didn't want to give him any excuse to send her packing.
Three months after her arrival in Lagos, Kate became restless. When she left the village, she thought when she got to Lagos, she would be sent to school. In fact that was what the old woman said that would happen but Aunty Funke had not said a thing about it. Al she did was cooking, washing, scrubbing and fetching water from dawn till dusk. One day she decided to confront her about it.
"Aunty please I want to ask you for something" she said fearfully. Apart from her husband that has always been aggressive to her, aunt Funke too had not been kind either. She was always cold and distant towards her and she treated a lot more different than when she came to the village to take her away from her 'mum'
"What's that o?" she asked suspiciously, stretching the 'o' as long as she could to openly express her displeasure at Kate's intrusion at that moment.
"Please I want to go to school. I am tired of staying at home when both you and Uncle Kelvin had gone to your different places of work….."
"What?!" Aunt Funke shouted, spilling the water she was drinking in the process. "I can't believe that I am hearing that I am hearing this from you this ingrate. I took you from a stinking village, brought you into my house, cloth you, fed you and provide everything that you need for you. Yet you are not satisfied with all that I have done for you and want me to send you to school? Listen, am I your parents? Is it my fault that you don't have a father and your mother is a mad woman, answer me! Where do you expect me to get the money from? Is anyone paying me for feeding, clothing and sheltering you?! Get out, you sicken me!"
"I am sorry ma" Kate said and scurried away.
The following day, she was washing the dishes and thinking about the previous day conversation, weeping silently. Both auntie Funke and Uncle Kelvin were in the living room, watching a movie. A plate slipped suddenly from her fingers and as she tried to grab it before it hits the floor, she slipped on the tiled floor and fell heavily against the gas cooker, the flamed burnt her face before she could pull herself together and with a loud crash, she and the plate hit the floor together with a loud bang.
She was still in shock and horror at what had happened when Uncle Kelvin and auntie Funke rushed in to find her on the floor. They saw the broken pieces of the plate but they didn't care about Kate who was on the floor, groaning in pain as she held her cheek where the fire scorched her.
"Holy rubbish!" Uncle Kelvin hissed angrily "Funke, I told you that this this girl is a zombie, a dullard and a good for nothing idiot. Send her back to the backwoods where she hails from!" he said and stormed away, back to the living room.
"You see what you have caused now you this nincompoop? You want my husband to chase me out because of your carelessness? I will teach you a lesson today that you won't forget for the rest of your miserable life"
She began beating Kate mercilessly on the floor where she lay sprawled.
"Please auntie Funke, I won't do it again. Yeeeh, I will die. This pain is too much…"
"You are better dad to me than alive!" Aunt Funke said as she beats her endlessly.
"Please heeeeellllllpppp!" She screamed in pain "Neighbours please come to my aid, don't let me die!"
When aunt Funke was done beating her, she took one of the broken pieces and used it to make a very ugly tribal mark on the same cheek where fire had scorched her such that her whole cheek was bleeding. Somewhere in the middle of the assault, Kate fainted.
Life was miserable for Kate at aunt Funke's house. Times without number, she was maltreated for little or no reason at all. One day in the sixth month that she got to the house, she was in the kitchen, washing the floors. Both Uncle Kelvin and aunt Funke had gone to their various work places. The time was 11AM already which means that they'd gone to work for hours, yet she had not taken her bath, let alone brushes her teeth and eats anything. She wanted to finish the washing before eating. She was still on this when Uncle Kelvin and a lady came in.
"Ah, welcome sa!" she knelt down to greet him but he didn't answer her, instead, he walked past her into the house leaving her on her kneels. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to the kitchen to continue her chores.
Moments later, Uncle Kelvin and the lady came into the kitchen to take drinks.
"Kelvin, who is this?" the lady asked.
"Nobody, she is just a zombie that Funke brought from her village- our house help"
House help? This is too old to be a house help, she is almost a woman grown!"
"Quit being dramatic, come here, we don't have the whole day. Let's go to the bedroom" he said and led the lady to the bedroom and the door closed firmly behind them. Not long after, the lady began screaming from the room.
"Is uncle beating her?" she asked herself. "But this is no how aunt Funke use to shout when he is beating her. Anyways, that's her problem!" she said and continued her work.
When it was 3PM, Uncle Kelvin and the lady came out, holding each other's hands and looking as if they have been running for hours. He called Kate into the living room.
"Listen Zombie, if you ever open your mouth to tell Funke that I brought someone home, I'll kill you alive. Do you understand?"
"Yes sa!" Kate said trembling.
"Now get us something to eat and fetch warm water into the bathroom, we need to shower then you get lost"
"Okay sa!" After they'd showered (together) and eaten, they both left. But not long later, Uncle Kelvin came back in and threatened to kill Kate if she told Aunt Funke anything.
Memories.
Governor Lewis and his family decided to do a two year post humus remembrance service for Kate. The family decided to have a picnic at the cemetery where her grave was. They were supported by friends and their families. The programme began with singing Kate's favourite hymn. There was a brief word of exaltation from their church pastor then speeches about Kate from friends and families. All of them said one good thing or the other about her.
"It's exactly two years today that she died. Kate was so full of life and happiness that it was Impossible to imagine her for s single second in sadness. She was like sunshine after an endless spate of rainfalls. Seeing her always made me forget my age, with her radiance and happiness, I could conveniently imagine being young again though I know that ageing is an irreversible journey. I miss you today like always" Her father said.
"No amount of words or tears can effectively describe how much I miss you. Since the day that you left this sinful world, a day had not passed when I didn't think about you. I have cried so much that I fear I have no water left to shed to express the sorrow that perches on my heart like a rooster on a clothesline. We are miss you and we hope that one day ehn the Lord calls us all home one after the other, all of us shall be in heaven together once again as a loving family. Rest on in peace dearest darling"
Child Abuse.
One day, Aunty Funke had gone to work as usual but her husband was at home. She served him breakfast and went back to tidying up Auntie Funke's room. Uncle Kelvin came into the room while she was doing this.
"I don't know where she kept it sir" she answered quickly.
"Are you sure you are not lying to me?"
He began to search everywhere. Soon, he found the key under the mattress. He opened the wardrobe and took some money from it then he locked it back.
"Listen; if you tell her anything then you better leave this house because I won't spare you.'' He said. He was about to leave when he remembered something. "One more thing, come here''
Reluctantly, she obeyed.
"Move closer!" he barked impatiently and she obeyed.
He touched her shoulder. "Have you bathed today?"
He shook her head. She was already shaking.
"Why haven't you? Don't you know that you are a fine girl? Do you want to spoil your beauty by being dirty?" he moved his hand to her chest and touched her. She shook like a leaf on troubled water or like a fowl that perches on a tiny rope. "Why are you shaking?" he asked with a sneer.
"Nnnottthing sir" she stammered. "please let let me me go sir" she begged.
"Go to where? You don't leave till I say so. Now go and lie down on the bed…"
"Ah please sir. I beg you in the name of God, don't let me do it"
He slapped her twice and hard. She lost balance and fell on the bed. She felt dizzy from the pains. Before she knew it, he was already on the bed with her and forced himself on her.
She has been crying since afternoon yet she couldn't bring herself to stop. Uncle Kelvin had threatened her that she should she tell Funke, she wouldn't believe her and that he would kill her. After that, he had left the house. She knew she should stop crying and do the chores but she was too sad and heartbroken to move.
Aunty Funke came home by 6PM and found her weeping.
"What's wrong with you?" she had asked. Instead of replying, she continued crying. "I am taking to you fool, what happened to you? Speak now before I beat the daylight out of you!"
Kate decided to tell her the truth. She told her everything.
"You must be very crazy" Aunty Funke said angrily. "How dare you cook up such a lie and accuse my husband? You are leaving this house today! This is the last stroke. I am not taking any bullshit from you anymore" she said and went inside the house. She packed Kate's bags and threw them out of the house. She pushed Kate out of the house.
"Please don't send me out!" Kate cried. "I don't have anywhere to go. Please have mercy on me!''
They were still on this when Uncle Kelvin came in. it was already getting dark by then. Aunty Funke told him what Kate said and he became mad with anger.
"I will kill this little witch today!'' he removed his belt and began whipping her mercilessly. He didn't stop until the neighbors came and rescued her.
"She is not living in this house again!" he said but the neighbors begged him not to send her away.
"Can you imagine such brutal lie that this thing told against me?" he asked innocently.
"We understand but you just have to let it go. You are doing the help for God and not her. If you let her go now, she might be picked up off the streets by ritualists and be used for money" the neighbours said. At last, they prevailed upon him to take her back.
"Okay, I've heard you but I won't take anymore nonsense from her."
A week after the first rape, he came home one afternoon and told her to get on the bed again.
She began to cry.
"Please sir…."
"You've started again. I think you love being beaten abi because if you don't do it now I'll beat you black and blue"
"Okay! Please don't beat me sir" she said and got on the bed. He had his way with her again.
He continued this almost every day but she couldn't tell aunty Funke because of what she passed through the first time.
One Sunday afternoon, Aunty Funke called her into the room.
"Hey, my money has been missing for a very long time now. At first I thought I am the one who is misplacing them but eventually I discovered that someone has been stealing my money. Only the three of us are living in this house. My husband can never steal my money because I trust him. So that leaves you as the prime suspect. Where is my money?"
Kate began to cry.
"I swear to God I am not stealing your money!''
"Then who, your boyfriend?"
"No aunty. I don't have any boyfriend. It's…"
"Who?" She asked impatiently.
"It's uncle…"
Aunty Funke laughed in derision.
"I know that's what you'll say! You are a thief and a bloody liar. I'll use this blade to make tribal marks on your body!" she used razor blade to make marks on her body. Kate cried for help but nobody came to help.
Runaway.
One day, Kate was fetching water from the public borehole when a young and good looking man came to where he was. "Hi" he said.
"Hi'' she replied and began to fetch water.
"Can you spare me a minute of your precious time?" he asked sweetly.
"I'm sorry I can't she replied.
"O please, I won't be long. Just a minute" he begged.
"Okay then. Be fast with it because I don't have time"
"Thank you. My name is Valentine. You are Rose. I know you very well though you don't know me. I know everything you are passing through and I'm here to help if you'll let me"
Kate became interested.
"O, how do you think you can help me?"
"I want to leave that wicked aunt you are living with…"
"But I don't know anyone. I have nowhere to go!"
"Yeah, I know all that and that's the reason I want to help. Come and live with me. I'll take care of you. By the way, how old are you?"
"I don't know, why did you ask?"
"You can't be more than seventeen but you look like a forty year old woman. If you don't leave then they'll kill you before you reach twenty years."
"Hmm. I don't believe you" she said, looking at his eyeballs suspiciously to know if he was sent by either aunt Funke to test her or uncle Kelvin but he looked so honest that Kate couldn't help believing that he was truly there to help her. He must not be more than twenty six or twenty seven years old.
"Baby you have to trust me. I am all you have" he said soothingly "now listen carefully this is the plan; you will be taking your thing little by little so that they wont be suspicious. On the last day there, you will pick the rest"
"What if they find me?"
"They won't find you because my house is too far from here. Besides they wont look for you""Okay when I've taken my things what's the next step?"
"Good. Come closer because the next plan is very important" she moved closer to him and he whispered into her ear. "You have to open her wardrobe and take all the money you find there…."
"Ah!" She shouted. "You are telling me to steal?" she shouted.
"Keep down your voice, people are hearing you!"
"See I can't do it and sin against God"
"Rose listen it is not a sin. Really, since you have been working for them, have they ever paid you, no? That is it! They owe you and that is what you will take. It is a simple mathematics so leave God out of this"
"I'm sorry, I can't do it still. Goodbye". She said and left the place.
All through the night, she was thinking about Valentine and what he said. A part of her wanted to run away with him but the other part didn't trust him. He might be a bad person too. What if he is a money ritualist? She slept fitfully that night and had bad dreams where she was chased by masquerades with guns and cutlasses. All of them ended with valentine coming to her rescue.
She saw him the following day at the same place. He convinced her more and she began to believe him. On the seventh day, she accepted. She began taking her clothes one by one away from the house and giving them to him without her aunt or uncle knowing or suspecting.
On the last day, she woke up and did the house chores as usual. Both her aunt and her husband left home so she was left alone. When she had made sure they've gone, she ran to Funke's room and took the keys from where she kept it. She packed all the money she found in the wardrobe and didn't bother to count it. She then left the house. But it was a very huge amount of money.
It's been three weeks since she left aunt Funke and her husband. So far, Valentine had been true to his words. He treated her kindly and bought things for her. He later told her that he was a fresh graduate and that he was still looking for a job. Meanwhile, he was selling fairly used phones and accessories. What he didn't tell her was the fact that he had used the money she stole from aunt Funke to start the business. She thought about the money but she didn't ask him about it.
About two months later, he began to change towards her. At first she thought it's a normal thing. But he got worse. They were sleeping one night when he wanted to have sex with her. She begged him not to but he wouldn't listen. He had his way with her amid protests and pleas. Eventually he continued to make advances until she got tired of begging him not to, because no matter how much she begs, he wouldn't listen.
One day when he began to lament that they don't have money to buy foodstuffs, she asked him about the money.
"What money? Do you know how much I am spending on accommodation alone? I am the one responsible for your feeding and clothing. Yet you are asking me about five thousand naira that YOU stole…"
"You made me steal it, Val. Besides, I don't think all that money is just five thousand naira, I won't take that from you at all" She said angrily.
"Think what you like but it has been spent on something else. If you don't like living here anymore you can leave."
She looked unbelievably at him.
"I can't believe that I'm hearing from you, valentine I trusted you and placed my whole life in your hands and you want to chase me to the streets?"
"I don't have time for all these rubbish. I have to go to my shop now. Lest I forget, a lady is coming to ask of me. Please behave yourself. Entertain her. I'll be back in the evening" he said and left her fuming with anger in the house.
True to what he said, the lady came around 1PM and Valentine too came some thirty minutes later. Both of them were in the room till 9pm. Kate was outside, waiting restlessly and impatiently for them to come out. When they finally did, she confronted him.
"Who is this lady and why am I out here in the cold all day because of her?""Get serious!" Valentine snarled at her "who she is, is none of your business"
"Yes it is" she shouted. She was mad with anger.
"Okay, now that you want to know, I'll tell you. She is my fiancée. Are you okay now?"
Kate felt faint and jealous.
"Your fiancée? Who am I then? Who am I to you Valentine? You sleep everyday with me every day and promised me heaven and earth. You told me that you will make me a better person and send me school. You took all the money that I could have spent on myself to make myself a better person. You made me leave the house where I was safe and secure. All along, I didn't know that I was just building feeble castle on air" she began to cry.
Valentine became really pissed off at this. He went in and brought out her bags.
"Get out! I don't want to see you anymore. If I set my eyes on you again I will kill you"
The realization that she had nowhere to go if he sends her packing hit her very hard so she went on her knees and began to beg.
"Valentine please don't do this. I am sorry. I have nowhere to go; please don't send me away." She begged but instead of listening, He began to beat her. Neighbours rushed in and rescued her from him.
The neighbours begged him to take her in but he bluntly refused. "She is a bad influence to my life" he shouted. "So all of you stop telling me to take her back in. if you like, you can take her in but as for me, I'm done."
Kate slept outside that night in the chilling harmattan.
The Cold Mother.
In the same Lagos that night while Kate was sleeping outside, shivering and hungry; her mother was in the garden at the back of the governor's lodge. She was feeling very cold but she couldn't just bring herself to go inside the house. Her husband had travelled the previous day to visit her sons abroad. She'd declined going with him because she was emotionally unstable to travel such long distances.
She still sees Kate in her dreams and visions when she is alone. Sometimes they talked and hugged each other for very long times but at other times, she would be so far away and saying something that was not clear to her. Much as she tried each time to reach her, to hear whatever Kate was saying, there were always some noises like the voice of a raging ocean, drowning out her voice and pleadings.
She didn't tell her husband all these dreams and visions because he would have been worried about her state of mind. He would have insisted she consult a psychiatrist and doing that would be tantamount to admitting being mentally imbalance- being mad.
"Could she still be alive?" she asked the dark silent night "God if Kate is alive why don't you bring her back to us? But if she is dead please is dead please let all these dreams and visions of her go away pleeeeeasssee!" she cried bitterly.
Her personal assistant came out to where she sat sobbing in the cold.
"O God Mrs. Lewis you are out here in the cold. O no! Why are you still crying over Kate? It's time to let go. It's almost four years now since it happened. You can't be like this forever. Please come on inside, it's cold out here" she pulled her up and led her in.
From Frying Pan To Fire.
The following day, she woke up early and began to look for a work that would provide her accommodation. She found one in a canteen. The owner of the canteen was a black and obese woman that was popularly known as 'Madam Cash'. Her interview was brief but unpleasant.
"Are you a thief?" the madam asked immediately they began to talk.
She shook her head.
"Does that mean yes or no?" she asked angrily.
"No ma" Kate said fearfully.
"If no, then how come you don't have a place to sleep? Anyway, that's none of my business. There is a place for you to crash in. You will resume work now and in the evening when we close, you and the girls would go home together. I hate lazy people as much as I hate thieves. So don't even think of being lazy or a thief because I will kill you. Do you understand?''
"Yes ma!"
"You may go now" she dismissed Kate and she left. The madam didn't talk about salary at all. Kate wanted to ask but she thought that may anger the woman so she left quietly, hoping for the best at the end of the month.
The shop closed by twelve AM the following morning. By then, Kate was sleeping even when she was walking. 'The girls' as the madam told her earlier were no girls but three old women. They were old enough to be madam's mothers. Kate was disappointed when they reached the house. It was a very old building in a state of disrepair. The women were all living in a very small room. Now that she had joined them, the four of them had to be staying in the same room. Kate was too tired and sleepy to wait for them to spread the mat before she fell on the floor and slept very soundly. The three old women had to roll her onto the mat when they finally spread the mat.
Kate was woken up barely five minutes after she slept. She was angry and more importantly; sleepy.
"Yes what is it?" she hissed angrily at the woman who woke her up.
"Get up, go and bath. Let's go to work…''
"Jesus, we haven't even slept for five minutes and you are already talking about work again. What says the time?" she asked with undisguised contempt at the old women as they gaped at her.
"The time is twenty minutes to four in the morning. We have to go back to work exactly by four o clock so we have just twenty minutes to bath and change but you are just wasting the twenty minutes by laying there without stirring" one of the women said in despair.
"I'm sorry to disobey you ma but I'm going nowhere. One more thing, if anyone wakes me up again, I will curse that person and the person will be sleeping nonstop till Jesus comes back'' she said and slept again. The girls shook their heads pitifully at her and left.
She didn't know how long she slept but she was woken up rudely by a bucket of chilled water. She sprang up from the floor and before she could fully comprehend what was wrong, the madam pounced on her and began pounding her with fists and slaps. She became fully awake instantly but she couldn't escape the vice-like grip of the madam on her.
"Please madam…. Somebody help me! I am dead. Please help. Madam please I won't do it again"
The madam won't leave her until she fainted. It was another bucket of cold water that brought her back to life.
"That's just a taste of what will happen to you next time you prove to be lazy. Now get out and run to the shop. See, I will take my car and I must get there before you" she said and started the vehicle. Kate began running in front of the vehicle. She was crying as she went and people looked pitifully at her as she goes.
For six months that she worked at the madam's restaurant, she was not given a dime as her wage. Many times she thought of approaching the woman and ask her what was happening but her courage always deserted her whenever she sees the woman. There was something about the woman that scared her very badly.
One day, she was washing the dishes and making up her mind to approach the woman when her hand mistakenly caused a mountain of plates that she stacked precariously on top of each other while she was washing them; everything fell on the floor with a deafening crash. 'The girls' were outside; pounding yam, the madam was at the back of the restaurant under a big tree, drinking beers and eating catfish. 'The girls' rushed into the kitchen at the same time. Moments later, the madam was coming angrily like an enraged elephant with her huge body. She was swinging one of the ladles used to make amala. The girls ran away when they saw the murderous expression on the madam's face, leaving Kate alone to her fate.
It would have been better if she'd been sacked without damage but the devilish woman didn't let her go in peace. She hit her on the head in the fit of her anger. The blow she gave her was on the left side of her head. It almost caught her eye, fortunately it didn't, but it left a deep scar on her brow. She fainted after the blow and it was her neighbours that rescued her by rushing her to a hospital nearby.
"You don't have to go back to the madam anymore." One of the neighbours told her. "Go away from here . One of neighbours said beside her on the hospital bed, while she was convalescing.
The neighbours contributed money and gave her food and clothes.
"We've paid the hospital bill because the devilish woman wouldn't even show up here let alone to pay your hospital bill. You still have a long life ahead of you so leave this woman and go away" another neighbour said pitifully.
"Thank you all. May God bless you abundantly" Kate said gratefully amid sobs and pains. "Goodbye".
The following morning, she was discharged from the hospital. With the help of the money she was given by the neighbours and some old cloths, she headed to another part of Lagos. All the way in the bus, she was preoccupied with the thought of what to do next. By the time she reached Ikeja, she'd made up her mind to learn a handiwork. Maybe that would be better. More than anything, she wanted to go to school and become a lawyer but she found a salon where the lady owner accepted to take her as apprentice free of charge and to provide accommodation for her. Others have bluntly refused to take her as an apprentice and also provide where she would stay for her. Actually, most of them were living in a room with their husbands, children and possibly extended family members in the same room. But at last, she found someone who was willing to shelter and apprentice her.
"No problem, I will help you under these conditions; all chores in the house would be done by you and that includes cooking, washing of dishes and cloths, running errands and doing whatever I want you to do. Above all, part of your duty is getting my kids ready for school and making sure that they are always neat. Finally, you will serve me for as long as possible and under no condition would you run away in the middle of your training and while you are here, you will be of very good character and give me no reason to send you away. Note that I can terminate this contract anytime I want, especially if you start breaking the rules. Do you accept and agree with all these?"
Kate said yes.
The name of her new boss was Mrs. Florence. She was in her late thirties and a very pretty woman. She had a husband who was a banker and two girls who were too bright and smart for their age despite being in primary schools. She began learning and the family was very kind to her because she was hardworking, easygoing, honest and smart. Her boss treated her like her younger sister and gave her whatever she needed.
"You are a very good girl Rose" Her boss said suddenly one day while they were alone. "You are the best apprentice that I've ever had and I have had quite a lot. Therefore, if there's anything you need, please let me know. I like you, my husband too likes you and our kids adore you. It's as if we've known you all our lives. We will do anything and everything possible to make you happy as long as you don't change." Her boss said one day.
"Thank you very much ma. You took me in without knowing me or receiving anything in return. You treated me as if were your own. What more do I need than that? All my life, I've never felt this loved. May God bless you and your beautiful family ma"
"Amen Rose. Let me tell you a story. I was once living in the streets, a really bad girl. The governor of this state initiated a self-employment scheme about eight years ago and I signed up to it. The bad me thought that in the programme, we would be given money FREE and that was why I signed; to get the money and run. But as fate would have it, the programme began and I discovered that I really love hair making. There were different categories then; barbing, hairstyling, bricklaying, electrical and electronics, dyeing and lots more. The governor and his wife established several vocational centers across the whole state and it was one of those centers where I learnt how to style hair. The programme was designed for six months and within few weeks of its commencement, I was already a professional to the extent that my instructors began using me to teach others that we began the class together. They said that I am a natural that is why it comes easily to me. You are a natural too; I saw it in you the very day you came. The way you held the comb, the ease and the grace with which you approach this work shows me that you are a very talented stylist.
To cut the long story short, after our graduation, the governor and his wife surprised us; they gave all of us who graduated enough money to have our own shops after giving us the necessary equipment that we need to start. That was the beginning of a new life for me. I got my first shop at a street corner and it didn't take me long to convince my former street friends to start making hair with me. At first, they refused to come; thinking that I was a quack but with time, they began to see my works and they started coming in droves though most of them didn't pay a dime but I was happy that they believed enough in my abilities to allow me to do their hairs.
Soon, I began to think about my life and what I wanted my future to be like. I began thinking of how to grow from just a street side stylist to a very important one. First and foremost, I gently let go of those friends whom I think were not ready to change their negative ways of life that we were living on the street. After that, I began acting and dressing like the people that I wish myself to be and another thing that I did was that I increased my charges for my hair. At first it didn't work; but over time, those who want quality job began to patronize me and in no time I was fully in business.
After two years, I was able to raise enough money to get a flat of my own. I hope you know what it means to be able to get a three bedroom flat here in Lagos? You need hundreds of thousands. Not long after, a young man came to my saloon in the company of a lady. While I was making the lady's hair, she got a call and she had to leave but she promised to come back as soon as she was done with the emergency. The young man opted to wait at my saloon for her.
After she left, there was no other customer so I was jobless. I will never forget that day" she reminisced with a smile etching the corners of her mouth. At first, the young man and I were busy with our thoughts and phones but somehow, the silence became so unbearable until he asked me where he could get a soft drink. I offered to help him to get it down the street and off I go! I went for two reasons; one, I wanted to stretch my legs and get fresh air. Two, I wanted to clear my head and get my thoughts straights because at that time Kate, I was crazily in love with the young man and I couldn't suffer the silence any longer. You have to understand that I have seen and met many young men before I met him but he has this strong magnetic pull that was irresistible.
By the time I came back to my saloon, he was smiling broadly. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that a customer had come to make enquiries in my absence and that he had shown her all the hairstyles that I can do in the catalogues and that the lady had chosen a particular one and asked him how much it would cost her to make the style. He said he had pulled a figure offhand and that the lady had accepted. He said that his fear is that he hoped that he had not undercharged her. When I asked him how much he charged her, he had said ten thousand! Kate can you imagine that when the highest amount that I have ever charged for a hairstyle before then was two thousand?!"
Both of them laughed. Kate was deeply enjoying the story.
"Wow, so what happened after that, please continue!"
"I made the hair for the customer and while making the hair, the customer innocently assumed that the young man and I were dating and that he was my fiancée so she innocently said that she liked the way my fiancée and I are working together to promote my business, she said that love like ours is very rare. I almost fainted but none of us said anything to contradict her, instead, we thanked her and faked a smile at each other"
"And?" Kate urged curiously.
"Well, after the customer had gone, the young man said that if I didn't mind, he would want what the customer said to come true. He said he loved me and that he wanted me to be his wife forever. I know it sounds like in the movies, but I am telling you that that was exactly how it happened." She paused and took a gulp of water.
"What did you say to his proposal?" Kate asked excitedly.
"Yes of course!" She blushed "If someone told me such story, I won't believe it myself but that was how it happened. That young man is my husband; David. He was a banker and that day when we met, he said he just got promotion at work that day and that he had brought his elder sister to my saloon to make her hair for her as a treat."
"Wow!" Kate said dreamily "I wish such thing happen to me when I am finally ready to marry"
"Do you know the funniest part?""What's that?"
"The sister didn't come back to make her hair because she said that the call she got was from her friend who saw her fiancée in a hotel with another woman. The friend had called her and she had rushed to the place and unfortunately, the man was cheating on her because when she got to the hotel, she found them both in a very compromising position that cleared all her doubts. She had broken off their engagement there. Because she was too distraught after that incidence that day, that was why she didn't come back"
"Does that mean that God used her to bring your husband to your doorstep?" Kate asked meditatively.
"You could say that"
"So the moral of this lesson is that if I were still a street girl, even if my husband and I had met, there was not a guarantee or assurance that he would have proposed to me. So I will forever be grateful to this governor and his wife. Since that time, I have always voted him. Despite the burning rays of the sun during the last election, I was the first person at the polling center to cast my vote for the man and his wife and not only that, I have always advised my friends and families to vote wisely for him"
"Wow" Kate said sighing deeply "Thank you so much for telling me this. The story of your life is an inspiration for my waning and sick determination to make something meaningful out of my life. Now that I have heard what you too passed through, I am ready to do whatever it takes to make a difference in life too. Besides, if you have not made it through the thick and thin, where would people like us be today?"
"You are right. A person must not give up because the road is too rough and tough. Someone must know that God had already placed some people under us to be helped. If we fail to make it and have a breakthrough, most of these people too will not rise"
"Deep!" Kate said solemnly.
"That reminds me, the wife of the governor still continues the empowerment programme and there is a meeting for women and young ladies who would love to start the next batch of the programme. The frist lady is quite nice and generous; she is also very friendly. She attends to people one-on-one which is very rare for someone of her status and wealth. She treats everyone as if we are her childhood friend. I'm sure that she would help you when she hears all the things that you have been through" Her boss said.
"Of course I would love to be there! I wouldn't miss it for the world. After all you've told me about her, I want to see that angel in person with my own eyes" Kate said excitedly.
"In that case, let's go and get ready for the programme"
Missed.
Mrs. Lewis was in the security briefing the morning she was scheduled to go to the women empowerment programme. As a matter of fact, going to such places and programmes and giving help in cash and kind to the widows, the divorced and the single mothers had been the heart of her daily activities. After Kate's death, she'd fallen so deep into her sorrows that she irrevocably associated herself with anyone afflicted with biological or physical pain. After the security briefing, she called her personal assistant "Zainab, this programme we are going to now, is it compulsory that I make an appearance today? Can't I send someone instead?" she asked.
The P.A. looked unbelievably at her.
"Of course you can delegate someone but the women would be disappointed because you have never sent someone else before to represent you. They love you. It's not just the help you render to them through gift and cash, but by your words of hope and encouragement. You can't back down. They would be disappointed if you don't go. Besides, now is the best time for you to start soliciting their support for His Excellency's presidential ambition. Do it for him if not for you." The P. A. said calmly.
"Thank you, I know all these things. I know that my husband's presidential ambition depends in so many ways on me and my ability to get to the people. The problem is that I am feeling strange; it's as if something bad would happen to me if go to the place. Remember the day Kate's plane crashed? You remember that I told you that morning that I was feeling strange?"
"Of course, how could I forget such an important thing? That was almost seven years ago" the P. A. said.
"That is exactly how I'm feeling now"
"Okay, I got it. Stay back, don't go, I will go and tell them you are down with flu or something then I will give them the things that you want to give them"
"Thank you Zai, I know I can always count on you!" the first lady said appreciatively.
"You know that I always get your back. You have been my closest friend so I'll always be there when you need me"
In the big auditorium, there were many people who were waiting for the First lady to arrive. People listened with half attention to a woman who was soliciting for the people's support in her political ambition. "Please cast your votes for me" she begged repeatedly "I will provide food for those that are hungry and water for those who are thirsty. I will help the orphans, widows…"
The first lady's convoy arrived and everyone forgot the lady on the podium and looked expectantly at the first lady's entourage, but the first lady was not there among the people that alighted from the vehicles. Most of the people were disappointed.
"She is not here, maybe she sent someone" Mrs. Florence told Kate "She has never missed this meeting before for the past eight years. Something must be wrong."
"Ah, that's too bad. After all I've heard about her, I am dying to see her!" Kate said dejectedly.
"Anyways, let's listen to the person she sent before we go to the market and buy foodstuffs"
They spent the next thirty minutes listening to the First Lady's P.A as she told them the first lady was down with fever and that she sent her sincere and warm greetings to the women who had been waiting for her.
The Chameleon.
After almost a year since Kate started working and living with Mrs. Florence and her family, she met a handsome young man; his name was Sheriff. That day, he had accompanied a customer into their shop. Mrs. Florence was not around but Kate was already very good at making hair so she began making the lady's hair. All the while, the young man was fixedly looking at her. Several moments later, the lady received a call.
"Excuse me Rose. I quickly have to go somewhere now. Sheriff please wait here for me. I'll be back very soon" The lady said and sped out before Rose could say a word, thus, leaving her and the young man alone in the salon. Immediately the lady left, Sheriff occupied the seat in front of her immediately.
"Hi" he said with a smile.
"Hi" she replied suspiciously.
"I am Sheriff"
"That's good" she said disinterestedly.
"Okay but won't you tell me your name?"
"Why should I?" She asked "I am not under any obligation to tell you my name"
"Never mind about it anyways because I know it already. Can we be friends please Rose?"
"No" She said without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"I'm sorry but I am not ready for that yet"
"Listen Rose, you might have been hurt before by other guys but I am different. I am real and I will never make you cry. I want you to be the last person I see when I close my eyes at night to sleep. I want you to be the first person I see when I wake up in the morning. I want you to be my end and my beginning. I love you" he said passionately.
Kate was moved by these words but she'd been through many bad and unfulfilled promises before.
"I'm sorry Sheriff, but I can't" she said weakly.
He sensed her weakness.
"Please!" he said and fell on his knees.
"Okay, I have heard you but please promise me that you won't break my heart"
"I promise that I won't" he said "I cross my heart"
There was an uneasy silence for some seconds.
"Okay, I accept" she said finally.
For months, they dated each other. He took her to places and bought her fabulous gifts. Their relationship was intense and sweet while it lasted but the issue was that whenever she asked him about his parents and where he lives, he always became defensive, evasive and cold towards her.
What's wrong Sheriff, why are you always like this whenever I ask you about your parents and where you live? I don't understand. I don't like that part in you"
"Baby let's take it easy. You are rushing this, please exercise patience. Besides, we have all the time in the world for all that"
"I know but we will get married to each other in a few years' time when I am done with my work here with my boss and have my own shop. So I don't think it's too early to meet my in-laws"
"Baby, I have to go now" he said suddenly.
"Wait, is it because of this? Okay, let's talk about something else"
"Not really but I just have to go to somewhere now"
"Sheriff this is bad. Okay, don't be mad at me for being too inquisitive. What do you want to eat?"
"Nothing. I seriously have to go now. I'll come around tomorrow. Will your boss be around tomorrow?"No, she would be attending hairdressers' associational meeting and it may take the whole day"
"Alright, bye" he said, kissed her perfunctorily on the cheek and left. Kate stood at the entrance of the saloon, looking at his back as he walked down the streets.
One day, Kate and Mrs. Florence were making hair for a customer when she suddenly felt nauseous. Before she could take a step away from the chair where she was making the hair, a flood of vomit escape her mouth and spray on the customer and her boss.
It took a long time before the mess was cleaned up and customer begged and compensated. When she's is done, Mrs. Florentina sat her down ''Rose, you really disgraced me today right in front of a customer, you messed up like that. Thank God she was not a wicked or violent person; else, things would have gone out of hand. When you knew you were indisposed, you should have stayed back home instead of coming here to disgrace me like that''
"I'm sorry ma, I don't know what is wrong with me. Since last week, I have being feeling tired every time. I feel as if I am going to throw up and…. I don't know what's wrong with me'' Kate said and sobbed quietly.
"Are you serious?" Her boss asked incredulously. "If what you just told me is true then you are P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T!
''God forbid'' she said quickly.
Her boss laughed and sat beside her. She took her hand and hers.
''Getting pregnant is not the worst thing in life that can happen to a young lady as long as your boyfriend accepts the responsibility for it. Even if he doesn't, it's not the end of the world. Your only mistake was that you should have abstained from sex. Until you are married to someone you love. But if you can't, you should have protected yourself'' her boss said kindly.
''But how can you be so sure I am pregnant?" Kate said smiling. ''I am just nineteen years old or something like that. If everything had being normal in my life, I ought to be in school now with other normal people. Getting pregnant at this stage will ruin everything. This is worse than being raped by kelvin or being marinated by both Valentine and Madam Cash'' she sobbed.
''I know but God has way of doing things. Whatever happens to us in life is for a reason. Anyway I will take you to my doctor in the evening for confirmation'' she said.
The doctor confirmed it that Kate was pregnant. She cried and blamed herself for being careless. Her boss comforted her and promise to be there for her always. The following day, sheriff came to the shop and met Mrs. Florentina and Kate in the shop, after all the customers are done. Mrs. Florentina told him about Kate's pregnancy.
''If I heard you correctly, you said I should accept the responsibility of this pregnancy right?''
Mrs. Florentina nodded. "Because it's yours''
''I am sorry that I won't be possible. It's not mine and as a matter of fact, I am wasting my time listening to both of you spewing out this nonsense.'' He said and walked out on them.
''Ah Sheriff remember all your promises and vows….ah, my life!" Kate cried very hard.
"It's okay, it's alright. Everything would be fine in the end" Mrs. Florentina consoled Kate as she cried bitterly.
Three days after sheriff walked out, Kate decided to abort the pregnancy though her boss promised to take care of her pregnancy. "Why should I add to Mrs. Florentina's problem when she is the one feeding me, putting cloth on my back and providing for all my needs? Why should I bring a bastard to this world and add to the nation's over population problems? God please try and understand the reason why I have to do this. It's not intentional. I just have to do it."
She left the house that evening and left a note for her boss that she'd gone to abort the pregnancy and that she would be back when it had been done.
The hospital where she chose was a poor crumbling building with decayed roofing and cold wards. She was met at the reception by a harried looking fat woman. Other girls of her age and older women with bellies that look as if they want to pop out from their bodies were also in the hospital. Most of them looked scared, forlorn and lost. For some moments, Kate felt that being there was a mistake and she want to run away, never o look back but the thought of burdening her boss made her wait and determined to get through it.
"What's your name" the harried looking woman asked as if sensing Kate's reluctance as she filled a form for her.
Kate told her.
"Your next of kin?" she asked.
"Mrs. Florence Smith"
"Do you want to abort a pregnancy or you want to sell a baby?" the woman asked casually as if it was a very normal thing to abort and sell a baby. It was clear to Kate that the woman had done this for many girls and women before. Kate thought about the options.
"About selling a baby, I don't understand. Please explain. Before, I wanted to abort but now I think….."
"Okay, this is it. I assume you are about three months pregnant now? in that case, you can either abort or give the baby to another who need it; who would pay you in turn for the baby. Giving it to another woman is better because such woman would give it a life, a home and take good care of it like her own"
"Hmmm." Kate thought hard about this. She knew that it is better to give birth to the baby and give him or her to another woman who would take care of it and give it a home she never had herself "How much will I be given" She asked at last.
"It depends. Usually it's about fifty thousand naira and we will take ten percent administrative charge from the money"
"Ten percent of fifty thousand naira is five thousand naira. Anyways, I love this second option but I have a problem. I don't want to go back home now till I get rid of this pregnancy because they won't let me give it up if I go back….."
"Don't worry. We have a solution for that. We have a secret house in town where women and girls who want to give up their babies can stay till delivery. All you need to do is to pay us twenty percent of the money you'd be given when all this is done and forgotten"
"Okay" she said "I accept"
Kate did not go back home that day. Instead, she accepted to be living in that house since that day with other women and girls. To feed herself, she got a cleaning job through the help of the woman doctor in some houses. She did this for several months until she delivered the baby.
Sorrowful Happiness.
Governor Lewis finished his second term as Lagos state's governor and immediately obtained the presidential ticket on the platform of his party. He floored all other contestants in the primaries and the race for the presidency began for him with assurance.
Though many people admitted that he was a good administrator when he was the governor, yet very few others thought that he misappropriated public funds while in office. Among the things that his critics used in opposing him was that he spent a huge sum of money to send his children to school abroad and that such huge amount would have undoubtedly sent a thousand students to school in Nigeria and provide all the necessary materials that they needed. To add salt to the injury, they said he deserved the death of his daughter who died in a plane crash on her way to school abroad several years back.
"I just wish that they'd leave poor Kate out of their blighting comments and criticism" Mrs. Lewis cried bitterly. "Lewis, please let's stop contesting for the presidency if that would make them leave us alone" she begged.
"No darling. We are in this and we have to see it through. As for the critics, they are not God that took Kate away from us. And her death is not a punishment for any wrongdoing. I believe that when the time is right, God will crown all our efforts with success and shuts the mouths of the critics"
"I know but this pain is too much. Everything they say gets me so hard. They made it look as if it was our fault that Kate died…"
"Darling it's not our fault. If we give up now, then we won't be able to fulfill our dreams and make education FREE for the orphans and the less privilege in this country. We won't be able to fulfill our dream of making this country one of the best in the world technologically and socially and this is what the critics want to happen." He assured "No matter what they say or do, we've got to forge ahead. We are like a naira note, they may squeeze us, they make tread on us or throw us in a dust bin, yet all these can never devalue us. Honey, we are stronger than to let them weigh us down"
"Okay. I believe in our dreams and I believe that together we can achieve them all. I'm sorry for allowing their biting comments to get me" she smiled.
They kissed and held each other tightly.
The presidential election was finally held and Governor Lewis had the highest number of votes among all the thirty contestants. On May 29th – Democracy Day, he was sworn in as the seventh president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Kate was in the house that day when the new president was being sworn into the office. She and the other women were in the living room that morning, watching the ceremony lives on the TV. At the time, she was nearing delivery period so she was told to quit the cleaning jobs that she had been doing for almost seven months. When the national anthem began to play, Kate stood up in reference to her country and sang along tremulously. One or two other women in the room stood up to join in the singing of the national anthem to mockery and bawdry jests from the others but Kate and the others didn't mind bit. After the anthem, they all sat and listened with rapt attention as the president gave his first public speech.
"I like that man." One of the women in the room said "When he was the governor of this state, he did well and I believe that he will do better as the resident of this country"
"He looks familiar" Kate said ponderously. "I think I have seen him before"
The other women laughed hilariously at this.
"Who haven't seen him before? He is ALWAYS on the TV and everywhere! You must have probably seen him on the TV or one of those other public places before" a woman said.
"No, I don't mean on the TV or one of those public places. I mean like… I don't know. He just looks so familiar all of a sudden." She held her head "I think I have headache and I am feeling dizzy…"
Before she could fall down, two of the women grabbed her from behind and sat her on a chair nearby.
"Easy there, don't over exert yourself, you need to rest."
Two days later, Kate gave birth to a very beautiful baby girl. She was delivered by the same woman doctor. Immediately the baby was cleaned and put to bed and Kate herself was bathed, the woman told her that the couple who wants to buy the child was around and that she would bring them in soon.
"I suggest that you say your goodbyes to the baby now. You have about three minutes before they come in" the woman said left. Before the woman left, tears have been welling up in Kate's eyes and by the time the door closes with a click behind the woman, she was already wailing as she held the baby tightly to her chest. Her sadness was so strong that it threatened to bust her heart and rip it from her chest. She couldn't imagine let go of the squirming tiny bundle. She let her tears wash the baby as the mother and child cried together in unison.