THE corner was quiet but not solemnly quiet that I
couldn't still hear the music drifting in from the gathering at the backyard of the house. I looked at him and he looked angry, a stack difference to the soft
back ground of the decorations that have been put up in the house. I let go of my hand angrily and ran his hand over his face as if trying to wipe the anger
away but it didn't work because he still had that angry scowl on his face.
"You dirty whore! So you can't hide it anymore yh?
Hugging a man like that in my presence and with my friends on the same table!How shameful" he said trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible but someonepassing by still gave him a weird glance and he turned to smile at the person
before turning back to me. Psycho!
"I was just hugging a friend that I haven't seen in
ages" I said keeping my voice calm as can be because I wasn't in the mood to
argue with him at such an happy event.
"Don't patronize me! You hugged him and even pushedyour whole breast into his chest! He's one of the guys you are fooling around with yh? You slut! Fucking cunt!" His voice sounded like a strain coming from someone that really needed to go to the toilet for a number two. If this wasn't such a tense situation she would have laughed at him and how comical he looked with the veins popping out of his head.
"Ola… it was just an harmless hug…" he cut me off by
grabbing my arm tightly and not letting go even when I tried to swing it out of his hands.
"Harmless hug Ehn? Just a-little more and you'd havebeen eating faces"
"Eating faces as how? Ola that's extreme… I literally
haven't seen this guy in fifteen years?"
"And that's supposed to make this better? You are such a whore!" He said letting go of my arm sharply causing my hand to it the wall next to us but I didn't make any form of pained noise.
"You know what? When you are better we'd have this
conversation " I said trying to walk away from him by stepping to the side and trying to go around his big body but he immediately dragged me back to where I
was before against the wall.
"You don't get to work out on me…" he said pressing me by my chest against the wall and there he held me against the wall.
"Ola let me go, I don't have the strength for this" I
said to him keeping voice low and keeping my shoulders slumped.
"It's Ola now? No more baby? Because one of the guys you are fooling around with us around yh? You have no shame" he said his finger
against my head making me shake my head trying to tell him off.
"I've told you the truth, we are just meeting for the
first time in years" I said to him as his hand went up and came down against my arm, slapping my arm really hard causing me to wince in pain.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked him even though I knew
why he did it.
"How many times have I told you to stop talking to
them you whore! You never meet female friends only males? Seeing him make you
excited yh? You cunt" he said his face raised than it was before and I shook my
head at him.
"You don't get to call me names? Don't you dare think of hitting me again" I said trying to step away from him when he held me back
"What are you going to do? Cry?" He asked as his hand came down on my arm again hitting me with more force than he had the last time when a glad shattering drew my attention away from him and the pain to see my father standing opposite us with my mother next to him a shocked look on both
their faces.
"Dad…"
"It's not what it looks like sir…."
***
THE drive home was a silent one, daddy told the
drivers to come home in the other car after he found the parents to apologize
for leaving early, the tension in the car can be caught through with a knife.
The silence in the car was deafening as I heard my mom sniffing from where she
sat at the front of the car while dad drove madly away from the venue. Halimat
sat beside me quite as she squeezed my hand severally over the drive and I
tried to not make any audible noises as I cried. I didn't want them to find out
this way, I just wanted to tell them the next day and give my reasons. Hearing
my mother's sobs broke my heart and I couldn't imagine I'd caused them so much
pain, I've never wanted to cause them any pain.
We filed into the house and my mother dismissed all
the other staffs on ground as she walked in to the house and we went to the
second sitting area at the first floor where we would be afforded more privacy.
"Since when has this being happening?" Dad asked as
mom brought me into her warm and loving arms.
"Daddy please listen to me… I…"
"Answer me Fatima" he said to me cutting me off from
what I was saying.
"This is only the third time…"
"Third time?? Third time!" He exclaimed turning away
from where I was standing with my mother and he went to sit on a chair,
"That bastard hit my daughter three times!!!"
"Dad…"
"Any bruises?" My mother asked and I nodded my head
and she started crying a new.
"Where?" My daddy asked standing up again and Halimat
spoke up for the first time
"Under her dress and the makeup" she said her voice
quite and barely above a whisper.
"You knew?" Dad asked his voice coming out and
sounding pained
"Dad she only saw me today… she didn't know anything
about it." I said coming to her defense not wanting her to take the blame for
any part of this.
"My own daughter! Go take off that make up.." he said
and I nodded going to the tap not far away from the room and carefully using
the water and hand soap to wash everything away.
Turning to look at him I saw the rage fill his face,
he looked ready to tear somebody apart where he stood.
"Shade!" He called out to my mom as she broke out into
a fresh set of sobs
"Omo mi! My Fatima" my mother managed to get out as
Halimat came to zip jy clothes down as I slipped my upper body out of it to
show them my stomach,
"I am going to kill that boy!" My father shouted
turning away from me, making me feel guilty that I had evoked such emotions
from my father, I had only ever seen him calm and not ever angry at least not
this angry,
"Daddy… please I am sorry…" I said and he turned to
look at me and then around the room
"Why are you sorry?" He asked the surprise evident in
his voice and confusion on his face
"I don't mean to make you this angry and bring you
shame. I didn't mean to make him mad and have him hit me…"
"No… no" he said shaking his head after cutting me off
and he began to walk towards me where I stood with only my bra covering my
upper body and he brought me into a hug.
"This is none of your fault! It's all that bastards
fault and he'd be hearing from my lawyer… he'd definitely be hearing from my
lawyer!" Dad said taking my hand and bringing me back to the couch with him
before bringing me back into his arms.
"Why didn't you tell us after the first time?" Momcy
asked her sobs now under more control as she spoke.
"I didn't want to disappoint you guys… daddy had so
much when he linked us up… I…"
"You should have come to me as soon as it happened!
You are my daughter… my flesh and blood! All those stupid connections aren't
worth anything to me if my daughter is in pain. Being beaten by some monster"
he said looking into my eyes and seeing the black bruise under my eye he teared
up, I haven't even seen my father cry not even when my grandma died about six
years ago.
"I didn't know what to do Daddy… he said nobody would
believe me… daddy I was so scared and alone" I saw the tear drop from his eyes
as he shook his head as if trying to clear it as he cleaned my own tear away
from my face.
"You don't have to ever be scared to come to either
myself or your mother when you are in pain like this. Abi My Love?" He said
bringing the conversation to my mother who sat on a chair close to ours with
Halimat holding her hand.
"Ever! Don't ever be scared to come to us at times
like that. You guys are our babies, I couldn't have imagined he'd turn out to
be this way. I'd have never endorsed him for you" mother said stretched her
hand to take mine in hers and I shook my head.
"You guys couldn't have known about the way he is… I
myself didn't turn until he hit me for first time." I said trying to convince
them that this isn't in anyway their fault.
"Do you have pictures of video evidence? I'd have to
contact my lawyer about this… we'd be suing him and his family. Are you up for
that?" My father asked me and I nodded my head because I couldn't have him go
along to do this to another female without putting my story out there.
At least if the lady decided to go ahead and marry him
or be with him $; know I did try my best to at least give them the heads up.
And he might not even go ahead to hurt anyone else except from me.
My phone's ringing pierced the now silent air as I sat
there in my father's arms trying to stop the sobs from continuing. I reached
into the purse I was holding to check who was calling and I stiffened up when I
saw who it was.
"Don't answer him, Fatima" my father said as he
collected the phone from me and handed it to Halimat.
"Make it silent and don't give it to her until in two
days times" he said to her sternly and she nodded her head tucking it away into
her purse and I just signed before resting my head on his shoulders.
"You aren't angry at me? Are you?" I asked my parents
and they shook their heads at me
"No we aren't… I would not be angry at you ever for
stepping out of. Situation where your life is in danger! Ever" daddy said
rubbing my arm softly
"We won't ever be mad at you for removing yourself
away from violence." My mother said her voice filled with the love that I am
used to and the warmth of my daddy's embrace warming me up from the inside as I
sat there being held by my father and surrounded by the love and support of my
family.
I had thought about a couple scenarios that could end
up from them finding out about everything and this was even better than
anything I could have thought up. They were supportive and encouraging me to,
something I was glad that I could find in their arms and presence.