IN THE DARK
EPISODE 12
The journey home with uncle mike was quiet. He would look at me briefly and face the road
again. I did not know his reason for that but the thought of how i pushed him before
escaping from the house made me scared. Probably he was stil nursing his a-s and the pain
i caused him was the reason for his wicked glance. A part of me was saying him and his
wife had turn a new leaf but i laughed the thought off.
We got to my compound and i alighted immediately uncle mike parked the car. I brought
out my provision and went to my room. Uncle mike turned the car around and left
immediately he dropped me off, aunty Nike was absent from home as well. I was happy to
be free from all the monitoring eyes. I went to Lizzy’s room and she jumped at me
immediately she saw me. She told me how worried she was and asked how i ended up at
the hospital. I took a deep breathe and narrated all the event that took place before my
accident to lizzy. She came closer to me and held me tightly. I was stil in lizzy’s arms when
i remembered Kelvin, i knew he would be worried about me. ‘Before the accident,he calls me
everyday and its been more than a week now, definately he will be worried’ i thought in
lizzy arm.
I released myself from lizzy’s grip and told her i needed to get my phone before leaving her
room. I could remember keeping my phone in the bag i took to church that sunday, so i
went for the bag immediately. I searched the whole bag and could not find my phone. I
searched the whole room and still the phone was yet to be found. I started to sweat, i was
not scared of loosing the phone, but i was scared of loosing kelvin’s contact if i could not
get my phone. That was the only place i saved his contact on and i did not even know
where he lives. Even if i do,he was out of town. I was so confused after searching my entire
room over and over again without finding the phone.
I went to ask lizzy if she took the phone but she said no and followed me to my room to
search again. She also searched everywhere without any luck. We were stil searching when
lizzy did as if she just remembered something and she said “Nancy, wait, i think my mom
took the phone. I caught her searching your room the day you left. You should probably ask
her when she gets back.” I did not know what to say when Lizzy ended her speech. ‘If
aunty nike has the phone, she definately will not give it back for anything. She can only give
it back if she has genuinely turn a new leaf but the chance of that happening is very slim. I
will be loosing kelvin if i do not get the phone back’ i thought. The thought of loosing kelvin
almost gave me a heart attack. How will i survive without kelvin? He was always there to
encourage and advice me, his words of encouragement gave me the hope of having a future.
Noo i cant let go just like that,i will do anything to get the phone back. Just for kelvin’s
sake, i can slave for another year. I said to myself. Lizzy tap on my shoulder brought me
out of my thought, she asked if i was worried because of the phone and promised to get me
a new phone. I told her it was not about the phone but kelvin’s contact. Lizzy did not really
understand the importance of the contact but she concluded that i should wait for aunty
nike.
Aunty nike arrived late in the evening and i rushed downstairs. I got the sigh that she was
stil her wicked self from the way she looked at me but i was stil hoping she would release
the phone. I greeted aunty nike and made to help her with her hand bag, she hesitated
before giving the bag to me but she eventually did. I took the bag to her room while she
followed closely from behind. After dropping the bag on the bed, i turned to her and said
“Aunty,please i have been unable to find my phone did you by any chance find it for me?”
she looked at me and said No coldly. I knew she was lieing but i was determined to get the
phone from her,i went on my kneels and begged her. I was stil on my kneels begging when
she shouted “Are you stupid? Am i your phone keeper? Dont let me loose my temper on you,
your presence is irritating enough. I wonder what you have been doing with that phone and i
took it, so what? You can go to hell for all i care because, the phone has been neatly
destroyed along with the sim card. Now get out of my room, you idiot!” That was it! My
phone was gone along side with kelvin’s contact. I moved out of her room with tears and i
thought about the number of people i lost already. Dad died, mom died, Jordan chose to
betray me along side with nelly and now i cant reach kelvin,the only person that as been my
comforter. “Kelvin wherever you are, please come back to me, you are the only friend i have
left. You promised to stay forever, please get through to me soon in anyway you can” i
said.I was talking to the walls of my room as if kelvin was present, I was so lost on what to
do or who to talk to. At that moment all i wanted was KELVIN (MY TRUE FRIEND)
**********************
After loosing my phone to aunty nike, i was unable to contact kelvin and not having
someone to talk to made me withdraw myself back into my shell.
On a Saturday afternoon, of the third week of been discharged. Lizzy took permission from
her mom and asked me to see her off to somewhere. We got to fonemart and suprisingly
she got a new phone for me after which we retrieved my damaged sim card. Lizzy told me
not to worry and she promised to be there for me,she also assured me that kelvin would
call soon. I believed in lizzy’s word and i became lively again, hoping kelvin would call soon
just like lizzy said. I thanked lizzy repeatedly and she hugged me tightly before we went
back home.
The remaining weekend went uneventful but a life changing event occurred on the first day
of the new week, it was an unforgettable incident.
Aunty Nike woke me up early in the morning on that very monday, she said are goods would
be arriving on that day and she needed to be there on time. Without having breakfast, we
left the house for the supermarket. Immediately we got to the supermarket, aunty nike
ordered me to sweep the entire store after which i went to get her food on foot at a
resturant far away from the supermarket. On my arrival from getting the food, the goods
aunty nike was expecting arrived and she asked me to join in off loading the goods
immediately, with an empty stomach, i obeyed her. After off loading the goods, I went to
inform aunty nike that i was hungry but she shouted at me and called me useless before
saying i should arrange all of the goods alone in the store. I arranged the goods with my
last strength, hoping i would eat after arranging the goods but aunty nike said i should dust
the whole good and place a price tag on each of them. I could not take it any longer, even
though i promised to abide by her rules, i had to disobey her else i would die.
I left the shop against aunty nike’s order and went to eat in a nearby canteen. I arrived
twenty minutes later and met a furious aunty nike. I knelt to greet her but she reaponded
with a double slap on the both of my cheek. My eyes turned red and i staggered. I was yet
to gain my balance when aunty nike shouted at me, saying ” You this idiot, i told you to
arrange my goods, do you know how much they worth? They worth more than your yet to
come generation and you have the guts to abandon my goods in a bid to satisfy for hungry
stomach. I will not deal with you here, you will meet your death at home. Now get up and
do what i asked you to do!” aunty nike ended her ranting and i was so scared of what
awaits me at home, that day. I rushed to the store room and with tears, i arranged the
goods.
I left shop with aunty nike by 6:30pm with mixed feelings, i was hoping aunty nike would
forget her threat if i should do the house work on time. Immediately i got down from the
car, i went to the kitchen and washed the dirty dishes, though i was hungry, i did not eat
before doing all the work. As if aunty nike was watching me, she called me immediately i
got to my room after working for more than an hour.
I got to aunty nike’s room and she was laying on her bed. She asked me to go on my
kneels and i did, then she said ” you think i have forgotten right? You disobey me in public
and i am going to deal with you indoor. I have two punishment for you. It is either you allow
me to cut any part of you body and i will apply pepper on it or i will iron any part of your
body smoothly with this hot iron” aunty nike ended her speech but it was hard for me to
believe she was serious, how could she be so mean? I asked myself. “Young lady i do not
have the whole day! Make a pick or i will administer anyone on you!” aunty Nike’s voice
brought me back to reality. Accepting other brutal treatment was something i could handle
but when it comes to messing with my body, that is something i can never take. I started to
cry, i was alone with aunty nike without help. I wished mom was here or kelvin or even lizzy
or aunty oyinkan, but nobody was there, i was left with a difficult decision to take.
I had to think about the least painful of the two purnishment but i found no answer. Aunty
nike was about to abuse my body and i had no other choice than to accept, or do i? I asked
myself and finally i decided to accept one of it.
I was about accepting the iron deal when the spirit of a fighter in me arouse. No! I cannot
take this anymore i screamed! Aunty nike stood up with shook written all over her face. She
asked me to repeat what i said and i did. She made to slap me and i showed her the DEVIL
in me.
##################
Aunty nike made to slap me but i held her hand, i stood up to my full length and i was
taller than her. I looked down on her and fixed my gaze on her before releasing my grip on
her hand. Aunty nike raised her hand to slap me again and this time around, i held her hand
half way and landed a hot slap on her left cheek. Aunty nike staggered and fell on the table.
I fold my hands and waited for her next action. Immediately she regained her balance, she
rushed at me, i pushed her to the bed and sat on her. I started to punch her all over her
body after sitting on her. While giving her the beating of her life, i started to scream on top
of my voice ” Nike how can you be so wicked? Tell me! You want to iron my body? In my
father’s house! All this is suppose to be mine! The house! The car you are ridding! The
supermarket! The hotel your husband is spending from! All the jewelry mama left behind! All
the wealth and properties are all mine! My parent worked for it, for me to have it all but you
took everything away. All the good things i ever had, you took them all! My mom! My
hapiness! Even kelvin! Its all your fault and now! Now you want to abuse my body! How can
you be so mean? So wicked? I want you to die and rot in hell! Die nike!” i said as i
continued to punch her. I could hear her scream for help but the merciful me was gone. This
was the seed she planted in me, it germinated and she had to reap the fruit.
I stood up from her stomach and rushed to her wardrobe. I saw all my mom’s clothes and
expensive jewelry she claimed she burn. I packed my mom’s personal belonging and rushed
to my room. I took my traveling bag and filled it with my clothes and all the important
things i have. The bag was full so i had to pack my mom’s belongings into the bag Josh
got for me. I looked around my room and i was satisfied with all i have packed. I dragged
the bags to the living and made to leave. ‘This devil in human clothing is making me to
leave my father house, i must deal with her before i finally leave’ i said to myself. I dropped
the bags and rushed upstairs. I met aunty nike sitting on the bare floor, with her present
condition the formal me would have pitied her but pity died in me a long time ago. I pulled
her with her hair and landed two hot slap on her cheek before i rushed to the kitchen to get
a rope. She started to plead immediately i returned with the rope but my ears were deaf to
her plea. I dragged her to the bed and started to tie her while she shouted for help. I was
stil tieing her when i heard someone shout “Nancy” behind me. I turned and i saw lizzy. I
became ashamed of myself,even though aunty nike was wicked toward me, lizzy was there
for me and beating her mom and tieing her down was no way to reciprocate her kindness.
The rope fell from my hand and i ran out of the room in tears. I could not leave without
apologizing to lizzy, so i went back to her and said “I am sorry lizzy. Goodbye” lizzy was in
tears and she could not give a response. I ran out of the room and got my bags. I dragged
the bags outside the house and i took a last look at our mansion. The house i once called a
home. With tears i left my father’s house.
To be continued….