LIFE, ABOVE ALL
Episode 6
TIYA
I angrily marched down the hallway and into the living room.
‘You whore, who gave you the right to beat my sister? I asked pointing a finger at her face.
Auntie Stella remained silent.
‘How dare you?’ my voice growled in an otherworldly rage
‘And how dare you insult my mother in such a manner?’ Celine asked in a deadly quiet voice
‘Your mother insulted herself the minute she got married to another woman’s husband,’ I said
‘You have no respect whatsoever.’
‘I wasn’t even talking to you Celine so shut up.’
‘And you?’ I pointed at Auntie Stella, ‘Make this the last time you lay your filthy hands on my sister.’
‘Or else what?’ she asked
I chuckled, ‘You wouldn’t want to see my bad side.’
She laughed, ‘You will end up joining your mother sooner than I expected.’
‘Don’t mention my mother’s name you shameless whore.’
‘And don’t call my mother names,’ Celine warned
‘Mwana wa hule ni hule naeve, you and your mother are both shameless whores.’
‘I said don’t call my mother names,’ she warned again.
‘I am not afraid of you,’ I quipped
‘You should be.’
‘Birds of the same feathers, prostitutes,’ I screamed
‘Leave my mother alone,’ Celine charged towards me and slapped me hard across my face.
I placed a hand on my cheek as the flames around me grew brighter. No one had ever struck me that hard. The pain was such a surprise for a minute or so I didn’t know how to react.
‘Did you just slap me?’ I asked
‘And I will do more than just slap you I will beat the shit out of you if you continue disrespecting my mother in her own house.’
‘This is not your mother’s house & this is not your house either. You and your mother are just a pair of shameless whores,’ I screamed.
Father chose that exact moment to walk into the house.
As soon as Auntie Stella saw him, she feigned tears and Celine carried on the deception so well that father fell for it.
‘Maybe we should pack and leave this house,’ Celine said in a soft voice
‘But what exactly happened?’ Father asked
‘Your daughter just walked into this house and started insulting my mother.’
‘Darling, I am tired of Tiya’s insults,’ Auntie Stella sniffed. ‘Maybe she is right, my daughter and I don’t belong here.’
‘Oh my darling, don’t talk like that, on behalf of my useless daughter, I am sorry,’ he said
I couldn’t hold myself I burst at length into a laugh and said merrily, ‘Try Standup Comedy.’
‘You have gone too far you idiot,’ father said
‘They have you wrapped around their fingers, when they say stand you stand and when they say sit you sit,’ I clicked my tongue
‘I am still your father and you must respect me.’
‘Whatever!’ I said rudely as I started walking back to my room.
‘Get back here,’ father yelled
I rolled my eyes and continued walking.
A moment later, I felt him grab my arm roughly before he turned me towards him.
‘What?’ I angrily asked
‘How dare you disrespect me and my wife in such a manner?’ he roared
I looked up at him, I saw the anger in his face his cheeks were grimace and his eyes were burning with rage.
‘Your whore has–,’
Before I could finish my statement he slapped me so hard sending me tumbling to the floor.
‘I will deal with you today,’ he growled
Then he grabbed me and started dragging me by my hair across the floor towards my room as I struggled to free myself.
‘Leave my sister alone,’ Thoko cried, ‘Please leave her,’ she pleaded
Her pleas fell on deaf ears he dragged me into the room, kicked Thoko out and slammed the door shut before he locked it.
‘I have tolerated you long enough.’
In a split second he unbuckled his belt and folded it in half.
I yelped as it whipped across my back,’ this will teach you not to talk back at me,’ he yelled.
I screamed
Afterwards, he put the belt on the floor, then he ripped the dress I was wearing off my body my underwear was all that remained.
He picked the belt again and whipped me.
As the belt touched my bare flesh, the pain echoed like an earthquake deep into my consciousness.
I screamed again.
My scream didn’t move him he whipped me mercilessly covering my body in lash after lash, one overlapping another, the force behind his strokes growing.
I could hear Thoko screaming on the other side of the door I felt sorry for my little sister she was too young to witness this kind of cruelty.
The leather cut through my wrists and ankles as I helplessly screamed on the floor, I looked at him with pleading eyes hoping he would stop but he didn’t.
‘Let her go,’ I heard Ganizani’s voice he was pounding hard on the door.
‘Leave her alone or I break this door,’ he yelled
‘Honey I think that’s enough let her go,’ you will kill her I heard, Auntie Stella screamed.
When the flush of furry faded from his eyes, he dropped the belt to the floor.
‘Don’t dare me like that Tiya, I will forget you are my child and murder you,’ he said
He walked towards the door unlocked it and marched out.
Ganizani and Thoko rushed in.
‘Oh lord,’ Ganizani said kneeling beside me, ‘I am sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ I said softly, my entire body was burning. I actually thought my butt was bleeding.
‘Sorry!’ Thoko said softly, she had tears sliding down her cheeks.
‘It’s okay baby.’
Ganizani lifted me up, cradling me like a child, I would have resisted but I was too weak, he took me into the bathroom.
He ran the bath before he put me in the tub.
I smiled at him, ‘I will take it from here.’
He nodded and left the bathroom.
****
GANIZANI
I was angry beyond words why would a man hit his daughter like that?
‘Baby have you eaten?’ I asked Thoko
She shook her head.
‘I will get you some food just now and please stop crying,’ I wiped the tears from her eyes.
I walked out of their room and into the living room, father and Auntie Stella were sitting on one couch, Celine was setting the table.
‘You shouldn’t have hit her like that,’ I said without looking up at him.
‘And who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do?’ he asked
‘Father this is not right, have you see what you have done to her?’
‘She deserves it, she insulted your mother and i.’
‘And by mother you mean her?’ I pointed at Auntie Stella
‘Yes,’ she responded quickly
‘You are not our mother and you will never be, the sooner you realise that the better for all of us.’
‘Ganizani!’ Father stood up
‘I am ashamed to call you my father you are a disgrace to fatherhood,’ the words rushed out of my mouth before I could stop them.
I saw the anger burn in his eyes before he grabbed me by the back of my shirt collar.
‘You too? Are you honestly going to stand here and talk to me like that? What sort of children do I have in this house?’
‘Hit me if you want to but the fact still remains, you don’t deserve to be called father.’
He pushed me and dropped to the floor.
In a rage he came forward and punched me as hard as he could in the face, once then again and again.
Auntie Stella pulled him away from me, ‘you will kill him,’ she warned.
I felt blood oozing down my lips into my mouth, ‘This was it, my father had just drawn the battle line.’
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