Angelina

Episode 3

Surely surely, I had my heart burning, I turned my back and there standing behind me was uncle
Tom,smiling at !e with his yellowish brown black ugly teeth. Jeez this man was ugly. I pushed him
away from me quickly as I was so shocked my own uncle would do that,I took two steps away
from him,still with shocked eyes on him.

” Oh come on Angelina, don’t act so surprised okay? Why are you surprised this has happened
when you are a beautiful girl ”. He said,smiling.

” What?! Uncle Tom,are you the one saying this? How can you be doing this? You are my aunt’s
husband! ”. I said.

” Oh and so what? You and I can actually be lying somewhere together without her knowing ”. He
added.

” God forbid! I rebuke you! Never,will I do such abomination. And even,I am just a child uncle! ”

” Oh yes,you’re a child,with a lot of body development. You are not a child anymore, you can get
pregnant, that makes you a woman already ”.

” Uncle, I swear, if you touch me that way again, I won’t spare you at all! ”. I said,and was about
getting out and when he held my hand tightly.
” I know you are hungry Angelina, you know,your aunty cooked this plantain for me before she left
for church with your cousins. I can give you the food if you want ”.

I was quite surprised about what he said,and indeed,I was very hungry. I was starving to death.

But I knew he had evil intentions, am a child,but not naive.

” If you agree to be my secret sex mate,then I will let you eat this food ” Uncle Tom said.

” No!….I will rather die. My mum thought me to stay chaste,and my teachers as well ”. I resisted.

” Oh my dear,well for your information, your aunt and I have planned that,you will no longer go to
school… So forget what the teachers thought you ”. Uncle Tom smacked.

” What?! (Tears run down my cheeks) I won’t go to school again? ”. I couldn’t believe my ears.

He started drawing closer and closer to me with an evil intention and I started drawing backward
and backward…. He pounced on me that very Sunday morning on the kitchen floor,trying to tear
my clothes apart,in my own father’s house,God being so good,I got hold of a Rollin pin and hit his
waist with it,so hard that he felt paralysed on the floor,I got to my feet and took to my heels. I got to
the compound but didn’t know where else to run to. So I opened the main gate and sat in front of
the mansion till it was 5pm when I saw a taxi parked in front of me,and my aunt and cousins came
out in their church clothes. The taxi drove away and they got closer to the house.
” Herh!… What are you doing here? Are you now our security? ”. Aunt asked with a frown.
” I..I am hungry aunt. Please I beg you to give me some money to buy bread ”. I pleaded in tears.

” Please mum ”. Danny pleaded too.
” Okay okay fine! Take this and go buy butter bread and magrine. But you better come early oo ”.
She said.

” Yes aunty. ”. I replied and left.
On my way to buy bread,I kept on reflecting back when my parents were still alive. Will all this
have happened? No,I don’t thinks so. But I also remembered when my aunt slapped me,she said
something I haven’t forgotten toll today. What at all did my mother do to her in the past that she’s
vetting that hatred on me? Why does she hate her own sister like that? I was confused, but I was
going to find out no matter what. Hmmmm,so painful. I went to the provision store near by and
bought the bread. The storekeeper was shocked to see m because she knew how I was when my
parents were alive. So how come I was looking wretched now? The woman kept looking at me so
sadly that she gave me the full bread because the money aunty gave me wouldn’t even reach half
a loaf.

” Oh Angelina, is that you? ”. The woman asked in years. ” Ei! What a wicked world, so just one
month after your parents death,is this how you’ve turned into?

” Yes aunty. Hmmm,my parents left me in the care of my aunt ”. I said and couldn’t control my
tears.

” May God punish that woman for your sake my daughter. Please stop crying, it was your father’s
sake,that I got this shop am working in,and the land too. So whenever you need anything, don’t
hesitate to come here okay? ”. She said.

” Okay aunty ”. I said and quickly began to devour the bread. I ate like I had fasted for 40days and
nights. That felt good,hunger is painful. The woman gave me water and I drank to my satisfaction
and thanked her.

” My dear,pray before you sleep,God will let you be free again ”.

I nodded and left to the mansion. As soon as I got to the compound, I remembered that,I had not
washed the mountain of clothes they left in front of the room. Chai,Angelina, you came to suffer in
deed. I was now confused, I didn’t know,whether to enter the room or to stand outside. My brain
was burning and I was sad. All this,because of that wicked Uncle Tom. Hmmm. I took a deep breath and entered the room to the hall,and just as I was expecting, my aunt was standing there
with a cain. Uncle Tom and my cousins sat in a chair, also waiting. He seemed not to be so much
affected with the rolling pin I used to hit him.
” Are you satisfied now? ”. Aunt ask.
” Y..yes aunty ”. I replied with a shaking voice.

” So,you have enough energy to receive this cains,right? ”. She asked angrily.
” No aunty ”. I shook.

” I will slap you there now! Nonsense! Why didn’t you wash the clothes I left in front of the guest
room? ”.

” Aunty please, I wills ash it tomorrow after school ”.

” And who said,you will ever go to school? You are now my slave! So forget school! Now,go
upstairs, pick the clothes and go and wash them,now! ”.

” Yes aunty……..”. As I was walking pass her,she raised the cain up high to heaven and
descended a lash on my back which I screamed out loud and fell.

” Get up there! ”.

After five hours,I was done washing and hanged them on the dry line,then saw that it was 11pm
already. I went to the door to enter the room,but they had locked me outside. I wouldn’t dare knock
for them to wake up. And so I sat on the doorstep. It was windy and the whether was gloomy. I sat
still,looking in the sky and told my parents how I hated them do leaving me with aunt Okereke. But
what was done,was done. Thunder stroke and it started raining heavily, there was no shelter,and I
decided to sleep under the rain. The rain beat me mercilessly but I still fell asleep.

(Next Day).
When I opened my eyes,it was day break,and the whether had not changed,but the rain had
stopped. I felt cold and it was as if I was getting fever. Ellen stepped out in the clothes my dad
brought for me,and she was chewing a gum while browsing in her phone,she got closer to me.

” It’s already 8AM. And you’re still here? Anyway, we just finished eating breakfast and mummy
wants you to come wash the bowls ”. She said and left.

I didn’t say a word but slowly stood up in my wet clothes and washed the clothes. Luckily for
me,she gave me some of the rice to eat. I got to my new room,the guest room and slept on the
bed I was very sick. I was feeling so cold and sat at the same time. Danby entered the room and
gave me paracetamol but the fever didn’t go down. This was not good at all. My aunt refused to
take me to the hospital. I layed there for the whole day and felt death closer to me. I loosed weight
at once. The next three days, I was okay,even though the fever had not left my blood. Foodstuffs
in the house had finished,so my aunt gave me 5000 to go and buy foodstuffs from the market to fill
the kitchen. After buying every vegetable and some fresh meat,I walked out of the market, strolling slowly home,even though home was far away from the market,I still walked slowly. My mind was
totally out of the road as I was looking downward, a beautiful brand new Range Rover from no
where crossed my front,and knocked me down,destroying all the foodstuff scattered in the street.

Luckily for me,I didn’t get hurt, but everything I brought was destroyed, but I wished I had being
destroyed instead of the things. The driver stopped the car in front of me,as I got up to tell him my
mind,the driver came out…and I was shocked to lay my eyes on the most handsome guy. He was
fair,taller than me,slim,with huge black shades on,he had the neatest cut,and he was on a phone
call,guess that’s why he was not attentive enough and was about to kill me…which irritated me. He
stopped the phone call and helped me on my feet… God,his perfume was s£nsat!onal. He gave
the cutest smile.

” Oh gosh! I’m so sorry girl,so sorry. It wa sa mistake. Are you hurt? ”.
(I shook my head).

” Hey…I am Nickel Brandon…. What about you? ”. He asked,smiling.
” Angelina ”…..