Crushed

Episode 5

I turned back to look at the person talking
Alice!

Her fair face was as red as pepper!
Tears kept falling down her face as she came
close to me, sat down and hugged me tightly
I was dazed

What was going on?
What did she know?
Why was she crying?
“I am sorry. I am really sorry” she continued
saying as she cried harder
I had to forget all my worries and focused on
this crying woman

After weeping for a while without me moving,
she looked into my face.
Her eyes were blood shot
“What is it?” I asked her and her mouth
scattered again as she burst into another
round of tears
“I know. Now I know…what was being cooked
that had burnt down the whole house. Now I
know” she said and I looked stunned
I smiled to cover everything up.
“What do you know?”
She looked deep into my eyes again
“Exactly what is making you cry. Exactly what
has made everyone to term you possessed”
she said

My legs grew weak
She must not know!
How would she be looking at me henceforth?
Many ‘how’ questions flooded my mind
“What are you saying? I am just going
through some emotional issh….i am..plus…
please?” I stammered and she covered my
mouth
“I understand my dear. What a very young girl
of your age is going through…ah! It’s too
much…it’s too much oh Lord!” she cried on
and my heart shook vehemently in its cage
“What are you saying? Because daddy beat
me inside? I was being rude that’s why” I tried
to justify the whole situation
She held my hand and smiled ruefully
“You need not lie. What you did is
understandable! Being rude by plugging your
ears in the church as you didn’t want to hear
your molesters preaching. Biting Mrs. Haruna
as she dragged you into the hole of your
molester and eventually being thrown away
like pure water sachet after being crushed. I
understand” she said truthfully and my heart
dropped
How did she know?

The truth was what she had said but I could
not contain it.

The truth of course is bitter!
I stood up and backed her
“What are you saying Alice? Exactly what?” I
said, feigning ignorance
She touched my shoulders and I balked
“Don’t touch me. You know absolutely nothing
about me. You can’t just say what you like
and think you know how to talk. Leave me
alone!” I almost shouted
“You mean I am wrong?” she asked
“Yes you are wrong! How dare you say that
about me? How dare you say that about my
father? How could you belittle a man of God
like that?” I said further, looking away from
her
She looked shocked
“You don’t need to run away from the tru…”

she wanted to start saying again
“There is no truth in what you are saying ma.
Stop it!” I screamed and I started walking
away from her
Where should I go to?

If I stayed around these people, I would be
battered the more
What should I do?
How did this lady find out?
How?

She was the only person I still had in the
whole wide world asides Mr. Brown who still
listened to me.

Why would she find out?
It’s a battle I can fight
I need nobody else to fight with me.
“Mercy” I heard a voice call out
It was a very dear voice
But, I didn’t want to see him at that time
“Mercy” Jean called out again
Jean was our Proprietor’s son and he had
been a friend from childhood.

We did almost everything in common until we
got to J.SS 2 when there was a huge gap
between us.

We no longer spoke on phone nor did we gist
as we normally did as kids
Now that we are in the senior class, I realized
that I was attracted to him.

Everything about him appealed to my senses
I never showed it nor told anyone about it
though.

Exactly what he wanted for me now is what I
don’t understand.

As much as I loved him and really did care, I
wouldn’t want him near me because if he did,
I would really hurt him.

He didn’t seem to like me though
He just saw me as a friend
I saw him more than that; hence he should
leave me alone!

For now, all male gender should leave me
alone!

“Mercy” he called as he moved close
I was walking like I was being chased
“Leave me alone!” I screamed so loudly that
my voice rang in the whole compound of the
church.

I ran towards the gate but I was bundled into
the dark room of the security department of
the church.

I panted as air rushed through my nasal
cavity as if I had oxygen tubes attached to it.
…..it gets tougher please.