ABUSED. Chapter 4
"Was that the first time he slapped you?" asked Aunty Mariam, my uncle's wife when I told her what happened immediately I got home on Sunday evening, after begging her vigorously not to let my uncle find out. I omitted the part about the sexual assault as it would make the drama of the year with her reaction.
"Yes" I lied conveniently
"And you didn't break up with him lesekese"
"I love him, besides I'm sure it was a one time thing" I defended even though I was starting to doubt that myself
"Hmmm... No problem sha. If you say so" She said but when she noticed that I saw her doubtful look, she added quickly "Everyone have their ways of dealing with things. Like your uncle now, he can use silence to kill but it's not necessarily a bad thing sha. It could be his own way of taking control" she advised. I reasoned along with her and that gave me an odd peace of mind that all was going to be well.
Kayode apologized to me the next day, promising to never do it again. He was genuinely concerned and physically shrunk into himself everytime he glanced at my swollen lip and my inability you close my thighs without wincing. He bought me novagin at a road side pharmacy, cooked for me and massaged my back. He didn't stop apologizing and that evening, he took me to a slot outlet and got a new phone for me. I got to work on Monday and was pulled aside by Zainab, a coworker turned close friend who was absent at the wedding because of family emergencies but had apparently heard the gist. Ridwan didn't utter a word to me, not even a response to my meekly muttered 'good morning'.
"Babe how far now, I heard about what happened at the party. Please tell me he's not the cause of your swollen lip" she asked and eyed me with pity.
"Hahaha" I laughed, desperately trying to come up with the best lie I could tell her. "No o. Lailai. Do guys still beat ladies in this age? I left my phone in the sitting room and when nepa took light, I couldn't find the lamp and walked into the wall"
"Ehen... Eeyah. Because na something else me I hear o" she said
"Well, you know how people tend to overexaggerate"
I assured her that everything was okay and we both moved to our work stations. Ileya came and I didn't travel to Oyo, Kayode wanted to keep seeing my face and I didn't want another outburst. My daddy got very angry but I begged him and boo gave me some money to send with what I had and give them for Ileya things. My cousins, aunts and uncles all called, to the irritation of my boyfriend but I assured them that I would come home soon.
Kayode never hit my again and if it's possible to say we got along greater than before, I'll say so. He was considerate loving and totally valued and respected my opinions and wishes. I still had reservations about him hitting me and forcefully having his way with me but with his assurance and pleas, I let it go. He never got angry at anything and treated me like a princess. The only change was that I had to give a recount of my day when we talk over the phone every night. He never let me hang out with anyone other than him and I started hanging out with his friends even though they barely tolerated me; they avoided interacting with me at all cost and I could barely maintain eye or body contact with any of them. I complained to Kayode about it and he said it was a sign of respect and I should be happy they liked me.
His birthday was June 12th and we celebrated it in his apartment, just the 2 of us. I bought him his favorite perfume and a hand painted picture of us in a large wall frame. He loved it so much that he carried me up, spun me around and kissed me all over. By the end of June, Kayode got a job as the editor of a major magazine in Lagos. We were both very excited.
"With the bigger pay I'm getting from this job and the money I've saved from the last one I want to get a room and parlor self contain at Ikorodu and then we can start making preparations to move in together" he said one Friday night as we lay cuddled in his bed.
I raised my head from his chest. "Ha, don't you think it's too soon to take that step. You know I stay with my uncle and you know how much wahala he gives me over staying here on weekends lasan. Don't you think we should give it a little more time?"
"That's exactly my point, it's almost a year we've been together and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Besides, your uncle still treats you like a kid and I don't like that at all... He's not your father now " he said, drawing me closer.
" He's just looking out for me, after all he's the only family I have here in Lagos and my parents handed me over to him" I tried to make him reason with me again, secretly scared of his reaction.
"Well, it's not like we aren't going to get married anyways, kosi big deal. Come to think of it, you're 24 and you should be allowed to make your own decisions"
Kay kept trying to change my mind and we closed the conversation with me telling him I'd think about it even though his arguments were chipping away my willpower. My maternal grandfather's 5th year remembrance was coming up and it is usually a big family event. It was the first week of July and since it had been close to a year I went to Oyo, I called my parents I was coming home and they were ecstatic. Kayode didn't have any problems with me going but said he had to follow me home.
"What about your job?" I asked, worried about the sensibility of his plan to stab a job he had just gotten.
"I'll simply tell them it's a family emergency. Besides, I can always do it online and send it over to work, that's what emails are for. Meeting your parents is long overdue"
I agreed but told him he couldn't stay at my parent's house because of how strict my dad was and I was desperate to avoid any bad situations. He agreed to lodge in a hotel close to the house for the duration of our stay in oyo. We traveled to Oyo that Friday.
"Yes" I lied conveniently
"And you didn't break up with him lesekese"
"I love him, besides I'm sure it was a one time thing" I defended even though I was starting to doubt that myself
"Hmmm... No problem sha. If you say so" She said but when she noticed that I saw her doubtful look, she added quickly "Everyone have their ways of dealing with things. Like your uncle now, he can use silence to kill but it's not necessarily a bad thing sha. It could be his own way of taking control" she advised. I reasoned along with her and that gave me an odd peace of mind that all was going to be well.
Kayode apologized to me the next day, promising to never do it again. He was genuinely concerned and physically shrunk into himself everytime he glanced at my swollen lip and my inability you close my thighs without wincing. He bought me novagin at a road side pharmacy, cooked for me and massaged my back. He didn't stop apologizing and that evening, he took me to a slot outlet and got a new phone for me. I got to work on Monday and was pulled aside by Zainab, a coworker turned close friend who was absent at the wedding because of family emergencies but had apparently heard the gist. Ridwan didn't utter a word to me, not even a response to my meekly muttered 'good morning'.
"Babe how far now, I heard about what happened at the party. Please tell me he's not the cause of your swollen lip" she asked and eyed me with pity.
"Hahaha" I laughed, desperately trying to come up with the best lie I could tell her. "No o. Lailai. Do guys still beat ladies in this age? I left my phone in the sitting room and when nepa took light, I couldn't find the lamp and walked into the wall"
"Ehen... Eeyah. Because na something else me I hear o" she said
"Well, you know how people tend to overexaggerate"
I assured her that everything was okay and we both moved to our work stations. Ileya came and I didn't travel to Oyo, Kayode wanted to keep seeing my face and I didn't want another outburst. My daddy got very angry but I begged him and boo gave me some money to send with what I had and give them for Ileya things. My cousins, aunts and uncles all called, to the irritation of my boyfriend but I assured them that I would come home soon.
Kayode never hit my again and if it's possible to say we got along greater than before, I'll say so. He was considerate loving and totally valued and respected my opinions and wishes. I still had reservations about him hitting me and forcefully having his way with me but with his assurance and pleas, I let it go. He never got angry at anything and treated me like a princess. The only change was that I had to give a recount of my day when we talk over the phone every night. He never let me hang out with anyone other than him and I started hanging out with his friends even though they barely tolerated me; they avoided interacting with me at all cost and I could barely maintain eye or body contact with any of them. I complained to Kayode about it and he said it was a sign of respect and I should be happy they liked me.
His birthday was June 12th and we celebrated it in his apartment, just the 2 of us. I bought him his favorite perfume and a hand painted picture of us in a large wall frame. He loved it so much that he carried me up, spun me around and kissed me all over. By the end of June, Kayode got a job as the editor of a major magazine in Lagos. We were both very excited.
"With the bigger pay I'm getting from this job and the money I've saved from the last one I want to get a room and parlor self contain at Ikorodu and then we can start making preparations to move in together" he said one Friday night as we lay cuddled in his bed.
I raised my head from his chest. "Ha, don't you think it's too soon to take that step. You know I stay with my uncle and you know how much wahala he gives me over staying here on weekends lasan. Don't you think we should give it a little more time?"
"That's exactly my point, it's almost a year we've been together and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Besides, your uncle still treats you like a kid and I don't like that at all... He's not your father now " he said, drawing me closer.
" He's just looking out for me, after all he's the only family I have here in Lagos and my parents handed me over to him" I tried to make him reason with me again, secretly scared of his reaction.
"Well, it's not like we aren't going to get married anyways, kosi big deal. Come to think of it, you're 24 and you should be allowed to make your own decisions"
Kay kept trying to change my mind and we closed the conversation with me telling him I'd think about it even though his arguments were chipping away my willpower. My maternal grandfather's 5th year remembrance was coming up and it is usually a big family event. It was the first week of July and since it had been close to a year I went to Oyo, I called my parents I was coming home and they were ecstatic. Kayode didn't have any problems with me going but said he had to follow me home.
"What about your job?" I asked, worried about the sensibility of his plan to stab a job he had just gotten.
"I'll simply tell them it's a family emergency. Besides, I can always do it online and send it over to work, that's what emails are for. Meeting your parents is long overdue"
I agreed but told him he couldn't stay at my parent's house because of how strict my dad was and I was desperate to avoid any bad situations. He agreed to lodge in a hotel close to the house for the duration of our stay in oyo. We traveled to Oyo that Friday.
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