BEAUTY AND ASHES PART 2

There wasn’t always pain. She remembers those cool nights, when the only source of light was the twinkling of the moon in the sky and the fire brimming from the firewood underneath her mother’s cooking pot. Her twin sister, Nkiru would play hostess, whilst she would laugh at her imitations of mama and papa. They were a small family, in a little town in the Plateau’s of Jos and at 8years old they were all she needed. But that was such a long time ago. She is 22 now. She is now a graduate and what’s left of her family now lives in Anambra state their home town. What’s left of her family but her aging mother.

Aunty Jumoke swings her hand at her again, but Nneka reaches out her hands and traps aunty Jumoke’s slap mid-air. “What! You have now become a Madam now? Okay, slap me!” aunty Jumoke motions her face towards Nneka as if expecting an affirming slap on her face. Nneka stands muted but with a new resolve, she would not let anybody make her a victim any more. She was sick and tired of being every body’s door mat…to hell with manners!

That night, she walked out of aunty Jumoke’s household wearing an over-sized blouse and skirt with N20 that her only friend “Chioma” gave her as her only possession. For the next two nights she slept on the threshold of the Amazing Grace Tabernacle at Ikeja and as early as 4:30am left the church premises to avoid suspicion. However by the fifth night after having nothing to eat for three days, the hunger that ran through her brain was numbing and she couldn’t move. So when Tayo opened the church that morning he thinking she was dead, panicked. With the help of the neighbours he was able to revive her and give her something to eat.

Looking at her, she could have been like one of those beautiful women embalmed in Mary Kay all over Lagos but here she was sprawled on the floor beside him with no name to her beautiful face. He quickly shook away the thought, “this is no time to be fantasying”. Tayo quickly alerted the Pastor and upon instructions created room for her to stay in the church premises.

Every day, Tayo observed her; it wasn’t too hard since his room faced hers, barely a few feet apart. She was beautiful and maybe he could become her friend, but how? She has been here for 2weeks but hadn’t spoken a single word…not even to Pastor. Her door is ajar, he sums up the courage to go talk to her, but as he stretches his hand to knock on her door he catches a glimpse of her back-side: she is dressing. “Don’t look” the temptation wells up within his bowels and he is aroused, he didn’t think but stares just a bit longer then slapping himself again he rushes off into his room ashamed of what he had seen.

It’s been a month now since she arrived at the church. Nneka stares at the door as Tayo comes in with a smile on his face “what does he want?” “Hello” he offers but her face remains bland. Tayo is shaking *Ah, I can’t take it anymore, let me even try* he thinks to himself, “I am greeting you now!” he’s eyes rove down her body, which is scarcely covered by the cloth, partly revealing her breasts and legs. “I, I, I like you a lot and…”, but before the words could finish leaving his mouth she turns her face to the wall, “Mshwew, and you call yourself a man!” The words pierce his heart, and a frown slowly etches across his face, “I will show you I am a man!” He grabs her hands and swirls her, facing him. “Today you will learn to be grateful; nobody is here to save you!”

*He doesn’t know who he is dealing with, I will never be a VICTIM!*, the thoughts play in her head. “NO”, she roars in rage as she plunges the table knife into Tayo’s belly as he leans over her. The blood first trickles then pours like a tap let loose.

Pushing him over, she runs into Tayo’s room; searching frantically through his things. She successfully uncovers it-a wooden box (she had seen him with his knowledge put some money in it). She breaks it open with the cutlass beside the door and a wad of N1000 notes unfold from within. She stuffs the money into the pocket of the shorts that she wore underneath her wrapper and scurries out of his room.

“Yay, what is this Nneka, what have you done!” The woman stares at Nneka’s blood-stained wrapper as she heads out of Tayo’s room. Nneka quickly rushes inside her own room and wears a man shirt tying its end, and slips on a pair of jeggings over the shorts then runs past the woman and out of the church.

“Tonight is the beginning of the end of poverty, I will make money and have power!” she mumbles underneath her breath.



TO BE CONTINUED


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