Joy was happy to be with Teni, her mother barely knew anything about her or had the time to find out. She was always busy with work and often came home late, apparently she had changed her job because her previous one didn’t take up as much of her time as it did now. Teni was gradually getting used to the change in environment because she was there with her, although there were times she’d call out desperately for her Dad, Helen and Ada. Everyday when she picked her up from the crèche, she secretly wished that Ada would come to take them home and everything would be back to the way it used to be. She wondered how Kunle was faring without them, were Helen and Ada missing them as much as she hoped they were? Most of all she wondered if they would go back and when.
Banke had changed her school and she didn’t like it. She found the place to be more disorganized than her previous one; the teachers were sketchy with their tutelage, preferring to sell them study items and the students were a rowdy lot. She was yet to make any friends or have a favourite teacher, she went to school, paid attention in class, did what she was told to do and went home as soon as the day was over. Banke’s home on the island was a block of apartments where everybody kept to themselves so there was little room to build any friendship with other maids. She was lonely except for Teni’s company and didn’t have extra cash to call Kunle, Ada, or Helen- Banke made sure of that. Apart from her transportation fare she had no money. With Kunle she had had more cash, he always left something for her to buy anything that was necessary while he was gone.
She shifted in her bed as she wondered yet again when Banke would come home. It was ten-thirty and she wasn’t back yet. Why did she bring them here when she knew she would barely be around? She was sure that she was out with her boyfriend again. She’d met him and she didn’t like him, what kind of man would allow a mother stay out that late knowing she had a child at home? Sometimes she wondered what had happened to her boss, she was different from the person she used to know. The front door opened and she heard Banke laugh.
“You’re still awake?” Banke said as soon as she saw her.
“Yes ma. Welcome ma, welcome sir.” She said to George who had come in behind her.
“Why are you still awake? Is Teni alright?”
“Yes she is ma. I was studying for a test.”
“Okay, what did Teni eat?”
“Noodles and egg.”
“Okay. And what about you?”
“Noodles.”
“Okay, go to bed.”
“Yes ma, goodnight ma, goodnight sir.”
Banke nodded and George raised a hand in acknowledgement. He was unbuttoning his shirt and had kicked off his shoes. Was he spending the night? She hoped not.
**********
Ronke dumped her nightgown in the laundry basket and sighed. She really hoped that the baby would feel better by tomorrow morning or she would have to take her to the hospital. She dragged herself towards the bedroom eager to get on her bed and close her eyes when Ayodele stepped out of the boys’ room and stared straight at her as if he’d been waiting for her.
“Ayo? Why are you awake?”
“I want to talk to you ma.”
Ronke was going to ask him to postpone whatever he had to say till the morning considering how tired she was, but remembered the prophecy Sister Funso had told her about. “What is it?”
“It’s…it’s… about Peace.”
The sleep cleared from Ronke’s eyes. “Peace? What about her?”
“I know who… how…she got pregnant.”
“Come here.” Ronke beckoned to him as she walked briskly to the sitting room. As soon as she was seated she blurted. “Tell me everything!”
Ayodele clasped his hands behind his back and prayed. “It was Brother Tunji.”
“Brother Tunji? Who is that?”
“Our barber, Daddy’s barber.”
“You mean that man who owns a shop outside the estate where you all cut your hair?”
“Yes ma.” Ronke was baffled, how could he have known Peace? “He taught me everything. He always encouraged me whenever Daddy and I had a fight… and then later he said he would teach me how to be a man.”
“Teach you how to be a man?”
“Yes… he taught me about sex… I told him what Peace did and he said he would teach me how to be a man.”
“What Peace did? What did she do?”
Ayodele told her of how she had opened her legs wide enough for him to see the colour of her panties shortly after she had come into their home and how Brother Tunji had told him that she was testing his manhood. He had taught him how to flirt with her and eventually sleep with her and had asked for a progress report whenever they saw.
“I didn’t know that he would do such a thing when I told him that we had sex… I swear I didn’t know that he would rape her… it’s all my fault…” He broke down crying.
Ronke put her head in her hands and started to cry too. This is what their cowardice as parents had cost them, they had spent the last few months blaming the boy for something that they had inadvertently caused. She remembered that he had tried to talk to her and she refused to listen. Would he ever forgive them?
“Ayodele I’m so sorry.” She said with tears on her face.
“Mummy I’m sorry too… I shouldn’t have listened to him, I should have told you what happened that night.”
Mother and son hugged each other and cried some more, bonding like never before in the strangest of circumstances.
“We have to tell your father.”
“Mummy please! No! Daddy will only get angry with me.”
“Leave your father to me, he must hear this one.”
**********
A rumble in her stomach woke her up and she dashed to the toilet. Eventually she was done and came out panting, it had to be the beans and rice she had had at school yesterday. Joy lay on the bed holding her stomach until she felt better then decided to drink some water, she was suddenly thirsty.
She tiptoed in the passageway afraid to wake Banke, some days ago she had complained that she shuffled her feet when she walked and snapped at her to walk like a lady. She turned the corner and opened the door to the kitchen. The light stunned her eyes but not as much as the sight of George clad only in his briefs, strolling around the kitchen with a beer in one hand and a phone in the other. She quickly turned to run out of the kitchen but he had seen her.
“I gotta go, let me call you back.” He said to the person on the other end. “Come here!” he said quietly but sternly. “What are you doing here?”
“I c…c…came to drink water sir!” she replied awkwardly, curtseying and keeping her head down.
“You came to drink water? Are you a baby that drinks water at odd hours of the night?”
“I’m sorry sir!” she curtseyed again.
“I‘ve always known that there’s something fishy about you.” He said walking slowly towards her as Joy took a few steps back. “Where are you running to? You maids are very devious, I know you came here to look for me, well here I am!” he said with a slur, disoriented by alcohol.
“I’m sorry sir, I came to drink water.” She said and backed away.
Suddenly George lunged at her, grabbed her by the waist and kissed her roughly. She hit against his chest, her screams muffled by his mouth. She bit his lips and he pulled back, she broke free from him and ran out of the kitchen.
**********
Joy didn’t stop running until she got to her room and closed the door behind her. She slumped to the ground and began to cry, feeling violated, hurt and shocked at the turn in events. She had to go back to Kunle but she had no money to call him and she didn’t want to leave Teni here in this horrid place. She had lived alone with Kunle for months and he had never done a thing like this.
“God help me! Please help me!”
Wow! Banke needs sense
ReplyDelete