Repercussions.
There were repercussions to every deed deemed wrong.
" What was a boy doing in my house you stupid child. Tell me now, or your head is gone! " Nia thundered, smacking Oma's head on the wall.
" Mummy I'm sorry. He's just a classmate. Mummy please. My head. . ! "
She was crying like a baby. Her head hurt from being repeatedly jammed into the wall, and her skin tingled and numbed from the fading effect of pepper on it. During times like this, Nia resulted to one of her unique disciplinary measures.
Pepper. Freshly ground pepper.
" So you thought I'll never find out. You don't know you have gateman. You don't know I have people watching your every move. I wish I listened to myself and fixed a camera in your room. Let me know the rubbish you were doing there. What did I do wrong to deserve a satan child like you.! Ekwensu!" She continued her discipline.
The last time she'd ever gotten this physical with her had been years ago, before her first and only friend died. They'd been caught touching each other in the school toilet and had been reported to their parents by the school. That'd been a long time ago, but she still had scars to show for it.
" Mummy I'm sorry. We didn't do anything I swear. Mummy Please don't kill me. I'll never bring him to this house again. Mummy please. Mummy ! "
She cried out, knowing her pleas were as useless as a president in Nigeria. She couldn't fight back. Her mother was as big as three big people fused together and each slap from her was like a thunderstorm.
" I thought I'd gotten rid of this Mami water spirit in you kemgbe. Now, because you've seen breast and nyash, your body is now sweeting you. Don't worry. I'll unsweeten it for you. After today, when you see any boy, you'll run away. Ewu. "
If her mother knew all that had happened between them, she would surely use a knife to slit her throat.
" From now onwards, you're not leaving this house. I'm seizing that your tiny phone. Since you can use it to invite a stranger to my house. Even to church. You'll stop going. Since church is not changing you, me and this house will change you. I'm changing that stupid gateman, since he can allow a boy into my house. If you mess up in school, I'll know. As long as you are still my daughter, you're not going to be loose. " She finally stopped beating her, and gave her a kick on the stomach.
" Now, go to your room, you stupid child. "
* * *
" Oh my God. I can't believe this. That woman is a monster. How can she do that to her own daughter! And I can't believe you didn't tell me this earlier on."
Dan was furious. He observed her wounds and looked like he was ready to kill her mother. She had never wanted to tell him, but after his and his friends' concerns over the marks on her body, she'd finally given in.
She'd had similar wounds and bruises from beatings in the past, but they hardly showed. Her black skin concealed it. But these ones were new and conspicuous. Her skin was open from the bad stitches she'd gotten. He sat her on his laps, cursing the whole time. There was nothing he could do anyway. They were both in school.
" Wow. Does this happen all the time?" Emeka, one of his friends asked her while observing her body as well. He was the tallest and darkest. He was the most reserved and his fluid movements and mannerisms made him seem gay. There were even rumors, but they stopped as soon as they spread. He had a different girl on his lap each week. He was obviously into girls, as much as they were into him.
" Not all the time, just sometimes." She muttered silently. She wasn't so comfortable around his friends.
" God, you must really be suffering. I feel so bad for you. Why didn't you tell your boyfriend. We would have dealt with this you know. "
Dave said, scanning her wounds, his expression did nothing to conceal how angry he was at her mother and how concerned he was for her. It was no wonder girls always fell for him. He was the most handsome in every way masculine; broad shouldered, muscular, deep voice and a full beard. The school had eventually given up on getting him cleanshaven as per the school rules. It was like it grew everyday. Coupled with all of that, he had a way of making people feel special. As he fussed over her arm, her uninjured skin sizzled.
" It's little wonder you act like a dumb person sometimes. You have issues at home. " It was the third of Dan's friends, Aguiyi. The blunt one. She hated him. Only masochistic girls would surely crave him, and judging from the amount of girls he always had flocking around him, there were clearly a lot of girls who enjoyed being treated like crap by boys in her school.
They all stopped to glare at him, not really surprised at his statement. It was his normal style. He raised his hands in surrender.
" Hey. . I thought we were saying our minds here. Besides, you all know what I said it's true. It's just because of big bobby, you guys overlook her mumu behaviour. Well I don't. Sorry I don't have anything positive to add here."
He said, and with a nonchalant wave of his hand, he was gone.
" Don't mind that boy. He's just jealous because Dan found you first. We all are" It was Dave who spoke. With a sweet smile on his face. She felt a blush covering her cheeks. He was so good. She was lucky she was black. Her face couldn't colour.
Dan was there for her. He made light of her troubles. She longed to be in school, more than her home. She longed to be with him. She was so glad her mother hadn't put her in a day school. Since she could no longer have a good relationship with her mother, she would have the perfect relationship with Dan.
* * *