A Virgin's Ordeal

CHAPTER ONE

Mena strolled into the compound with a bag of sachet water in her right hand which her father had sent her to buy.

He never drank the water from the kitchen tap because he felt it was not good for his health.

She entered into the house and met her father sitting on one of the chairs in the parlour, she quickly walked past him and went straight to his room to drop the bag, as soon as she came out, he called her and she went to meet him.

"Daddy, you called me!"

"Where is my change?"

"Ehn?" She said confused as he stood up.

"What do you mean by ehn? Where is my change?" He said leaning towards her.

"But daddy, you gave me #100"

"And so.... You are supposed to bring back #10 right?"

"Daddy, the woman said its #100 she sells her own o" Mena said as he descended on her.

"You're mad and stupid! Very useless child?" He said as he pounded her like he was pounding yam, she began to yell and beg, but all to no avail, he quickly removed his belt and raised it to flog her.

Mena quickly raised her hand in defense and shut her eyes, she waited for the stinging pain to come but instead, no pain came, she slowly opened her eyes and saw her elder brother suspending their father's hand up in the air.

"Efe! How dare you?" He turned to look at Efe who had thrown the belt on the chair close to him.

"Why won't I? Tell me, you keep beating this girl everytime, See... If you don't stop this, I will just have to best you myself okay?" He said as he walked up to Mena who was still crying and already bleeding from her lower lip, he stretched his hand to her.

"Come!" He said as she quickly obliged and held his hand.

"Have you eaten since morning?" He asked her.

"No" She replied still sobbing.

"Why?" He asked her as she raised her face to look at her father who was looking back at her with great anger, she looked away almost immediately.

"Daddy said mummy should not give me food" She said more of a whisper. Efe was shocked as he starred at his father.

"You're not a father but a beast!" He said as he walked out of the parlour into the room pulling Mena along.

Mr Umukoro only stood there shocked at his son's boldness, though Efe was just 22 but he was already having a muscular body like that of a wrestler and this made his father to be scared of him, that was why he couldn't say anything even when Efe had called him a beast, he made to sit but he just couldn't, he was so angry that he stormed into his room and shut the door.

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It was another Sunday and the family of umukoro were already dressed for church.

They were about to enter into their new car when Mr Umukoro Drew their attention with the slap he gave to Mena.

"You useless child! Where do you think you're going to? Ooh... You want to spread your bad luck around the car abi?".

"But daddy, I did not do anything o" Mena said amidst tears.

"Are you mad? Infact, if you say more words, I'll slice your neck into two" He said as he entered into the car.

The whole family inside the car chatting and laughing but just two people were left out of the laughter, Mrs Umukoro and Efe.

Mrs Umukoro felt pity for Mena but she just couldn't say anything, for the feast of being beaten and thrown out of the house by her husband.

Efe on his part quickly wanted to alight from the car.

"Efe, where are you going? Did you forget something?" Mr Umukoro asked.

"Yes! We all forgot something here?" Efe replied.

"We?"

"Yes Dad! Mena is part of the family Dad" He said as a grin showed on his face.

"And so?"

"She should be in the car with us Dad!" Efe said angrily.

"Efe, She's a girl"

"She's a girl doesn't mean she's a slave Dad, if you don't like females, then why did you marry Mom then?" Efe asked as he hit the front seat where his mother was sitting and she jerked.

"Efe! Such arrogant!" His father shouted.

"I don't care Dad! Of Mena isn't going with us in the car, then am going with her! But!" He finally said as he alighted and walked towards Mena.

"Efe, will you come back here, I said come back here now" All honking of the car horn and shouting fell on deaf ears as the both of them walked away.

"I must deal with that girl, let's come back first!" Mr Umukoro said as he drove past them and almost splash water on them.

"Brother Efe, why does daddy hate me so much?" Mena asked

"I don't know but according to him, he doesn't like females"

"Really? Why wouldn't he? Is Grandma not a female or is she a man? She gave birth to him and he hates someone like her? Those are just excuses... He's just being selfish!" She said as she hissed.

"Nice words.... Wish you can say them to him"

"Ah! No o... You just want to get me killed!" She said as they both busy out laughing.

CHAPTER TWO

"Mena!" Mr Umukoro shouted as there was no answer.

"Mena" He called again as he walked into her room and met her sleeping.

"Are you mad?" He said as he kicked her chest.

"Will you get up you animal!" He said as she stood up frightened and coughing seriously.

"You must be mad and stupid, I've been calling you and you're here busy sleeping abi?" He said as he slapped her.

"Infact, Get out of my house now!" He thundered as he pushed her and kicked her from behind. "I'm tired of seeing you, I'm tired of keeping a dirty thing like you in my house, Just get out!"

When he finally pushed her out of the room, her eyes met with her mother's.

She stared at her for a while and then turns away...

Her mother wasn't at fault after all. She couldn't say anything because she loves her family, she was only trying to save her head.

She could see the tears in her eyes as well as hers.

Brother Efe wasn't around, he had gone to Lagos to stay with their Father's brother to learn a trade.

She saw nothing else to do than to be her father.

"Daddy, please I'm sorry, I won't do it again I swear!" She pleaded but all her pleas fell on deaf ears as he pushed her outside the house and kicked her, she fell down with her face down.

She turned to look at her father once more and she went bitterly and quietly. He, on the other hand, entered into the house and locked the door.

She wept for sometime and got up, she started into the dark.

She thought about her family and how she was going to survive without a family of her own and this made her weep more, she wished she had not been born, she knew this was the end of the world for her.

Crying won't solve the problem, she thought as she wiped her tears.

"God!" She whispered as she walked through the dark that night without seeing a single soul.

Where was she going to go from there? She became confused.

She got too an uncompleted building and stood in front of it, she was just starting at it without a thought.

"Should I sleep here? Or just keep on walking till morning?" She said as she turned. "I can't sleep here, it's better I continue walking" She said as she heard noises coming from the other side of the road and she could see the source of the noise were a group of boys carrying Cutlass and others were holding guns also, so she quickly ran inside the building and took refuge there, she could the sounds of their feet as they passed by.

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It was about 12:30am when everything in the vicinity became creepy.

Mena was sound asleep in her place of rest when she felt someone standing astride over her.

She tried to jump but she was pushed down. She opened her eyes and saw that a man was astride over her with his pants pulled down halfway and his male organ was erectile. She noticed he had removed her underwear without her knowing. She tried to scream but he showed her a pen knife and she became scared.

He lay on her and raped her! She felt excruciating pain but could only groan because of the fear that her throat might be sliced with the knife her held over her neck.

When he had had his full, he pulled out of her and was looking rather happy, he climbed down from her and pulled back his pants on, he leaned towards her.

"You're so sweet dear!" His voice looked deep and scary, he laughed and quickly peeked out of the building.

Mena on her part lay still, unable to figure out the action that was carried out on her. She cried till her eyes were bereft of tears, she could do nothing but cry.

This had never happened to her before, and she wouldn't believe it if someone had told her it would.

But here she is! Raped by someone she didn't know.

What would happen to her now? What was she going to do now that she has no where to go? Should she report the case to the police? How will they figure out the person who had done it? These were the maddening thoughts that buzzed her mind while she continued to stare at the darkness. She didn't know what to do as she kept crying and mumbling questions to herself and suddenly, something strucked her mind.

"What if I get pregnant?" She thought for a while and referred back to her mother saying a woman gets pregnant when only when she had started her monthly flow, she wanted to cry but she just couldn't. She had started seeing hers already and a man just had a carnal knowledge of her.

"Oh my God! Don't let this happen" She said as she shut her eyes.

The following morning, Mena woke up to the sound of a cat meowing at the other side of the building, she quietly sneaked out of the building.

She had not walked for long when she saw a shop with a sign past which reads: SALES GIRL NEEDED.

She stared at the mirror-like glass that was placed at the front of the shop.

She could see a young girl of sixteen looking tattered and pale. She could notice changes in her body. Sure was loosing weight gradually, why won't it be? She hadn't eaten for the past two nights. She was really devastated.

Gradually, she peered at her body in the mirror and she spotted changes she had taken for granted. Her face was now oval-shaped and darker.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked herself.

For a moment, she saw madness stare at her! Her thinking tumbled and she became upturned.

She remembered last night, The rape incident and she felt like fainting at that moment, she only shed tears and walked on.

She got to a shop where a woman was busy selling food, she could see that people flooded her shop to buy food but there was no one to help her out.

'She could help the woman and she would give her some money' She thought as she approached her.

"Aunty, please, can I talk to you?" She said as the woman didn't respond.

"What's it ehn?" The woman shouted as everybody's attention was drawn to her.

"Please.... I..."

"There's no free food today, just go!" The woman shouted again as she continued selling her food.

"No... Is not what you think ma...." Mena tried to tell her that she was not one of those beggars that came there for beg food but to help her.

"I came for...." Mena said as the woman pushed her to the ground, she almost hit her head against a stone that was close to her.

Everyone's gaze were now fixed on her, she also watched them watch her, she was so ashamed that she let the tears that had gathered in her eyes to flow down her cheeks. She hated disgrace so much! She wished she had hit her head against the stone and had died earlier.

"It would had been better" She thought as she quickly as she stood up and walked away even as people were still staring at her, even when she turned, she could still see their eyes burning through her back.

Her tears continued to flow as she wiped them and entered into a shade at a corner and sat there.

"God! I'm very hungry?" She yawned heavily as tears dropped from her eyes.

She laid down on the on the cardboard and few pieces of cloth that was there in the floor, she just stared at the people walking by and she knew they would think she was mad but she didn't care either.

She was only tired and hungry.

She yawned again.

CHAPTER THREE

"Hey you!" A voice jerked Mena into reality, she quickly rubbed the sleep off her eyes to be sure if she was seeing well because it was dark already, had she fallen asleep earlier? "Na wetin you dey do for here?" The voice asked again as she stood up and jolted back when she saw the look on the man's face, she wanted to run but the man grabbed her.

"You go tell me wetin you dey do for our chamber" He said again as he held her so tight that she could hardly breathe.

"Please... Don't hurt me!" She pleaded with him.

"Hey!" The man whistled as he was calling someone else "Acid! Make ona come o, I don catch one fish o!" He said as two other guys walked towards them.

"Only! Afa na, na wetin we dey wait for? Make we chop am quick quick because day go soon break o" Acid said as he began to lose his belt

"Please, you guys should let me go" Mena cried again but all her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Shut up jare, na we send you come here?" Acid said as he held her waist and made her lay down, he removed her panties, he also pulled his trousers, she pleaded with him but he didn't even listen to her.

He quickly spread her legs and thrust his manhood roughly into her.

As if he were playing a game, he would raise himself up as high as he could and crash down on her.

He continued his up and down thrust until the other guy pulled him off her to have his turn while the other one waited patiently to get to his turn.

He too had his game in no time, the other one also came in heard at her too.

And in no time, they were through, they quickly pulled back their trousers on as they walked away, laughing.

Sixteen years old Mena was torn to pieces, she was left with trails of blood and bruises, she could feel pain all over but she couldn't do anything, she couldn't scream even, who would want to listen to her? She just cried silently.

At about 4:30am, she could feel blood oozing from her privates, she had bleed so much that there pants between her laps had become so saturated and could no longer absorb the blood that was oozing out of her.

She staggered to stand but crashed back onto the ground, she tried to stand up again but felt her head spinning, and then she missed her steps and feel down to the ground and slumped immediately.

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Someone tapped Mena from behind as she opened her eyes and closed them again, she could feel the person sprinkling water on her face, she opened her eyes.

Dazed, she sat still moped at the crowd that had gathered around her.

"What happened to hey?" Somebody from the crowd asked.

" I think she was raped, she's bleeding from her privates, poor girl!" The woman who was now holding her replied.

She made Mena stand up on her feet

"I will take her to the hospital" The woman said as she called to her daughter who opened the backseat of the car for and she quickly pushed Mena inside and speedily drove off top the hospital.

When they got there, the woman quickly ran inside to call a nurse who in turn gathered some other nurses and they all ran out to carry Mena inside and when they had done so, the doctor ordered them to take her into the ward and they did.

"What happened to her?" The doctor asked.

"She was raped sir!" The woman responded.

"Raped?" The doctor exclaimed.

"Yes, Doctor!" She replied

"Don't worry madam, we will take care of your daughter, we will do every possible thing to make sure she survives this" The doctor assured her as she prayed silently.

The doctor had just called Mena her daughter, she wondered why but she didn't care anyway, she was only bent on helping this young girl survive this trauma.

"Mum!" Hey daughter called.

"Yes dear"

"Will the girl be okay?"

"Yes, she will! She will be perfectly fine okay?" She assured her daughter and she nodded.

She turned to see the doctor walking towards her baffled and kind of stressed. She stared at him for a while, her heart beat missed a bit.

She just wished Mena was okay!

Mena was held by a nurse as she walked towards them behind the doctor.

"Hello doctor!" She greeted as he didn't even look her way, she could see the horrible look in his face.

"Doctor, anything the problem?" She asked as she looked at Mena who was looking fine and healthy but what would make the doctor look sad? She thought.

"Madam, let's go to my office" He said as they all went with him to his office.

When they got there, he ordered them to sit down and they did except for Mrs Ochuko who was baffled about the whole thing.

"Um...." The doctor cleared his throat as he began "Madam, I'm sorry to say but Mena here is..."

The look on the doctor's face and the tone in which he spoke drove Mena into a devastated mood.

"Doctor... What do you mean?" Mrs Ochuko asked as Mena nodded affirmatively.

"Madam... She is..." The doctor found it difficult to speak.

"She's what?" Mrs Ochuko exclaimed as she looked scared and frightened.

"You have to calm down, Madam"

"What do you mean by that, this girl was raped by unknown men and you are here saying I should calm down?" She questioned him aggressively.

"She's PREGNANT!" The words sounded like a bombshell in Mena's ears, she laughed.

"What? She's PREGNANT!" Mrs Ochuko asked as she walked up to Mena.

"Ma! I can't be PREGNANT, ask him again, he's probably joking and I know that" She laughed again, she just couldn't find it serious, it was so hard for her to believe it.

"Mena" Mrs Ochuko called "You're indeed PREGNANT!" She said showing her the results, Mena stared at the results with eyes as red as blood and with her mouth dropped open.

"No! This can't be true, I can't be PREGNANT! No...." She screamed as she stumbled to the floor.

"Mena.. it's okay!" Mrs Ochuko said to her.

"No.... This is not true!" She cried as hot tears rushed down her eyes.

"Mena! Stop! You will hurt yourself and the baby" Mrs Ochuko said as Mena stopped to look at her for a while.

"Did you say baby? Huh? Baby?" She laughed again "I don't care at all, I just want to die, I'm tired okay? I don't wanna live anymore, the world is unfair to me even my own parents are part of the deal, I wanna die!" She shouted as she got up and tried to run out of the office but she was caught back by the nurses who were consoling her.

" Leave me alone, let me die! There's nothing left to do again, just let me go!"

"Mena! Look at me, don't worry, everything will be fine very soon" Mrs Ochuko assured her.

"Really? Hmm.." she laughed out loud.

"Do you know what it means for a young and innocent girl to be raped and then, get pregnant for a criminal? Someone who I don't even know" She cried as she only knelt down with her face down.

"This is so painful... I'm now carrying the child of a rapist, God why?" She cried.

"Mena..." Mrs Ochuko tried to say something but she interrupted her.

"I'M DOOMED!" She screamed "GOD! WHERE ARE YOU?" She said silently as she knelt down there without saying a word.

CHAPTER FOUR

Mena sat down dazed and not knowing what to do, she began to cry...

"Why is life so unfair to me? Is there no any other punishment to be given to me other than being raped and being pregnant for a rapist?" She cried loudly as Mrs Ochuko saw her from the kitchen weeping and walked up to her.

"Mena.. Stop hurting yourself and your child, you will end up destroying yourself, just calm down okay?" Mrs Ochuko said calmly.

" Ma!" Mena called "I'm Still Young, what will people say if I'm seen with a heavy belly?"

"Mena! They will know its not your fault that you are pregnant, you didn't get yourself pregnant!" Mrs Ochuko adviced.

"But ma..." Mena wanted to say something but was interrupted by Mrs Ochuko.

"Shhh... All will be fine!" She assured her and she nodded.

"Be happy okay? Everything will be fine, absolutely fine" Mena nodded affirmatively.

"OK ma!"

"Then, smile for me Dear" She Smiled as Mena still looked pale. "Come on dear..'"

She urge her and she indeed smile back at her.

"Good girl! Now, I'll hurry up and get you a cup of tea so you could relax and after that you join us for dinner okay?"

"Yes ma" she said amidst smiles, Mrs Ochuko touched her face slightly and walked into the kitchen.

"I only hope these words of he's come to pass and I'll be so happy" Mena said to herself as she smiled again.

Sarah, Mrs Ochuko's daughter walked in, she's younger than Mena with three years.

"Mena, how are you doing and our baby?" Mena was startled by the question but anyways, she answered.

"We're both dong fine and you?"

"I'm fine oooo" She yawned. "Mummy is preparing jollof rice and chicken, hope you'll join us for dinner?"

"Of course I'll"

"That's good of you, that's my baby sister's mom talking" she said add they all burst out laughing including Mrs Ochuko who had been listening in the kitchen.

"How do you know its a baby girl?" Mrs Ochuko asked.

"Mummy, to know the sex of the baby,watch out for season 2!" She sang as she ran into the room and this sent her mother and Mena into a wild laughter.

"Sarah... Go to Mena's room and tell her to join us immediately for dinner okay?"

"Yes Mom!" Sarah answered as she walked away from the dining room into Mena's room.

What she saw left her paralyzed for a minute and then, she quickly regained her consciousness.

"Oh no! Mummy....." She screamed as Mrs Ochuko ran into the room and behold...

What she also saw left her amazed and in a confusing State..

Mena was lying down there in a pool of her own blood.

She fell down in her knees staring at her.

With tears flowing from her eyes, she held Mena's hands and cried sorrowfully.

"Mena! What have you done to yourself?" She asked angrily even though she got no answer, she still continued. "I told you everything will be fine but instead you did not listen to me, you went ahead and you...." She paused. "You..." She didn't know what to say until Sarah handed her a small bottle that was placed closed to Mena

"She took an abortion pill mom" Sarah said as Mrs Ochuko took the bottle from her hand.

She stared at it for a while and smashed it on the floor as the broken pieces scattered all over the floor.

"Death!!! Why are you wicked that you easily snatch away the life of the innocent?

Life!!! Why are you so partial in allowing evil happen alone to those who are homeless and let privileged?

Men!!! Why are you so heartless to have sex with young girls and torture them severely just to satisfy the huge hunger for sex in you? Why do you allow the devil to use you to destroy the life of those girls that are innocent? Why are the ones that do not want to be molested molested? Why are the ones who are protecting themselves from rape raped? This is really bad and evil! God!" Mrs Ochuko cried more and more.

Sarah was not left out, she also cried tiredlessly.

"Mom! This should stop! This illegal insanity that men call an act of sanity and enjoyment must stop! Mom, I won't let this go on... I want to fight for the justice of Sister Mena, though she's Dead, I know she will be very happy to see that she had been justified" Sarah shouted as her mother held her face...

"Then, fight my child! Don't let this happen to anyone including you my daughter, rise up and fight!" She encouraged her daughter.

"I promise Mom" Turning to Mena, she said "Mena, Don't worry, I swear not to rest until I get vengeance and justice on your behalf" She said as she looked at her mother.

"Let's take her to the hospital where she will be kept in the mortuary"

"Let's go!" They both carried her and took her to the hospital where her body was kept in the mortuary.

As they both came out of the hospital, Sarah stood at the entrance still crying.

"SO....THIS IS HOW IT ENDED"

"SISTER MENA DIED JUST LIKE THAT"

"My daughter, is okay" Her mother touched her from behind.

"Mom, apart from getting justice for sister Mena, I think writing her story as a novel will help too"

"I think so too".

"Yes Mom.... A VIRGIN'S ORDEAL " She said as they both walked away.

CHAPTER FIVE

FIVE YEARS LATER

"It's been what... Two-three years?" He asked, his eyes fixed on her chest.

"Five years, seven months and six weeks, not that I've been counting" She retorted "And the memories haven't changed a bit"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Frank, I just can't get the memories of what happened then off my head"

"Sarah, you have to try"

"You're not getting it, this girl was raped brutally and... I now have a chance of standing up for her"

"Why?"

"She made my dream come true, more than I expected, I mean, remembering the events and the body... with the blood.."

"Sarah.." he held her on the shoulder standing up. "You need to rest, come!"

He took her by the hand and led her to her room.

She sat on the bed and stared at him.

"Yeah, I'll be going home now, I'll pick you up on my way to work tomorrow morning"

"I didn't say I'm ill and can't drive?"

"Sarah.."

"Hmm... Fine, goodnight" she lay down and covered herself with a blanket.

He watched her for a while and walked out of the room.

She said a little prayer and slept off.

Around 12:30am, her phone rang.

She stretched on the bed for some seconds before picking up the phone.

"Hello!" The voice came.

"Who's this, please?"

"It's Mena..." She threw the phone down immediately scared to death, she was panting that she couldn't breath well.

She felt a presence in her room and felt like strangling herself, she looked around and ran to the door, she tried to open it but it was locked. But she hadn't locked it earlier, what then is going on?

She heard a sound behind her and she turned.

Then, like a rushing wind, something hit her head and she fell down to the floor bleeding profusely, her eyes became blank instantly, she cried out in pain as she slowly fainted.

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Around 7am, Frank opened the door only to find Sarah on the ground.

"Jesus!" He exclaimed "Sarah?" He called to her but there was no answer.

He bent down to turn her but found out that there was blood on her head.

"Shit!" He quickly picked her from the ground and carried her down the stairs and outside the compound, he quickly opened his car and placed her in the back sit.

"Hey, Musa! Open the gate, quick!" He said, Musa ran out and quickly opened the gate as he entered the car and sped off immediately.

"Wetin happen to madam?" Musa whispered to himself as he entered his small house.

AT THE HOSPITAL

Frank was seen pacing around the waiting room, other people who were also sitting there watched him.

"Oga, sit down na, nor be only your person dey here o" A man said arrogantly.

"Then if it pains you this much, kindly stand up and walk along with me" he replied angrily as everyone stared at him in awe "What rubbish! Is this your house that you have to tell me what to do? You better be careful, okay?" He stopped talking when he saw the doctor and ran towards him.

"Hey, doctor! What's the problem?"

"No problem, Sir, she's perfectly fine!"

"Are you serious?" He rushed towards the door "Can I see her now?"

"Sure? Ward 12"

"Ok Sir, thank you so much" He goes back to shake his hand and hurries off again.

CHAPTER SIX DROPPING SOON!!!