Chapter 2 It didn't end there

SADE

Too bad for me, my mother loved her husband so much, I knew she would never have believed me if I told her that her so-called husband was sleeping with his twelve years old step daughter. I never really liked the man, which was why I never acknowledged calling him daddy; no matter how many times my mum would scold me. Ever since my brother passed away, mom's relationship with me got even worse. It was bad before, not this bad.

"Sade! Sade!"

"Yes mom." I answered.

"Have you prepared the food for your dad? You know by tomorrow I'd be travelling and you'll have to be the one doing all the cooking and taking care of my husband."

"Yes mom." I replied, staring at the floor. I don't remember the last time I looked her in the eyes.

"If you like, seduce my husband with all these clothes you're wearing you hear?"

What was wrong with the clothes I was wearing? I thought. Mom became abusive towards me and somehow over protective of her rapist husband as if I was a competition in her own home. Every time I came home late from school because of our extra lessons she would shout and yell that I was meeting with my boyfriends and male teachers.

She was always in my ears nagging two-four-seven. I remember Toju was my only protector. He would have defended me by telling mom to 'listen to herself', but I was not like him. I was quiet, slow, and reserved. Maybe that was why she didn't trust me. I was exactly like dad.

Coming back to reality I remembered I was still in the room, I looked at the wall clock.

"Twelve," I reached for my phone, "maybe she'll soon call." So I dropped my phone closer to me.

"Vmmmmm-vmmm." My phone vibrated, it was Toyin calling.

"Toyin, aren't you coming home today? I've been worried."

"Sorry Chief didn't want me to leave but now my Uber ride is bringing me home."

"Okay."

"Yes. And oh please stay up a little more, so when I come I'll call and you can respond quickly."

"Okay, just get here safe."

Finally she called so I went to the bed and sat down to wait for her.

TOYIN

The night that incident happened with the pastor, I left his house not taking a single thing except for the clothes I quickly put on when he had finished, never returning there again. I felt disgusted with everything--even myself.

"How could God allow someone to do this to me?" I asked myself.

It changed my faith and I stopped believing there was God, because if he did exist he would have done something, anything to stop that man from raping me. And by the way, how could he appoint such a person to be his servant? I thought

Days I spent on the streets of Lagos, hungry, dirty, and smelling until one night; I saw a number of girls standing on the road side. All dressed in slutty clothing. Is there a party somewhere? I thought.

"E kurole ma." I greeted to one of them.

She looked away from her phone screen and looked at me from head to toe. "Mtchewwwww." She hissed and looked back at her screen.

One by one at times two at once, cars came to pick the ladies until it was just I and the one who hissed at me.

"Where are those ladies going to with those men?" I asked.

"Sorry young lady, but are you an Ashawo?" She asked.

"Ashawo? No, I reject it!" I replied to her.

"Eh ehn mo-mother Mary, mother of God." She looked at me from head to toe. "Mtchewww."

For a while we stood there together, no car stopped to pick her.

She sighed. "I'm going home. Bye-bye Mary."

"Wait!" I didn't expect that from my lips, maybe it was out of an act of desperation and fear that I might die out of hunger soon, "please, I-I don't have anywhere to go; please can I just stay with you for tonight then move on from there?"

She looked at me for a while. "Are you sure you're not a witch?"

"Ah no o, please." I begged her.

After she stared at me for a little while, she finally accepted.

Back at her home she gave me food to eat and water to have my bath. She not only allowed me to stay one day but a whole week at her place without having to do a thing. So I was determined to repay her kindness in any way.

"Sister Funke, you have been so kind to me since you brought me here. Please how may I be of help in return?"

"You want help? Toyin-I was once like you, I didn't have anywhere to call my home. I'm just repaying the person who also helped me when I was like you." She replied, and then walked to the door about to leave the house.

"But," I called out to her, "please I also need a job." I told her.

"Job, hope you know I'm a night worker?" She asked me.

"Night worker?" I wondered what she meant.

She takes a deep in then out, releasing her hand from the door handle. "Ashawo." She replied.

I knew it's not something I would love to do but at least I would be getting money and I could be able to stand on my own. So she took me to her boss that day that enrolled me into their company. And that was where I met the chief, my regular and loyal customer.

SADE

In my sleep, I heard a noise, like someone banging the door. I tried ignoring it but it only increased more and more till I finally opened my eyes.

"Sade!" Toyin called my name as she kept banging the door from outside.

"Jesus! Toyin, oh my--" I jumped out of bed and rushed to the door to let her in. I must have fallen asleep while I was waiting for her.

"Sade ahan! I've been calling since," she looked at me with frowned eyebrows, "ahan!" She shouted again.

"I swear Toyin I'm sorry, I slept off while waiting."

"Eh ehn, check your phone and see how many times I called you." She said taking off who heels.

I went to the bed to check my phone while she locked the door. When I picked my phone, I stared at the screen with my mouth open.

"How many times?" She asked as she also checked hers. "Thirty missed calls!" She said.

"Ma binu ore mi." I said pleading.

"It's okay...I'm exhausted please, I want to sleep. Good night okay." She said as she fell on the bed without taking off her clothes. At least I was happy that she got home safely. I loved her very much.

On my sixteenth birthday, my mum fell terribly ill. I feared she was going to die too. My step dad took her to the hospital where we were told she'd been poisoned. I thought who will want to kill my mother? As mean as she is to me she was always kind to outsiders I used to wonder if she was the same woman who's my mom and she barely ate outside. So who?

Same day that night my step-dad came to my room like he did every other night since I was twelve to sleep with me. One thing that surprised me was the fact that my mom never was aware of him sneaking out of the room. She slept so deep of late when she returned from work and had eaten.

"You're the one right?" I asked him when he was done violating me.

"Sorry?" He asked while buttoning his shirt.

"You're the one who poisoned my mother. For how long have you been doing it now?"

Tears hung on my eyelids ready to pour out.

"Sade, omo kekere," he said then chuckled, "for as long as I want to have you, I will keep drugging your mother." He licked his lips staring at me.

I felt enraged and sprung out of my bed looking at him eye to eye as I shouted. "I'm going to tell her-you just wait!" My heart was pounding fast and my voice screeched while I spoke.

He walked to my door about to leave but turned to look at me. "You would do no such thing, I'm sure you want to keep living in this house. You know she loves me and not you." Then he left.

I fell to the bed, crying, he was right. She didn't love me, she even said it herself once. "Only a matter of time and I would leave this hell hole. And I swear, I will never return back to this place." I said to cheer myself up with the words, "by next year I'll be off to university."

This was my problem with Toyin; anytime she was extremely tired she occupied the whole bed leaving me with no choice but to lie on the sofa.

*

When I woke the next morning, Toyin was already dressed to go out.

"Toyin, where do you dey go?" I asked her, my eyes still heavy.

"Chief." She said.

"Chief? What happened to him?"

"He just called and asked me to come today for the money."

I looked at the clock and saw it was eleven in the morning. "Toyin-you just came from his house this few hours ago."

"Sade," She said smiling, "owo is involved, money is involved. I'll see you when I get back." She said, took her hand bag and left immediately leaving me alone in the house again.

TOYIN

For a long time, chief had been my god. Anywhere he needed me to be, whether I was with a client or not, I rushed to him without hesitation. For some time now I had asked the Chief to give me money so I could travel out of the country and have a better life.

"Chief, you said you love me right?" I said after I finished satisfying the pot-bellied man in bed.

"Yes my tomato. Mo love eyn gon!" He said as he rubbed my back.

"Okay. You know you said you were going to give me money yesterday." I said while I played with his right nipple with my fingers.

"Ooouu-Toyin, ki lo fe shey?" He asked because I looked at him. He already knew I was about to do what kills him; I bent my head to his chest and sucked the nipple which I played with. Chief loved it when I did this to him.

"Okay I will send you five hundred thousand to your account, if we go one more run."

"Chief!" I said in awe at the amount of money he called.

"Or is it too small? Oya seven hundred thousand."

All my life I had never heard of such money. All my life of working as a sex worker I never received such money. Seven hundred thousand naira! Of course I went another round with him for such a huge amount of money, in fact not just one; we went from another to another and another, three rounds.

When it was evening and I was ready to go home, I moved away from his embrace and sat on the bed, my eyes caught our unfinished glass of wine and had a sip from it. After that I stood up and walked into the bathroom to have my bath, and then I dressed up to leave for home.

"Toyin, where are you going?" He asked after I finished dressing.

"Chief it's evening already, I'm going home." I walked to him who was still lying on the bed, gave him a kiss and then emptied the remaining wine in my cup down my throat.

"Ah! Please, e jor, please just stay this night with me again. That thing I drank has not left my body. I still want more."

"I'm tired Chief, I can't do again." I protested.

"Okay. I'll give you the money directly in your hands." He said then walked to the wardrobe and removed a big brown paper which he threw on the bed. "There, eight hundred thousand naira Toyin."

Eight hundred thousand was a lot, I knew what it'll do in Sade's and my life. Although chief was my god, I was also a worshipper who needed rest. I knew what the additional hundred thousand meant and I wasn't going to do it again. I sat at the tip of the bed.

"Chief--I'm going please don't be angry, but thank you for the money sir, I really appreciate it. I'm just already tired." I said.

He looked disappointed. "Okay, I'm sorry dear." He said.

I stood up about to leave but then, I felt drowsy, I was very weak and couldn't move, so I fell back on the bed then blacked out.