Must Read: Love and Revenge - Season 2 - Episode 43

4 years ago

Must Read: Love and Revenge - Season 2 - Episode 43

TEN YEARS AGO.

‘Fiona! Fiona!!’ Rebecca called from the kitchen.

Fiona stood up from the worn out cushion she had sat on just a minute ago after cleaning everywhere in the house hoping to get some rest.

‘you fool! Didnt i tell you to mop the kitchen and boil rice for dinner? Didnt i? So after sweeping the house you went to relax abi? So that your mother will come and boil the rice for you abi?’ Rebecca said harshly landing a hot slap on her cheeks.

Fiona winced in pain as tears flooded her eyes ‘but aunty Rebecca…..i’m tired, i’ve been working since morning, besides i felt this sharp pain on my lower abdomen….its like my period is……’

‘eh hen? So it has gotten to this okwaya? You can now talk about at me? In my own house? What insolence!’ She picked up the kitchen broom beside her ‘you see this your period thats coming, u’ll use papers for it because i’ll not give you a single sanitary pad. You are a fool! A very big fool! I feed and house you so its ur responsibility to do all the chores in this house without complaints whatsoever! Dince your parents died ten years ago and my stupid and senseless husband insisted on keeping you here, i’ve been training you…..infact! I think its high time you left dis house since that stupid husband of mine is now gone for good. What are you still doing here anyways?!’

Fiona grabbed the handle to the kitchen door as Rebecca headed towards her panting angrily, swielding the full broom in her hands. She immediately knew that dis was going to be one of her days of going to bed without food.

Tears fell from her eyes ‘aunty i’m sorry’
‘sorry for your stupid self. Fiona, come here immediately!’

‘aunty please…….’ before she could complete her statement, Rebecca grabbed her throat….

***

THE NEXT DAY….
Fiona strolled down the streets under the scorching sun, her tray of groundnuts still on her head, sweating profusely.

She looked around searching for customers, she was going to be dead today, she knew it.
She hadnt made any sales today and it was already past 3pm. Her aunt had given her strict instructions to be home before three thirty with an empty tray so they could prepare for church.

She was close to crying, if she didnt sell any of the groundnuts, if not even all, Rebecca wasnt going to take it lightly with her. She was going to be mercilessly flogged and injured and denied food with excess work.
Tears fell from her eyes. Why did her uncle have to die? The torture was just too much for her. Each day that passes made her want to commit suicide, to just end it all.
At thirteen, all the veins in her skin were already stretching out, her palms were as hard as sandpaper. And she was very sure that if Rebecca had the opportunity of killing her, she would readily do so without blinking.
‘fine girl, why you dey cry?’ a haggard looking man called to her.

She wanted to ignore him at first….but she thought against it, maybe he could have pity on her and buy some groundnut from her. So she stopped and greeted him.

‘come’ he beckoned and she walked towards him with her tray. His eyes lingered on her sprouting breas.ts and she rolled her eyes, another pe.rvert. But it didnt matter if he was a perv.ert or not, she needed him to buy her groundnuts.

‘why u dey cry?’
‘uncle….na because say…i never sell anything today and my aunty go beat me if i no sell everything finish’
‘eyaa….na make u dey cry? How much for the groundnut?’

Her eyes lit up in hope as she lowered the tray on the floor ‘this one na fifty naira, this one na thirty naira’
‘no, i mean how much for everything?’
She nearly jumped up for joy ‘uncle! Talk true, u wan buy everything?’
‘yes na. I no want make your wicked aunty beat fine girl like you. Wetin be ur name sef?’
‘my name na Fiona. Everything wey dey dis tray na one thousand five hundred naira’
‘okay’ the man suddenly looked thoughtful ‘see Fiona, first, how many years u dey?’

‘i’m thirteen’ Fiona replied praying silently that he wasnt about to change his mind about buying the whole groundnuts….it meant alot to her.
‘eh hen. And u knw say u fyn wella, and u be big girl now. U don dey fu.ck?’
‘eh?’ Fiona asked confused.
‘i mean, u don sleep wit boy before?’
‘no oo. I be virgin oo’
‘really? Okay, u see eh, make we do business. U go just enter my house, i go touch u small, then i go give u money for d groundnut, u agree?’
And dat was how Fiona found her way home, her leps widely spread, crying and rejoicing at the same time. The man had given her three thousand naira and she was happy, she was going to save a thousand five hundred and give d oda to Rebecca.
And dat was how she frequented the man’s bed just for her groundnuts to be sold.