She didn’t know what woke her, and no matter how many times she relived that night, no matter where the nightmare chased her, she never want to stand up. She didn’t want to come back to the present at all. She was 18 years old, and has just being charged with a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. Her case was one of the cases filed in Brainy Wash Court, but her misdemeanor had made the news, and made her an object of curiosity or, worse, scorn.
It had cost her the newfound independence she was savoring after a life in foster homes. It had cost her sense of worth. Each ring of the phone seemed to announce another friendship, lost. A friend from Senior Secondary School called to ask; how could you lie about something like that? Temmy- that’s the name she’s popularly called, Temmy didn’t say anything. She just listened, and then hung up. Even her foster parents now doubted her. She doubted herself, wondering if there was something in her that needed to be fixed.
She had reported being raped in her apartment by a her mum’s sister’s husband who lived in the flat next to her apartment, she reported that he had bound and gagged her. Then, confronted by police with inconsistencies in her story, she had conceded it might have been a dream. Then she admitted making the story up. She dragged herself off the bed, as she checked the wall clock in her bedroom, its quarter past seven and she has to be at the court today to plead her cause.
Putting on the TV for early morning news, even as she prepares for the Court hearing, One TV newscast announced, “A young lady has confessed that she lied when it came to her rape she reported earlier this week.” She had been charged with filing a false report, which is why she would be going to Court today, to accept or turn down a plea deal. Temmy quickly puts off the TV because it’s annoying enough she was raped, and on the other side no one believes her story. She dresses up and went to meet up with her lawyer, Mrs.Taiwo.
Her lawyer was surprised she had been charged. Her story hadn’t hurt anyone, no suspects arrested, or even questioned. Her guess was, the police felt used. They don’t appreciate having their time wasted. The prosecution’s offer was this: If she met certain conditions for the next year, the charge would be dropped. She would need to get mental health counseling for her lying. She would need to go on supervised probation. She would need to keep straight, breaking no more laws. And she would have to pay ₦20000 to cover the court’s costs. Temmy wanted this behind her. She took the deal, packed her things and moved out of her apartment with no destination in mind, she felt she just had to leave the environment.
