I’m lying in bed staring at the ceiling when Tolu enters my room. Temmy, Marcus is here to take you - see your family. ‟Marcus is the Johnson’s driver, he has being with them even before I moved in with them. I can’t seem to get out of bed. My head throbs, my eyes are burning and I just don’t have the energy to stand up.
Tell him, I’m not going.
She takes in my swollen eyelids and blotchy face and strokes my forehead gently. Since she didn’t ask why I’m crying, I assume she heard my screams last night. Without a word she leaves my room. I heard voices outside my door–hers and her mother’s. Five minutes later she re-enters my room. Before she shuts the door, I catch a glimpse of her mum (Mrs. Williams) standing outside my room, craning her neck to look at me. Our eyes met for a moment before I turned my face away. Tolu sits on the edge of my bed and says, “Your family is worried about you” I stare silently at the ceiling.
“I bring you coffee, to make you feel better,” she says, stroking my arm.
Coffee and shower always make you feel better, remember?
I shake my head from side-to-side.
“You must go.” I’m sure they might have learnt their lessons by now and are ready to make things right with you.
‟She’s right. It might be the only chance I have of seeing my family before I finally begin a new life in the University but I wasn’t just ready to face them yet.
Come.‟ She takes my hand and leads me to the shower. I do feel a little better after the shower. Just a little. The coffee helps too. I look at myself in the mirror - my face is puffy, my eyes are swollen but mere slits, and my head is pounding from all the crying. The last thing I want to do right now is to see anyone.
“I’m not going Tolu”, I said, “Maybe some other time.”
Tolu stood up and left my room. Tolu Williams has been of great help and influence in my life.
Flash Back
I left the apartment my parents rented for me before leaving for Port-Harcourt crying. No one seems to have believed I was raped aside from my lawyer who was devastated by the outcome of the court hearing on that fateful day. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson whom I have warmed up to as parents refused to show up when I needed them most. Prior to that day, I had called them after the incident; mum sounded so worried and came over with dad to see me the next day. Having wept my eye sore the day it happened I refused to cry or show any sign of pain because I was angry the rapist had his way. When my parents were called for questioning, they told the policemen in their report that I don’t look like someone who had been raped and might have probably been going through tension of staying alone, having just enjoying freedom after being moved from one foster home to another. They never showed up again, but sent the money for the fine to the lawyer. Whenever they speak to me on phone, the conversation was dry, I respond in mono-syllables. Until I moved out, and changed my sim card. I didn’t hear from them for them for close to a year, but one day while going to church with the Williams, we stopped by the filling station to re-fuel the tank and I was so shocked to see their car parked the filling stations car wash. Mum saw me and ran to our car, I ignored her and asked Mrs. Williams to please ignore her and leave immediately. She respected my decision. Though that revealed where I was staying since mum and dad tailed us to church and after service tailed us home. And have since made it a habit to always show up at the door almost every day seeking for my forgiveness but I refused to see them. The Williams respected my decision.
Tolu had being more than a sister to me, I had been roaming around the streets of Ibadan on that fateful day I left my apartment, not having a specific destination in mind, I was hungry, tired but just kept on moving until my feet couldn’t go further. I opened my eyes to a pair of eyes looming over me, I thought the evil men had returned, only to feel a soft hand holding up to me, I held on back and went home with Tolu.
When we got to Tolu’s place we met her mum who accommodated me, and gave me meal without even battling an eyelid, after the meal I was made to sleep. I don’t know for how long I slept, but when I woke up I was so refreshed. I told Tolu and her mum my story, Tolu’s mum was so bitter saying she heard about the news on TV and seriously frowns at such injustice. Tolu was my saving grace and became a sister and a friend to me since then. I got to know I was still in Ibadan, but a different environment from where I had lived. I was unable to go for my PUTME since I didn’t follow up on my admission.
Tolu gained admission to Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) that same year, I missed her so much. But her mum took me to her school every now and then and she also comes home every time she has a break in school. She’s currently home for the end of the session break, she was so glad when she heard I got admitted into the University of Ibadan.
Thanks for the upvote @cryptomax