BUT Episode 22

 Episode 22

"Aunty Leah called me into the room and told me that if my brain can't catch up with studying again, I should start following bricklayers out  and help them fetch water." Beatrice explained.

"Are you... like for real... are you serious?" Selina said, blinking repeatedly, with disgust written all over her face.

"My dear, That is it oo.  My younger ones were  almost gaining admission before me. There were days I won't feel like eating and dad will try to make out  time to talk to me, but that was only on few occasions. The pain of being  called a failure and seeing my younger ones receiving praises, built up anger in me. However, instead of channelling the anger towards revenge, I saw my only revenge to be that I must come out in flying colours." 

"At a time, I met a guy named Peter. Peter is one of the guys who look older than their age, you would hardly believe that he was not 20 yet. He always reserved a seat for me at the coaching centre and we got fond of each other, that sometimes we wait behind to read and revise together after everyone has gone."

"My friend was in love with Peter." Selina mocked.

"You don't know more than falling in love eh." Deborah interrupted." 

"Actually, it wasn't like love was involved, but I think I got the attention and care I needed untill one afternoon. We waited behind as usual studying, after a while, he said he was hungry and wanted to get snacks outside. There was this small kiosk opposite the coaching centre. He got in and brought doughnuts for me with coke while he got himself plantain and groundnut."

"It never occurred to me that anything can happen because I trusted him blindly and because he was academically sound as well, so I saw it as a plus to being friends with him. After taking the drink, I began to feel feverish and everything became blurred till I lost consciousness."

"I know the coke I took was not fully locked when I opened it but because it still gased up, I felt it was nothing serious. I was actually raped by Peter inside the coaching centre and that was the last time I saw him. He stopped coming to the coaching centre, no one knew his whereabout and  I was left to bear the shame. It was a cleaner who usually come around in the evening to clean the coaching centre, that saw me on the floor, helped me up and rushed me to the nearest clinic."

"Oh my goodness." Selina said amidst tears.

"She found a way to reach out to my family and they all showed up at the hospital. My dad was called into the doctor's office and he was told that the substance had caused damage to my womb and it can only take a miracle for me to have a child. It took me a while to get it over it, sometimes I still wish my journey didn't go that way, but you know, God always have a way of bringing out a message out of someone's mess."

"Let's leave that part sha, I've outgrown some of these things, not by my power but God's. So, the last entrance exam I  wrote which was the sixth, was what got  me admission into the university. Just like I said at the convocation yesterday, I was at the dining when the call came into my mother's phone, that's aunty Leah and I had to check the school portal and found out that I've been admitted. In year 2, I gave my life to christ and it has been a smooth ride since then." 

"I envy your courage really, you have gone through so much." Deborah said.

"Really, you are a strong person and you never acted like you've gone through all this." Selina added.

"So many other things happened but time is running against us. We may need to start getting ready to leave." Beatrice added.

"But there is something I want to ask though." Selina said.

"I know you will always have a question to ask" Deborah mocked Selina.

"Go ahead, what's that?" Beatrice said.

"What later happened to aunty Leah and your dad?" Selina asked.

Beatrice sighed and adjusted her chair as she tried to explain. 

What happened next?

Watch out for the next episode.