Hell on Earth 4
(based on a true story)
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Before I could pick up my rags and leave the house as he instructed, he pounced on me like a lion does to its prey. He tore my cloths off and started raping me as usual. But like I said earlier, the friction was no longer hurting me as it did. I laid there with my eyes closed while he took what he wanted. When he was done, he sent me out of the room, but not out of the house.
Gradually, the hurt of his son’s incarceration dwindled. He got back to his normal beast mode. Yes, he was always a beast but he became worse when his son went to prison. He got back to the normal beast I was used to and I was very grateful. He also became less and less available in the house. That also gave me some relief.
With my stepson’s absence and my husband’s less availability, my stepdaughter brought more of her friends home more often. They were mainly girls and the few boys amongst them behaved like women. Whenever they were around, my workload increased. I would cook their meals, clean up the mess they made and wait on them for errands.
They would smoke and party hard while I would inhale the puffs of their smoke unwillingly. Once they were gone, my stepdaughter would instruct me to clean the house and make sure her father wouldn’t meet any of their messes when he got back. I would do as instructed and have peace. Sincerely, I prayed my stepson wouldn’t come back and my husband should be more unavailable.
One of my stepdaughter’s friends developed interest in me. She was much older judging from her looks. One day, I was serving them as usual when I overheard her telling my stepdaughter that their housemaid is very humble and hardworking. My stepdaughter laughed out so loud before telling her that I was her father’s wife; her stepmother. I saw the shock on the girl’s face when she heard that. I went on with my job.
When they were about to go, the girl came to me and gifted me five hundred Naira. I later got to know her name was Shantel. I thought she wanted to send me on an errand with the money and I was utterly surprised when she said I should keep it. She said it was for the stress I went through serving them. That was the first time anybody appreciated my work in that house.
I couldn’t hide my excitement and gratitude. I continued thanking her until she left the house. From then on, she showed interest in my affairs. She would gift me many gifts; Money, cloths, warm smiles and friendship. I looked forward to their visits even though it meant plenty of work for me. Having someone look at me with kindness was worth any manual labor.
After a while, she started coming without the others. Sometimes, she would come even when my stepdaughter was not around. She would want to hear my story and I readily told her. She was the first to ask. She paid attention to the tears I shed telling my story. I could see the hurt she felt when I told her about the things I had been through. I could see she wanted to help.
At one time, I overheard her quarrelling with my stepdaughter because of the way she was treating me. I couldn’t believe it. That was the first time anybody was standing up for me, the slave girl, even my parents. That day, she left the house angrily. When she left, my stepdaughter attacked me.
She said I was pitting her friends against her and I would suffer for it. She knelt me down and flogged me like a kid. For the first time, I wanted to revolt. But the thought of her father and what he would do to me stopped me. It didn’t stop there. She made my stay in the house more miserable. I endured.
The next time Shantel came around, she said she was in love with me. That sounded strange. I didn’t know what love was and hearing that from a girl made it sound stranger. Before I could say anything, she started kissing me. Voluntarily, I didn’t pull away.
Why would I pull away from the only person who had shown me true care, kindness and friendship? The only person who genuinely cared for my well-being. The first person who stood up for me. The only one whose thoughts made me smile. I could give anything for Shantel and if kissing me was what she wanted, I would gladly give it to her. She was free to do whatever he wanted with me.
Shantel continued kissing me and gradually proceeded to touching my body. Surprisingly, I started feeling some pleasurable sensations as she touched my sensitive body parts. Shortly afterwards, she was inside me with her fingers and her tongue evenly caressed my clitoris. Let me not bore you with the details, but that day was glorious.
For the first time, I experienced the beauty of sex and attained orgasm. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever felt. After that moment, I never saw Shantel in the same light again. I started seeing her as an angel sent to comfort me and make my life worth living. I was grateful for the day and the processes that led her into my life. When we were done, she looked into my eyes and spoke to me in the most assuring tone. “I’m here for you, Nne”, she said to me comfortingly.
About one month later, I missed my period and started having the symptoms I had when I was pregnant. I didn’t know I was pregnant until I told Shantel. She told me I was pregnant and asked me what I wanted to do about it. I didn’t know what she meant. I was rather scared that I got pregnant due to what I was doing with her. The threat my husband made when he accused me of sleeping with his son came alive in my mind.
I was so scared he would do what he threatened. I shivered and told Shantel about it. She laughed for a while before telling me that I couldn’t get pregnant from what we did. She assured me that the pregnancy was my husband’s. She said that what she meant when she asked what I wanted to do was whether I wanted to abort the pregnancy or keep it.
She said I should decide very fast before my tummy starts protruding.
Join me on the next episode of ‘Hell on Earth’.
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TOCHUKWU ANOZIE
