#MyAdaobi
Episode 11
[]”What is wrong with this girl? ” Ada’s father asked to no one in particular as we stood and faced him, everyone watched.
“I won’t marry someone i don’t love, you can’t force me”. Ada retorted.
The whole village must have been a witness to this scene of self determination played by Ada, she had clutched me by my hand and standing besides me, declared me the love of her life whom she wouldn’t leave for any one else, not even the United states president. Everyone watched in awe as we stood there, i wasn’t ashamed, i wasn’t scared, i was just in love and stupid about it.
The convoy sent to pick and deliver her to the palace had arrived and waiting for her. My father too arrived in the middle of the whole drama. Whatever little doubt i had faded with his presence, i knew that no matter what, my father would always be for me and never against me, his only son.
A security man that had come with the convoy approached us, he had intentions, bad intentions obviously.
“Hey, mr man, if you lay a hand on any of them, i am going to make your life miserable for you”.
That was my father, he had that intimidating voice and aura. Everyone’s eyes focused on him as he walked to us. The security man was cowed.
“What is happening here Quincy?” he said looking at everyone.
I had no immediate explanation to give, i just stared at him.
“Are you not Ada?” he asked facing Ada.
“Yes sir”
“And what is happening here, why all this people? ”
” I don’t want to marry the governor which is what my father wants to force me to”
“Marry the governor? , who the hell is the governor and what has that got to do with my son”
“Ehe, the governor is the governor of our state, he is the one at the Palace waiting for my daughter, to marry her and this your son here, has deceived her, i don’t know what he said to her to turn her mind upside down but i know it won’t work for him” her father said almost shouting.
My father looked at him in surprise and then at Ada.
“Please let’s go inside, this is not a matter for the streets”
My father had found it utterly appalling and amusing that the sole reason he was in the village, the marriage he was there for was going to be between an executive governor and a little village girl who is in love with an ss3 boy. Though Ada was growing into a woman, one could easily tell she was still a small girl, probably too young to marry such a man, but it was none of my father’s concern, his concern was me and me alone but Ada was a big concern to me and so she was his own concern too.
“Ada, you are going to go and meet the governor, alone, at least you ought to respect him with your presence and then when he makes his proposal, you can then politely decline, maybe in private but for you to drag Quincy behind you like that, that would be very silly of the two of you” my father explained.
“Decline gini, she won’t decline anything, she must marry him o, don’t mind this shakara you are doing, it is small girl that is worrying you, the two of you” her father scolded.
“I am a small girl and yet you raped me and now want to sell me off” Ada said, everyone turned in his seat to look at her and then her father whose eyes had widened.
“Eh?” my father exclaimed
“This girl what are you saying? ” her father said
” Don’t even try to deny it, you are evil and i’m going to tell it to everyone today”
“Papa Adaobi is she telling the truth” her mother spoke for the first time clutching her wrapper to her chest and facing her husband.
“What do you mean is it true?, how can i sleep with my own daughter?, so i will leave all the beautiful women in this village and come be sleeping with this small child” he stammered.
By this time, my father was too dumbstruck to speak, he just sat there, looking. I was shocked too but i was also consoling Ada who had started crying again.
“Oh you can’t sleep with her because she is a small girl, but you will marry her out to someone who is probably 2 hours younger than you all because he is a governor” my father was obviously bitter about everything.
“In fact, that wedding won’t hold and i will make sure of it, this is pure child abuse, i’m going to the palace right now” my father said and stood up.
My father left for the palace but not without making sure i went home, i was able to leave with Ada because her parents were so engaged with each other that they didn’t know when we left
We were alone in our house, me and Ada. She had cried herself to fever, talking about her father’s carnal knowledge of her had brought up unpleasant memories which caused her nothing more but misery.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this at first?” i asked her
“it hurts me to talk about it, i was afraid you may leave if i told you ”
” You know i would never leave you, no matter what, it wasn’t in any way your fault ” i said and held her to me.
Her father had first raped her when she was 13, that was her first time so he broke her, as time went on, he blackmailed her into it and had raped her from time to time until she couldn’t take it anymore, she had threatened to expose and report him to her mother if he ever laid hands on her again, that made him stop, the anger she had within her for her father was all she vented on her uncle in the city when she stabbed him. Now she had murderous intents for her father and it scared her, she wasn’t going to let any man alive lay a finger on her and succeed.
“Quincy will you ever leave me?”
“I won’t even think of it, ever”
“No matter what?
“No matter what, i promise you..
She had fallen asleep on the couch when my father came back, everything had been settled to an extent, her father has been summoned by the king to answer for the accusations. The marriage was put on hold and the governor gone. He felt he was too big to be insulted by a little girl he was trying to help by marrying. “Hmmmm”.
My father ensured we all slept in separate rooms that night but then, that didn’t stop me from going into her room and making love to her like it was our last night.
We were all at the Palace the next day, my father didn’t find it amusing that i was dragging him around because i had fallen in love with the wrong girl but he had no choice. Her father turned out to be a full fledged irresponsible man, he told lies, lies that ridiculed his daughter before everyone and he didn’t care about it. In the end, the king gave a devastating ruling, Ada had no witness and things would have been easier if she had reported earlier enough and not at that point in time, after so many years.
My heart bled as I watched her cry her eyes out, nothing could console her. We drove home in utter silence only broken at intervals by Ada’s sobs.
It started raining as soon as we got home. My father had decided he has had enough of the village and couldn’t wait to get out of it. He had intended we leave for the city immediately we got back from the palace but the rain didn’t allow us.
“Quinn, she is going to stay back with her family while we leave after this rain stops”.
My father had called me to tell me.
“Why? ” i asked
” Why what? You can’t take her away without the consent of her family which i’m very sure you won’t get and doing that would amount to kidnap”
“No, she must come with us, if she doesn’t come, then i’m not going back with you ” i said it and i meant it.
” Don’t be silly boy, don’t you think you have caused enough headache for me in one lifetime?”
“I’m sorry but i’m not going if she’s not coming “.
My father brought out all the best argument he knew in view of showing me why bringing her along was a bad idea but i had always been stubborn with unnecessary things talk more of when my heart was involved. We were still at it when we heard the back door bang shut, Ada had obviously been eavesdropping and had run out of the house. I went after her while my father relaxed back in his seat, he was probably tired of us.
I went out of the house into the rain, i ran blindly to the back and found the gate open, i came out of it, took a look around and couldn’t see her. Looking at the water soaked ground, i made out her footprints, i followed it and it led all the way to their house, from a far distance, i saw her standing at the gate made from rusted aluminum roofing sheets. It all seemed like a deja vu to me, like i had seen it somewhere before, i wiped the water from my face and called out her name, she didn’t answer me but she walked slowly towards me, as we came closer to each other, i saw the blood on her white gown, dripping from her hands. My heart in my mouth, i ran to where she stood, i got to her early enough before she fell into my arms. I looked into her eyes and she looked into mine, the rain was on her face but it was very easy to make out the tears. My eyes soaked as i held Ada in my hands.
“Ada” i called out in a shaky voice which was almost drowned by the falling rain.
“Quincy i’m sorry, I had to do it”
“Do what?” i asked.
She didn’t need to answer me, I heard a loud scream from the house, i looked in the direction of the scream and saw her father, he covered his stomach with his hands as he came out staggering, his clothes and hand was covered in blood. I stared with my mouth ajar, he walked a few steps and fell on the wet ground. I turned my gaze towards Ada and her eyes were shutting.
“Quincy i’m sorry, i love you so much and i don’t think i can live a life without you in it” she whispered as i cried. I held her hand and for the first time noticed the blood that spurt out of them, i held it up and took a closer look, it was then that i saw the gashes, the source of the blood.
“Ada why?” i cried out “Why?”
The blood was draining from her face as she shut her eyes and then i remembered the dream……………..
TBC
