UNMARRIEDD AT THIRTY
Ep 2
Fumilola, was 29 years with two kids, she got married when she was still in the university at the age of 23. Getting pregnant and having a baby immediately her graduation was hard on her, it made her forgot everything about certificate or job. She and her sister were fulltime housewives, though with certificate, they had no willingness to pursued any career. Fumilola, unlike Jumoke was more calm and respectful towards Toluwani.
For over a year now, Mrs Akimbode had turned to a nightmare in the life of Tolu. What she regarded as motherly love of wanting her daughter to get married was actually bullying as she had no consideration to how much it hurts the pride of her daughter. According to her, not marrying at the age of 34 was nothing but an attack from the evil spirits and needed to be casted out. This constant remarks from her mother and sometimes her friends has turned Tolu into a desperate woman whose mental faculty now has a default settings of worries about marriage.
About a year ago, she had dragged Toluwani to a prophet for deliverance. “Mummy I’m really unsatisfied with how you’re treating me. They is nothing spiritual about my marriage issues. It me who’s unable to entrust my heart to another man since broke up with me some years ago. Mom, marriage is one thing but it’s not the only thing a woman can do in her life” Toluwani had protested but her antagonism fell on a deaf ear. She had dragged her to a self acclaimed prophet who requested for a few thousand naira, holy oil and a bucketful of water freshly fetched very early in the morning from a specific river he had described to them.
The mother had eagerly bought all the items requested. “You can go home, leave your daughter here, after a one hour special prayer session, she’s guaranteed get a worthy husband within the next three months. It was true that her mother forced the idea of visiting a prophet into her her head but Toluwani personally was enthusiastic about the visit as she hoped something positive came out of it. Because of people’s remarks, Tolu had recently Become like a cat on a hot thin roof.
Mrs Akimbode left Toluwani there and headed home as she placed her two palms to heaven praying for a miracle. While Toluwani was there to pleased her mother’s absurd request, she also hoped that after the session, she would stop her daily reminder of getting married. Before her mother left, the prophet had given Toluwani a glassful of water labelled as holy water to drink. “Gulp it in one go” he instructed. Tolu hesitated but her mother prodded her on so she gulped it at a go. Few minutes after her mother left, Toluwani started feeling dizzy, her eyes blinked lazily as she mustered her energy to keep it forcefully open but eventually they finally closed upon her eyeballs. Toluwani fell asleep on the chair she was seated.
The chalantant of a prophet walked to the hall where Toluwani was and smirked weirdly. He pat his beards that had almost turned dreadlocks. Toluwani, a chubby 33 years old lady, chocolate in complexion. She laid backwards on the chair unconsciously after drinking the sleeping pills the chalantant had mixed and disguised as holy water.
The chalantant walked leisurely towards her and touched her cheek making sure she was truly unconscious. He lifted her hand, it flung to the ground lifelessly. “Uhmmmm!! Today is a good day” he told himself as he lifted her to the bedroom. He dumped her on the bed and undressed her. He pulled down his shorts and had his way on a lifeless body of Toluwani.
When she woke up hours later, she knew something was wrong. They was no way she could walked by herself to the prophet’s room. She immediately checked her private part and it dawned on her that she had been drugged and raped while unconscious. She rummaged her hands through her hair, she was loosing it.
Who would believed her, her parents would probably say she was intentionally trying to dirty the name of the prophet because in the first place she wasn’t ready for any cleansing. “My God” she exclaimed. With Anger burning in her, she looked everywhere finding the chalantant but he was nowhere to be found. After some times she decided to go and report him but he met her at the door. “You evil man, my mother and i trusted you yet you drugged and raped me?”. “Young lady, stop roaring like a lion and listen carefully. Nobody, not even your mother will believe you so go to hell if you want to” he said unremorsefully. Actually he was right, in the society today religious pretenders go scout free with so much atrocious behaviors.
Toluwani blamed herself for following her mother out of desperation, it wasn’t like she was all dither about not been married yet at first. Tolu, though wasn’t against marriage but she wasn’t desperate about getting married at first but after several remarks made by her mother, friends and acquaintances, she started feeling like something was wrong with herself.
Her parents especially her mother had become a thorn in her flesh, such was the reason she agreed to visit the prophet now she was leaving with an empty soul, broken trust and hurtful memories.
Toluwani immediately went to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy prevention pills, after explaining to the male pharmacist at the counter with tears in her eyes without been asked, he had given her some drugs to fight against any unfortunate infection as it was obvious that he had slept with her without protection. “I suggest you report him to the police and your parents”. The pharmacist had advised.
It would be even harder to believe that an old lady as Tolu was raped by a Prophet she willingly beseeched cleansing from. What would people say if they got know that she was raped after going for spiritual cleansing against delay in marriage. She decided to let it go but would definitely repaid the chalantant someday.
TBC
I’m Victor Your Local Writer
©Oinu Victor Achegbulu 2023
***** Desperation always lead us to make mistakes. When things don’t go your way, take a deep breath and look ahead. Don’t let people pushed you to hate yourself. Marriage is great but it’s not the only thing in the life of a woman. They’re other great things to achieve as a woman other than marriage.
