1 Chapter one
Ochanya
(Wednesday)
[3rd February 2021]
{6:10pm}
"Okwo please let me go, I promise not to tell anyone about this" I pleaded as he forced me down on his already flat and dusty bed with a wooden frame, making a creaking sound indicating it might collapse soon. I screamed again.
"Scream all you want, no one will hear you!" He said as he had his ways in between my legs, he untied my wrapper revealing the blue panty that my mom got me recently. He grabbed it and tore it out of my skin.
I screamed the more as he thrusts into me. I fought with all my might but he didn't stop, I was vulnerable and there's no one around to come to my rescue. Only his bunch of dumbo friends that are watching the door for him.
I went still when I realized shouting, screaming and struggling is useless. I went still and let him devour me as he continues thrusting in and out rapidly. All I felt is an unbearable pain while he feels pleasure. Despite knowing how much it must hurt, he didn't stop, he continued wildly.
He suddenly started vibrating as he groaned hard and he becomes normal. For a second, I thought he was epileptic. He stood up and wore his trouser as I just stared at the ceiling in tears, I cried silently on the bed. I cursed myself as it dawned on me that this good for nothing Okwo just took my pride, my innocence, my virginity from me.
***
Rewind to yesterday
(Tuesday )
[2nd February 2021]
{4: 30 pm}
"Rita!" My mom yelled from the kitchen as I hit my feet on the ground in frustration.
"Can this woman leave me alone for a second?" I muttered and I shook my head. "No, she can't, that's because she's meant to be the end of me"I mumbled as I walked towards the kitchen. She was backing the door and she didn't see me enter. Her throat splits and her mouth opened.
"She's about to call me again," I thought
"Ri....."
I just knew it!
I cut her off. "I'm here already"
"What are you doing sitting in your room? Have you swept the backyard?" she asked
"Yes mama"
"You've washed the plates I packed outside?"
"That's it behind you, mama," I said as I rolled my eyes.
"What about the kitchen pot? Is water inside? I mean is it full to the brim?" she asked.
"But mama, that's onyela's work now" I lamented.
"Onyela your mate abi?" she asked as she glared at me. "Or it's your 10-year-old sisters that should go fetch water from the stream. She said almost yelling.
Let me introduce myself so we can all get the gist.
My name is Ochanya Rita Ameh I'm twenty years old, I'm the second daughter of chief Ameh the Ad'ogbadibo of orokam community in Benue state. A few people call us Igbo but we are not, we are from the idoma tribe.
My mother prefers calling me my second name than calling me my first name, Ochanya{Queen}. She believes that I don't deserve the name. I have three siblings and my mom seems to love them more. My elder sister, Onyela is the definition of beauty. She's two years older than me. Her skin is white like snow and she's curvy like a goddess. That's what the TV feeds us anyways. She's lucky to be fair like our mother. I also have two younger siblings, Ema and Obiye, they are twins and they are just 10. They are also fair like our mother but I'm the only black sheep in the family. I'm just so different from them, I'd have been a little excited if I looked like our father. But no, my father is neither fair or dark, he's light. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a bastard but my father always reminds me I can only find happiness and peace in embracing my skin color, he said I look exactly like his late mother and he loves it. I've seen my grandmother's picture and she doesn't in any way look attractive to me but rather a frump but father seems to see the opposite.
I'm not attractive with my slim and tall frame, my dark skin color. The only thing I appreciate in myself is my full, soft, black and long hair. I'm the only one blessed with that kind of hair, sometimes I catch my siblings eye it greedily as if my hair should be theirs.
Now I hope with my composition, you now get that my mother loves me less and my father loves me more.
"Now, go fill that pot up, you rotten child! Your father just keeps spoiling you day by day forgetting you'll get married one day" she shot at me.
"But why can't Onyela do her work now?" I protested
"Onyela is Ill so go fill the pot now!" She said angrily and I picked a fetching pot and storm out angrily, I counted my steps when I reached fifteen, I hissed. One of my gifts is hissing out loud, it's always as loud as a flute, that's why I do respect myself and count my steps before letting out the hiss that can put me in trouble.
I made my way towards the river.
"My baby" I rolled my eyes as I heard Okwo's voice. I turned.
"Are you stalking me now?" I asked.
Okwo is... Let me describe him as the thorn in my flesh. He was my senior in secondary school. When I was in SS1, he was in SS3. Even though he was the eldest in his class, he still chose to be shameless. He has been disturbing me for almost five years now but who will date the useless okwo. He's 25, yet he has nothing to call a job, he's lazy like a tortoise, though he lives in a wretched house away from his parent he still goes to his father's house to pack foodstuffs, I mean he still depends on his parent . while his father farms with his grey hair, he only messes around the community. Lest I forget, he has a group of losers like him he calls friends, they are only known to cause trouble around.
And me dating him will make us losers. Even though I'm not attractive like every other girl, I don't wish to be a loser's girlfriend or wife.
"What do you want?" I asked him as I eyed him up and down
"Ochanya, why are you doing this to me now? Ochie, I swear I love you and I want to marry you, be the wife of okwo the first, any other okwo is a counterfeit " he said with pride and I scoffed.
"Okwo, I've told you many times that I can't marry you, leave me alone else I'll report you to my father" I threatened.
"I've been hearing that since five years, yet it has not happened, that's because you also love me but you just don't want to show it," he said and I groaned. The only reason why I haven't reported him to my father is that if I tell him, my siblings will also know and they'll make jest of me, okwo asking me out is a slap on my face but he won't let me be.
I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I turned abruptly and started walking away. He held my hand and pulled me back and forcefully kissed me as his stupid friends giggled and praise him for his action. I struggled out of his grip and slapped him hard on his face.
"Ah! Ochanya? You slap me?" He asked in shock.
"And I'll do it again if you touch me with you filthy hands again!" I said as I tried to catch my breath, I wiped my mouth continuously.
"How dare you!" He asked icily that I got scared but I stood my ground, he asked for it.
"Never stop me again!" I shot at him and walked away fast. After a while, I looked behind me.
"Phew! Thank God he didn't follow me" I said and calmly made my way to the stream. I fetched the water and placed the pot on my head. I sang my favourite song as I walked back home. All the time by Tatiana Manaois, it's also my ringtone.
Going crazy every night
Going crazy every night
Ever since you left my side
Ever since you left my side
You're the only one I want
Oh and I want you all the time
I emptied the pot and made my way to the stream. To fill the kitchen pot, I'll have to go to the stream four to five times.
Later in the evening, as we were eating dinner. I kept rubbing my right foot, it quite hurts after going to and fro the stream.
"Did you hit your foot on a stone?" My father asked
"No papa" I replied as my gaze met my mother's and she glared at me.
"Mama made me do Onyela's work" I reported trying to infuriate her a little.
"Why would she do that? Why didn't Onyela do her work?" He asked.
"Papa, I was having headache" Onyela replied with a shakily, trying to sound weak, such a drama queen.
"But you can watch TV abi?" I shot at her.
"I was just lying in the sitting room, I wasn't watching TV" she protested
"Oh, it's the TV that's watching you abi?" I shot at her again
"Enough!" Papa said fiercely and we went silent. He faced me "that's not a way to talk to your elder sister, apologize immediately!" He ordered.
"Sorry!" I said sharply.
"Since your elder sister wasn't feeling well, your mother is right by telling you to do her work, you can be in Onyela's position one day, she'll have to do your work too okay?" Father said and I nodded.
"Rita, you'll never fall sick in Jesus name," Onyela said and our parents burst into laughter.
After eating, I packed papa and mama's plate to the kitchen to wash them.
Papa and mama already retired to bed, Onyela is pressing her phone.
"Won't you pack our plates too?" Ema my ten-year-old sister said
"Isn't it your work?" Obiye backed her up
"My work is to wash them not pack them from the dining table.
"Why are you always behaving like a witch?" Obiye said with a scrunched up face and Onyela giggled.
"How dare you?" I said angrily
"No, she isn't behaving like one, she's a witch cos she looks exactly like one" Ema said and they all bursts into laughter, tears welled up in my eyes as my ten-year-old sisters insulted me and my elder sister seems to enjoy it. Well, this isn't the first time it's happening so no tear is gonna drop. I've been through this before and I survived it. I turned and went to the kitchen and dropped the plates, I wasn't in a good state to wash them so I just went to my room, I stared at my hands and looked up the mirror. They are right, I'm a witch. I'm not in any way attractive, my dark skin, my slim build isn't in any way attractive. I'm just a frump and I wish I can change that about myself. I've never had any boyfriend, the only guy that has ever asked me out is okwo, and that makes me feel more unattractive.
I laid on my bed and cried myself to sleep.
