skarlett:
If I must say, I like the former title 'Blood on the Cloth Hanger' to this one 'Story of a rape victim' because the former seems catchy while the latter looks generic. I mean we have so many rape victims and they all have their stories, what makes this rape victim different from others we've seen and all that.

Its just my opinion tho.

Nwiboko26:
U gat a berra topic before dan naw.change it to d former one biko.dis one sounds so common.be d former is kind of coded.

MrsExplorer:




Actually you are right. I felt people are more accustomed to a generic title, now i know better. Thank you

MrsExplorer:

Actually you are right. I felt people are more accustomed to a generic title, now i know better. Thank you

MrsExplorer:




Actually you are right. I felt people are more accustomed to a generic title, now i know better. Thank you

Aitee1:
MrsExplorer I love you no homo...

Gabbyraze:
I love the way you describe your scenes and emotions,patiently waiting

MrsExplorer:


I love you too

jammy12:

You could make this story like the 'I spit on your grave' movie series..

Zoe99:
Her father is so insensitive.How could he let things become this bad without doing anything?

MrsExplorer:


arent most parents lik that?

Donpoker9:
madam come update na abeg

MrsExplorer:


make i no lie, don't know how th story should continue yet,,, has to do with something people call writers block. But the next update would be the last one.

MrsExplorer:
Abandon your spirit by the door
and let your fears swallow you whole.
Give the monsters what they want
before they eat all of your soul.




''We are family'' That was the first thing i heard as the family meeting started. The voice that spoke sounded almost happy as if the gathering was a kind of celebration. I looked at the face of the voice, my inside burning with venemous anger. There was tears in my eyes.

''We are family'' I repeated the sentence in my mind, again and again. ''We are family'' ''We are family'' I whispered very quietly, snickering, each word dropping out of my tongue like tiny monsters determined to choke me. My face contorted with a mixture of anger, pain, regret and the desire to just die.

I sat inbetween my mum and dad. I looked at my mum, her eyes were red, you could tell she had been crying, occassionally blowing off cartarrh from her nose with the end of her wrapper, the resulting noice less disgusting than the face of the voice who spoke first. They always say men don't cry but a second glance at my dad told me otherwise, he was sobbing, tears welled up in his eyes, too afraid to blink else the tears come pouring down, i look at my dad, shake my head and clutch my stomach.

In the middle of the room was a small table with a bottle of cheap wine. I wondered, who would want to drink wine in a meeting like this? Directly across me were two men sitting on white plastic chairs, lets call them Uncle 1 and Uncle 2. To my left, another two men,Uncle 3 and 4, well dressed than the first two, they were seated on the only comfortable chair in the room, standing behind them is a young man, 28 years old, the son of one of the men. I looked at him with anger, resisting the immense urge to haul the saliva i have gathered in my mouth at him.

Uncle one clears throat as if afraid to speak, he looks at dad, looks at me and began,

''well like he said, we are family, what has happened has happened and what we need to do now is to look for the way forward'' he stared at everybody in the room before sitting down.

''Yes, he is right'' Uncle 3 is speaking ''we are family and we all just have to protect the family name, we know what happened shouldn't have happened but everything is ordained by God to happen, the best thing is to forget the matter and move forward'' His voice was low, almost sweet even, makes me want to just snap that neck. I looked at myself and then stared at my mum, her crying had increased, her legs were shaking very rapidly like one with a flu. I hold her hand to comfort her but it didn't ease the pain. We were both broken.

''well, the only solution is to report the matter to the police and take the case to court'' My dad says, finally finding his voice.

''We would do no such thing'' Uncle 4 replied-the father of the young boy- with a bit of pride and total lack of shame, ''Remember'' he says ''Do not bite the hand that feeds you and vengeance is for God, by the way, do you realize what that would do to our family name?''

''Did you think of the family name when you and your son took turns raping me?'' I screamed, cutting him off and almost charging at him if not for the hand dad suddenly placed on my shoulder, pressing me to my seat. Mum is wailing now. Every mention of that word RAPE seem to want to drive her crazy.

Uncle 4 looks around then sits down. I stare at his son, (lets call him Charles) he averted my gaze and fidgets in his position. I sob, my sudden outburst drove the whole room into complete silence.

''we are family'' What kind of family rapes a 19 year old virgin lady and then tries to cover it up? I ask you, is there a way to ever recover from something like that? Being rapped and tossed between father and son like a sex gadget while your screams reverbrates round the wall hoping that somehow someone would magically materialize to save you, you've prayed to God, definitely an angel would come, but then that moment when your realize there is no one coming, you kick and scream and shout and bite, you scratch at the men, dipping your claw into their skin but nothing you do can stop them, the harder you try, the more they want to destroy your very essence.

At what point do you begin to give up? At what point do you stop struggling? I ask you, answer me! Is it after the first penetration, when the pain come tearing at you like you're being nailed to a cross or after the second and third and fourth penetration, or do you keep struggling and struggling until you are totally damaged? I was rapped by men who were meant to protect me. I hear their laugh every day and their moans and groans, i still feel their breath on my neck, and the sting of their slaps on my face, i hear my screams when i sleep, I remember how my dad looked at me with shame like it was my fault. Please, how am i supposed to cover that up?

Uncle 1 clears throat, ''everything that happened was a mistake, we are family and we can't let the family name be dragged into the mud. you are not the first lady to be raped and you won't be the last so lets not report this, we would settle this as family and would let the matter die''

I looked at my dad for support, nothing, he just shakes his head. I knew immediately there would be no reporting. Dad works in uncle 4's company, even though the pay is meagre, that is the only thing supporting us in the family. Uncle 4 had already indirecty threatened to sack him if he dared disobey the outcome of the meeting. My dad had no choice. I couldn't blame him. I had four siblings and mum is sick with HBP. I look at my mum. she looks into space as if in a trance, i squeeze her hand, she squeezes back and starts sobbing again.

''Ok, i would not report the case but on one condition'' Dad said.

''What condition?'' Uncle 4 replies, a sly grin now on his face. Dad looks at me before he spoke,

''You would pay for her education till she finishes her graduate programme considering she just got admission''

I want to protest but dad signaled to shut up.

''Well, that wasn't so hard, was it? I would pay for her school fees even if she wants to study in space as long she shuts up and leave the police out of this'' Uncle 4 says

They all burst out laughing, the terms were agreed, the meeting was favourable to everyone except me. Charles who have been quite all this while was smiling too. They shook hands and shouted the family name. Uncle 2 speaks an adage. I did not care to listen. It felt like i was removed from the room and only hearing them from a distance.

Charles walks up to me and stretched his hand for a hand shake. We were friends once but not anymore. I tense, looked straight into his eyes and hauled myself at him, we scrambled to the floor, almost falling over the bottle of wine on the table. I stamped my teeth on his neck and bite as hard as i could. I heard him scream but it was nothing compared to how i screamed, he's hurt and bleeding but it's nothing compared to my pain and the way i bled.

They pull us apart, everyone in shock. I open the bottle of wine and took one big long gulp, I slammed the bottle on the table and laughed.

''I'm coming for you''

My last words before i stormed out of the room, a damaged woman.



Abandon your spirit by the door
and let your fears swallow you whole.
Give the monsters what they want
before they eat all of your soul.

jammy12:

Wow, Thanks for considering my opinion, really