RESCUE

"Hi"
"Hi" I said perplexed. I knew Ed was sort of a goblion. He was some yards ahead of me, I had to let him go or hide before he saw me. I really didn't understand how all these befell on me. Ed was that kind of a guy every girl would scurry for her dear life if he happens to appears not even at that dark corner. My dad liked him, "a real man" that what my dad would refer him. I didn't know what a real man was like. Nothing moved my heart when it came to men's topic. Machismo? Virility? Dead beat? Caring if at all I had seen one.

My friends would say my dad was a dead beat father. I never cared. All I knew, he was a war monger, freaking drunkard and sort of a thief. Yeah a burglar if I may say, I can't forget I was almost disqualified from my final exam due to fee balance. He took all the cash my mom had and a big fight ensued. If it wasn't for Maria, my aunty, only heavens knows. Though this wasn't unique, that's the experience I had about daddies. That how a "real man" behaved. I never dared describe him this way to my peers, but only by his looks he was a real dead beat.

Ed was my boyfriend, that's how he would say. To me he was bad boy, high school drop out, six pack" idler" a little freaking drunkard and sort of war monger like my dad. He would pick up fights with anyone as much as his moods would allow him.
"Are you hiding? You seem scared."
I noticed the voice was a bit different from the one I was used to. I turned back.
" No... yeah... I mean... you know.... I was peeking... nothing. Did you say scared?,no, not at all." It was Sammy, my former high school friend.

It was the third month since my dad was diagonised with pneumonia, his liver too was dysfunctional and now he had withdrawal symptoms. The last time I had a chatter with Ed, he inquired on his friends condition or rather "self proclaimed" father in law. I told him he was diagonised with Three in one condition, the chances of survival were dismal and my mom had put some curfews as he recuperates. Of course all these were lies, if Ed knew the truth..... I would be a dead walking lass. Life had made me senseless, sort of a stupor, I had gone through lots in life. Ed was one the of the misfortune I ever wished to blot out of my life.

Dad's health condition was declining much quicker than my mom expected. His eyes had popped out, his skin had darkened and wrinkled. He was sheer different from the war monger lad I had ever known in my life. Mom had tried all she could to keep him on meds but everything was running out of control.

Mom was charismatic, strong and bold. She was the strongest woman I had ever known. She was my mentor but not when it came to tolerating slack fellow for whatever reasons. The hate for men was too real to me, dad coerced it , not me. I wish I had a bit of love for them, maybe I would have a different view on Ed but not now everything was at stake.Her eyes were weak, I loathed to imagine my mom weak. Her presence meant a lot in the family. She was the bread winner in the family of four,she was mom, dad.... she was everything in the family.

Since my dad fell sick, my mom could not work as she used to. My dad's condition was worsening , family financial was at the brink. With lots of demands and less to nothing earnings, something urgent needed to be done. It was me and myself, I had to act and save the situation.

It was the third year since I graduated from high school. Mom had promised to try some connections to further my studies but my hopes were at verge to be negated. Once a week I would feel my dreams were valid but when the thought of those savage eyes crossed my mind ,I would feel depleted, Ed, that guy, I ,always wondered why those kind of people ever existed. Since day one of our relationship " his relationship with me" our chatting was sort of questionaire, he being the interogater and I respondent but What could a village girl do? seek help? From who and when? or justice?. Justice and peace were one of unheard issues in the village. The silence, calmness among the villagers didn't mean all was well , lot was amiss, but who dared to speak?. Mirriam, a newly wedded woman demanded financial support from his hubby and when he failed to respond, she locked him out all night long. The following morning his husband was accompanied by two beefy lads. They harassed her and finally she was taken before the council of elders and was summoned. She was implicated, as a punishment, she was dipped in a tank filled with water and coerced to stay inside for atleast six hours, beaten and locked out of her house for three days. Nobody dared to feed shelter her lest same would be applied to her.It served as an example to "naughty" and "rebellious" women in the village. The village jury of elders always acted in favour of male gender, law enforcement was only applicable in the big cities not in small village towns like down town my village town. Atleast one police post would serve five towns with each post having a maximum of ten cops.