"Papa John has killed me ooo, he has killed me, mó kú ooo!!" my neighbour Mama Joy screamed and I sighed knowing what has happened again.
"Neighbours oo!! Papa John don kill me ooo,hei!!" She screamed louder this time "Wetin happen?" Madam Sarah one of our neighbours asked and from there others will start coming out.
"Small pikin like this ooo, you no get fear of God ehn? Hei!!" She screamed again "Wetin happen naa?" Pa Jero asked as Mama Joy let out another scream.
"Naa Joy ooo, as I dey baff am today, I dey notice that she dey waka one kukere walk like this ooo!!" She wails and knowing how Mama Joy dramatises her speech I get up from my bed and head out to watch the drama.
"And?" My aunt asks, of course she'll be there, I think as I perched on a brick so I could be comfortable as my live cinema unfolded. "And I kon ask am, Joy, why you dey waka like that? She kon tell me say that e dey pain her, so I kon ask am abii she fall? She say no, I kon think that she don get infection, so I tell am make she open her leg make I check, when I touch am she kon dey cry, my pikin cry ehn!! I kon know say that e no be infection, so I ask her wetin happen, she just dey cry!! Papa John don kill me ooo!!" She wails again.
" How I kon take enter this matter? " Papa John finally asks and Mama Joy gives him one of her dirtiest looks "You dey ask me that kin question abii? No be you take that thing between your legs and shook am into my pikin ehn? Answer me naa!!" She replies.
"Ólùwa ooo!!" Someone among the crowd yells "Papa John!!" My aunt shouts "Eight year old pikin!!" Mama Biliki adds "I go kill you today!" Mama Joy yells as she throws her slippers at him before jumping on him along with Mama Biliki.
"Abeg it was the devil that made me do am ooo!! Abeg I'm sorry, forgive me ooo!!" Papa John yells from under the women. "Which kin useless devil be that?" Pa Hero asks; the same Pa Hero who will probably be accused of playing with some other child's sexual organs or genitals.
"Tufiaa!!" Oga Bola spits as he passes having forgotten that just last week Mama Biliki was settled by him after he stuck four fingers into Mercy, Biliki's younger sister.
"Make I call the police." Hassan, who is probably the only male tenant in the compound who's reputation hasn't be soiled by rape, theft, being an out of control drunk, fights and assaults asks and Mama John kneels in front of him.
"E never reach that level naa, t take God beg you please we fit settle this matter here ooo, please no carry police enter this matter!" She says as she goes in between her husband and the women. "My sisters, I take His beg una, abeg make we settle this thing here abeg." She says falling on her knees and rubbing her palms together in a pleading motion.
"Settle wetin? I go kill this good for nothing rapist you call your husband here!! I dey struggle to raise the pikin I get and he dey come shook his thing for inside her, we no go settle anything ooo! I go kill him today!" Mama Joy says pushing Mama John out of the way and lunging for Papa John.
"Yeee!! She dey bite me ooo!!" Papa John yells and some of our neighbors rush to pull her away "Leave me ooo!" Mama Joy screamed struggling to break free from our neighbors grasp and in the tussle, her wrapper got pulled off her exposing her naked behind.
Noticing this she immediately snatched up her wrapper got from the ground and slapped the person next to her; Pa Jero. "Wetin naa!" He yells and she hisses "Why you dey stare at me like that?" She asks angrily tucking her wrapper tightly around her before turning to face Papa John who's hiding behind his wife.
"Mama John, no be you I get quarrel with, abeg commot for my front."Mama John I say commot for my side I say I no want any yeye settlement." She says but Mama John remains there pleading "I say I no want..." Mama Joy begins but keeps quiet after Mama Biliki whispers something into her ear and her eyes widens.
"Naa so e go be?" She asks Mama Biliki who nods frantically, she looks at Mama and Papa John who are still pleading before hissing "I dey go check on my pikin, when I dey ready I go come tell una wetin I don decide." She says to them before dashing into her house with Mama Biliki following her.
Little by little, the crowd disperses throwing insult at Papa John as they go and that will be the end of this issue.
The man who raped an eight year old girl will go scot free and will probably go out and rape another child by the end of the week, he may even rape the same child again.
Mama Joy said she would come back with her decision, but we all know what she has decided, she will go for the settlement,and I do not blame her, its more profitable than trying to open a case that will probably get closed in the afternoon of the same day it was opened.
Papa John will be bailed, that is even if the police come to arrest him, in the afternoon, and the police men once bribed will close the case.
As for Joy,the moment she stops hurting, Joy will be back parading the compound in nothing but her dirty pink pants. Mama Joy will take the settlement, we all know how this would play out. Its a normality around here.... I think as I get up from the brick and leave the compound.
YOU ARE READING
Ngozi; The Hero Within
Teen Fiction"I'm not a hero, I'm just a girl who's trying to survive." I say and he laughs "Survive huh? That's what you call stealing, surviving.." He begins but I cut him off. "Ever heard the quote that says;" Nature doesn't know that which is wrong or ri...
