SIX YEARS AGO
"Uncle Demola please, my mother needs the money, please!" Fifteen years old Sewa cried begging her father's younger brother to give her money for the treatment of her mother.
Ademola was Sewa's father's younger brother who was always nice to them until her father died. He arrived in port Harcourt after being called by Sewa on the phone who requested for his help.
He told her he'd help and asked her to meet him at a hotel; she was baffled, she wondered why.
She shrugged whatever ill thought and went to look for him. Here she was in front of him as he sat down on the bed looking at her in an ill mannered way wrong for an uncle to look at his niece.
He got up from the bed and walked slowly towards Sewa, Sewa wasn't comfortable yet she stood still. "I will help you like I promised on the phone if only you..." He trailed off as he grazed his fingers on her exposed shoulder, she flinched.
"Don't be scared, it's not much," he walked around her, standing behind her as he grabbed her butt. She pushed him, "Uncle Demola, what are you doing?" She asked.
He was quiet before he spoke up with anger, "If you want money from me, I will have to fuck you, hard and fast!" He spat out.
Sewa went numb instantly. She must have heard wrong, this wasn't the uncle Demola that used to buy her ice cream, chocolate and cake, this was someone else.
"You better don't act naive, so you want to tell me you are a virgin right?" Demola snickered.
"Mtchwee, you can't deceive me, and besides we will both enjoy it!" He hissed.
A drop of tears rolled down her cheek as she shook her head in pain, this wasn't her uncle, how could he think such and say such to her?! She wondered.
"So you won't help me?" She asked knowing the answer herself.
"If you accept my demands, come and find me, I'm still in port harcourt until next tomorrow," he spat out, not showing any sign of concern.
Sewa was disappointed and hurt, she hated her life this year, all was going down the drain after the death of her father and people started to show their real attitude towards them.
Sewa never went back to find her uncle, she thought of other ways. Lola and Anu stopped going to school because they haven't paid her school fees. Her mother's situation got worse as she couldn't walk without being held.
Sewa was coming back from the place she had gone to look for work when she was almost hit by a car, she was shocked that she couldn't move out of the car front.
Thinking of how life had been unfair to her, she started to cry in the middle of the road, not caring about the crowd that gathered.
The owner of the car had to come down from the car, causing traffic on the way and making cars horn.
"Young lady, are you alright?" The man had asked her, taking a closer look at her, he whistled, she was really beautiful, he thought.
Sewa cried out more, she couldn't hold them anymore. "Please hit me with your car, please hit me with your car!" She cried out loud causing gatherings around her.
"Shh! Don't say that, what is the problem?" The man asked her. He brought out his handkerchief and gave it to her to wipe her tears leading her into his car.
Sewa was reluctant at first but considering that she had caused traffic, she got into the car and the man drove off.
"And that was what happened!" Sewa narrated her family story to the man from when her father died to how his family people called her, her sisters and her mother witches and the ones who killed him to her father's younger brother wanting to sleep with her before he'd help.
The man had taken Sewa to his house, which Sewa wasn't comfortable with but she didn't see any ulterior motive considering you can't recognise the ones to help you and this man might be the one, she thought.
"I will help you if only you would agree to my terms," The man blurted out shocking Sewa.
The man's name was David, he was in his late thirties and a worker in NNPC, a graduate from the University of Port Harcourt. He was a pedophile.
"What?!" Sewa gasped. "You will help me?!" She asked with her eyes wide open.
"Yes..." He trailed off. "If you will agree to my terms," he added.
"I will sir, I will sir, anything sir!" She blurted out, as she knelt down.
"Don't be rash with your decision young lady. Are you sure you can?" He asked her this time with a girl's voice.
Considering she had said no to her uncle, the man had doubts she'd say yes to him. "I will sir, I'm tired." She cried.
"My mother's condition isn't getting better and I'd do anything at this moment.
He walked closer to her, kneeling on his one knee, he looked deep into her eyes, "Anything you say?" He curled his finger under her chin looking deep in her eyes.
Sewa Shivered, she didn't like the voice the man had used on her just now and she suddenly felt uncomfortable knowing where this was leading too.
Do humans have to take something in return to help?! She thought.
She was torn, she was confused and mostly, she needed to help her mother and younger ones.