Letter To My Parents

 


"Do you feel like a man when you push her around?
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?"

All I have ever wanted was good education ( to be a Doctor) , good life, impact to lives and have a good family but I wasn't blessed with none of these. Who should be blamed? The gods? God? My parents? Myself? ( help me give answers) .

I never saw my mother, she died during my birth. I was raised by my poor dad who gave everything he had just to give me a better life but all was in vain. I lost my daddy to cancer when I was 14years old, that day? I lost everything I had in this cruel world! I was left alone, I had no one to run to or a place to go. We were so poor we had no one around to call my family. After my father was buried, I was lucky to see my far away aunt who came for my father burial ceremony and promised to take me along to lagos. WOW?! Me? A daughter of nobody going to lagos? It was a dream come true for me and I decided to go to lagos to achieve my dreams and make my late parents proud.

We got to lagos that evening and I saw another beautiful world apart from the one I was used to in my village. I was welcomed by my aunt's husband and her children but was very shy to relate so fast. My aunt showed me my private room in the house and I felt like Queen of England but I killed my happiness then with the thought of "How I wish my parents were here with me". Days after days, everything was going so fine and I kept feeling like a queen day by day. I was loved by everybody in the house most especially by my little cousins. Some weeks later, my aunt and her husband told me to clean up the house because her 1st born was coming back from the university being a graduate and I was so happy and looked forward to seeing him.

Brother Leye came back from school and the happiness in the house multiplied! Leye, a calm, tall, fair, handsome man was loved by everyone because of his jovial acts and kindness. I noticed he was surprised when he saw this 14year old girl ( me) in their house but I was too busy and happy to give the surprise a thought. Leye looked 18/19 but was actually 9 years older than I was.

After some days of Leye's arrival from school, he was always looking at me and always wanted me to do everything for him, I was almost his servant but I saw it as a way of bully being my brother. One afternoon, I was alone in my room when he called me up from the living room and told me he would love to make love with me, I was shocked! Sad! Scared! I didn't understand how serious he was but I knew something was wrong with my big cousin. He rushed to me and wanted to kiss me when we heard a knock on the door, I was happy, I rushed to my room and started weeping. My aunt came in and asked what was wrong, I wanted to tell her but kept it to myself.

Everything changed! My status in the house changed! I was immediately turned into a slave! My aunt and brother turned me to their housemaid and beat me violently anytime I didn't do the house chores well. One afternoon I will never forget came, I heard a knock on my door. I was scared, I rushed to the door side, I opened the door, I saw brother Leye in boxers, I tried to close the door immediately but I was pushed, slapped and beaten. I was RAPED! I was DISVIRGINED by my cousin! My blood! I shed tears all through the day, I didn't know who to tell, I wished my parents were alive, my dignity was taken at the age of 16! I told my aunt everything brother Leye did to me, she called him up and asked but instead of speaking the truth, he denied! I was slapped! Punched! Abused by my aunt and thought I was lying or wanted to push myself to her son.

Every afternoon, I got raped! Violated! Abused by my brother. I had no where to go, my dreams were shattered! Trauma and sadness were my best companions. It kept happening and my aunt got to know I wasn't lying when I had my first pregnancy test positive. It was aborted! My aunt took me to a clinic and it was aborted. I was weak! Traumatised! At age 16, I was left with nothing, I remembered how I used to tell my father about my virginity i.e giving it to my husband to make my late mother proud. I was left with nothing!

After 3 abortions from rape, I gave up, I started living my life like a lifeless person, a girl who came to this world to suffer from rape and can't speak about it because she was shy of getting mocked by friends and family relatives, a girl who wanted the best but got served by the cruel part of this world. I decided to tell my aunt's husband about everything that had happen between my brother, aunt and I. My aunt got to know and I was beaten mercilessly, I broke my hands due to the batter and wasn't cared for.

Brother Leye kept raping me and beat me like animal when I tried to complain or fight. I had 5 abortions within 2years for him. Guess what? My aunt was always taking me to the clinic just because he wanted to cover up for her son. I was a slave who had no choice or place to run to. My life changed! I had no dream to achieve anymore, I was deprived of rights and left alone.

One night, he came to my room and wanted to rape me like he's always done but when I tried to push him, he hit his head on the wall and died! I cried out, shed tears until my aunt and her husband rushed in. I couldn't explain what happened but was in tears looking at the dead body on the floor. I was arrested for preventing myself for getting raped. I explained everything that had happen but because I had no proof or witness, I was sentenced to prison ( 10yrs) .

Dear parents,
I wish I never lost you to death, I wish I could see you now to explain all this to you but it's not possible. Please read this letter to know what I passed through for 4years. I miss you so much! This will be the first and last letter I will write. Continue to rest in peace.

SAY NO TO RAPE! DONT MOCK THE RAPED ONES! GIVE THEM REASONS TO TALK WHEN THEY GET ABUSED!

Written by Aderogba Adediji
Twitter : @RealBabymouth