VALLEY:The Trials Of A Girl Orphan

CHAPTER 8

“Last bus stop!” The driver shouted. I was already asleep. The halting of the car
woke me up. I alighted from the bus and looked around. Mum and dad grew up in
Ibadan and they had told Opeyemi and me that we will alight at Iwo Road when
coming from Lagos- so I was at Iwo road.
After trekking for a while, I saw the Iwo road bridge. The traffic jam was hectic. I
didn’t have anywhere to head to. I sat down under the bridge. I eventually passed
the night under the bridge. My night wasn’t so good. The stench from the gutter
was very offensive. Mosquitoes were not out of their business too. Need I
mention that rats too came for their deal?
After some days, I started selling chocolates and sweets at the park. I knew
most of the drivers were smokers and after smoking, they would take sweet to
cloud the odor. The business bloomed. Sometimes, I had to trek to Ibadan toll
gate (on the way to Lagos) just to make sure I made sales. I started getting used to
the mosquitoes and rats. It was not like I had a choice. I could at least afford to
eat twice a day.
*********
One day, after some months of living from hand to mouth, I got a ray of hope. I
was hawking at Idi-Ape when I saw a vacancy poster. I knew I wasn’t educated
enough to get a white collar job. It was a vacant post for a waitress at an ‘Amala
joint.’ I decided to try my luck. I asked around for the description and luckily, I was
helped.
I patiently sat at the backyard of the big restaurant. Two young ladies were
pounding yam at one corner of the backyard. They were sweating profusely.
Different activities were going on. I could smell the aroma of fried rice- when last
did I taste that? I was waiting for the directress of the restaurant
“Funmi! Funmi! Come and serve the customers oh!” A middle-aged woman
shouted at the young lady stirring the soup. The woman approached me. She sat
down in front of me.“Good afternoon ma.” I said
“Good afternoon”
The woman was dressed in a pink flowing gown and wearing a lot of jewelries.
She was very beautiful. She was dark in complexion.
“How are you?” she asked me.
“I am fine, ma. I actually came here to apply for the job ma.”
She looked at me curiously.
“How old are you?”
“I am eighteen ma”
“Where are your parents?”
“Ma, they died about two years ago.” I went on to explain all that I had gone
through.
“Ha! You’ve suffered oh. You this small girl? Well, such is life. Can you do this
job?”
“Yes, yes ma” I said kneeling down.
“Get up. I will be paying you ten thousand naira per month. Is that ok?”
“Ha! Yes ma” I said hurriedly. I was happy.
“So, you live under the bridge?”
“Yes ma”
“You can’t continue to stay there. My customers can’t keep seeing you there. It’s
not ideal. I have one of my workers staying with me. You will have to join her in
my place.”
“Ha! Thank you so much ma. I am very grateful”“However, you must not steal anything here or at home. You’ll have to pay for
your meals, even at home. I don’t tolerate slothfulness. Your work is to serve the
customers. No chit-chatting with other workers during work.
“Yes ma.”
“You will start tomorrow. Make sure you get here early.”
********
I started working in the restaurant the next day. My life became better. Bolanle
and I were living with Madam Sade. The house was extremely big. I couldn’t
believe it belonged to Madam, an ordinary restaurant owner. However, I instantly
believed when I learnt that her husband was the general manager of a very big
microfinance bank in United Kingdom. Madam Sade had two twin daughters.
Bolanle and I were sharing the same room. My life got a lot better and I thought
liberty was here. Grace and Glory were Madam’s daughters. They were teenagers.
They were twins but actually quite different. Grace was outspoken and jovial. She
always had something to talk about. She was the kind of no-nonsense girl. She
knew her rights and never allowed anyone to deprive her of them. Glory, on the
other hand was a very quiet girl. She looked younger than Grace despite the fact
that she was older with exactly 3 minutes. Glory was very meek, never causing
trouble. Glory was a science student while Grace was an art student.
After receiving some months’ salaries, I bought some good clothes and shoes. I
also got an android phone. I had the opportunity to surf the internet and read
books. Bolanle and I started a thrift contribution. Life got extremely better and I
started dreaming again. I had hoped that after working for a while, I would quit,
sit for the GCE examination and eventually study medicine.
After some months of working with Madam Sade, I started experiencing some
things at the restaurant. Older men tried molesting the waiters. Others didn’t
speak up and I felt bad. One faithful day, a Mercedes Benz model 2018 packed in
front of the restaurant. A man of about 50 years old came out of the car. He was
an Alhaji. He looked extremely rich. He sat down at a corner of the restaurant. I
went to take his order. When I came to serve him, he tried touching my hands
and I stylishly stopped him. He went as far as touching my hair. I didn’t knowwhen I poured the whole soup on his bald head. I was in a poor state but I was
certainly not going to lower my standards. My mother had always told me to
never allow any man touch me that way and I wasn’t going to disappoint her at
that point. He was very furious.
“How dare you?” He said angrily
“Sir, you are at fault here. You tried molesting me. You’re so shameless. I may be
a waiter here but I certainly have my dignity. You are old enough to be my father.
You have no shame. That’s a warning. The next time you try anything like this, I
will slap you.” I said fiercely.
By then, we had caused so much commotion in the restaurant. All other
customers were gazing. All these caught Madam Sade’s attention. She came into
the restaurant from her office.
“Keyshia? What is going on Alhaji?”
“It seems like you don’t hire good workers anymore, Madam Sade. How dare this
small girl pour soup on me?
“What?” Madam exclaimed
“Madam, he is the one at fault. So because I didn’t agree to you touching me, I am
not a good worker? You are truly shameless sir.”
“Shut up! Keep quiet! It seems like you are getting tired of this job. Why will you
do such a thing to a customer? Customers are always right.” Madam said.
“What? Did you hear what I said he did to me? Why will you support such an act
ma? I said shockingly. Madam slapped me.
“So you are bold now? You’re already wearing good clothes. You can afford
perfumes and now you think you can talk to me anyhow? E gba mi oh. This small
girl. Alhaji, I am deeply sorry. Bimpe! Come and get another food for Alhaji.”
“No, no, I’ll leave” The Alhaji said and left angrily. Madam called me into her
office.
“Keyshia? Why did you behave in such an irrational manner?” She said furiously.
“Irrational? Madam, I don’t think you understand what is going on here. It was
alhaji that acted in an irrational manner. I was merely defending myself.”
“What did he do wrong? See, it is my business that is important. Simple.”
Business! This woman was so heartless. Had it been Glory or Grace that
someone tried that with, would she have kept quiet? Ah! Wicked world! She
knew how to care for her own flesh and blood but I didn’t matter. I apologized to
her and left the office but I made sure I didn’t attend to any customer that
appeared rich or influential again.
*********
Easter came soon and for the first time since I started working, madam’s
husband was coming home. Madam and her children were very happy. Grace
kept talking all day about him. She told me a lot about him. Finally, he arrived
two days before Easter. He looked a bit older than Madam Sade. I instantly saw
his resemblance with Glory. They looked a lot alike. Some days after, Madam’s
elder sister fell ill and she had to travel to Ekiti to check on her. Glory had gone
with her. Madam had told Bolanle and me to take care of the house chores. We
had to cook for her husband, sweep the house and do other sort of things.
On one fateful day, I had to prepare Oga’s breakfast. I prepared jollof rice and
fried chicken.
“How was your night, Keyshia?” Oga asked as I served him a cup of orange juice.
“Fine sir”
“Come on, sit down and eat.”
“No, no sir. I will eat at the restaurant.”
“Keyshia, sit and eat. At least keep my company here. Let’s talk. Bolanle isn’t
ready to leave too.”
I sat down reluctantly.
“Thanks” Oga said.I sat quietly. I served myself jollof rice and started eating. Oga started talking
about a lot of things but my mind wasn’t there anyway. I just kept nodding and
smiling sheepishly at intervals. I wish I hadn’t agreed to sit with him. Oga tried to
touch my laps. I got furious and left the table stylishly.
Some days later, Bolanle and I were in our room. Bolanle was seated on the
bed reading a storybook. I was arranging my clothes into the wardrobe. It was a
Sunday so we were to resume work late. I summoned the courage to explain all
that happened to Bolanle.
“I will tell Madam once she gets back” I said.
“Ha! Keyshia, don’t try to. That is how Oga is.”
“What? You mean, wait Bolanle, he does that to you? And you’ve kept quiet?”
“Keyshia, he had tried to but I had always used sense to get out of that. Let me
tell you a little story. Some time ago, Lolade used to work for madam. We lived
together her. Oga tried to molest her and she reported to Madam. Madam
accused her of trying to defame her husband and she sent her packing. I don’t
have any relative to run to if such happens. That is why I keep using my brain.”
Every single day, I kept wishing for madam to come home soon. To make matters
worse, Grace was always out of the house most times.
One day, I slept off on the couch in the sitting room and everyone already
retired to bed. Suddenly I felt someone was touching me. Oga tried to molest me.
I struggled with him. I eventually bit him and ran out of the house. I kept running
until I lost all the energy in me. I sat down in front of an old mechanic’s shop. Ha!
Just when I had thought I had found happiness, this man and his womanizing
spirit ruined everything. I couldn’t go back to the house. I knew I was in trouble.
He would frame me for something and get me in trouble with madam. All my
savings, clothes, phone, shoes, everything! Gone!
Alas! If I had known, I would have stayed back in the house that day and
faced the worst. It was very late that night. As I sat there, two louts approached
me. I tried to escape but I was raped that night.