Growing Together:An African Tale

Chapter Three

Bunmi walked with a sad expression, for over a week since she has been working at the company as a clerical staff, no disaster occurred, all of a sudden everyone turned on her, accusing of theft when she had not even stolen anything before in her life.

She recalled their insults, raised hands and thrown items, for something she couldn't even think of stealing in the first place.

As she walked round for sometime, she dreaded going home to her aunts house, she hated the thought of being alone with her sick husband, who made sure that torturing her was a new game, a sick game.

She wondered why aunty Bimbo lived and embraced such danger, he is like a sickness too hard to let time cure without proper medical care or treatment.

Looking at the time in her battered phone screen, she sighed.

"Two more hours before aunty bimbo gets home" Bunmi exclaimed.

Every time he hit her hard, she was tempted to go back home, no matter how she pleaded, she begged till her voice could speak no more he would never listen, he never hid his hatred for me in front of his wife, aunty Bimbo would make an attempt to stop the abuse but he would hit her instead.

He called me 'a way to vent out his anger, the only source of finding peace when aggravated by anyone, even his so called wife'.

Aunty Bimbo's husband disgusted me, he was like a rash on my skin so itchy and stubborn to clear off.

So I made a deal with aunty Bimbo, I didn't like seeing her getting hit by that man because she was trying to save me, with every hit aunty Bimbo cried Loudly, her tears Weakening my heart, sometimes I wished I had stayed with Ba mi and maami back home.

I wished they hadn't gotten into an accident on their way here, I wished they hadn't died and left me here all alone. I felt like life didn't matter any more especially now that things were getting worse and worse.

As Bunmi's thoughts escalated, she was Drown further away from the sounds and sight of the world, she walked without knowing where her feet took her to.

The roads were busy at this hour, cars driving fast, like it was some competition to get home before the traffic began.

Bunmi stood on the sidewalk, still in thought, still unaware that as sadness took her mind and buried it in its realm, she was walking on the road unmindful of the cars heading her way, they all came to a halt, and she walked by without giving them an eye.

By passers watched her, cars honked at her, people whispered, formulating tales unrelated to events that occur in her mind, safely on the other side of the road, Bunmi ventured on, still lost, still not conscious until she had reached the black gates of her aunt's house.

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Long past midnight, steps could be heard outside, strange sounds and whispers, Bunmi stilled as she crawled to the window to have a look, suspicious of some going activities.

A shadow passed swiftly, his form caught in the light, Bunmi got scared and immobile, her mind disturbed.

Bunmi heard a window crash, with her hand to her mouth, her body regained its ability to move, she stayed quiet and listened closely for more sounds, nothing was there, then her room door flung open.

Her worst nightmare stood there, his face hidden in the darkness of her room, she thought to run, but remained fixed, thinking he was here because she had heard what she heard outside.

For a second, she believed he cared but she was wrong. He was pulling her ears hard now, dragging her to the living room where she saw aunty bimbo pick the pieces of broken glass on the floor, her mouth bloody, her body trembling.