Aunty Monika – Uncle Nnamdi
When Aunty Monika came visiting all the way from Abuja, Mama and i couldn’t contain our excitement. We weren’t expecting her neither did we see it coming, especially considering the calibre of her person. Mama, despite our poverty-stricken state literally went out of her way to ensure Aunty Monika was comfortable, and as well given the best treat possible.
Aunty Monika was a no ordinary personality. She was the only influential female figure in our town and one of the few in the state at large who had contributed immensely in both human and capital development. She lived in Abuja, had a good number of businesses to her name and had been pivotal in the many successes of young girls whom she was porported to have lifted from grass to grace. Aunty Monika was indeed a household name, so now you understand why her visit was grand and meant so much to us.
Aunty Monika didn’t touch the meal Mama served her but instead had a sip of the soft drink also presented to her. She looked uncomfortable in our dilapidated abode but didn’t waste time in divulging her reason for the visit. It was mainly to take me along with her to Abuja.
Mama, upon hearing this was reduced to her knees in sheer appreciation, clinging tightly to Aunty Monika’s shoes. I joined her too. We knew the implication of this gesture, it was a one-way ticket from penury to plenty. It was for our own good and we embraced it with open arms. Our being appreciative was an emphatic “Yes” to her offer, and she told me to get ready, as we are to hit Abuja by tomorrow.
Upon her departure, i began preparation in earnest. I also informed a few of my friends of my trip and they couldn’t believe their ears. They congratulated and wished me well, and also made me promise i will come visit them from time to time. Mama too did all within her power to get me few good clothes, shoes and underwears. She also gave me her entire meagre savings to hold unto and tasked me to remain obedient and hard-working to Aunty Monika over there. I also promised to return in a few years time and change our condition for good.
The following day was a friday, and Aunty Monika came to pick me up in one of her exotic cars. It was my first time entering one, and i relished the opportunity to the last. When we got to the border that demarcated our village from another, i was asked to alight and join a waiting bus. This bus was also provided by Aunty Aunty Monika and was almost filled up with girls of my age. I believed they were also picked up from their respective families amidst promises of a good life.
Our journey was long and tiring, but we were able to finally touch down Abuja by nightfall. We all alighted the bus, tired and hungry, and were finally lodged in a hotel where a large room with numerous bed spaces were made available for us. We each had a bed for ourselves. Shortly after, we were served supper and then we retired to bed. The next three days was weird as we only ate and slept.
We also took time to formalize and make friends amongst ourselves. We further shared our life’s aspirations as well as what we hoped to achieve here in Abuja within the shortest possible time. We were a sum total of twenty-two girls, all under the age of sixteen.
On the fourth day of our stay, Aunty Monika came to see us. She also took us on a shopping spree were she bought us nice clothes and shoes, took us to the salon to make our hair and also get spa treatment. That night, she told us we are to meet some of her business associates the following day, and ultimately tasked us to be obedient and respectful to them, as they were the key to our world of riches and fame. We were all excited and couldn’t wait for the crack of dawn.
Morning came too soon and we got set to meet our destiny helpers. We all got into the nice dresses Aunty Monika bought for us and wore the best of perfumes too. We joined the bus that conveyed us to Abuja and set out again to one of Aunty Monika’s shop. We got there in time and we were ushered in.
The place was gigantic and luxurious, had one of the best state of the art facilities we had ever seen. Aunty Monika led the way up to the last floor where we approached an inner chamber that had a VIP inscription on the door. We got in and beheld a couple of men comfortably sitting on couches facing a huge TV screen. They had expensive wines before them and were entertained by soft electronic music from a huge woofer.
The lights in the interior was dim but somehow we could spot their faces. They looked elderly but wealthy. Aunty Monika approached them first and did a short introduction of us before we were then shared amongst them. I was paired with an Alhaji who was old enough to be my grandpa.
Aunty Monika soon exited the room and the lights went off. What ensured was unexpected. The men began to caress us and soon began forcing themselves on us. I pled with the Alhaji but his grip on me was firm. He was reaching for my undies when i struggled my way free. He then began to apologise. Now the music had increased, quelling our voices and plea.
One after the other, the men began to exit the room with the girls assigned to them. The Alhaji too led me out all the way to the car park where his car was waiting. He asked me to join him but i was reluctant, i finally had to comply when i sighted the angry face of Aunty Monika in a distance. I got in and we soon sped off. We got all the way to the Alhaji’s home and upon my entrance, he swiftly shut the door behind me.
He began to undress and urged me to do likewise. When I proved stubborn, he resorted to go physical but that too wasn’t enough to deter me, I stood my ground. He reached for a small knife from his wardrobe and threatened to kill me if I don’t let him have me. He was now unclad. He held my throat in a choking grip and tossed me to his bed, pounced on me and attempted to force his way on me. I had to plead with him but he wouldn’t let go, so I put up a fight instead.
In my resistance struggle, i got hold of the knife lying somewhere on the bed and drove the sharp edge into his abdomen. He froze for a moment before letting out a short yell. Got off me with his hands covering the deep cut. Blood gushed out profusely, spluttering on the bed and also smearing on me.
I crawled off the bed, trembling and scared, weeping aloud. I made for the door and tried forcing it open all to no avail. I turned and watched him fight for his life as he tried to stop the bleeding. Seeing he could barely make it, he picked the knife and charged for me, launching an arm to stab me but I was quick to get out of his way. He missed and came crashing on the ground. He had lost so much blood and strength were gone. His death was only a matter of time.
I reached for his clothes and ransacked the pockets, and was lucky to find a bunch of keys. I tried them on the lock and finally got a match. I left the room and also the house. Found my way outside and raced helplessly on the lonely road. I was still walking to nowhere in particular when a hand grabbed me from behind and i immediately lost consciousness.
I woke up hours later, chained to a wall in a dark, damp room. The place was littered with both human and material waste and had this deep nauseating funk of rotting flesh. I wasn’t the only one there, a couple of other girls too were faced with same fate.
They looked famished, battered and malnourished. One of the girls told me the room was Aunty Monika’s cell. She also told me girls were thrown in here for being either stubborn, rebellious or had attempted to flee without her consent. She further informed me that she had been here for months with no hope of ever tasting freedom. She said they are fed once daily and sometimes they go days or weeks without food.
She went on to recount that a good number of promising young girls had been here but never made it out alive.
I began to weep, and soon resorted to prayers, but it seems the heavens were far from my cry. My fate has already been decided, and if ever there would be a miracle, which is very much unlikely, it wouldn’t come without a cost… and even if I managed to offset the cost, the scars will remain indelible. Never to be removed.
***
Agnes, the girl who had divulged the mysteries behind Aunty Monika’s fame and opulence went on to unveil more skeletons in her cupboard. She revealed that she had been a one-time ally to Aunty Monika before their eventual fallout. She further narrated how Aunty Monika who was a drug addict and trafficker had made so much money off the illegal trade.
Her fallout with Aunty Monika had begun when she, out of frustration had told Aunty Monika of her desire to quit their illicit lifestyle and lead a normal life with the little savings she had gathered up so far. This revelation unknown to her had infuriated Aunty Monika and she had secretly orchestrated her downfall.
Aunty Monika had feared that she might eventually leak out her affairs someday so she acted smart and right on time. She narrated how they had had a parting party later that day and she passed out, only to wake up in the confines of her cell.
Days turned weeks and weeks became months and the glimmer of hope I ever mustered up evaporated. The chains that held me bound were so strong and gripping that i could barely feel the flesh around my wrist. The only time the chains were off was only when we were served meals, this was to enable us eat. Most times we go days without food or water.
The man in charge of bringing us food was also the cell’s warder. I never saw his face because he was always masked, and he never spoke to us either. His job was to bring us food and water, and also to evacuate any girl who had eventually died in the cell. I could recall pleading with him on a number of occasions to set me free but he wouldn’t give me audience. He was always strict and very focused.
One day, due to the long absence of food, one of the girls died in the cell. This was nothing new, infact we lost a soul every week. Agnes had discovered it first and called our attention to it. The said girl was one of the longest serving inmates and was also an asthmatic patient. She rarely spoke to anyone and would always sing in her local dialect. I also heard her pray sometimes. Her death meant the girls were now reduced to fourteen, as against the twenty I had met upon my arrival.
Agnes called a meeting with the rest of us and announced an escape ploy. She told us whenever the warder would come to serve us our next meal, we should wait until he had unchained us before calling our attention to the corpse, that way he would try to evacuate the corpse while we seek for an escape unchained. It was a perfect plan, and we hoped it worked out as predicted.
Unfortunately for us, the warder didn’t show up soon, infact we waited a bit longer before he eventually came. Now the corpse had began to decompose, and the funk freely possessed the airtight room. Upon his arrival, it was expected he will first evacuate the corpse before serving us our meal but the reverse became the outcome. He unchained us and served us our meal before taking time to move the corpse. The process was an eyesore to behold, and we barely ate watching such horror.
Immediately the corpse had been taken out, we noticed the door was left ajar, perfecting our escape.
“It’s time, girls” Agnes announced, ensure you don’t get caught!”
“Are you not moving with us?” I demanded
“No, i can’t” Agnes snapped “My legs are paralyzed. Just go, and when he returns I will keep him distracted”
Those were the most painful words I had ever heard, and despite our collective plea to get Agnes join us, she remained adamant. We picked ourselves up and painfully set out to our freedom. Our sore feet could barely carry us, our bones too weak to set us in motion. We set out regardless, one by one, across the door and finally up a small ladder right in the open of what looked like a forest. We were being held in an underground cell.
From whence we stood, we could sight the warder in a distance burying the corpse in a grave he had dug not too far from the cell. We set out in the opposite direction unnoticed, but somehow he caught a glimpse of us and gave us a hot chase, we also took to our heels. Some of the girls who couldn’t keep up the pace soon tripped and came crashing on the grasses while the rest of us kept ahead even though our feet were extremely weary.
The warder, determined not to lose any one of us pulled out a pistol amidst the chase and aimed at us, what ensured were sporadic gunshots. Some of us were hit by the stray bullets and me, somehow came crashing too amongst the scrubs right into a ditch. Whether i was hit too, I couldn’t tell. But i felt life slowing leaving me.
Death? I still couldn’t tell.
✍️ Úncle Nnamdi
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