All The Ways Of Love

My mother grasped my hand as she lay on her bed, "Don't worry, I'll be fine but you have to stay strong for both of us." Her body was incredibly thin, and her skin was pale. She was merely attempting to console me, but we both understood that she could only be healed by a miracle. My mother only had a few days left before she passes away, the doctor informed my aunt and i. She developed stomach cancer, which did spread more swiftly than was anticipated.

I was informed that my father passed away in a car accident the day I was born. Despite the fact that I didn't know much about him, I wanted to believe that he was thrilled by the news of my mother giving birth to me that day after waiting for five years without a child.

It was before my aunt Luna arrived when my mother became seriously ill and was forced to stay in bed. All along, it was just my mother and I against the world. My lone family member from my father's side of the family was Aunty Luna, who was also my father's twin sister.

………..

On a Monday morning, I was occupied with my math lesson when the vice principle yelled for me to come into his office. Before knocking, I reached for his office door and took a big breath.

“Come on in!” He replied. I entered and took one of the two chairs in front of his desk. I could tell something had occurred to my mother because he appeared tense when he saw me.

"Sir, you asked for my attendance.” I muttered to break the unpleasant silence between us.

“Oh! Sure, I did. I am extremely sorry to let you know that your mother recently passed away and that your presence is desperately needed at home. You're allowed to skip a week of school. I want to say again how sorry I am for your loss, little one.”

Tears started to fill my eyes to the brim. "Thank you." I provided a response. I promptly left the office and ran out of the school grounds. When I got home, I noticed an ambulance right outside my front door. I am certain it was there to transport my mother's dead body to the morgue.

My mother's lifeless body was lying on the bed when I swiftly hurried to her bedroom. "Perhaps it's just a joke.” I thought. I started shaking her body to get her to wake up, but sadly, she didn't even open her eyes. At the age of 12, reality set in when my mother ultimately passed away and I formally became a double orphan.

My aunt Luna started to reveal her actual self six months after the passing of my mother. She referred to me as a misfit and called me several derogatory names. In fact, I was forced to quit attending school. She said that getting an education was a waste of time and money, and that as a result, I had become a slave and prisoner in my own parents' home, never being permitted to leave the apartment.

The extent of my misery increased when aunty Luna started torturing me severely in exchange for the housing documents. For security reasons, only my mother and I were aware of the bank where the documents were stored, and I wasn’t able to have access to them until I was 18. My aunt, though, was immediately interested in taking everything that had been left for me.

No longer satisfied with just torturing me mentally and emotionally, she upgraded to whipping me in the back and dousing me in ice-cold water for no apparent reason. She seemed to like it when I made clear to her just how much I was afraid of her. She thought I was an idiot and didn't deserve to be referred to as her brother's kid.

Really regrettable was the passing of my kind and loving mother. For my age, I had already felt a lot of pain. ‘What did I ever say or do to offend aunty Luna?’I quietly pondered to myself. ‘I have to think out a way out of here quickly or I'll perish, too.’

I strolled up to the living room one fateful late afternoon after finishing all the housework and saw aunty Luna talking to an oddly aged-looking man. “There is the girl I was telling you about. She is lovely, isn't she?”She addressed the male sitting next to her. “Yes, she is a very attractive damsel. To taste her, I am eager.” He spoke as he gave me a passionate glance.

When I entered my bedroom, There was a brand-new, short red dress on my bed. I could hear aunty Luna's voice in my back saying, "Try it on,I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in that outfit."

I replied, "No, thank you." But I felt her take my right hand and twist it behind me. Despite my pain-induced screams, she didn't appear to care.

"You're going to wear that outfit and engage in sexual activity with that man. You must repay every cent that your father owed me, even if it means using your body. Your father owed me a great deal so put on your best behavior and get dressed now.”

I felt a strong push from her, and I almost smacked my head as I fell to the ground. She left my room, and a short while later the man entered and sat down on my bed.

"Hello, my love, why are you sitting on the ground? Do you want to perform the action on the floor or will you come over here?

When I heard his suggestion, my whole body started to tremble. Whatever he had in mind for me had to be detrimental to me and beneficial solely to his needs. I slapped him hard and spat in his face as he drew nearer and attempted to start touching my body.

“Feisty! That is nice! It appears like you're a hardcore, baby girl, and I was intending on being gentle with you.”

He raised me off the ground and set me on the side of the bed, where he started ripping my clothing off.

Although I made an effort to fight him, his large frame easily outmatched mine.

“I'm just 12 years old, please don't do this to me.” I cried out.

“There won't be much pain, so don't worry.” As he lusted for my body, he responded.

I had to stop him from robbing me of my virginity and my survival instincts immediately checked in. I began to struggle against him until I was able to kick him forcefully between the legs. I quickly slipped out of bed and left the bedroom when he collapsed to the ground. My aunt tried to take my hand when I ran into the lounge, but I bit her hand and fled the house.

I had nowhere to go and it was already late. My only relief was that I was far from my aunt and that elderly man who wanted to defile me. People started staring at me strangely, and that's when I realized that the elderly man had done so much damage on my outfit.

I finally found a spot to lay down in the alley. It really did smell awful because of the garbage and seemed quite dangerous. However, it was warm and I fell asleep due to the exhaustion I felt but I was startled to awaken by a searing pain in my stomach. When I looked up, I noticed four street children—boys—in all. They appeared grubby and significantly older than I was.

“She is very stunning!” One of them proposed, "Let's have some sex with her. We can give her that as a warm welcoming gift. “

"Don’t do it, please! “ I begged them to listen, but they were unmoved. ‘How miserable can one get in a day? How will I combat all of these boys?’ I quietly asked myself.

I needed to find a way real quick otherwise I was going to be doomed. Running again wasn’t an option because my legs were already hurting and I’m sure they would still catch up with me if I attempted to do so. All I was left to do was to pray and hope God provides for me a miracle instantly. It was my last and only resort.

With a leap of faith, I kneeled down, shut my eyes, and started to humbly pray. Before I could even say, "Amen," I heard a car stop just in front of me, which I'm sure would have stunned them all. The only person present when I opened my eyes was a stunning middle-aged woman who was about my late mother's age, standing in front of me. She truly exuded wealth with her attire and vehicle.

“A young girl like you shouldn't be alone in this place,Do you not realize how dangerous it is here?” She enquired.

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have nowhere to go.” I answered.

“No need to apologize. Get up and follow me, we can discuss your story in the car.”

For some reason, I felt a little more confident around her. She was my answered prayer, I wasn’t going to let her pass me by, so I got up from the ground and did exactly what I was instructed to do. Tears started flowing down my face as I told her my story when I got into the car.

"Young lady, you are so brave." She gave me praise. “You will soon put your life back together, so don't worry. Do you enjoy sweets? You are welcome to take as much as you need to brighten your mood from what I have in that cabinet.” She gestured her hand to a cabinet that was in front of my seat.

"Thanks a lot.” I opened the cabinet and noticed a variety of candy that I had never seen or tasted before. One of the two I had in my possession tasted odd but not unpleasant when I put it in my mouth. My vision started to blur after a while, and I started to feel sleepy. I'm not sure why, but I quickly passed out.