Tranquil (Part 5)

5.

Ngozi had completed her secondary education about two years earlier, so she was considered ready for marriage. The two families began making preparations. Ngozi was to be married to my Emeka. I wept when I heard the news and I wished I could just disappear. Everyone knew it. Emeka had been mine, but I had failed to keep him away from the claws of another woman. I had become game for ridicule.

Slowly, but steadily, I became distant from Ngozi, my family and the world.

One day Emeka showed up at our house, shaky and furious, asking to see Ngozi. It was evening and everyone was at church but me. Nothing held my interest for long, not even church. I told him to go away and come back the next day as no one was at home. He begged me to let him come inside and wait. I agreed when it dawned on me that he was not going to leave. I went inside to light the lanterns as it was getting dark.

He followed me in, overpowered me and had his way with me.

I screamed, cried and cursed. He let out a menacing laugh and looked proud of his wicked achievement. I looked at the blood that dripped down my legs and I cried the more. He took one of the lanterns I had lit, bent down in a crouched position beside me and handed it to me,

“Now be a good girl and light the rest of the lanterns.”

I hit the lantern on his head, successfully inflicting a painful wound on his head. He screamed in pain. As he rushed out to get water to wash the blood which had now covered his entire face, I threw the lit lantern at him. It missed and landed on the floor.

It went out, or so I thought.

I was awoken by his voice. He screamed my name. I opened my eyes; my room was on fire.

I told him I couldn’t move as my leg was trapped under the ceiling that had fallen down. He tried to free me, but when he couldn’t, he simply said goodbye and he was sorry,

“Maybe it’s better this way” he had said, and then he left.

But the walls collapsed, trapping him as well.

I was sure I was going to die, and then she rushed in.

“Ngozi!” I screamed. “Help me, I’m stuck. I can’t get out. Ngozi help me.”

“Ngozi”, he screamed, “it is Emeka. I had tried to free her, but to no avail. Help me, so we can try to free her together.”

“No Ngozi!” I pleaded, but it was too late.

She went to her husband and the rest of the ceiling made its way down onto me…