Hi readers! Hope you enjoyed the story from yesterday. If you did, you must be looking forward to the complete story. Yas! And it’s here. Enjoy the long read and ensure to ‘brighten your corner.’
Brighten your Corner… Orange the World (cont’d)
Folake saw this gesture as harmless since Soonen told her he had a girlfriend in school. Initially, she dissuaded him from following her but on insistence, she let him be. However, this may have given Soonen the impetus to devise an evil plan. Soon enough, he started telling Folake how much he missed his girlfriend. Folake was indifferent because it meant nothing to her. She was there to learn and develop her skill and return to school when everything was over.
The day Folake completed two weeks at the tailoring shop, she found herself alone with Soonen in the shop. Now, the shop door was usually closed to avoid attracting the attention of Covid-19 task force. When Folake arrived the shop that day, she saw a note on the sewing machine that read: “my wife is in labour. I’ve taken her to the hospital.” The note was from Mr. Alabi, the shop owner. At the end of the note was an instruction for them to continue peddling the machine pending when he would return. Folake found herself alone with Soonen but she was unsuspecting as she busied herself with her work.
She noticed Soonen wanting body contact with her and she tried to move away. Before long, Soonen gripped her from behind and she struggled to free herself from his grip. She pushed herself towards the door and turned the door knob. Unknown to her, Soonen had locked the entrance door and removed the keys. She felt trapped while he smiled devilishly. She was much smaller than him in stature so her struggle meant nothing as he tied up her hands. He pushed up her lycral skirt and tore her underwear. With both her hands tied, she felt helpless and even when she screamed, no one was in sight. It was an office complex after all and the staff were in their homes. Soonen had his way with her and while she grimaced in pain, he loosed her hands, opened the door and fled.
Hot tears flowed down her cheeks. Subconsciously, she could feel her heart disintegrate into tiny bits. As he fled in haste, he left the door ajar. Amidst the tears, Folake struggled to her knees and gradually stood up. She said, “Psychological pain is as bad as physical pain.” She felt weak to her bones as she struggled to pick up what was left of her dresses and covered herself. She was still crying when she heard footsteps. She looked to the door and saw Mr. Alabi walked into the shop. Mr. Alabi was taken aback. “What is the matter, Folake?” Folake cried the more he tried to find out what had happened. “It’s Soonen”, she cried. “What about Soonen? What happened to him?” Mr. Alabi was getting impatient, though he could perceive that Folake was distressed. She mustered all the strength she could and said, “Soonen raped me right her and ran off afterwards.” As the words exited her mouth, they went out with a loud wail. “Shhhh!” Mr Alabi tried to calm her. He rummaged through the customer’s clothes he had made and brought out a beautiful gown. The gown had always been admired by Folake and she had told him that she would get a material for him to make one for her. Mr. Alabi felt this was a perfect opportunity to gift her the dress.
“Go to the restroom, clean up and change into this dress,” he told her. Still crying, Folake took the gown and went on to change. When she returned from the restroom, Mr. Alabi went into a long talk.
You have to keep quiet about everything that happened here today for two reasons. One, you have no evidence. And even if you had evidence, you’ll be asked what you did to have made Soonen rape you. You know how you like wearing short short things up and down. You wouldn’t want to be judged by society. Second, Soonen’s uncle that sent him here is one of the best lawyers we have around here. He is a very rich man and even owns this entire building plus this shop. If this story goes out, you’ll be the one to lose and it will affect me too, because the man has been good to me. As you see me so, I don’t want trouble. Don’t come and cause trouble for me. Just go home, pretend as if nothing happened. You can resume whenever you like. I’ve dashed you that dress you always wanted. At least, that one should console you.
Folake pinched herself to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. “How can the world be this cruel?” Mr. Alabi had just blamed her for another person’s irresponsible behaviour. He had blamed her for wearing skimpy things clothes which had seduced Soonen and made him rape her. More weightily, he had warned her never to talk about it, adding that if she mentioned it anywhere and he is called upon, he would deny her. He gave her a dress to console her. “A dress! Of all things just a dress! Is womanhood this cheap?” As she thought about all these, the tears flowed uncontrollably. She ran out of the shop crying all the way home. Luckily, the thoroughfare she usually took home was quiet and lonely, as if all users had been asked to stay away. She entered through the back door into her room and shut the door. She cried one round of tears after another till the tears could no longer flow. As usual, her parents were not at home.
Growing up as a daughter to pastors, Folake’s parents hardly ever had time for her. Their only family times were prayer sessions and at meal times and these were no times no hold any conversations. Her parents were always busy in the church, trying to fix other people’s issues or holding one prayer and fasting session or the other. Folake knew that her parents would demonise her if they learned about the incidence and would not also want anybody to hear of it to save their reputation. If Mr. Alabi had followed her home to explain to them, maybe they would understand and save her the look of being an ‘absolute sinner’. She reached for her phone and dialled Abigail, the only friend she could share her pain with. Abigail came over immediately and as she shared, they cried together. It was a pitiful sight. Abigail offered to take her to run some tests at least to know her health status.
At the clinic, she requested for a HIV and pregnancy test which both came out negative. She returned after two weeks for same tests and the results were still negative. Within this period, Folake lost her appetite. The enthusiasm about life in her eyes had all died. She struggled to sleep. The scene of how Soonen had overpowered her and had his way with her kept playing in her head. She sent back Mr. Alabi’s dress and never went back to his shop. The pain never left her. She’s aloof and resents men. Abigail has tried to make her change without success. Five seven months after her painful experience, during the 2020 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, Abigail encouraged her to share her story with A Page Each Day to help her get some closure. Folake says,
“I was apprehensive and felt reluctant at first, but I thought about the many other young women like me who have gone through this. I thought of those that don’t even have an ‘Abigail’ like me.”
When asked what she thinks others should do differently in the face of rape, she says, “that day, I should have run out to the clinic in my tatters. The way I looked and my test results would have been my evidence. I should never have been silent for fear of being termed the bad person by society.
Folake said she feels free after sharing her story and pledges to give ear and support to any rape victim while campaigning against rape. She says rape is inhuman and nobody should have to experience it. She says she plans to start a small group in church where she will sesitise young persons about rape. She will do the same thing when she resumes school. It is a campaign. Through this, Folake brightens her corner. Are you brightening your own corner?
Give rape victims justice! End rape. It is inhuman! End Gender based violence!
#OrangeTheWorld
