Story Line: "36!!!" (A Story By Abidoye Adenike)

Story Line: "36!!!" (A Story By Abidoye Adenike)

Abidoye Halimat Adenike is an avid researcher in literature and creative writing. She is a student of University of Ibadan in the department of Law and legal studies.

She takes delight in writing and has analyzed different literary works in her sixteen years on Earth.

DESCRIPTION

"Miss Mariam Benson went through a  of violence,physical and sexual assault which was detrimental to her health and her psyc hological state. The act with which she carried was out of self-defense and to guard her sister from her odeal. But the fact that she committed murder cannot still be overruled. So after carefully listening to both ends, here is my judgement:" The judge shifted in her seat.

36!!! Is a satire which major theme is that of sexual assault, families and the value of friendship.

We are made to see the experiences of people through the eye of Mimi Benson,a fourteen years old girl. 

Read to follow the course and allow to show your little way of saying #notorape.

Have a wonderful read!!!💕

CHAPTER ONE

CAN I?

I looked at the blood stains on my skirt

Only one thing kept ringing in my head

"I want my own share of blood.."

Revenge? maybe

Broken,torn, tormented,empty

I was numb,shattered and lonely,

Deafening silence in my heart;

Yet,I could feel suppressed screams,

Laying blank in my throat.

"Can I ever be repaired again?"

I thought to myself.

"Can I find happiness and joy once more?"

"Can I genuinely smile and trust like I used to?"

The answer was ringing in my head but I couldn't accept it.

Noo!!This must stop,it has to!

I just want to live without pain,

No fear,scars or torture..

Is that too much to ask?

Then darkness welcomed me once more.

THE BEGINNING

She stared at the cuffs on her hand with a void and expressionless face before she released a long sigh.

"Hey, young lady,I clearly asked a question here!!"Officer James thundered as he slammed his fists on the table.

Mimi only raised her head to look around the dimly lit investigation room,glared at the officer and looked down at her wrists again.

"Look,I can't keep questioning this fool again, I can't even stand her anymore,Stella". Officer James said to the other officer in the room in rage.

"Jamesss!!! I would not have you call this poor girl here abusive names,it's highly uncalled for and not morally conducted." Stella responded as she gave him a dirty look.

"Pele ooo, advocate..did I just even hear you call this girl,poor?heheee,she murdered someone and even stabbed him over 30 times and you still see her as weak?"he said with a scoff while giving Mimi a once over.

Officer Stella just ignored him as she walked over to sit on the chair beside Mimi. She looked closely at the girl and saw nothing but pain and fear masked with with the facade of courage. She sighed loudly before touching Mimi on her as a gesture to get her attention. The method worked as Mimi raised her head and looked straight at the Officer with questioning eyes.

"Mimi dear,you have been here for a few days now without talking or eating." Stella started with a soft tone. "I think you should really co-operate with us because keeping quiet will lead us nowhere. Talk to us dear."

Officer James scoffed at these words and Stella gave him a Stern gaze which made him cough and sharply look away. She returned her attention back to Mimi as she continued with her convincing words.

"It would be nice if you would open up to us..just reply to the questions we ask,okay? So why did you kill your stepfather and ..."

Stella's words were suddenly cut off with the loud laughter that came from Mimi's mouth.

"Hahahahaha." Mimi laughed as she threw her head back as she laughed bitterly and hysterically and the two officers exchanged confused glances.

"Ahhhhhhhhh". She let another loud shout as she dug her fingers into her hair which had not been combed for several days. Stella instinctively moved closer to her to embrace her and Pat her back while James stood there,still dumbfounded.

While in Stella's embrace,Mimi broke down in sobs while shaking feverishly. James was taken aback while Stella released her and held her hands.

"Step-father? He...he's... not e...even human,...just...just a monster,a bloody monster...in..hu..man clothing."Mimi said in a shaky voice before going completely quiet again.

Stella tried to get her to talk further cos she was evidently getting reactions from her

"Please talk to me...I was once a little girl like you and I have a daughter who is about your age. I can't imagine what made you do a thing like that but it'll only get better if you open up to us,dear. Let's do this together so please cooperate with us."

Stella quickly threw James a look which implied 'say something!'. James understood the look and talked before he got more dirty looks from Stella.

"Errr...yes,talk to us Mimi,we promise to listen and understand, okay?"

Mimi raised her head to look at them and blinked her eyes rapidly before she breathed out. She had always been longing to hear those words from her mother but never did. She finally decided to talk because keeping quiet would solve nothing.

"I think I'm ready to talk now." Officer James quickly took this as a cue to place the recorder in front of Mimi and grabbed the third chair in the room to sit.

Mimi stared at the recorder for about forty seconds before she drew in a long breath and clasped her hands beneath the table and said

"Well..here goes nothing..."

CHAPTER THREE
THE NEWS

"My name is Mariam Benson. I agm a fifteen year old who has lost happiness and given up trying to find. I was not born a saddist or anything though,far from it infact. I had always had a basic,average and happy life with my family. Those moments were the best,you know?

Laughing and sharing important beautiful moments without a care in the world, not knowing what kind of tragedy lays ahead." Tears we're already brimming her eyes.

"My father worked as a banker while my mum was an housewife due to my dad's wish. We were rich enough with our own house and ability to meet daily needs. We were a close knit family and it felt like nothing could separate us until a great tragedy hit us.
I was just ten years old when my mum received a terrible call one night that my father has been involved in a road accident on his way from work which claimed his life on the spot.

My whole world came crumbling since then. I remember how my mum and I cried so profusely that very night and my sister,who was just five years old at that time could not comprehend what was going on." A long sigh escaped her mouth before she continued.

"After my dad's burial was held,things took a whole sudden turn in my family. The dynamic was so crazy that it all happened within a split second and I really didn't see it coming. My mother resumed her nursing profession which she quit after she married my dad. The job was a nightmare to my sister and I because she didn't even acknowledge us anymore. She worked double shifts so that she could earn more to make ends meet". A tear slowly escaped her eyes.

"I had to take care of my sister and I single-handedly due to the absence of my so-called mother. I really loved my sister because she was a companion right from birth so I didn't find taking care of her difficult or that burdening but I was a ten year old girl for God's sake who also needed attention."Her voice was raised a little before she continued in a softer tone.

"I really appreciated my mother's efforts but the distance was killing me inside and she didn't even realize it. She would sometimes not come to the house for days and when she does,she just drops money for our immediate needs, settle school bills and leaves till another time."

James who had been standing all along drew a chair and sit and signalled her to continue.

"At the age of twelve,I had become a very independent young girl as I grew up without a mother figure. I learnt to do things by myself without any assistance. I tried my best to also make Toke receive the emotional and psychological care she needed. She would ask about our father from time to time but I always found one excuse or the other to give her before crying in secret."

"My mother never attended PTA's,never celebrated our birthdays,or even showed up for important events in our lives. When I even got my first menstruation,I was sooo freaked out,I didn't know what to do but some YouTube videos helped,I guess."Mimi chuckled bitterly.

"Anyways,I kept living and smiling through the pain. I was outstanding both in academics and extra-curricular activities and even praised as the best in class. But I still had spaces in my live needing to be filled,it was not just the same,you know?Well...I thought the worst was happening already before the news that broke me came again.

Mimi could see the extreme curious eyes of the two officers in front of her and could not help but smile a little but she was quite thirsty so she paused.

"Errrrr....Officer Stella,can I get....um water to drink? I'm... really.. thirsty. She asked with hesitation.

Although Stella was really expecting the next thing that Mimi wanted to say,she could only reply with
"Sure dear."

James tsked and Stell eyed him while giving him a nudge with a signal of 'get the girl some water' with her head. James rolled his eyes and stood up before walking out of the room to get her water. The air was quite awkward after he left and Mimi kept looking around like there was something fascinating in the room.

James finally entered with the bottled water and handed it over to her.
"Here you go."
She nodded her head in appreciation before she downed the whole water at once. She burped a little and she gave a shy smile out of embarrassment.

She cleaned her mouth with the back of her hand before she continued:

"As I was saying..."

CHAPTER FOUR
THE LEAD

"I can vividly remember that Tuesday morning that my mum came home. I was dressed for school and about to leave with my sister when she walked in. I was neither excited nor sad to see her cos she held less value in my heart as the days passed. My sister barely greeted her before she walked back into her room. I looked at my mother with questioning eyes cos I felt there was reason she came home." Mimi's eyes darkened as she proceeded.

FLASHBACK

THIRD PERSON'S POV

(A YEAR AND HALF AGO)

"Mom,what brings you here early this morning?." Mimi asked her mother with a straight expression.

"Come sit with me... I'd like to tell you something important." Mimi hesitantly followed her mother to the couch to sit.

"Well..ever since your father died" Her mother started talking." I had felt lonely and recently,I realized that I needed to fix that up." Mimi already knew where the conversation was heading so she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I met this man some time ago and we've been courting for a while and he proposed to me last week so I believe it's high time I settled down with him." Mimi had never felt so dumbfounded and tongue-tied in her life.
She stared at her mother with her mouth agape boiling with anger at the same.

"You barely visit my sister and I but when you finally decided to,you are telling me of your impending marriage with some guy?"
"Mimiiiiiiii!!!!" Her mother cut her off.

"Whattttt???!!!!! She stood up in anger.
"Mimi what? I will not sit here and listen to all this because this makes no sense to me and I know fully well you've made up your mind so stop acting like you need my opinion on this matter. I thought we meant something to you for God's sake." She was shouting at the top of her voice.

"You did and always will, just try and understand me and be happy for me."Her mother's voice was matching hers.

"This is not about being happy for you,it's about you knowing your priority as a good mother to her children." She countered back.

She called on Toke and when she was about to leave,he turned back and faced her mother and said:
"Thanks so much for being a good mother." She mouthed with the most sarcastic voice she could make.

END OF FLASHBACK

"I walked out on my mother that day and could not concentrate in school all day because my mind kept going back to that conversation with my mother. Anyways,days passed,weeks and my mum would visit us once or twice in a two weeks but we were never like family again." Her voice was starting to shake.

"Finally,after about one month, my mum got married to the biggest two faced monster on Earth named Paul Henshaw. They chose a court wedding and it wasn't elaborate at all.

My mother didn't have a close-knit family so only a friend of hers attended the wedding and stood as a witness. I didn't care to hide my disdain throughout the whole wedding ceremony and I didn't even smile in any pictures. Asides the fact of the whole marriage thing,there was just something bugging me about the man she was marrying but I just bashed the thoughts." She sighed before she continued.

"Paul Henshaw owned a furniture business so he was well to do and could provide for us. My mother refused we move to his place so we maintained our home.

I thought my mum was going to quit or lessen her work after that but it only got worse and it became clear to me that she had stopped working to make ends meet for a long while but had been working only for her selfish interest to become the head nurse in the hospital." She looked at the two officers and saw that the both of them were so engrossed that in her story.

"Paul seemed to be a good man but I couldn't just bring myself to like him for reasons I didn't even know. The feeling was the same for my sister as well and he didn't even attempt to make us like him so we lived as strangers in the house. He usually goes to work in the morning and returns in the evening.

Him and my mum argued almost Everytime on the little amount of time she spent taking care of the house while she devoted all her time to work.They would argue on the phone and anytime she was home. I was not bothered because I basically didn't care anymore. I only focused on taking care of my sister and I e... every sin..gle day. Tears were flowing down her eyes.

She used to back of her palm to wipe her eyes as she snifled
"We continue living like that for about eight months and I thought I was facing the worst.My step father had quit disturbing my mother about her poor attention towards us the day she uttered some abusive words to him because I stopped hearing their constant arguments. Then one day,I knew what it meant for life to be a living hell.

FLASHBACK
(ONE YEAR AGO)

It was a stormy and rainy night and as usual, Mimi's mother was not at home. Toke,her sister was asleep in the room while she was doing her assignment in the living room.
She was doing the assignment peacefully until she suddenly heard a name from her step-father's room.

She thought she misheard the first call so she ignored it until the second call came even louder than the first.
"Mariamm!!!!" She was scared because it sounded like something was going on. She dropped her pen and hurriedly walked to the direction of her step father's room.

She hesitantly opened the door of the room and walked inside gently while looking around trying to find the person calling her or why. When she saw nothing odd going on,she turned to leave but before she could make it to door,she felt a strong impact on her head before she was enveloped into total darkness. 

 

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ABIDOYE ADENIKE.