EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER SEVEN
One day, weeks after Ndidi turned fourteen, an incident occurred that sent tides in her and Nkechi’s direction and posed a great threat to their future.
Noon was past gone and they were hawking on the express road as usual after sales in the motor park.
“My birthday is on the 3rd of next month o,” Nkechi informed Ndidi.
“I will give you moi-moi as a present,” Ndidi replied.
“Is it because I gave you plantain chips on your own birthday? You know I don’t have money yet.”
“You also know that we are in the same shoes.”
“Get money from Ebere and buy a gift for me.”
“You are talking as if Ebere has money.”
“He can always collect from his mother.”
“Who will break my head when she finds out.”
“I will come to your rescue.”
Ndidi burst into laughter,
“You, rescue me from that woman?”
“Yes now.”
“You are not serious.”
As they stood by the side of the road talking and looking out for buyers, two boys approached them.
“We hope your moi-moi and plantain chips are fresh,” one of the boys asked, checking out their wares.
“Yes,” Nkechi replied.
“And cheap?”
“Yes. How much moi-moi and plantain chips do you want to buy?”
“It is not us. Someone in that building behind that yellow one wants to buy,” the other boy said, pointing.
“Buy and take back to the person,” Ndidi suggested.
“She wants to see them herself.”
“And she is the one to pay you.”
The girls had doubts but because they had not sold much that day, they considered following the boys. They sized the boys up first. They looked too young and innocent to be kidnappers. The girls went with them.
They got to an entrance in the building and entered. The room was obviously unused. It only had old calendars hanging on the wall, a bench and a table at a corner. There was no one there. The girls’ doubts increased. They stood close to the entrance, alert.
“Are you afraid?” one of them asked.
“For what?” Nkechi replied, feigning boldness.
“Where is the person or we leave?” Ndidi asked.
“Calm down. She is inside that room,” the boys said, pointing at a door opposite the entrance door.
The girls did not move.
“Aunty they are here,” one of the boys announced and went towards the door.
“Let them come in,” a woman’s voice said from behind the door.
The boy that went ahead opened the door and stood there. The voice of a woman had reassured the girls so they went towards the door. On entering, they saw only two young men in the room. There was no woman. It was one of the men who had feigned a woman. The girls were really scared. They turned to leave but the other boys blocked the door. The girls knew what that meant. They threw their wares down and tried to break through to freedom. The boys covered the girls’ mouths to drown their call for help. When they could neither free themselves nor cry for help, they started throwing punches, biting and scratching. That earned them beating by the boys and the young men together. They were eventually overpowered, their mouth gagged and their hands tied.
“Please let us go,” the girls mumbled.
Once the girls were captured, the two boys left the room and shut the door leaving the two young men alone with the girls.
“Please don’t do anything to us,” they begged with tears running down their eyes.
The young men paid no attention to their pleas and raped the girls harshly.
_______________________________________________________________________
About The Book
“Against the Tide” is the story of a young girl named Ndidi; the third child of her parents, who up until the death of her father was living in affluence. The story follows her ordeals, hardship she passed through and what eventually happened to her.
“Against The Tide” is a well written fictional story that highlights certain issues concerning child labour and abuse as evident in household slavery, street hawking and sexual harassment. The book tries to pick up causes and effects and goes on to make little effort in proffering solution
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(c)2015.Chinedu Isaac
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