
The dusking evening spoke in mimes, as the pale sun was obliterated by the silvery crescent of the moon. I gazed into oblivion, imagining that I sat on the crescent’s curve waving at Earth’s passersby.
Like a rewound tape, I was woken by a spank so hot that I spontaneously flung out tears from the corners of my eyes and then crashed from the veranda’s railings.
I looked back beneath my pounding head it was Uncle.
As I stared innocently at his face, his eyebrows were squeezed like inverted commas and his nose had swollen horrifyingly. He yelled my name “Tina!”, and a putrid smell of alcoholic saliva sprayed all over my face. On display were his browned teeth hanging like Dracula’s spikes. I quivered as he asked me to go fetch his food.
I had just finished eating the remaining porridge that hadn’t seen warming flames for two days past. When I ate them, they were already gross and the veggies used to cook them had turned somewhat brownish.
I returned to tell Uncle that there was no fresh food. Surprisingly, he asked me to come closer to him; I took a few timid steps closer when he said “Tina, come here abeg”, which meant I should come closer. Few steps again closer then he grabbed me as though I was a generator starter rope and pulled me closer to him.
I was just 14 that month and had little feminine properties popping out. I thought he wanted to console me. I tried explaining myself when I noticed he was staring at my chest. I tried covering it with my frail hands thinking something was wrong with my swollen chest.
Sitting on the couch while I stood, his hands scavenged my chest. My soul slumped! I felt little pleasure until he started pressing as though he wanted to deflate something, soon my skirt jumped!
The end of this story is the beginning of my misfortunate stay with my Aunt and her husband.