Walks of life

What really happened part 2.

Amanda Mukwaasi's POV

STILL FLASHBACK

The next day it was a Thursday and a school day. So I planned to go through with my plan in the morning the moment I get at the university campus. Dad always came back home at 10pm and if he was so busy and had some emergencies he would usually extend to 12am. I only prayed that this day would not be one of those that he didn't have to extend his working hours. I didn't want to leave the house when I was planning not come back before eating with him my last meal and have a chance to say goodbye to him even if I knew it would hurt me deep inside my heart.

I knew he will understand my intentions and will support me but I couldn't let him know what my plan was. He once told me that if he had a way he could let me out of all this he could have done it before it got worse. But my dad's hands were tied and I understand it being one of the victims of my mother's obsessions. He couldn't fight with my mom and win no matter what.

It was 11.30pm and I was impatiently waiting for him. I made my way to the living room to ask my nanny if she heard my mom talking to anyone on the telephone while I was in my room. She confirmed to me with a no and I was grateful. I couldn't stop thinking about the conversation I had heard that she had with her friend. I was about to go back to my room when I had a knock on the main door.

"That must be dad '' I muttered to my nanny who was still near by me. She went straight to the door and asked who it was on the other side. I ran to see who it was because the person wasn't responding and my nanny was a bit short that she couldn't reach the door peephole. When I peeped through the hole I saw someone I couldn't even recognize so I told my nanny that it was someone I don't know.

We went to inform my mom who stood up immediately and strode to the door in a flash. She just opened the door and there stood a lady and a gentleman besides her smartly dressed.

I looked at my nanny confused about what was happening. Mom welcomed the guests in a very jovial manner. Well I guessed they were her friends or maybe a mom and son. I whispered to my nanny who I got used to call (Baaba) meaning big sister because I knew her since I was born. I asked her in a hideous way if she knew about the coming of these guests and she said she did but she thought they were not going to make it because it was already late so she thought they had canceled

Mom called me to say my greetings and everyone at home. I went to the living room and knelt down to say my greetings to both of the guests. The lady who looked to be the same age as my mother caught me off guard when she got me down from my knees and enveloped me in a hug. I was surprised about this and I didn't know how to react so I just played along with it.

After letting me go I went in front of the gentleman and did the same while kneeling. We exchanged the casual greetings and as I was getting up to leave, my mom introduced him to me that he was the son to her friend the one I have just shared a hug with and my soon to be fiance then husband. The lady complimented my looks and the dress. Of course I was dressed so decent like I was expecting them but that was how I always dressed up in my mother's presence. The dressing code was a very strict rule in our home from me to the workers respectively.

She was so blunt and happy saying all of these things as if the two of us had a serious talk about it. I stayed calm as if I had accepted this before these guests showed up. I felt tears stinging in the back of my eyes and they were just seconds away to pour and roll down my cheeks. I didn't reply to her, I just made my way out of the living room and as soon as I got to the house corridor, I ran like a mad woman to my room and locked it. I went straight where I had hid my bag and put some more necessities, got my cash I have been saving since I don't even remember because mom and dad always gave me some up keep but I never used it because they gave me everything I needed. I had kept all the money in a saving box opened it and indeed I had got myself some good amount in there.

At that time I was ready to leave at night and not to wait till tomorrow. I started to think maybe mom saw me on her door way in the evening and she knows I heard her plans that's why she wanted to speed them up. Her motives were really so unclear. All the girls that I got a chance to know about their arranged marriage stories, the background resorted to fathers wanting money and thats how big sums of money were asked for as dowry from the man's family.

But we had alot of money and it was even my mother who was pushing this all.

I started to sob and crying for myself because my dad won't even dare to stop this I start to pray that God changed my mother's heart this time. I always prayed for her to change but this time I was so desperate.

I cried and called to God's name, to send me some strength to make me go through all this.I begged God to make everything that has happened to be a dream and by the time I woke up it wasn't true. I started to think of my escaping plan and how I will end up. What if she finds me and do something terrible to me or my boyfriend. Then I remembered no one knew him and he might be safe.

As I was still in my own sombre and depressed mood then I heard my door being knocked on. I knew it was either my mom or my nanny. I didn't get up that time around I gave up on caring what she was going to rant in my face if it was my mom. I would rather die anyway so that she stopped controlling and taking every decision she wanted with my life. It was my body and life but she almost controlled everything of mine. I did the natural things my way but what I wore, ate, did and even the people I talked to were decided by her only after I went to the university she lost control of my outside activities but the moment I got back home we resumed. It was like all those were not enough she went on to decide who I should marry and when. I was so tired and agitated with her I just wanted to end everything at once just to get Myself some peace of mind to end the trauma I was living in every single day of my life because it was so miserable to say the least.

The knocking on the door continued but I didn't even try to get up I just stared at the door untill after like 10 minutes I saw the door knob twisting. I just knew she was going to kill me. When the door opened it was my dad who came in I ran so fast to him and wrapped his arms around me. I think he used the master key.

He squeezed me while confronting me and telling me it was okay and that I shouldn't worry.

When I heard what he said I just sobbed even more and I let all the pent-up emotional feelings out that I felt inside that consisted of anger, frastration, sadness and more to flow. I cried and shouted in his chest but he was just calming me down and kept telling me how It was going to be okay.

Dad why does she treat us like this, why did you do to her, why does she hate me so much? I asked my dad all the questions I wanted to ask him all of this time. This was the time, I was fed up with being treated like an object.

Calm down first or else you will get hysteria. Your heart is racing at a high speed due to too much pressure right now and you are speaking with alot of anger because of the pain your feeling. He continued.

I don't know how on earth my dad remained calm in every situation but I was so much tired and ready to express my feelings and disatisfaction that day.

Mom came in my room, walked straight besides my bed and sat on the couch in my bedroom. She looked like she wasn't impressed with what is happening before her judging her facial expression. I looked at her once and looked away from her and kept my eyes glued to the carpet on the floor like it was the only interesting thing in my room.

After some minutes that passed without no one uttering a single word mom got up and stood opposite where me and dad were seated on the floor and said these words that I always remember every time I thought of her.

" Okay drama queen, thank you for embarrassing me in front of my guests but go straight to the bathroom, clean yourself up and come back to the living room like a person who was raised in a decent family and a respectful way, your going to marry that gentleman you met earlier and that is final. I don't care about any of you two people's opinions because YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER and I decide exactly how I want you to be.

That scene you just caused back there needs to be cleared up. You showed a bad reputation and you know how hard I work to keep my name on top. I won't let a 20 years old girl to ruin it for me even if you are my only child. Your here crying about getting married at 20 yet I gave birth to you at 16 years don't even piss me off.

She said all those words that were so hurting that every each word she said I felt like my heart was being pierced with a sharp needle.

I looked down again and started crying even two times harder than before. She came near where I was and hold my chin and said "I remember always telling you to look straight at me when am talking to you, I don't tolerate disrespectful behaviors in my house and you know that very well".do you understand? i looked back at her again and Shook my head as a sign that I know and understand what She just said.

I know you have those lips on your face to help you say some verbal words, she retorted.

Yes please mom, I answered with a shaky voice. At that time I was even trembling. If I had not felt my dad's hand on my shoulders I would have forgot he was there. I quickly turned around and began to cry for him to say something. To at least make mom drop her decision of marrying me off to the man I don't love.

Dad please say something please, can't you stop this please I beg you, I cried to him at least to see if he can save me this time.

Many times when I was in such a dilemma, dad would interfere but it didn't only take long before he gave up. I some times felt like he only interfered just to show me that he tried and failed but he always never failed to try.

I got on my knees and begged him one more but all he did was holding me and shaking his head in defeat. When I saw that I had no one on my side I decided to do it on my own.

I got up from the floor went straight to where my mom was standing with her arms crossed on her chest in a dare expression looking straight at my dad. I went to her and knelt down, looked up to her and told her I was not going to marry the man she had brought for me and that I was living her house if she forced me to.

The moment those words let my mouth, I heard a sharp pain on my two cheeks after my mom smarked me twice on both sides non-stop.

I put my hands on my cheeks and I could feel the pain and hotness of the hot slaps.

Dad jumped from where he was seated and pulled me from where I was kneeling from and put me behind him.

He looked at mom with anger and ready to charge at her if she dares to take a step closer to where I was.

All this happened when my bedroom door was not closed and I saw my mother's friend on the door way looking so shocked and terrified at what she had just witnessed. I think mom sensed it too that she turned around to come face to face with her shocked friend.

She quickly composed herself and started to act like everything was normal and okay.

When I saw that she only cares about her reputation and tried to keep her good image infront of her friend, I decided to save myself using that opportunity.

I ran to her friend crying so loudly and told her that I didn't want to get married now and I wanted to complete my studies but my mother was forcing me and thats the reason she slapped me

The lady looked abit taken back at what I had just told her. She hold me in away my mom has never done and wiped away the tears that were streaming down my face.

She turned to my mom and asked her if they could talk in private.

Mom turned to me and my dad glanced at us and stomped out of my room with the most murderous look I had never seen before.

I hugged my dad so tight and started to sob again. I didn't know whether what I did was going to make things worse or good. I just decided to embrace myself with whatever she will come back with from her private conversation with her friend.

My dad was a man of few words, the all time we were alone in the room the only thing he told me was to go take a shower and calm myself down. I did take the shower only to come out after like 1hour and I admit that was the longest shower I had ever took in my entire life. Because when I looked at the wall clock in my room it was 1am in the morning. I put on my sleeping nightwear planning to skip dinner because it was already past dinner time and who would still have the appetite to eat the food after all what had happened . Dad wasn't in my room and I knew he went to sleep as it was already late and he went to the hospital at 8am .

I said my night prayer and prayed to God to change this day into a bright one. As soon as I said Amen, I looked up only to lock eyes with my mom. She looked so furious like a lioness that I even unintentionally backed away from her ready to run for my life. She grabbed me by my hair and dragged me from the bed to the floor. She started slapping me and kicked me every where on my body she could come in contact with.

I was crying and shouting so loud asking for help. I saw no one coming and I knew my own mother was going to kill me in this room. She pinned me down on the ground and started smacking me in the face everywhere she could. I had a disadvantage that she was more powerful than I was. I couldn't escape her grasp. I tried to make it to the door but I couldn't reach my hands. She started beating me saying all sorts of audible and inaudible words.

I started asking her why she hates me so much and what I did to her for her to treat me like that. She was only beating me emphasing on how am her child, she is the one who gave birth to me and if it meant killing me if I disobeyed her then let it be. She kept on reminding me that no one was going to help me escape her and stop her from killing me. I begged her in my weak voice to spare my life and I told her I was going to do what she wanted because I was done fighting.

I had lost all the hope of being rescued from her I struggled to even breathe I kept on calling my dad for rescue but he was no where to be found. I looked at the door and started hearing something being broken. I heard the banging and I knew she had locked It. My mother was so bitter and mercilessly beating me up I felt no energy to fight her back and left her to finish me as she wished. I saw my mom on the floor crying too after some few minutes as she let me go, my lifeless body fell on the ground and I blacked out while spitting out blood.

To be continued

Am really sorry in the first part of this episode I didn't edit and I saw a mistake in the spelling of the word "nanny" instead I wrote nunny which is also a different meaning but am so sorry for that please bare with me I will be careful next time

Thanks for your time you give spend reading my book and please give it a chance.

If you find any mistake please feel free to send me a message.