Funmi
cried as she narrated the story, ‘Mummy Pastor’ held her and cried with
her…reassuring her that the hurts were a thing of the past. Funmi would pause,
cry some more and continue the story
The
abuse was brutal and consistent…it demeaned her and affected every area of her
life, even her academics. She was flunking secondary school and could not even
relate with her class mates.
This
was the same man that taught Sunday school at the Church they attended and was
considered a Christian and respected by everyone. He was gentle and a man of
few words when everyone was around but anytime it was just him and Funmi, it
was as if the devil switched places with him. He would be wild, lewd and
violent
The
man threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone and would always physically
abuse her anytime she tried to hold back. Funmi was just 13 when this started
and was too afraid to call the man’s bluff.
This continued
for a long time and Funmi got pregnant before the age of 16. The pregnancy blew
everything up…Funmi’s innocence made her unaware of the pregnancy.
A neighbor told her ‘aunt’ that she should keep an eye on her as she looked pregnant. The Aunt wasted no time and after a trip to the hospital, it was confirmed. All hell broke loose as the victim became the villain.
The
abuser claimed that Funmi was a witch and had used diabolical means to seduce
him; as he must have been under some kind of spell to have done something like that.
A neighbor told her ‘aunt’ that she should keep an eye on her as she looked pregnant. The Aunt wasted no time and after a trip to the hospital, it was confirmed. All hell broke loose as the victim became the villain.
Funmi’s
aunt bought the lie…
How
else could they have explained that a seemingly gentle, easy-going,
church-attending, Bible-carrying, liquor-abhorring, spirit-filled,
tongue-talking man abused and impregnated a young girl?
The
only sensible thing would be that Funmi was indeed a witch or had an “ogbanje”
spirit…as a matter of fact; she must have been responsible for her aunt’s
childlessness
The
woman accused Funmi of being an agent of the devil sent to break up her home…she
even accused Funmi of killing her own parents.
She
called her an ingrate and promised to send her to the street…but not before she
got rid of the “devil’s seed” growing in her.
I
didn’t know when I started to shed tears; it was like watching a movie as I
could not believe anyone could be that cruel. I wanted her to stop telling the
story but she insisted that she had to tell me. I wanted to hold her but her
‘parents’ were there so I could only pat her on the back.
Some
days later, the aunt and her husband drove Funmi to another town. They had set
up an appointment with a man they called “doctor”…he had to be a quack because
it was not a real hospital.
It
was about an hour of intense pain as the “doctor” pulled, twisted, and did
whatever he was doing. Funmi almost passed out due to the pain.
It
felt like the “doctor” was told to intentionally inflict pain as punishment.
There was no sedation of any sort neither was any pain killer administered
before, during or after the “evacuation”.
After
the abortion was completed, Funmi’s aunt dropped her off in the middle of
nowhere, in a strange city and warned her never to come near her house. Funmi cried
and begged as they drove away.
Her
options were few as she did not know any other family member except her estranged
aunt. She wandered about all day but was too afraid to ask anyone for help. Her
tummy was hurting real bad and she felt weak.
It
was getting dark fast and people were dispersing to their homes. A lady asked
if she was okay because she had noticed her loitering around that area all evening.
She said she was fine, and quickly walked away…she was in a strange land and didn’t
know who to trust.
The
last bus left the park and she saw the woman that had talked to her earlier get
on it. The woman was looking at her intently as the bus drove off.
Funmi
later found shelter under an abandoned kiosk in the motor park, but could not
sleep because of the thoughts of everything that could go wrong and what could
become of her. Some street urchins had walked by earlier and the way they were looking at her, she could tell they would be back. She clenched her bag, the one her aunt had packed for her…she blenched at the thought of spending the night there and prayed in her heart for God to help her but nothing happened.
She must
have been under the kiosk for a couple of hours…she was in so much pain, she
was hungry, cold and alone…then she noticed blood all over her skirt and on the
floor. She wanted to scream for help but was too weak. Her head felt light and
she could literally feel life going out of her. That was the last thing she
remembered.
She
woke up at the hospital the following day. It took a while for her to figure
out where she was. Her vision was blurry and she could feel the infusion needle
in her left hand. She groaned as she tried to turn, she could still feel pain
around her stomach area…it wasn’t long before a nurse came in.
The
nurse didn’t tell her much but went to get the doctor. The doctor checked her
vitals and advised her to stay in bed and not try to move around yet.
Funmi
wanted to know how she got there and was asking a lot of questions. The doctor told
her how lucky she was to even be alive and that she owed it to God and a lady that
brought her in.
“It was not a pretty sight my dear; I was
even scared to admit you. We thank God that you are back. We had to do a
dilation and curettage procedure to remedy whatever happened to you” said
the doctor
“Thanks ma, where is the person now? Can I
see her?” Funmi mumbled
The doctor
informed her that the lady stayed and prayed all night and had actually just
left not too long ago; however, the lady’s husband was still in the waiting
room.
They
called for the lady’s husband and when he came in, he was very happy to see
Funmi conscious…he started to praise God
“Thank
you Lord for saving this one
Thank
you for your faithfulness
Thanks
for showing yourself strong once again” his hands were raised and he was
singing praises.
He
talked about how his wife had gotten home the night before and talked about a
young girl she saw at the motor park…who looked lost and confused.
He
said his wife couldn’t sleep or settle down as the Spirit of God wouldn’t let
her rest until she went back to check that all was well.
They
finally decided to go check the motor park that night; they got there around
11PM and met her passed out under the kiosk, soaked in blood. At first they
thought she was dead but then saw her eyelids twitching so they rushed her to
the hospital.
Funmi
later found out it was the same lady that had asked her a question earlier on
that day. Funmi was at the hospital for about three days…her rescuers used this time to learn more about her. After they heard her story and how her ‘aunty’ treated her, they took her in and promised to take care of her.
They
even went to see her ‘aunt’ for reconciliation and to explain Funmi’s side of
the story but the ‘aunt’ insisted that she never wanted to set her eyes on
Funmi and they could keep her for all she cared.
That was
the day I knew how Funmi met Pastor Fred’s family and how she became one of
their children. I wasn’t sure if Elder Sam even knew this story“So there you have it, that’s the story of my life…I want you to go think about it and let me know if you are still interested” Funmi said as she ended the story...
PART 4 PART 6
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