Eniola smiled as she watched a little girl hitting her mother lightly on the hip, pulling the tall blonde woman by the arm but the woman didn’t pay attention to her poor daughter because of the conversation she was having with a nurse.
The tall blonde woman’s reaction reminded her of the way her own mother did not pay attention when she tried to show her the bruises in her vagina, she was five then, a little girl that learnt how to silence herself.
The smell of the hospital nauseated her badly but not even a nauseating smell would silence her this time. Eniola sighed whenever she checked the time on the silver wristwatch that Dele had given to her for her birthday.
The people with psychological problems in the waiting room were not much but it takes time for psychiatrists to help them solve their mental problems. Eniola had always seen psychiatrists as Psychological ‘Simons of Cyrene’, people that carry psychological crosses for other people. The psychiatrist she had booked for was black not white and she was glad about that. He was Nigerian; a Nigerian like her, Dr Okilabo.
She was glad that she would not have to fake an American accent just to impress a Blonde or a Brunette haired person and she wouldn’t have to pronounce unnecessary ‘r(s)’ in words that shouldn’t stress the tongue.
If she meets a white psychiatrist she may not be able to him or her anything, but she would gladly tell Dr.Okilabo everything everything. She would tell Dr Okilabo that she has been down with depression for many years and she would tell him that she had been abused, sexually.
It happened 25 years ago in Nigeria on a very fine Sunday, after Father Samuel had shared a wonderful message sent from the lord above. Uncle Friday, one of the church’s well-known Brethren; known for being the churches most righteous man, took her by her little hand into one of the church’s dark rooms (God know what room it was). He had laid her down on the concrete floor and removed her pant and his penis too, then her did it.
While Uncle Friday was thrusting into her quickly, he kept on asking “is it sweeting you?”, “Am I sweet?”. Eniola still remember how hoarse his voice was, how his pores were leaking with sweat and how she kept on crying for help.
She would tell Dr Okilabo everything, especially when Uncle Friday wiped her clean with a white handkerchief after he he finished his evil deed, she would not forget to tell the psychiatrist that Uncle Friday gave her a big yellow banana that she enjoyed. When Uncle Friday took little Eniola to her mother, the woman thanked him for keeping a close watch on her daughter and they both went home afterwards.
Uncle Friday didn’t stop there, he kept on molesting her after church service, he also threatened to take her life if she dare to tell anyone, she never told anyone, even after she moved to Boston, she didn’t even tell Dele her boyfriend but she would tell Dr Okilabo today.
“Next!” a nurse called on her after a patient had left Dr. Okilabo’s office.. Eniola picked up her bag and headed towards the hospital’s exit door. She never told anyone, She silenced herself.
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