David and I were heading to the beach as we had agreed. We both kept silent, David played music as he was driving. I am not really into music so I just sat there bored without saying a word. But the thoughts I heard before him picking me up were still running through my mind. Oh God, what if this man kidnaps me or rapes me. I just hope it’s not what I am thinking. Calm down, David ain’t that bad as you may think. He might actually be planning a surprise for me. My mind assured me. It wasn’t yet halfway to the beach when David turned in a different direction. “Weren’t we supposed to go to the beach?” I asked.
“Yes,” David replied. He wore a shirt I had never seen him wear before, maroon with buttons down the front and blue jean shorts.
“Then why did you turn in a different direction?”
“Just relax, we are going to a safe place to talk. Don’t worry,” David convinced me.
“Okay then.”
He took me to one of his buildings that was in a remote area. We entered the building a few minutes later, and yeah, the place was nice. It had everything needed for someone to stay. Just simple and beautifully painted in white and light blue. The sitting room was twice the size of the bedroom and there was just a simple small kitchen. The bathroom was in the bedroom. He left the building claiming that he was going to get us food to eat. Because of boredom, I thought of using my phone, only to realize that I had left it in David’s car. Oh no, how could I have forgotten my cell phone. Now I am really going to be bored, well, let me just wait for David to get back. I muttered to myself. I waited anxiously for about an hour and he wasn’t yet back. Looking through the window, I couldn’t see his car. I went to the door and tried to open it. But it seemed the door was locked from the outside. I became so scared, being in that big house for almost two hours now. I was frightened, I was feeling suffocated like I couldn’t breathe anymore. I became even more scared to the point that I started banging on the door and yelling. But no one could hear me since I was in a remote area. A place where people rarely pass by because it is far from town. The area was surrounded with bushes. I think he used that place to get away from the world. Sort of like a country-side home. I checked through the fridge in the apartment because I wanted some water. I was surprised to see that the fridge was stocked. It had fruits, beef stew, chicken stew and so many other edible things. That could only mean that David intended to leave me there.
Three days had passed and there was still no sign of David. I wonder what my mother must be going through, she must be worried sick, and Sara too. Oh God! Please return me home safe and sound. I just don’t get why David had to leave me here. What are his intentions. Could he be up to no good? Oh God please protect me, I thought to myself. I had cried to the point that I was now too exhausted to cry anymore. And I yelled to the point that my voice couldn’t be heard anymore.
That night, I had finally fallen asleep when I felt a touch on my body. I opened my eyes and saw that it was David. He looked normal to me and he was dressed up like he was heading to work. I got frightened and jumped out of bed.
I started begging him to take me home. “Please take me home, David, I am really scared all alone here and my mum and Sarah must really be worried sick about me. Am begging you just take me home.” I begged him in tears. He told me not to worry and that he had everything under control. He forced himself on me.
“I trusted you, I loved you like a father, how could you be this awful David, don’t you feel ashamed. Imagine someone does this to their own daughter. I hate you with all my heart, I wish I never met you. I curse the day we ever crossed paths.” I let my anger and pain out. I fell down holding myself more tightly than I ever had before. It seemed my words had no effect on him because he just quietly dressed and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water for himself as usual. Then he left and locked the door without saying a word.
One month passed and it was hell. A month felt like ten years in that hell of a countryside house. I never got even an inch of sleep because of fear that he could return any moment. My body developed goosebumps just by the thought of his return after every three days. Every time I heard the sound of his car, I felt as though my soul was leaving my body. I suddenly turned into a vegetable for I knew the hell I would be going through. I was in a state where I couldn’t understand anything anymore. Death would have been better. If I had an easier way of killing myself, I would have done that to stop this torture. This man kept on forcing himself on me and beating me up. I was disgusted, exhausted, and filled with hate. I think at that point I could even kill a person even though I was just fifteen years old. He never slept over. He would rape me, beat me up and leave me there locked up. That disgusting man told me that my crying turned him on. I wondered which type of a cruel person this man was. I can’t believe I trusted this filthy man, how do I get out of this ooh God. I can’t take this torture anymore. Help me oh God. My mind screamed. I wished I’d never met him at all.
But staying alive also gave me some hope of one day getting out of that hell. I sat there every day by the window hoping one day someone would pass by. I would be able to shout for help and would finally be able to get out of there. I didn’t feel like doing anything, and I was depending only on water and the fruits in the fridge. I had no energy to eat food. I tried escaping several times by trying to open the door, breaking the window using a knife, but my energy wasn’t able to help me. I was too exhausted from the molestation of that evil man David.
One day, as he was getting a glass of water from the kitchen like he always did after abusing me, I built up the courage and said. “What would Sara think if she knew you were doing this?”
“Well, you must really be stupid to think that my daughter would believe you over me,” he said. “Besides, no one even misses you, and even if you escape from here, no one will believe you because I am a prominent man in this town and I have a lot of connections.” His words almost left me hopeless of ever getting out of that place. My heart ached on hearing him. But I said to myself, Calm down, don’t lose hope, one day you are going to get out of here.
After failing several attempts to escape, I decided to play along with him. It was the only way for me to get out of there.
To be continued.
19 March, 2023
