Lily

PTE

CITY O

S

thering you so muc

willing to understand me. Everyone called me a liar, everyone...till I met Toyin. Just like me, Toyin suffered the same thing as I did w

is the problem? She asked, w

I’m sorry I don’t mean anything but look at where we stay. Look how much you work every day and you can only get what to use to feed. I fe

d on the ground to the chair. "Don't tell me

ears threatened to

fection. "I'm going to see the chief today, and hopefully he'll give me enough money f

tell me what she was doing, somewhere in me knew even though

e said smiling. "Oya come and lock the door a

ul. You know it's late

e said as she laughed rush

like my step-father, and what that man did to me. I can never forget the first day he

car approaching me as I st

noon sir." I

etches to open the door for me. "Aft

t today because of the election." I sa

id as he turned th

s were being elected for v

out, "Sade, there's something I want to tell

appen? Besides it was always my mom who came to pick me but that

asked him, my hear

earlier today when they went

ke a whisper. I couldn't contain my

OY

o like her at Ajegunle in another one-room apartment. When she finally had me, all I ever experienced was hardship and poverty; sometimes I wished she didn’t have me. By the time I was sixteen, my mom's boyfriend forced her to chase me out of the

e girl!" My uncle yelled at m

g. I had been caught with some friends who were smoking behind our class block; actually I

whore and very soon you will leave m

, one day one problem; if it wasn’t him, it was

rupting our children." She would say ev

B made my uncle and his serpent of a wife call me a waste and he had wasted money on my head all thos

r a week until the pastor

madam."

d on the chair

again. "Sorry,

my face when I raised

or days now; don't you have a place to

I have n

id. “Okay, you can come and live with me

ought to myself. My joy was overwhelming. I almost hugged him but I restri

free house, free food, and free o

AD

with tears runnin

pened her eyes slowly, "Om

d, "mummy ejor ma soro."

ur brother?"

To

nto the room, "go outside and wa

the room, my mom shouted, I was wondering what he could have told her. When he came out and jammed t

He said stretching hi

el, not starting the car, not saying a word, and then he sa

happened to Toju but you must be

nly one who actually cared for me, the only one who would prote

tepfather prepared Eba

and eat." He said when he

. I just wanted Toju back though I knew that morning was the last time I would ever see him again. Wha

food?" He asked after seeing that I kept pu

g sir."

me you and your mom will—you

said in my thoughts. Who

aid, standing from the dinning

the bed staring at the ceiling trying hard to think of Toju so

OY

wrapped around me when the Pastor Debo walked into my room with me as I was a

s that?" He said closing the do

aked? You didn't

s is my house and I deserve to

man of God? Before I knew it he

you and—and God has revealed to

holding my towel firmly. “I think I should leave the house for a moment.”

disbelieve, my mouth op

ng a good life and you think it's all for free, you don't want

m not doing this...aren'

didn't care, that stupid man raped me—he raped me

S

night as I slept. I moved myse

I opened my eyes and

t here to make sure you're

aid as my h

make sure you're okay don't cry." He s

rembling; I couldn't move mayb

as he used his pal

with you. You're too beautiful

ed to shout out, now the tears I wanted since I found out that my brother was d