I drove the rickety car I had hired to Rockgarden Homes. It was 1am in the morning and of surety, everyone must have been sleeping. I silently walked to the posterior end of the building and clambered over the fence without making much sound. My feet were girded with a solid boot which I had purchased earlier that week. The security men were fast asleep and one of them was even snoring like a bear.

I made my way to room 24 which was on the first floor of the building. I sneaked into the room as the door wasn’t bolted. My eyes immediately spotted him even though the room was poorly illuminated. He laid on the other bed at one corner of the room. He was just in his early 70s. I brought out the syringe slowly and injected a surplus dose of Tetrodotoxin into him. He was a deep sleeper and so, he didn’t notice.
I was set to take my leave and so, I crawled out of the room. I was heading towards the back of the building when a dim light shone at me. I heard footsteps too and I knew I was virtually in trouble.
“Stop there right now.” A woman which seems to be a staff of Rockgarden Homes had yelled at me. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and she chased after me. All the security men had woken up and were all after me. Suddenly, I slumped and fell.
I opened my eyes but I couldn’t figure out where I was. The stench around me was terrible. I took a glance around and then it dawned on me that I was in the police cell. I could feel some discharge from my vagina. In fact, I was bleeding. I wasn’t a young girl and I had stopped menstruating a very long time ago. This wasn’t my first time of experiencing it and that was what prompted my visit to the hospital a week ago.
Tears immediately dripped down my eyes. I had recollected my experience at the hospital. The doctor had suspected cervical cancer and I was asked to run some confirmatory tests in another medical centre.
“Cervical Cancer? How come? How did I get that? Why me?” I had questioned the doctor frantically.
The doctor made it known to me that the human papillomavirus virus (HPV) which is a sexually transmitted virus plays a major role in causing cervical cancer and having sex at a very early age is a risk factor for developing cervical cancer. I suddenly became speechless and all I could do was to cry and walk out of the doctor’s office.
I was a victim of rape. I was exposed to sex as early as age 6. It wasn’t even from a stranger but it was from my father. It sounds so unbelievable and bizarre but that’s my story. My father would call me to his room and have sex with me forcefully anytime my mum wasn’t at home. I was being molested by my father. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I was dying in silence. I was bottling my pains.
My father had threatened to kill me if I told anyone about it. My mum was nonchalant to her motherly responsibility and she never noticed I was going through hell. Well, I should have at least opened up to someone. I had aunties, women in the church and even female teachers in school but I never opened up to anyone.
I was molested by my father from age 6 till I got to 16 when I was about to enter the University. He had asked for my forgiveness and told me he was now a changed person. He told me never to tell anyone about it not even my mother. While in school, I received massive credit alerts from my father. He was trying to cover up for his sins.
“My father must die!” I had screamed bitterly when I realized I had cervical cancer. The anger and pains I had bottled up suddenly became ignited and ready to explode. My mother died 2 years ago and since then, my father had been staying in a home for the elderly – Rockgarden homes. I had an elder brother and he was the one who took him there. I never visited my father until that day.
I was charged to court for the murder of my father. I felt relieved a bit when I heard he was dead but the pain was still there. Revenge shouldn’t have been my best option. With the help of my husband and the intervention of his renowned lawyer, I was given a less severe judgement. I was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment without hard labor. Although, I was granted the permission to visit the hospital regularly for my therapy. But I had Cancer. Could I live up to 7 years?
I would soon be gone from this world. See where my silence has gotten me to. I should have told the world about my father. I should have exposed his evil deeds right from the start. Maybe if I had done that, I wouldn’t have developed cervical cancer. Also, I wouldn’t have to revenge and take laws into my hands and of surety, I wouldn’t be in the prison today.
“Keeping sexual abuse a secret won’t make it stop. It only makes you a victim and haunts you but speaking out heals the wound and makes you free”.

Written By Isibor Precious, Delta State University, Abraka, NIGERIA.