TRAFFICKED- PART TWO

PART TWO- BRIGHT FUTURE

“You see what I did just there?” He calmly said over Amina’s screams. “That is the least of all the things I could do to you. You will find that I take more pleasure in breaking those who think they are unbreakable.”

Amina looked into Isaac’s eyes, hers red, his clear. She was almost as tall as he was and as she looked into his eyes, she dared him to do as he had done to her sister to her. But instead Isaac eyes moved unto his goons. They immediately let her go. When they did, she quickly rushed to her sister’s side. She peeled the last man who was having his fun with her off of her sister and slapped him. The guy made to punch her in the face.

“Don’t you dare, Pious.” Isaac’s cool voice immediately had his goon retreating from Amina. 

She knelt by her sister. Blood had just began pooling. Amina clutched her lips to stifle a cry. She shook Fati but she was not responding to her call. Her eyes were closed shut, tears staining her innocent face. When Amina lifted Fati’s hand they limply fell back. 

“No! No! What have you animals done?! She was only fourteen. What have you done?” She roared wildly. 

“Bury that one somewhere.” Isaac commanded.

“No! No!” Was all that could come out of Amina’s lips as they bound her with rope, dumped her unto one of the motorbikes and drove off into the night.

And she looked on as they carried her sister’s limp body away until she could see no more.

Isaac personally threw her back into the room she had run from a few hours ago. The other girls in the room huddled together in fear.

“Welcome back.” Isaac said as he shoved her into one of the walls.

Amina just began to laugh. Her laughter quickly turned hysteric. “You have nothing over me now...”

“Or so you think." Isaac interrupted, "We know where your mother is remember? And if we have to kill her too, we’ll just have to get you pregnant and threaten the life of your child over and over. Maybe, actually kill that child, then get you pregnant all over again.” He smiled as Amina’s face turned pale and stricken.

“And that goes for all of you. Any act of disobedience will not go unpunished!” He yelled at them.

“Why?” Amina collapsed against the wall unto the floor.

“Because Amina, many a great men in this great world have many great desires. Wait, did I say great desires? No, no. They have greatly evil desires. And you my lady, have enough fire within your bosom to help them fulfill those desires.”

And as he left he said, “Keep it up, Amina, and you will go places.”

In the night, demons came to feed on her conscience. That she was left alive when all that had happened was her fault, no, her demons had to have their fill of her.

Her demons took her down memory lane to where she had returned home from her Senior High School to find the handsome devil in a meeting with her mother. Her heart was both elated and dejected. She had seen his car outside their house. There was no way, her mother was going to say no to this marriage proposal.

“Amina, if you have come then sit with us for a while.” When Amina looked at her mother’s face, the hopelessness of the entire situation hit her hard. 

Her mother, now thirty years old, had had her when she was only fourteen, the tenth wife of the richest Fulani herdsman in their entire village. Two years later when he suddenly died, his family and some of his wives grabbed all the property they could lay hands on and threw my mother and some of the younger wives out. They had told them that they were young enough to hitch a ride on another woman’s husband.

Her penniless and heavily pregnant mother went back to her family house and had a painful delivery that almost killed her. Although it did not kill her, it left her frail. Near starvation in her family house did not help. She later found a kind maize and millet farmer who took her in, but few months after their marriage, he also died. That millet and maize farm had barely kept them alive and had barely put her sister and herself through school. Life and living was getting harder by the minute, so the only solution was to marry one off. She was old enough, two years older than her mother when she got married.

“But ma, I thought we agreed that I would finish school first.” Amina said weakly as she sat on a stool by her mother. But she knew that for her mother to entertain this very man, he had presented a very good proposal.

“He said he would take you and your sister to school.” Her mother said calmly. “He said he will wait till you have finished secondary school before he even marries you. Then he will even let you further your education.” Her mother added.

“So mama, would he let us stay here and finish our schooling.” Amina asked hopefully. 

“No. You will come to Tamale with me.” The young man said, “By the way I am Isaac, Isaac Abilla.”

She knelt before him. “Please I am Amina Abdul Kaadir.” 

“O get up Amina,” He helped her up as he also stood with her, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Amina.” He held unto her hand for a second longer than necessary.

Amina, pulled her hands out. He was young so at least she was glad that she was not being forced into marrying an old man who already had many wives. But there was something about him that repulsed Amina. She could not place her hand on it then but now she knew exactly what it was. He was too smooth, like he had done it a hundred times before.

He went into his car and brought out several gifts. That night was the first time she had seen her mother look so happy.

“He will come for you and your sister tomorrow.” Her mother had told her.

“But who would help you with your farm?” Amina had asked.

“I won’t have to farm anymore, Amina. Every month he will send money. Look at the phone he gave me." Her has held up her first phone, "He said he will send mobile money at the end of every month.” Her mother beamed.

“But where does he come from, Ma?” Fati had chimed in then. She had taken her mind of the fineries that the stranger had brought long enough to ask a crucial question.

“I don’t know. But it is rumoured that he is related to the chief.” Her mother had replied.

And that was the last they had discussed of the stranger from Tamale. They had spent their last night together happily for the future had looked brighter than it ever had.