Girl Emancipated

Another woman came in between her parents. Another woman built a wall of divide between them. She made sour the love they shared. He pointed accusing fingers at his wife, that she was the cause of the turmoil. He said it was all through her their marriage hit the rocks. If she had complained a little less and been appreciative, probably they wouldn’t have been separated. These her father told her elder brother. Her mother left when she was six. She was left alone with her dad and her siblings. Though her step mum also kept company but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t genuine. Her nefarious acts and callousness came to the fore when her dad died. That was the beginning of her travails. That was the onset of her many sorrows.

Melissa has so much to tell but she can’t remember a large part. She prefers not to remember them. She's happy she can’t recall them. They are her dreaded nightmare. They are her buried past and she’s not ready to exhume them.

After her dad died, she was separated from her siblings. Her uncle took her with him. He said her dad had been so supportive and promised to take good care of her. It was not too long that all the promises went down the drain. He was involved in a fraud at his office and fled before the hammer was wielded on him. Little Melissa was left alone in the house. She was just eight and incapable of making the right decisions. One night she ransacked the house and found some change. She was extremely hungry and needed to go out to get some food to eat. Everything in the house had been exhausted. Dressed in a pair of jeans, T-Shirt and sneakers, she was set to take the risk. She wore a cap. At least that would shield her face from predators. She wasn’t too lucky. After she had purchased what she wanted and on her way back home, she noticed someone was on her trails. In a bid to run fast she dropped one of the bags with her. She ran as fast as she could until she was able to get a place to hide. She vowed never to take such a risk. Situations later became unbearable. She ran out of food supplies, out of gas and out of light. She had no option than to go out and seek for help. She stopped passers-by but they ignored her taking her for a waif and stray. She moved from one eatery to the other begging for help. In one of the eateries, the last she had decided to give a trial, she offered to help in the chores and get food and something in exchange but she was sent out. They said she was too young to be of good use. On her way out and crying, she was stopped by a man. She was reluctant to give him attention. She was afraid that he might be one of those that took advantage of young and helpless children. He seemed to sound nice, warm and friendly. He called her by her full name and pet name. She wondered where she had met him. He seemed to know her so well. He introduced himself as her dad’s friend. He said they were colleagues at his office. He also said the last time he visited she was still very young, just a toddler. She narrated her ordeal to him. He sympathised with her. He said her father had been a good man to him and he was going to return the favour. He promised to take optimal care of her. This also was short-lived. He sent her out on the streets.

“Pleaseeee Mr Atkins. Please don’t do this to me. I don’t have anywhere to turn to. Haven’t I been a good girl?” She cried and begged on her knees.

“No! You must leave. You have brought me bad luck. You are a bad omen!”

She turned to his wife, holding her by the leg. “Ma! Mrs Atkins, please help me plead. I know I have been a naughty girl. I promise to make changes. I promise to be a good girl.”

Sarah was already in tears. She lifted her up. “No, you've been a good girl. Indeed a loving one. It’s just that I can’t do anything. My hands are tied. I can relate with what my husband is saying. But...,” George cuts in.

“But what!” he shouted. He pulled her out of Sarah’s hands and pushed her out of the house and her little luggage.

Life had been so unkind to her. It had given her cold hands. It had treated her harshly. In no time, she became hardened. She grew thick skin. Nothing moved her anymore. Her emotions were deadened.

She found comfort with some friends. She put up with them. They took her in like a sister. They treated her with so much love and affection. They stood beside her when she took ill and was at the point of death. After a while, she was joined to her elder brother and other siblings. Seth, an engineer, had struggled to make sure he went to college. He had to take up odd jobs and menial tasks. His friends had been supportive too. It was a reunion for her. They cried and embraced each other.

“Wow! You're looking good. How I wish I could be like you,” Dorothy gave her a wink.

“Yeah! Thanks for the compliment. But you don’t want to be me.”

“Why? I sure would like.”

Melissa smiles and shakes her head. “This is the new me. This is the emancipated me. With years of struggles, years of lack, years of severe want and days of homelessness. Left alone in the hands of my captors. Escaped but fell into the hands of two. Hope am sure about that. It’s in the past. I don’t think I can still remember vividly.”

“Wow! Oh my God!” Dorothy shouted. Tears welling up in her eyes.

She took a seat and sat beside her. Melissa turned to look at her. They both stared at each other for some minutes. Dorothy asked if she wanted to tell her more. She shook her head. She was already in tears. In tears, she stood up to embrace her.