Before she could finish speaking, Mrs. Chris landed a heavy slap on her face.
“Where is the money?” she asked again, looking furious.
Mrs. Chris’s raised voice brought David out of his room.
“Mum, what’s going on?” David asked as he joined them in living room.
“Ask her, my son, let her answer you.” Mrs. Chris said, gesturing at Kate.
“Kate what is it?” David turned to ask her.
Kate who was still in tears answered
“Mum’s money is missing and she thinks I’m the one who took it”.
“Kate, did you take it? Please tell me” David asked.
“No David, I didn’t touch her money” Kate answered.
Looking at her, David could tell she really knew nothing about the missing money.
He had to intervene on her behalf. He asked her to go to her room while he sorted things out with his mother.
“Mum, how much are we talking about here? David asked his mother after Kate had left.
“Why are you asking me that? I don’t know why you keep standing up for this girl!” Mrs. Chris responded.
“Come on Mum, just tell me” David asked her again.
“5,000 Naira” Mrs. Chris grudgingly answered.
“5,000 Naira? Was that not the money you told Charles to take from your purse this morning for the DSTV subscription? David asked.
Mrs. Chris’s face dropped as she remembered that she had actually already given the money she claimed was missing to Charles that morning.
She was, however, too embarrassed and proud to admit her error. So she decided to stick to her story, even though she knew she was lying and falsely accusing the poor girl. She insisted the money she was looking for was not the same one she had told Charles to take.
David didn’t believe her. He knew his mother well enough to know when she’s hiding something or lying.
But he couldn’t tell his mother that she was lying. She was already furious. He couldn’t afford to have her more angry than she already was.
David told her he was going to pay the money and that he was going have a talk with Kate. He said that just to calm his mother down.
Kate was going through very difficult times both at church and at home. Apparently, her foster mother had been reporting to the church Elders how that she had been stealing at home.
Even though she was innocent, this rumour about Kate’s supposed behaviour had quickly spread throughout the church.
Living under Mrs. Chris’s roof was virtually becoming hell for her.
She hardly smiled these days. In fact, she cried every day.
David was the only person that stood by her through those difficult times.
She prayed and prayed, all day and night. It seemed like things only got worse as she prayed.
She was no longer comfortable at church as everyone was talking behind her back, calling her a thief.
Soon, Mrs. Chris and her two sons had to travel for a 3-day church outreach. Kate was left alone at the house.
On the first night of their departure, Kate locked up the doors of the house and went to bed.
Around 2:00 am, she woke up to hear footsteps in the hallway. She came out of her room to find out who it was but to her surprise, no one was there.
She was so sure she had heard someone in the hallway, she went to check the doors. The house was the way she left it, all the doors were locked, nothing had changed. She concluded she must have heard the sound in her sleep.
She then returned to her room and within a few minutes was fast asleep.
Suddenly, her door opened slowly and a masked man dressed in black slowly eased himself into the room.
Kate didn’t hear anything as the person crept towards her bed.
She only woke up when her nose was covered with a handkerchief. She tried to fight but within a few seconds, she became too weak to struggle. There was a substance in the handkerchief that made her weak, helpless and vulnerable.
The unknown masked man then striped her naked and raped her right there and then.
He finished and went away, leaving Kate bleeding profusely.
She had been a virgin, until that night.
………………To be continued………………
