(Previously)…………….. “Technically I have, I am almost 21 years old, loveless, never once had a boyfriend. I was raped this past year, YES RAPED! I guess it is not as important or as significant as actually being raped. That is what I have been trying to tell myself for the past year since it happened but it doesn’t make me feel any less dirty… I mean I hate my life because of it. Even though I have never had a boyfriend, now I never will because no one would want to date a rape victim. I know it might sound stupid but as much as I hate the guy that did this to me, If I weren’t so stupid and so nice and so obedient and always trying to impress people, maybe, maybe I could have stopped it or prevented it…”
Her words made me speechless. The traffic was moving fast, cars behind me hooted their horns at me, I was driving slowly. Her tears, her fear, her drained life was boldly written on her face. “Such a pretty young girl, and her life is gradually being turned upside down”. I thought to myself. At that moment, she reminded me of my sister. I felt pity for her. If only she had someone to love her.
We were getting closer to her place now. She was still sobbing. I was quiet. “Ok that is my house over there” she said pointing to the fourth building ahead of us. I pulled over slowly close to her house. “Thank you so much” she smiled at me and opened the door.
“Wait” I held her by the wrist. The grip was firm making her frightened. I let go off her immediately realizing the fear. “Can I talk to you?”
With surprised look she responded positively.
“Not here, a cool place where it would be just two of us, may be at the beach or something”
“Can’t we just talk here?” she said softly and I could sense the fear in her voice.
“Alright dear, ok then, in the car or? I won’t be wasting your time OK?” I said trying to cool her down.
“Oh don’t worry” she said trying not to be worried. She stepped into the car, close the door and I stepped on the accelerated.
“What are you doing?! Please! Stop the car… I am begging you to stop the car! Please!” She started begging and crying trying to open the door but I had locked it with a central lock on my side.
“hey Marian, shsssh, I am not going to do anything to you, trust me. I just want to talk to you , somewhere very quiet”. I said, trying to calm her down which was kind of impossible.
“No, I don’t want to talk please! I want to be at home!” She said banging on the door. She held the steer still shouting and screaming. I pushed her hands off it trying to calm her down. She struggled with me. The gun under my seat fell. She gasped and became dead silent. She started crying uncontrollably.
“Look I am not going to harm you or anything dear, I am sorry ok”. I picked the gun and placed it back. She was quite now, tears rolling down her cheeks. I guessed she was silently praying in her head. I saw her lips trying to say something but the words were not coming out. I drove straight to the beach, picked a spot where no one was and parked the car there. I took the gun under my seat and placed it in my jeans. I got out of the car, went to her side and open the door for her.
She sat in the car, shivering like a leaf. “I am sorry I had to pull you here, Marian. I just need to talk to you, that all then I will take you home. I promise I wont do anything to you”.
It looked like she did not hear all that I said. “Are you going to kill me?” She said raising her face to my eye level.
“No I am not. I just want us to talk. This bullets in this gun are not for you . There are for the husband of my sister.”
She opened her eyes wide when I said that, I could feel she was lightening up again when she realized that my problem was not with her but with someone else. “But if you are going to kill someone, why bring me here. I just want to go home please!”
“You don’t understand Marian, you know in the car, when you were telling me about your life, you so reminded me of my sister. You know something, I need to clear my thought now, you can go home if you want” I said leaving her in the car. I walked along the beach, kicking stones, thinking hard. I sat down, staring at the sea.
“So why do you want to kill your sister’s husband?” Marian’s voice erupted out of the wave behind me.
“I thought you would go home”
“You brought me here and you will take me home” she said smiling as she sat next to me.
I tried to smile back. It never showed on my face. “You saw the picture of my sister in the album. She is the only sister and sibling I have got. Your story reminded me of her. She was not technically raped. Well I will say she is being raped constantly by the bastard she calls her husband. She married a beast, not a man and should not be allowed to walk and live with men. He beats her everyday, abuses her sexually, embarrasses her everywhere, cheat on her on their marital bed. My sweet sister now looks dirty to me now”
“She should divorce him” Marian said.
“She thinks she can’t. She thinks it would work out one day. My parents don’t want to say anything about it because they 
warned her not to marry this beast but my sister would not listen to them. She followed her heart and believed in a crazy thing called love. Some people say she followed money and she is paying for it. She didn’t follow money, she followed her heart. I have confronted the man some few occasions and I ended up in cell. My sister does not want me to know everything that is happening to her in the house. But I have my source, the house-help. I bribed her to be telling me what she sees and hears in the house and she is really doing a good job. My sister cries every night and I can feel it in my sleep sometimes. She is deteriorating. She is being drained. She looks sick everyday. I can’t watch my sister die just like that. I need to do this and I have to do it today”
Marian saw the anger in my eyes. “Do you think killing him will solve the problem. I think you will make your sister sad and hurt her more with your action and what will happen to you after?”
“I do not care about what will happen to me! I said angrily and stood up.
Marian held my hand “You do not care, but she cares, I care. When I was raped I blamed myself for everything that happened. I thought there was no God, why should God watch as my womanhood was stolen away from me? I still feel wretched and dirty sometimes, not sometimes most times. I always thought of how to revenge. But the more I thought of these things, the more I felt weak everyday. But I realized something today when I sat in your car, maybe if I had a brother like you, a family like you. I would have been better. I would have been able to erase the scars. As much as I wanted the boy who did this to me to die. I felt sad and unhappy when I heard he’s committed suicide weeks after the incident. In spite of everything, I came to realize that God is always in control and He can answer our questions and why somethings happen in our lives. Have you prayed about it?
“I prayed that he died and I think I have to do it myself. Thanks for your time and how I scared the hell out of your life. You have to go now, Marian”. I said walking back to my car.
“You brought me. You should take me home”. She said, this time not smiling.
She followed me to the car. I drove quietly away from the beach.
“I am not going home, I am going to wherever you are going. And if it is your sister’s house I am going with you” Marian said. I saw the seriousness in her eyes.
“You do not understand dear. I felt your story and I am sorry it had to happen to you. You are a young beautiful, intelligent girl and you need a good life. I am sorry I added you to my problems. I will drop you off”.
“No Mike! Think through it, you don’t have to do this. What will happen to you if you are in jail and your sister has no one to protect her, love her just like me? How will you feel? Will you be happy then? We can only support her with a pray. We need to pray for her!”
As young as she was, she was loaded with wisdom. I have never thought about it this way. If I ended in Jail who would look after my sister? I knew my parents wouldn’t. I was silent. My mind was filled with many thoughts. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked her or take her for a ride. But I need that. I just wanted someone to know what I was about to do, understand what I was going to do. Her story made me believe she was the perfect person to understand me. I thought if the whole world would not understand me, may be a victim of a messed up world would understand, but…
“What is your decision now Mike? she said resting her fingers on mine on the steering wheel.
“My decision; I need a good rest…” I said
She smiled “now drop me home” she said giving me a soft punch on the shoulder.I laughed.
We got to her house. We sat in the car, no one talked for minute or two. I finally broke the silence. “Thank you dear for your time… and sorry for the ‘kidnapping”
“I got the scare of my life today, and I got the freedom of my life today. Thank you too”. We stared at each other. Our heads moved closer. Just an inch close, she quickly turned and opened the door. “Got to go and thanks for everything”. She quickly, running out of the car.
“Marian, will I see you again?” I shouted behind her
“Ok, but on one condition, bury the gun.. and then come.”
I laughed and sped off to my home. I called my sister when I got home and was calmed now. She said she was very fine and I believed it was a lie.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. I was seeing Marian often now. She would call me in the night so we would pray for my sister. Marian and I started a relationship and got married a year after. She has been the best person in my life. I love her so much and she so much loves me.
And for my sister, it was still tough for me initially. I hated her husband each passing day, but Marian always calmed me down and made us prayed for them. I never for a second believed that it was ever going to work.
It was over year, my sister would call me and she still lived in fear but she had something – Hope. She became very close to Marian. They would pray together. I did not enjoy praying with my sister. Her prayers made me angrier more but here again Marian was always there to help me see the brighter part of my sister’s life. The results of our prayers to me, was long overdue.
But as it is said, prayer is the key. Things started getting better for my sister. Her tears were reduced and I was not getting messages from my spy (house-help) anymore. My sister ran to my house one day, singing and in tears. We were surprised to see her in that mood. She was so happy and praising God.
“Hey what is it?” I asked her surprised.
“It is my husband, Mike” she struggled to say it in her song.
“Is he dead?” I asked almost wanting to join in her celebration.
“No, why should my husband die and leave… He came home today and bought me flowers and … and went on his kneels apologizing for all that he has done to me. I told he was crazy but he was serious. He was so different… He was the man I fell in love with… O join me praise God”. She said in the tears.
Marian shouted Hallelujah and joined in her tears. I did not believed it but I had to join in my sister’s celebration, because it had been too long since I last saw her this happy (despite the tears of course).
My sister’s marriage life was transformed drastically. She was so happy now with her husband. The husband became my 
best friend. He loves my sister so much and they are happy now. My parents are now very okay with my sister and her husband.
We are all on the smooth path in life now. But always remember – PRAYER IS THE KEY in every situation you find yourself in.
Pray for every woman, every rape victim, every married couple, every relationship.
(c) Derrick Ofori Donkor – 10/03/2012
All rights reserved.
MY STORY MODE 