Mary's diary (Part 1)

I was only sixteen years old when i became an orphan. I had just gotten home from boarding school and wanted to surprise my parents so i crept through the back door. Just then i heard my dad say " i don't know what you are talking about". Two shots sent my mum and my kid brother down. "where is the money?" the same voice said and this time around dad pleaded saying he didn't have any money with him. I stood there horrified and tried reaching the police but the call wouldn't just connect. As a kid i loved watching crime series. Thanks to my brother who introduced me to it. My favourite was "Matlock" and i remembered watching an episode where a kid watched his whole family killed. He hid in his wardrobe and took pictures of the murderer. These pictures were used in convicting the murderer so i also took my phone and took pictures of this man and his gang. Dad's death wasn't as quick as mum and my brother. He was butchered bit by bit until there was no piece left. i gave the police the pictures i took and they promised to use all the resources they had to get the gang

Few days later i noticed a black suitcase stashed under my bed, in it contained a lot of money. "This must be the money they were asking dad about" i thought to myself. I wonder why he didn't give them. with this money i took care of my bills since i had no family to turn to. Thank goodness this wasn't America, else i would have been taken to a foster home.

Months passed and yet no one came for the money neither was an arrest made. I didn't hear from the police. It was like nothing happened. No one cared to find out how well I was handling my family's death, no one cared to know how I fed, no one cared at all. It's indeed a cruel life. Several times I tried to take my life but I just couldn't do it. I knew I had to face the truth; I was never going to see my family again and those murderer's were never going to be arrested

Life as an undergraduate wasn't easy, i was now in my 300 level and had ran out of cash. exam was in four days and i still hadn't paid my fees. The only option i had was to follow Kemi to the party. she had promised to introduce me to chief who was going to give me money as long as i made him happy. Chief wasn't what i expected. He was on old man with a pot belly. He was also ugly. He promised giving me sixty thousand Naira which was more than enough because i needed only forty five thousand Naira to pay my fees but was it enough to lose my virginity?

I couldn’t imagine hugging chief let alone sleeping with him or losing my womanhood for just sixty thousand Naira. I was still deliberating on what to do when I noticed I was crying. I needed to be alone so I went outside. Just then I heard a voice from behind "Hey why are u crying? “I turned around to face a tall dark handsome guy. He had the face of a god. I told him I was in need of money and told him why I had come to the party. I was surprised at myself because I wasn’t the type who talked or chatted with strangers. The only thing he said was “follow me” I wondered where he wanted to take me to but I’d rather be with James as I later found out his name was than to be with chief. I followed James and when we got to an ATM, he withdrew sixty thousand Naira and gave it to me.

That was the beginning of our love affair. James was a man every girl would pray for. He was caring and honest. While we dated, he promised to give me a gift if I graduated with a first class or a second class upper. As soon as I was given my notification of result, I called him to tell him I had graduated with a second class upper. He was so thrilled and asked me to see him the next day. I’d never forget the look in his eyes as he presented the keys to the car he had bought for me and on one knee he knelt and asked me to marry him.

I got home that night feeling fulfilled. I had lost my whole family while I was still in secondary school and here I was a graduate. For several years, I never had the courage to look at the envelope that contained the pictures of those murderers. Each time I looked at the envelope, I felt so much rage because they were walking free while my parents were in the grave. Suddenly I felt the urge to see the faces of the people who wouldn’t let my family witness my wedding day... a woman's happiest day. As I opened the envelope I couldn’t help myself from shivering. Right in my hand was James’s picture