TORN- A STORY BY MARVELENE EKOTT

I had been a strong girl all my life.Things hardly get to me.I had been through a lot of nonsense from growing up with mean parents who would beat me till i almost passed out for minute and negligible offences such as forgetting to lock the gate when it's past 9:00pm or scolding my younger brother for misplacing his pencil."Don't you know that thieves could have come in through the gate and raped you?" Mum would scream.In my mind after the numerous strokes i'll just find myself on my bed sulking.The only words that would come to my mind would be"Continue flogging me,Useless christians,God is soaking your cane with petrol,the black market type. You can't practice what you preach, tomorrow during morning prayers you'll start saying that unless the Lord watches over a house the watchmen watch in vain.Be quoting scriptures all around.Nonsense". I would mumble and murmur till the gods of sleep would come and take me.Well I didn't mind. At least I talked and relieved myself of anger to my imaginary friend or so I thought.That didn't stop them from being mean.
At least it made me a better and stronger girl.
When i left for secondary school,i was barely 9.Dad was thinking i should stay back and complete my primary 6 but mum insisted. "Why would you want to stop a bright child Udo,The school wasn't mad when they gave her double promotion"Mum said."Utibe is a small girl,she's barely 9.You know how boarding house is,they may spoil her" Dad replied.
"Let her go dear,she is a strong girl.We won't tie her up na.Let her see what life really is"Mum countered.
"True though, a good child will always remember where she is from.She will go" Dad said.
I almost shouted from the corridor to thier room where i was eavesdropping.All thier plenty talk wasn't my business.My business was in the answer and confirmation that i would go to boarding house.My big dream.So finally I would leave these people.I would become a fox as I was told JS1 students were called.I would have my box,my locker and my provisions all for myself.See small me ohh."Mr and Mrs Udo you people are the best",I said to myself just before sleeping that night.Only if they knew i was forming in the afternoon when I said I would miss them.Of course I would,especially my cute little brother but then,I was too happy to think of the pain because I was going on scorlaship.I was the second best in the common entrance examination and according to mum I was strong.All i needed was thier approval,because my rich parents could be funny. They'll just say stay back for Primary 6 we will pay the fees when we feel you are ready for boarding house.
Anyway thank God I wasn't murdered.
27th May 2012 is a day i will never forget.Yes oh,in my SS3 to be precise.I had just handed over the mantle of leadership as my School's Senior Prefect girls to my successor.I was a role model for many and I already made a lot of impacts in the school.Who didn't know senior Uty.From my JS1 till then,Speech and price giving day i must pack prizes enough and to spare. Who didn't know me? I was a good senior oh.Everyone wanted to be my school daughter.I was fondly called "saving grace" always saving them from punishment but when it's my turn to punish you, not even your ancestors can save you.
That fateful day was Children's day.March past things on point.We were going to the stadium.The principal recommended me as the only SS3 student to go with them.I was not surprised.I gladly got my school uniform neatly ironed the previous night.It was a white shirt and baby pink skirt with a pink tie and brown blazer.Of course all my school uniforms including my blazer were very shapy.I didn't intend shaping them.In whose house?My figure 8 did the job.I was happy I gradually grew into a lady unlike some of my mates whom I pitied. And to make matters interesting,I was on my menstural period so the fullness was complete.
The next morning I got dressed, gathered the students and ensured that we were ready for the bus. I couldn't afford to hear story oh.Every student that had ever participated in the march past knew what it was.Having to meet people and make friends from other schools,the icecream and snacks which students would smuggle money to buy in the stadium to cool off,the trophy giving of course which our school always made sure they came back with.Thank God for Lieutenant Obasi who made sure he always groomed us well.He would do thorough screening and practice to ensure that no one would be a hinderance to the pursuit of the trophy. Our uniform too was standard especially when we place the hat which just added some kind of style. Every parent would get at least 2 pairs of each set for thier ward.It was a private school so the difference had to be clear.
Everything went well from when we left school to when we reached the stadium. I remember checking my purse sometime in the bus for my extra sanitary pad which i called my backup and smiling when i saw it.
Menstrual pain or not,i could not miss march past.
I never had heavy flow. I would use One pad for at least 7 hours and it won't get filled.Would just have to change for changing sake.
The march past went well. I was at the end of the middle line.After the Salute and eyes right and all the usual, my flexing started.I went to greet friends from other schools.Popular me,I had a friend or two in about 16 of the 50 schools that came. I went to each school's shade to familiarize and greet my friends.Sitting down to gist and eat and have fun.Of course I was a good girl so i couldn't smuggle,but I benefited from my hard guy kind of friends in other schools that bought for me.Both crushers and crushes.Just when i left for my last bus stop,Akeems International school(my favourite) i would go to see my JS3 crush and his gang. I stopped crushing though but he still was.Forming was part of me na.I catwalked to thier shade.On getting there, i could hear an outburst of laughter with hands pointing at me."Are you for real?"i asked myself.What could be wrong.I tried to form unhurt and kept walking,the laughter increased.I paused, looked at myself from head to toe and nothing was wrong.No one told me anything and i was walking all alone.Thoughts ran through my head.Should i move backward or foward?.
I kept moving foward oh."Foward ever backward never" i reminded myself. On getting to the shade.I asked for Tega.He was sitting very close to the last rail.How was i supposed to reach him?I stood still and used my eyes for a while.Everyone was just laughing.I spotted him and waved..He couldn't come down immediately so i waited for him to find his way through the crowd.While waiting for him,i summed up courage to ask a guy that i thought was reasonable what the matter was.Little did i know that i had just put myself in more trouble. "Why is everyone laughing and pointing at me?" i whispered.As i bent my ear for a whisper kind of response i heard "she don ask ohh". "You really want to know?"The guy asked.I nodded. The gang of 5 guys responded in a chorus"You are stained oh.Sister.You are stained".I literally died.They laughed so loud..Everyone heard they gist and started searching for the stained girl."Oh see what my village people have done!"i mumbled Ground please can you open and swallow me? I felt so embarrased and almost wept but just then Tega held me.My legs were virtually shaking. He pulled me closer and whispered that i would be fine. I felt like he was my superhero.When the world had turned thier backs he still stood for me.We walked together back to where my schoolmates were at the other side of the stadium. I wasn't happy.I had messed up.I then recalled the laughter and where exactly it started."So you mean i took my stained skirt round the whole stadium" i sobbed. Strong girls don't cry i told myself amidst a tear.Everyone pointed more. The only consolation i had was Tega.At least he agreed to share in my shame or so i thought.No he is a guy,you can't pass your shame to him jare.He held my hand and we talked.i turned the skirt to the front and covered it with my blazer."So my plans to slay today failed me"I soliloquized.Tega laughed and reminded me of how i looked like his annoying stepmother when i kept that face..
On reaching my school stand, the Chairman came up and announced the winner.It wasn't our school this time.It was Tega's.Mixed feelings ohh.The junior students started lamenting and preparing to face Leiutenant Obasi and The Principal.I quietly thanked my stars it didn't happen in my set.The Senior prefect started crying."Stop that!",I shouted. "It's not your fault.The students did thier best na.What if there was a mixup somewhere".I said in consolation.Gist reaching me immediately had it that it was because our school had won consecutively for 7 years,they had to change.What were we feeling like?Where we the only school? I waved Tega goodbye.That wasn't my business although i knew i owed the principal explanations.It wasn't in my set but at least because i was there i had to be part of the shame.Looser!Looser!Looser! Other schools shouted.Especially those public schools that were planning our downfall.We tried to defend and walk with heads held high,but we were loosers.It was always just one trophy for the winner and the rest were loosers.My head was hot.The only thing in my head was carry me back to school let me change.The stadium toilets are locked and i'm stained.I've had a lot already na.Haba.
I smiled with relief when i sighted the bus.Every student walked solemnly to the bus without muttering a word.It felt strange.The normal thing should have been to run with the trophy to the bus but here we were.No trophy.
The journey was uneventful and no one dare uttered a word.What do you want to say?After loosing?
We got to school.I looked around and found no trace of the principal.I hurriedly ran to the hostel before anyone would even realise i was missing.I had earlier taken permission from the driver who warmly apologized just incase i was looked for.
I branched my room to get my bathing tools and my towel.I got to the toilet,took off every clothe and pulled down my pant.
"What is all this?" i screamed angrily.Thank God no one heard me and even if they did i didn't care.The pad wasn't full. So how come i was stained? I thought. As i pulled the pad off my pant. I noticed a big hole."How did it happen?"i said.It was then i realised while pulling off the pad stickers and trying to open the wings it tore mistakenly,so all the menstrual blood and fluid coming in was leaving through the opening. "Such carelessness Uty.Bath early you won't hear.If you took your bath early you would probably have been stained in the hostel before getting out and you would have noticed the tear to change",i scolded myself.
"The milk had already been spilt so no point lamenting",I said in consolation.It was then i realised how important Dads favourite words were "In this life Utibe,be very careful"he will say.
Well I learnt that the hard way.Everything about me got torn that day,from;my heart, to Tega's heart,to my school's heart the very moment my pad was torn.
I learnt something,and that was that despite the fact that i was torn,i was still a strong girl.I also learnt carefulness the hard way..
In summary,the lesson was "BE VERY CAREFUL,LIFE WILL TEAR YOU SOMETIMES,BUT BE STRONG TOO".

THE END.