THE DECEPTION

Comfort had grown to become a beautiful young damsel. She had completed her form5 with Grade 1. She took Joint Admission Matriculation Board Examination and did very well. She was billed to read Architecture in the then University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) she entered the University, doing very well. Everything was okay with her until one day. 

One fateful day, when she clocked eighteen years, she was in the University, part three when she received a special call from Barry her sister’s husband. Barry excitedly calls her, wishing her a happy birthday. She, in turn, asked of her sister, he replied that she was doing well with the children.

He said, he would be coming from Lagos to pay her a visit for her birthday celebration. Eighteen is very special. She is now an adult. Officially, she is now regarded as an adult, she can vote and can also take responsibility for herself. She is now of age. Barry continued with his lecture. Comfort did not suspect anything fishy at all. She was taken in all these lectures. Barry had always been fond of her taking very good care of her. 

Somehow, something struck her heart, why was the day so special that he would come from Lagos without her blood sister and of course her niece and nephew. She wanted to blurt out her thoughts but later restrained herself. She felt when he comes, she would do so. She had missed all of them anyway. She shrugged the thoughts flooding her mind and dismissed some negative thoughts. She became free and was waiting eagerly for him. She in her excitement had told all her friends that her uncle Barry was coming to celebrate her birthday with her.

Kemi, Comfort’s friend exclaimed in excitement, “it’s going to be fun!!! With your sister’s family. I will love to know every one of them. This is wonderful. Congratulations!  My friend. Happy birthday to you!! Comfort quickly corrected her that it will only be her uncle Barry that is her sister’s husband that would become. “Ah!!! And I was looking forward to meeting all” Kemi replied in gross disappointment. ‘Don’t worry’, Comfort assured that everyone will soon pay a visit or Kemi will come to visit them in Lagos.

One of her friends, Toyin said soberly, “I am suspecting a foul play here! Why should he come alone without the family?” Comfort's heart sank and her heart became heavier. But she quickly dismissed all heaviness after a deep sigh and said, “I also felt so too but I feel that my sister may have one engagement or the other, that is why he decided to come along just to please me. You know they are all very fond of me. I am sure he decided to represent all of them. There should be a good reason, yes, there is a good reason”. She said re-assuring more of herself than others.

Toyin said, “hmmm, do not say I did not warn you. I have spoken my own, I rest my case”. Kemi shouted at Toyin to stop this her negative words. She retorted “Prophetess of doom, well done, what is your own now? Why these negative words. Is he not her sister’s husband again. Comfort has been more or less like their first daughter! Be careful, I don’t like this!! Comfort had to quieten Kemi to hold her peace, after all, they are both on her side. She also assured both friends not to bother. Everything will be well, they all cheered up and were soon gisting about Comfort’s birthday.

Soon, uncle Barry arrived, he called Comfort to inform her of his arrival. Comfort called his two friends and they all excitedly followed the birthday girl. They saw uncle Barry, greeted him. 

Barry hugged all the friends one by one and lastly gave Comfort a long hug. It was great! Comfort and her friends were very happy talking freely with uncle Barry. All fears dismissed. Uncle Barry decided to take all of them to a good restaurant outside the campus. They stopped at Mayfair Hotel. They went to the restaurant and enjoyed themselves. Uncle Barry ordered assorted food, soft drinks, and plenty of meat.

They all had their fill. He decided to drop them at the campus. As soon as he dropped them, Kemi asked “Comfort, where is your bag? Comfort screamed, she felt she had forgotten the bag. She quickly told the friends to go, that she will go back with uncle Barry to pick her back and then return to school. They all agreed with her and the friends, Kemi and Toyin went back to their hostel with assorted things uncle Barry had given them. They thanked uncle and wished him a very safe journey back to Lagos.

He quickly replied that he wouldn’t be going back today, he wanted to see some of his colleagues and will be going the following day.

Little did anyone know that all that happened was a carefully well-thought plan of Barry or uncle Barry as he is fondly called by Comfort. He had hidden Comfort's bag deliberately to make her return with him to the same hotel to spend the night together. 

Uncle Barry was fond of Comfort right from the beginning and all the love, care showered on her was to make her fall in love with him. He had been nursing this idea since the day Comfort clocked fifteen. Comfort was being led like a sheep to her slaughter. The love was the love of a man for his chicken. Man will take care of his chicken to be big till the day it is big enough for the slaughter.

Comfort is ripe in his own eyes and it is time she rewarded him with her body. He had been nursing this idea for the past three years. Today was the day of slaughter. What a wicked world. A world that takes advantage of the vulnerable.  A world that cannot give anything out of pure love. There is always an ulterior motive behind every gift. Every gift? Maybe not every but most gifts. Do not allow yourself to be blinded by gifts. Not every gift is a gift. There may be deception behind the gifts. There are deceptive gifts sent continually to blind your eyes and make you compromise. It calls for sensitivity, carefulness.

They got to the hotel and Comfort rushed out to look for her bag, she asked the staff of the hotel but her bag was nowhere to be found. 

Uncle Barry, unperturbed by her worry and trouble, came out of the car, stood aloof, leaning on the car with folded arms, looking at his prey from afar. 

She came out and saw him and wondered why he was not moved. She wondered why he did not follow her to the hotel to check her bag. A lot of thoughts flooded her mind, she decided to ask him why? Many whys were pouring out of her. She was disappointed. For the first time in her life, she became angry with uncle Barry for this show of carelessness “I don’t care attitude”. She couldn’t control herself again, she said, full of emotions, “Uncle Barry” why? What is happening? I have been looking for my bag. You should know how worried I am. You seem not bothered. You are not concerned at all. What did I do to deserve this ill-treatment from you? Why are you doing this to me? She kept on and on, ranting and weeping uncontrollably.

At this time, uncle cleverly went to her and held her very close to his chest like the little lover she was going to be. He was using his hands to stroke her hair gently till she was pacified. He quietly led her to the hotel, ask for the key to the room he had booked earlier, and took her inside the room. She was so dazed that she could not protest. Of course, everything happened so fast. He told her to calm down and lie down. He promised that her bag would be recovered, she calmed down, while he went down to ask for a chilled drink and later he returned with her bag. She quickly checked and found out that nothing was missing. She smiled and thanked him for being so kind. She also apologized for rudely talking to him. She felt at ease, drank her drink and she started to feel dizzy she slept off.

She woke up to discover she had slept off the previous day. It was morning. What! She screamed, is anybody here?’ Uncle was in the bathroom taking his bath. She shouted, ‘uncle, are you there ?’ he replied to calm down, he was right there in the bathroom. She discovered severe pain in her lower part. She looked and saw blood in the bedsheet. She was also naked.

Her clothes, undies were kept aside. The unexpected had happened. 

“What! What! What! this is a dream, it can’t be true. Is this true? Her uncle Barry had taken advantage of her? Did he drug her? Was her bag missing? Is this not well planned? All these and many more flooded her innocent mind. “Oh! The worst has happened”. I have kept myself pure, believing it will be a surprise gift for my husband in the future. All this dream has gone on my birthday,18th birthday. What a horror!”.

Meanwhile, the uncle came out of the bathroom looking fresh and clean looked at her, without any remorse smiling with his lustful eyes. He said to her, “and how are you my darling? You look ravishing, she broke out in tears, oh! Heart-rending cry. She cried and cried out her heart. While Comfort was narrating her ordeal, she started crying profusely again. When she felt satisfied, she continued the horrific story. 

Uncle Barry held her hands and apologized, saying it was deep love, he had for her that made him do this to her. She uttered; “Did I hear you say, LOVE! what love. This is the pure lust of the flesh. You are wicked, uncle Barry, to believe I trusted you with my life. I trusted you, I believed in you. You had been lusting after my body all these years pretending to love me. 

Will you allow your daughter, your biological daughter to be treated this way? Answer me she cried! So all these years of love, tenderness is to prepare me for this? Is this my special birthday gift? You are a wicked, selfish, old fool. God will surely judge you and repay what you have done to me”. By this time, uncle was on his knees, begging, pleading profusely. He told her never to tell her sister but let it be their little secret. He promised to continue to take very good care of her till she finish, he also promised never to touch her again. 

She kept quiet and thought of so many things, if her sister got to know, it will devastate her completely. She may even not believe her, she may send her away. She loves her husband dearly. She may even try to kill her just to save her marriage. She decided to keep it to herself. After all, no one knows. The pain became deeper because there was no one to talk to.

If she tells her friends, they will be disappointed and even tell other people and she will be exposed. Toyin will feel justified if she gets to know. “Oh! God! What will I do? “She thought to herself, she was confused. She later made up her mind to keep it to herself. She told him not to worry so far such would not repeat itself. They both agreed and she got up, aches all over her, it took a week before she could recover herself. She took her bath and returned to school on her own, though persuaded my uncle to take her, she bluntly refused. Her life can never remain the same again. The worst had happened. She was willing to put it behind her. Though it would not be easy, she was dodged to do so. 

Meanwhile, her friends were waiting for her, wondering what had happened to her. Toyin reiterated her fear to Kemi. Kemi felt, the uncle was too good to do so, they concluded that it is better to wait for Comfort to come. Lo! And behold! Comfort appeared. She decided to cover up. She said they both went to greet his colleague and when it was too late, Uncle Barry told her to sleep overnight. She told them, she was given a visitor’s room to sleep in. Kemi was happy and told Toyin. “I told you, everything was fine, nothing to worry about”, Kemi was fully convinced but Toyin was not. People do say, “you may fool some of the people, all of the time, but you may not fool all of the people, all of the time”. 

Comfort ignored Toyin’s suspicious look and went to the bathroom to take care of herself. She also went to the chemist to buy some drugs that will relieve her pains. She bought Coca-Cola to kill any stranger that may want to grow in her tummy. She bought two bottles of it. She had heard from some of her colleagues in secondary school that is good to take it after sleeping with a man. It will not allow pregnancy to grow. It is like a kind of contraceptive. 

Comfort felt shattered and broken to pieces. Her dreams of maintaining her virginity had been shattered by a lustful man whom she trusted with her life. If anyone had told her this would happen she could have mocked such a person.

Even though she had these warning signs but she shrugged them off believing, she was just being too negative. Like Job said, “what he had feared had come upon him”. 

“I learnt the hard way never to trust anyone but only to believe God for everyone. A man I had known all my life had done this to me. Trust God absolutely to keep you and shield you” she said.