Deacon Frank(not real name) is a friend of the family and has always been a sort of help to us and whenever he is having one of his parties or celebration his wife will make sure to invite us and we were always welcomed to the house. Before I started the Network marketing business, I used to work with a real estate/consultancy firm as an accounts manager which later went out of business thereby ending our jobs and this loss of job sent lots of us into the already saturated labour market and that was what informed my decision to start the business which is become the bane of my existence.
My husband was against my taking a marketing job after I lost my job and that was because he works as a marketer with a bank and tells me various stories of the day to day happenings in the marketing field and how women are a target. I however assured him that "my own kind of marketing" will not be like that of the banks given that I will be my own boss and work at my time.
I never suspected that there was anything sinister with Frank's persistent pressure for me to keep supplying him and his family drugs and other cosmetic products given that he was loaded, a friend of the family and a deacon in our church, there were times when he would purchase some of these products and give to some persons in the church. So you can imagine my shock and outright paralytic attack when what I am about to narrate happened.
It was a Tuesday morning and I was up about my daily rounds of sale to deliver goods and collect monies for the ones sold before then, and I went to Deacon Frank's office who works with one of these parastatals and as I was about leaving the office after having finished my dealings with Onome the secretary, he walked in and I heaved a sigh of relief knowing I will be getting some monies if not all that he owed me. I sat still waiting to be called as usual and when the call came, Onome winked knowingly and I walked into the office and sat down and proceeded to start talking after exchanging pleasantries.
What happened happened very fast and felt like I was watching a Nollywood movie involving Mercy Johnson and Tony Umez, it was like it wasn't happening but it was happening. He dropped a bundle of N1000 notes on my lap and from behind groped my breast and with his mouth close to my ears he started talking of how he has waited to be alone with me and how his wife was no measure to me. The money owed me is just N85,000 and there was N500,000 on my lap and unwanted firm hands on my breasts fondling them with so much pressure,.......my God is this happening?
At that instance of doing the rundown of what was happening, I sprung out of the chair despite the numbness of my body followed by the invasion of my privacy by a man known to be a family friend and deacon in our church, I headed for the door but was stopped short by Deacon Frank who by now was smiling at me. What was this nonsense about I shouted at the top of my voice hoping Onome will hear and run into the office to save me from whatever was happening or waiting to happen.
"Relax Lira, I mean no harm, I really need you and have waited so long for this opportunity to be with you" he spoke out of excitement and when he noticed I was looking at the door he said these words that sent the chillest of chills down my spine.
"Don't bother to shout or run for the door because no one can hear you and I have taken the liberty to lock the door, so cooperate"........ my God, I screamed out, what is the meaning of this Deacon Frank?
Seriously by now I was dead and had no idea I was crying and pleading with my knees on the ground. He ignored my plea and went on talking and telling me of what he was ready to do for me and that nobody needs to know. He kept walking towards me and by now I could see the budge of him penis pushing against his trouser and I could see traces of wetness on him and I just knew I was done for, immediately I brought out my phone to try to make a call but failed to see what was like a flash of light delivered with a flat surfaced pound of flesh.
After what appeared like a glimpse of flashing light moving at 298km per hour, I blacked out.
My GOD! I had just been slapped by Deacon Frank minutes after he grabbed my breast and asking me to cooperate, deacon Frank is a friend of the family and he is a deacon in our local church where people talk about him as a good man who will be making it as a pastor soon. My God, I was being raped by a very respected deacon right inside his office and I could barely move as I watched him from a haze of daze pull down my panties from inside my skirt and spread my legs out while he eased himself inside me......sobs.
The whole incident happened so fast that even when he was done I couldn't move my legs and my face ached terribly, I had just been raped and was raped by a deacon in our local church right inside his office. What was I to do? I am at a lost and hurt and couldn't believe what had just happened, I was raped.
As I listened to Lira narrate her story, I couldn't help but wipe from my eyes welled up tears that were threatening to burst out like a free water supply scheme. She later went on to tell me how she became drawn after the incident and almost took her own life when she discovered she was pregnant after 1 week of the incidence and how she went on to abort the baby for fear that she may be carrying the deacon's child. All effort to get the deacon to pay for his devilish act was blocked with money and it was the church that waded in and suspended the deacon after investigations were carried out and it was discovered that her case wasn't the first but that she was the first to speak out.
Like Lira, there are hundreds of women out there getting raped by men I consider coachroaches and wonder at the wave the trend is catching on with lots of innocent women becoming preys.
Many women suffer from that horrible wave of injustice and when it happens, they are faced with so many demons and till date I fear justice hasn't really been served because these stories of women getting raped is treated with kid gloves and in most cases, the offenders become "overnight celebrities" while the woman is subjected to a life of fear, panic, sickness, disapproval, monitoring, constant scrutiny, rehabs, counselling and all that package of craziness to help her feel really sorry for herself and wish she wasn't born.
I am of the opinion and full belief that Rape is wrong and shouldn't be meted out on anyone for whatever reason and when such incidences occur, strick penalties should apply.
The world is at its highest level of civilization and the price we pay for evolving is a bunch of crazy people wrecking havoc on the world and doing all the wrong things from Looting to armed robbery to assasination, civil unrest, political powerplay, rape, militancy, terrorism etc.
What is your story?
Have you or someone you know been raped? How did you orhow did they fare? Will you talk about it to help others learn and guide themselves against future incidences? Talk to someone today and initiate the healing process.
Talk to someone and help put that 'coachroach' where he belongs.
Tweet @ejemai or email me at ejemai1@yahoo.com
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