“Remember Mary, when I started sharing my story I said, if we share our experiences, sometimes you end up seeing that you are better off than other people. I know you were robbed of your research, and it is a pain to you. But, can you compare your pain to mine? Given the choice to choose, could you choose what I went through in life over yours? That is why in life they say count your blessings one by one. At least Mary, you passed and you were not abused to get that stolen distinction, than those to whom it was given to. As for me, I thank God that I am alive. At one moment, I longed for death, and when it came it took the wrong people instead of me. I wanted to commit suicide but I did not. Here I am, at varsity, a very good university for that matter. Wits.”

“Wits? Who is paying for your fees girl?” Mary asked after considering that she does not have any surviving parent and how expensive that institution can be.

“After the death of that monster, his younger brother took me to stay with his family in one of the Northern suburbs of Gauteng, which is Sandton. They cautioned me on my bad behaviors which they said my late father once mentioned to them. I opened up to them since I had nothing to lose. Some people are so good. They accepted me as I was and paid counselors to help me. I went through a lot. They showed me true love I had never experienced. My frustrations, anger and hatred vanished bit by bit. I was filled with love for others too. I shunned boys and drugs.

“Sometimes life is full of surprises. I am doing my Engineering course and at the same time I am taking driving lessons. They want to buy me a car to take to varsity. It’s only unfortunate that they have no child of their own. I am now their only child. I am praying that God should enable me to pass. I want to make them prudent parents that ever lived under the face of the universe. For it is said, one good turn deserves another. At least my life ended well and happily as compared to other people whose lives end up still a mix masala.”

“Like my life Perseverance,” interjected Rosa.

“I will not get into the ingrates, but I want say to you my friends, at least at the end you guys ended happily. For me it was the opposite. In short my parents divorced and I went away with my mom. At eleven, my step dad raped me. My mom never believed me. It hurts so much. She sent me to my father saying I was a liar and intended to destroy her marriage. At nineteen, I was a devout Christian and in love with another brother from the same church. Little did I know that he came to church for me. One Sunday in our second year of the relationship, he accompanied me to my apartment after church as usual, and again, I was raped. I never saw Lucky again. I got pregnant. I tried to terminate it but in vain. Because of people’s comments and judgements, I stopped going to church. I later learned that it was Lucky’s game to go about the churches impregnating ladies.

“When the talking became worse, I stopped going to church. I blamed God for not protecting me. I appreciate Pastor Victor and his wife for their moral support. They never judged me. I completed my IT course.

“My last rape episode was when I was now working. I was a P.A for a manager at a certain company. One day before an international meeting which was to be held in Kenya, I worked until late as requested so that I could be off the following day. On arrival from booking his air ticket, he raped me. I hated life forever. I went straight to church and gave my pastor my bible and told him that I was fed up with Christianity because God never answered my prayers for protection. I narrated to him about my latest rape episode. He tried hard to explain things which did not add up, deliverance, curse…you name it. I was adamant and I told him not to waste his breath because ALL MEN to me were bastards and I wanted to kill one or so before committing suicide.

“Margret, pastor Tony’s wife, told me to think of Given, my child, before taking action. She needed me for protection before she became a victim of all I went through. I told her how angry I was for being robbed of my childhood, my youth a healthy life when my boss infected me with the HIV/AIDS virus. You see my friends, your situations are better because you are healthy, but as for me, death was planted in me by my boss.”

Her friends stood from where they were seated, came closer, hugged each other, and sobbed for a moment. They then promised to stand with each other forever. They all were robbed in one way or the other. After that they dispersed and vowed to help every woman going through the same predicament without anyone to tell. They agreed to open an organisation to help the women called HARMONY.

Tell us: Do you think the women found peace in their lives?