Perfect Blemish

The police officer watched intensely as the taxi stopped rapidly in front of the police station. He watched as the weeping girl got out of the taxi, she didn’t greet. She just went straight ahead to ask where she could file a complaint. She looked at her for a second and knew from her outfit and speech that this was no wayward girl. Could this be a relationship gone badly? Or a rape? She was pretty bruised.

“What happened to you,” she tried asking her

“Please direct me to where I can file a complaint,” was all she managed

Begrudgingly she pointed out the room to her and watched as she walked briskly to the place.

The officer on duty was on his phone when the girl, still weeping barged into the room and quickly said that she’d like to file an assault complaint. She had blisters around her lips, swollen eyes and a swollen cheek. He asked her to sit on a bench in the calm down so that he could take her details.

Beverly, usually called Bev by most people was in her third year in the University of Ghana. Ever since she was a little girl, she has always been a strong believer of women empowerment, girl power, equity, equality, I mean the whole package. She always tries to defend people whether they are around or not. Although this tend to ruin some of her relationships, she did think she was doing the right thing. She had a sketchy past which she did not like to share. She always used to stand up for girls rights even as a little child.

Although she usually spent the holidays at her brother’s place, she decided to go to her mum’s place this time around. The truth is her brother’s wife was acting up so she decided she was not going to go there again. Little did she know that the holiday was going to be very frustrating and depressing.

At her mum’s, things were still the same. Her brother, Jeremiah, was still being worshipped by her mother who would not let him do anything in the house, not even the so-called “male chores”. This annoyed Bev a lot but she kept mute about it. She did her chores dutifully, and even when the taps stopped flowing and she and Sylvia, her cousin, had to go fetch water from a well for the whole family, she didn’t complain.

It happened on 31^st December. She had to go back to campus for a meeting on behalf of her hall. Due to the long distance, she had to set off early to be able to make it in time. Although the taps were still not flowing, she had fetched five buckets of water from the well the previous afternoon so she didn’t think there would be any problem. Unfortunately, her mum was at her wit’s end because she did not fetch water that morning. Bev was confused at first, then shocked and later angry. She was confused because she didn’t understand why her mother was peeved off. She was shocked because since the taps stopped flowing, she had been fetching water from the well without any complaints and so missing going to the well for an important meeting that morning was not something for her to be angry about. She was angry because her mother never complained when her brother did the same thing but when she missed going to the well that morning, she was up and about hurling insults and angry words at her.

Bev was quite for a while as she tried dressing up quickly to leave the house. But the insults and hurtful words got her. She burst out in anger and started shouting at her mum. Asking why she was always taking Jer’s side over everyone’s. Why she idolised him even when he had done nothing deserving of her worship. Why she was shouting at her for missing to fetch water for just that morning. Her mum was silent for a few seconds and when she finally spoke, all she could managed was, “He’s male, and you’re female”

Knowing how her daughter is sensitive about sexism and equality, it would have been wise for Eleanor to have been quite about this. Bev was beside herself with anger.

“What are you trying to imply? Does his being male make him a higher human being than I am??” she cried

Beverly was taken aback by her mother’s outbursts. After a few pointless banters with her, she stormed out of the house a very angry girl.

to be continued…

               Asiedua Yeboah © 2016