TEARS OF A WOMAN

The night before the day they were to travel, she went to his house so they could leave together. The following day they left very early. They did not travel in Joash"s car but decided to use public transport. When they got to the bus station, they bought their tickets and were waiting for a bus when Susan sighted a young girl who looked pale. Susan knew all was not well because the girl appeared frustrated. She did not bother to take the time to learn what the girl"s problem could be.

Susan was carried away by a lot of thoughts: the thought of Madam Teresa finally leaving them, how her children would cope without her, her job, what would be her relative"s reaction when they got home, and so many other things. Joash was busy reading the magazine he bought. It later dawned on her that she had not purchased the snacks they would eat on the way. She rushed to the nearby canteen and placed an order for the things they would need on the way.
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As she was coming out of the canteen, she saw the same girl standing by the door and the girl approached her for help. Susan wasn"t sure if she had enough time to spend with anybody, and even if she did, she might not be able to give that person the full attention he or she might need because of the number of thoughts going on in her mind. Still, she tried to hear the girl out and that was when Susan discovered they came from the same town.

Susan had no choice then but to give the girl the necessary attention she needed. The girl began to narrate her sad story to her. Susan knew the story would be long, so she decided to make it snappy by asking the girl about her next plan. The poor girl told her she was looking for a way home. Susan had no option than to quickly buy her a ticket, and they went back to the canteen to buy more snacks and drinks.

No sooner had they come out from the canteen than the bus arrived. It was a commuter, and they quickly rushed to board. Susan introduced the girl to Joash. They sat together on the same seat as it was three in one row. Joash sat near the window side while Susan sat in between him and the girl. Once they were on their way was a perfect time to listen to the details of the girl"s story.

The girl started by telling Susan how glad she was to meet her and how grateful she was also for the help she gave her. In a busy world where no one cares especially when one is a stranger she was blessed to meet her. Susan had more reason to be kind to her because of how Madam Teresa treated her when she saw her for the first time.

With a pretty smile, Susan said, "We don"t have to know people before helping them, and we don"t have to think of what to gain in return when we help. Helping people, even those who are strangers is a sacrifice. It"s also like scattering seeds in a field. If all survive, good, and if few survive, fine, but one thing is pretty certain; there is no way every seed will fail to survive. We never can tell what one little act of kindness could lead to or what it could do in the life of other people."

Susan said in her mind, "What if Madam Teresa did not help me that fateful day I met her; what would be my fate if she was afraid to help a total stranger?" There was no way she would be at the level she found herself. Susan believed that little kindness could save a life, a career, and a person"s destiny. It can also bring unceasing joy to one and eternal reward to the helper.

She was surprised by what people could do because of money. People could do outrageous things to make money without thinking who they kill or how they ruin a person"s life.

It so happened that the girl fell into the hands of a woman who promised her a good job and a better life in the city, but little did she know the woman was a human trafficker.

The woman would go to the remote villages where people were struggling to eat one meal for a day and would pretend to be a philanthropist who runs a charity organization. She would tell the parents of the girls that she would like to help them train their daughters in the city and this would compel the parents to willingly release their daughters to her while she would promise the girls free education, learning of skills, a good job and accommodations in the city to entice them.

It happened that the girl was one of the woman"s victims. The woman took the girl and others to the city and when they arrived, they did not know it was the beginning of slavery. Immediately after they stepped into a particular hall, they saw many young girls from different heritages who it was obvious were victims as well, looking for a way home and that was the last time she saw the woman. Two days later while still waiting for the woman to return and keep her promises, she resurfaced.

The walls were very high and the compound well garrisoned by hefty fierce-looking armed men. The compound had three gates, one could not freely pa.s.s through the gate because the level of the security was very high and there was no way a victim could escape. All the victims were looking for a way out because they were tired by the type of business the woman made them to do.

The day the woman came to address them she came in the company of hefty bodyguards. She told them that they must comply and follow any instruction given to them. If any tried to protest or revolt she would be killed instantly. The compound had many rooms and it also had a sub-standard maternity home with quack midwifery.

They were subjected to different types of immoral acts. Every night and day a different man would come to them for prost.i.tution. It"s not only that the woman subjected them to prost.i.tution, but she also turned them into baby making machines. They were forced to sleep with men and at the end of the day the men would give the woman money to be with the girls, but she would never allow the men to take any girl home. It was encouraged however for the men to do whatever they wanted with the girls in any of the rooms because the rooms were many and the girls as well were plentiful so that a man could easily pick any number of the ladies he wanted at the snap of his fingers.

It was a terrible experience for all of them there. Even when one of the girls would get pregnant, they would deliver in the maternity ward and the woman would sell the child at a high price. There had been reports of missing girls among them, too, and it was rumored that maybe if any of the men needed girls for rituals, they would be chosen at random. What led the girls to think this was happening was when one of the hefty guys who worked there forcefully dragged one of them out of a room.

One night they dragged her out for rituals. When she was brought into the room she saw five girls lined up naked, their hands and legs tied. She mumbled "This is the end of the journey." Her heart raced and she prayed "Lord, into your hands I commit my soul." It was not that she had not been praying since the day she was taken there but when she knew she had come to the point of death, seeing her death face to face, she made a vow to the Almighty G.o.d that if he would save her, she would serve him all the remaining days of her life. When it came her turn to be killed, there was confusion among them and they started fighting one another.

The girl ran out of the room not knowing where she was running to because it was midnight and even if she knew where to run the security at the gate would definitely catch her. She kept running anyway and ran for thirty minutes before she came to a place where the height of the fence was small. Maybe they did not know that one could escape from their custody due to the high level of security.

When she climbed the fence she kept running till daybreak before she finally came to a road.

Susan listened intently to the girl as she imagined what other women went through in life. The girl told Susan that the moment people sighted her; they mistook her for a madwoman because she was nearly naked. She tried running to people but instead of helping her they would run away from her. Soon she found a man who listened and offered to help and clothe her.

The man took her to the nearest police station where she narrated the story to them. She told them the direction of the place but was afraid to follow them there because she had not yet recovered from the shock. After a few days of serious investigation, the police stormed the place. They arrested those that worked there and rescued the victims. All the victims were taken to a hospital for treatment and eventually released. The case was still ongoing at the time she left them to find her way home and that was how she met Susan that day in the bus station.

Her story was so pathetic. Susan thanked the Lord that at the end of the day G.o.d used the girl to save others. Though her story was a bit longer than expected, Susan believed it was well worth listening to. When she came to the end Susan offered her the snacks and drinks she had bought earlier and allowed the girl to rest.

Almost everybody in the bus was asleep including Joash but Susan could not close her eyes. She couldn"t help imagining what the girl went through.

She was replaying the scene in her mind starting from where the woman who got them in the mess picked them from their various towns and villages, how they were thinking of having a new lease on life as they were going to the city for the first time. She tried picturing everything even when they were in the camp of slavery; The type of torture and mental agony they were subjected to. All these things she was meditating on as tears of women.

When they finally reached their destination they alighted but Joash and Susan did not let the girl go empty-handed. There is no way after listening to the girls" story would Susan or Joash let her go empty-handed; they were compelled to help her. When Susan found out the girl was not going in the same direction they were going they put her in a taxi. Susan asked her for a phone number where she could be reached anytime she wanted, but the girl did not have a phone.

They boarded another cab but while in the cab Susan remembered that she had to collect her birth certificate in case there would be a need for some marital references and future purposes. She thanked G.o.d that she remembered when she did. If not because of her birth certificate, there was no way she would have entered her house but she would have gone straight to her uncle"s house to see them instead and from there they would go back to the city. They told the cab driver to wait for them until they were through because they wanted him to take them to Joash"s village.

When Susan got inside she did not want to waste any time but went straight to retrieve the birth certificate from the box where they usually keep important doc.u.ments. She was shocked to find a letter written by her mother before she died. She knew the letter was not there the last time she checked the box to collect her credentials the very day she was going to the city for the first time. The letter was addressed to her but she did not have enough time to read it so she put it in her handbag to read when she would have a chance.

When she came out she took Joash to her uncle"s house and when they got there, the only surviving uncle she had left was very happy to see them. After welcoming them he asked Susan who Joash was. She did not hesitate to introduce Joash to him. When she later told her uncle the reason why they came he was happy for her. The uncle asked her where Joash came from and when she told him he was at first silent, after a while he said, "Its alright young man you are welcome."

Susan knew something was behind the silence because it was a silence that spoke volumes but she could not figure out what it was until they got to Joash"s house in the neighboring village. The reason why Susan"s uncle did not explain his silence was that he believed certain stories are better told by the elder.

It was getting late and so there was no need continuing with their journey that same day after the very long journey they already had. They decided to lodge in a hotel. So before they left she told her uncle they would be going back to the city from their destination. Susan gave her uncle some cash before leaving and he saw them off.

In the car while going to the guest house Susan was still trying to figure out the reason behind her uncle"s silence after telling him where Joash came from. A lot was still going on in her mind when she remembered the letter. It was getting dark and when they got to the guest house Joash paid the driver and told him to come early to pick them up to take them to his village. Then they ordered what they wanted for dinner.

They were exhausted and after taking a bath they went straight to bed. Susan did not remember if they prayed that night before falling asleep, but in the middle of the night when she woke up to ease herself she remembered she had not yet read the letter. She reached for her handbag and brought out the letter. Joash remained deep in sleep while all this was happening, he must be even more tired than Susan had been.