Sister Deborah episode 17

SISTER DEBORAH 💝💖

Episode 17
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For the first time in my life, I was charged and wrongly accused as a suspect of a crime I knew nothing about, which led me into spending a night behind bars. Spending a single night in jail was beyond terrible, let alone spending two more days inside it’s horrible, unpleasant premises. I was beaten, tortured, starved and severely manhandled mercilessly within those two days in jail. I was forced to confess to the crime by the police officers during the course of their investigations and torture, but I still managed to retain my stand as an innocent, wrongly accused victim.

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During those two days in jail, my roommates had always visited me occasionally with food and medicine, accompanied by Annabel my course mate. Annabel in particular, despite her uncanny and crude nature which made me despise her from the onset, had happened to be the same person who visited me more often with food, medicine and unconditional care. She devoted most of her time with me whenever she came visiting, and she shared her sympathy with me and encouraged me with hopeful words often times.

All through my trials, Annabel and my friends were the only circle of people that stood undauntedly by me. Divine, Deborah’s friend, hardly visited me in prison. She had the mindset that I was involved in her friend’s rape and she avoided me at all costs and spent more time in the clinic where Deborah’s unconscious body still lay in a coma instead.

Deborah’s father had threatened to take the case to court in due time, if his daughter still hadn’t recovered from her state of coma by the third day. I had pleaded with my friends not to involve my parents into the case for a while, until we could ascertain Deborah’s state of health till the third day.
However, on Sunday which happened to be the third and the final day before the case got adjourned in court, I was awoken by repeated taps on my forehead and hard kicks on my back on the floor on which I lay in the prison’s cell block. I opened my eyes and scampered to my feet hastily, after realizing that it was a police officer that stood next to me with a baton in his hands and a thick frown on his face.

“Didé daada jare.” He said with his native dialect, which means, “Stand properly to your feet.”

I obeyed him and retained my composure.
“You no sabi greet?” He raised his voice and raised the baton he held, very high.
“Good morning, officer.” I said with a shaky voice, almost trembling.
He looked at me with a frown, hissed and dropped the baton to its normal level.
“You have a visitor here to see you, so just follow me quietly before I break your head with this baton.” He ordered harshly, pointing the baton at me. I simply nodded in response.

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Thereafter, the officer led the way while I followed behind him slowly and quietly. When we got to a certain point, he stopped and opened a door and led me inside.
“Just five minutes only. Period!” The officer instructed and went back outside, shutting the door behind him.

To my utmost surprise, Annabel was the one seated in the blank room, alone. She usually came visiting with my friends but surprisingly, she appeared to be alone this time.
“Neche!” She stood to her feet and ran towards me, and then hugged me tight as she sobbed in my arms. She pulled from the hug and scrutinized me thoroughly from head to toe within a second, sobbing even more.
“I can’t believe this is happening to you.” She said amidst tears. “I wish I could do something to help you more. You don’t deserve this!”

“Annabel, it’s okay.” I assured her with a forced smile. “I am fine. It’s all right. I believe this is God’s will for me.”
“Don’t say that.” She rebuked me instantly. “God is a merciful God. He can never be this cruel to an innocent person like you.”

I managed to smile at her words. I placed my thumb on her cheek and wiped her tears.
“Stop crying, please.”

She sniffed deeply, wiped her face with her palms, and then managed to maintain her composure with a weak smile.

“Should we sit?” I asked her. She only nodded in response. Then we went towards the wooden bench at the edge of the blank room and had our seats.

“I have missed you, Neche,” Annabel stated with a glint of sadness laced on her voice, “but I haven’t lost hope yet. I have faith that within this week, a miracle will come by in your favour. I believe that God would intervene in this case and prove your innocence, don’t lose hope.”

I forced a smile and simply nodded, not knowing what to say. In another sense, I came to realize the meaning of an adage that once termed the world as a basket — a small, little world. Truly, in this life the least and the littlest of all things we expect are what turn out as a huge impact in our lives. It was ironic to see that Annabel, who I once despised with no ounce of likeness for, still happened to be the same person encouraging and standing by me all through my trials.

“Annabel, I am confused.” I said, glaring at her eyes.

“Confused?” She repeated after me. “Confused, about what?”

“Deborah’s father threatened to file the case to court today if she still doesn’t recover from her coma.”
“Are you serious?”

I nodded. “I’m serious, and he sounded vividly serious about it, too. He wasn’t making empty threats. I am scared of the outcome if Deborah still doesn’t recover today. I could be jailed and given a verdict for a long jail term in court.”

Annabel listened with avid concern and keen interest, looking plainly lost in thoughts. She looked oddly bothered. I felt she had something to say, so I pushed on.

“Is anything the matter? Speak to me.”
She hesitated before speaking. “I am speechless. I feel there’s more to this case than meets the eyes. Neche, is there something you are not telling me?”

Annabel’s question caught me off-guard. She was a sensitive and an observant person. I felt no further need to prolong or hide my secret anymore. I had to let her know.

“Annabel, can I confide in you?”
“Yes, you can.” She affirmed. “You have my word.”

I heaved a sigh, gave a deep scoff and composed myself properly, before narrating the whole ordeal to her. I told her about the video sex-tape and Deborah’s nude pictures which I had on my phone as a prove of my innocence. I told her how I had been contemplating on handing them over to the police as my evidence, but at the same time, I still wasn’t willing to risk Deborah’s reputation and dignity along the line. I wasn’t willing to embarrass her, despite the gravity of what she did, and what I had been through too, in respect of what we once shared.

After narrating the whole ordeal to her, Annabel’s facial expression turned to a blank, indefinable look with an agitated countenance instantly.

“I can’t believe this!” She stated with a perturbed stare at me. “Are you in your right senses? You mean you have such evidence like this with you that can set you free and clear your name yet you’re still here?”
Annabel shook her head with

disbelief. “I’m speechless. I am lost for words! I don’t even know what to say to you. Have you lost your mind?”
“Annabel, you’re getting it wrong. You have to understand that I am only protecting her dignity.”

“Under your own detriment?” She retorted back. “I don’t care whatever it is, all I know is that you are leaving this cell today. I must inform the police about this!”
I was about to say something in response when the door b@nged open and the same police warden who had earlier brought me in walked inside.

“Your time is up.” He announced as he approached me. Just as he cuffed my hands and prepared to walk me back to my cell block, Annabel stood up and spoke.
“Officer, I have something to tell you, sir.”
“Yes, what is it, young lady?” He shifted his attention to her.

Just at that same moment, the door opened up again and my heart skipped two beats, seeing Deborah’s father dressed in his usual native attire, walking undauntedly into the visiting room with a hard frown on his face. He had no doubt returned to file a case against me in court just as he had threatened, but to our biggest surprise, who we saw behind him came as a shock to us all.
She was seated on a wheelchair, pale and numb, with a bandage wrapped across her legs, her hands and her fore-head………………

tbc