Sweetest Taboo pt6

 
The slam frightens both Janet and I. Trevor has a new expression on his face. It is sinister. Trevor begins to come towards us. We move backwards but there is a wall and when he sees us looking at the door to the dining room he shuts that too. He knows that we could run through that door, past the dining room, into the corridor and out the front door. But fear keeps us rooted. We don’t know why we are scared but inside you, you know when something bad is about to happen. His big muscly hand stretches and bolts the dining room door so that we are stuck in the room.

‘Trevor…’

‘Shhh. We are going to play a game’

‘I don’t want to play a game. I want to eat my food. And mama says boys are not to come in the room when we are dressing’

‘Why?’ he says with a smile on his face that is so unsettling it makes Janet pee. This suddenly makes Trevor very angry. So angry that he slaps Janet across the face and I scream out loud at the sight. Trevor rushes over to me and binds my mouth with his hand. I try to wiggle out but his big hand is heavy. ‘If you scream one more time I will kill you. Can you feel how strong my muscle is? There is the kitchen right behind me and I will take a knife and cut off your tongue so that you can never speak again do you understand?’ he says in a hoarse voice. I imagine that is the voice of the monster that mbuzi threw over the bridge.

‘If you hurt me, Papa and Chisanga are going to get you’ I try to squeeze the words threw his big hand but only I can hear them. He continues to tell us to be quiet and that no one was going to come over today because Mama was not coming back until late. I begin to pray our father in my heart. The whole time I am wondering why the preacher’s son could be so evil. Maybe he is joking. No he can’t be joking because he just hit poor Janet and she is crying away in little sobs sitting in her own urine.

Trevor puts the keys in his trouser pockets and walks over to the dresser in his room. I help Janet up and tell her it is fine and that we will tell Mama that he hit her when she comes back. Janet stands up and wipes her tears. She is tinier than I am and people already call me mosquito legs! How does she manage to be so small I wonder?  I help her stand up and we both back up in a corner.

Trevor emerges with two pieces of cloth. They look like a shirt that he has ripped in two. He comes behind me and puts the cloth around my mouth real tight. I try to scratch him and manage to get some skin off his arm.

‘Leka ubukaka!’ He shouts at me. I am now beginning to cry. I don’t know what I have done that is so bad that I need to be punished. If this is about the sweets, I’ll get Papa to give them back. I should not have taken them without asking. Trevor starts tying Janet’s mouth up.

After he is satisfied with his work he heads off into the kitchen and gets a knife. This is when I know for a fact we cannot scream at all or he really might hurt us. He my stomach growls from anger and hunger. I just want to eat something quickly and I promise I will be a good girl.

‘Shekinah you need to be taught a lesson today because you are too spoilt’ he says. ‘You know God loves the little children but you, you don’t listen to your parents do you?’ What is he talking about? I have no clue. ‘Even you Janet. You need to learn to be strong and I will show you how OK? Don’t worry I will not hurt you so stop being scared. I told you it is a game.’ As soon as he picks Janet up, there is a knock at the door.

‘Odi!!’ It is Bana Kulu Themba. I have never been happier than I am right now that she is at the door. Trevor does not move. He looks worried. Why is he scared? Bana Kulu Themba is ancient and he is holding a knife. He does not move to the door. He just stands there still. No noise. The voice of Bana Kulu Themba calls again ‘Odini! Trevor! Isulako’ she shouts whilst jerking the door handle. Trevor reluctantly goes to the door. He keeps the door to where we are closed.

‘Trevor, Ulishani? She says coming into the house. Bana Clara baleisa nshitanshi?’ she is asking after my mother. Trevor tells her that Mama will not be home until later.  Bana Kulu settles down at the kitchen table very slowly. The chair screeches as it protests against being dragged I feel good that she is here. She can even eat my food if she likes because she eats very slow, she will take long enough for Mama to come. I know Trevor is not a good guy. I know he is going to hurt us if someone does not come home soon. Why did Chisanga have to leave?

The kitchen chair is being dragged again. Trevor tells Bana Kulu Themba that we are in the room getting changed. ‘You know how it is with children. They get excited when they have friends over so they are busy playing games in the bedroom before coming to eat’ Bana Kulu Themba agrees that this is probably the reason she heard the scream earlier. My heart sinks. Bana Kulu Themba opens the kitchen door and leaves. Trevor shuts it behind her and comes back to the room. He still has the crazy look that he had earlier. I shift closer to Janet and hold her hand real tight. I refuse to look at Trevor. He starts to laugh softly as though he does not want anyone to hear him.

‘I told you God does not like bad girls Shey. Talalala Talalala ukabafye hule’ I have no idea what the word means but it does not sound like a good thing. He takes hold of Janet and starts pulling her away from me. He takes her into the bedroom and shuts the door but does not take her clothes with her.

I think that maybe Janet is going to die. She is mumbling something under that cloth which is covering her mouth. I close my ears because she sounds like she is in lots of pain. Maybe Trevor is cutting her up with his knife. I cry and cry and I don’t know what fate awaits me. The gossiping women were right. I was supposed to be deleted. That is why Trevor is here. To finish off the work because I am an evil child and God does not like evil. Trevor takes a long time to hurt Janet. Then finally he comes out and shakes me. I look up and find that he is not wearing anything. He looks as though he has water poured all over his body. There is something really big that is pointing at me. I put my hands over my eyes but Trevor just lets out a huge horrible laugh and grabs me kicking and trying to scream to no avail.

In the room Trevor throws me on the bed. He rips off my uniform like a mad man. Janet is sitting in the corner of the room naked crying and she is covered in blood. Blood runs all down her legs and her little hands. The sheets are stained with blood which will make Mama so angry. Then Trevor hits me one huge slap. He forces my legs so far apart and then something enters me with so much force and pain that the room turns black.