MARY'S STORY

    This is a story of a very stupid and naive girl who ran away from home to the big city thinking to make big waves. She falls into the hands of a married couple and they take her in. Our girl marveled at their generosity, gave away her trust. She told them her life story and how no one would come searching for her. A crippled father, an over worked mother and a small farm in the middle of nowhere.

       Now lets call her Mary for clarity's sake. Mary moved in with the couple and began to work as a maid to earn her keep. She was assigned to clean the mistress' bedroom and that's where the story starts.

         After a month of working there, things began to disappear.  First a gold ring then the madame's favourite jimmy choos. Now these items were easily replaceable as the couple was richer than midas but for some reason the wife refused to let them go and requested for a thorough search of the house and premises.

      All the six bedrooms were searched and still no shoes or ring. Our girl then became vocal about possible reasons why the items vanished.
Quickly suspicion bounced around and the servants were just as quick to deny. A solution was offered, everyone and their properties were to be searched.

       Other than Mary, there were three other maids one of whom had a disabled son, the driver and a gate man. The search progressed to the staff quarters, moving from room to room. Still no luck.

        Mary's room was the last searched .The couple entered her small room alone as usual, there lo and behold poorly hidden in her bag, were the elusive items.

     Quickly,  Mary decried all knowledge of how the missing items came into her possession, She said she was innocent and had been set up. No one believed her. The other servants shook their heads and walked away. There was nothing else to see.

       The couple looked down at her in disgust as she cried and pleaded. Mary cried till blood came out of her eyes and begged them not to arrest her or toss her out as they had threaten to do to the culprit. She had no where to go, she cried. She said in desperation she would do anything; swear an oath even. The couple laughed and mocked her.

      They reminded her that she had left her village far behind. That in the city, things were done differently. The guilty were punished severely for their crimes.

     Part ii

       After a short while of watching Mary moan and plead, the wife had heard enough. She scolded her and told her to put her self together. She said that she won't be tossed out or arrested but she would be punished. Mary hugged the madame's knees in gratitude.
She kicked her away and told her to pack up her things. She was to move to the big house.

      Quickly, Mary complied and followed the madame away from the small room in the servant quarters that had been her home and yet bigger than the room she had had at home.what was the worst punishment? She asked herself, at least she would have food and shelter. If only she knew, the idiot would have run screaming back to the little village she came from.

Part iii

     Her new accommodation was quite a step up from the tiny room. Her current room was on the same floor as her bosses'.

     All day she was nervously anticipating her punishment locked away in the room. When the clock stroked nine, she gave up the struggle with sleep. In dreamland, she never heard her doorlock click and the door creak open. Time for Her punishment had finally come.

      The husband with a lecherous grin, caressed her full breasts. His large rough hands roamed over her flesh as he undressed her. Stupid Mary slept on. His actions a mere distraction, like a fly or mosquito.

       Sleep was brutally ripped from her eyes when he climbed on her. Her eyes opened to see his ugly mug looming closely over hers. She screamed and he laughed , she struggled but he easily subdued her with his beefy hands. Her slight frame quivered in fear.

His white teeth glimed in his black face with triumph, he had her where he wanted her.

"Please master", she begged.

"Just shut up you little thief and take your punishment", he said.

As usual tears weren't far from her eyes.

"Scream.. yell if you want, there's no one here to save you".

        As With most young girls from calabar and it's neighbouring states in Nigeria, their bodies matured from an early age. Mary's figure was delightful and her boss couldn't wait to plough that field.

        Her 'punishment' continued for a month otherwise she lived a life of luxury. No chores, no errands and all the television she desired locked in her padded prison. One day, the madam came with a strange man.

"Remove your gown and lie on the bed", she said "the doctor wants to check you".

"But madam, am not sick", she said.

Smack! The madam slapped her cheek,"filthy whore! Shut up and do as you'er told"

"Madam please", the doctor grabbed her hand,"she might be in a delicate situation"

Delicate situation? Mary was puzzled and hurried to obey. Was it a disease?

     The man poked and prodded her for some time before he turned to her boss's wife with a nod.
The madame's face became sour. Why? she thought to her self bitterly, did people who deserved to have children fruitlessly search for them while the hungry, deprived and wretched people reproduced like rats? she led him out of the room while Mary looked after them in confusion. Our girl had lived a sheltered life. Such euphemisms were greek to her.

Part iv

      The prison sentence was lifted, she was allowed to roam around the house and compound. It was on one of such treks past the kitchen that she heard a whispered conversation. She stopped to listen compelled by curiosity.

      Thus she learned that the deformed child wasn't really Sarah's but the madam's and because of his imperfection, she rejected him and warned them all to secrecy.

      The sad truth was that the little rejected boy,  joseph was their third attempt and all the others had ended as miscarriages. As a test of her love, the wife, Anita decided to play along with his nefarious plans. He was desperate for an heir, a perfect heir to carry on the Marshal name.  They found their golden goose in Mary. Sweet, innocent, naive Mary.

         As time progressed and her 'disease' pregnancy became obvious, Anita's attitude towards her changed while her husband, Oscar became more affectionate. He bought her jewelry, gave her back and foot rubs despite her protests.

       The more attention he paid to Mary, the bigger the green monster grew in Anita, her madame. It made her reckless with her taunts and one day, Oscar overheard her. This earned her the beating of her life and worsened Mary's situation as he would leave for work, leaving her in Anita's capable and envious hands.

        Matters came to a head when the couple had another fight where words and accusations were tossed around. Mary finally got to understand that her 'beloved' bosses weren't so kind. That it wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts they had taken her in. The knowledge of their intentions gave wings to her feet.

       That night, Mary took only the jewelry she had so graciously collected from her boss, leaving every other thing behind, crept down the stairs, out of the house and to the compound gate, all the while fearful that some one would see her and raise alarm. That night luck was on her side, the gateman snored at his post, drooling like a sloth. The same way she ran away from home so did she run from the bosses from hell, bearing their 5  months old cargo. The money from the jewelry would last for a while. The cost of living in her village was quite low.

      Our formerly stupid and now wiser Mary made a beeline for that little farm in nowhere. Apology and reconcilation in her near future. As for her bosses, she couldn't care less what ever happened to them. She prayed her patents would for give her and accept the innocent unborn infant.