The small untidy clinic with sparse equipment and minimal comfort was successfully hidden in-between two high-rise buildings, making it quite inconspicuous on the red-light street of a notorious slum in Port-Harcourt.
There was no sign at all to indicate it was a clinic, Dr. Munya didn't have to advertise, and his patients already knew where to locate him.
On this faithful Friday evening, they had queued up, waiting to be called in. Girls who frequent this clinic had only one request; abortion, and the clinic never turned them down.
Oruene was one of the people in the queue and soon it would be her turn to be called in as the slaughter slab beckoned on her.
She wasn't afraid at all, for she trusted the doctor implicitly anyway. She wasn't a starter after all, she had gone through the process, again and again, this was her fifth time.
Oruene was the second of eight children. She was such a lovely girl with an alluring beauty, a slender build with delicate skin, and a sculptured face that stood her apart from her peers.
The Petersons family were very poor and lived in one of the ramshackle houses on a murky riverine area on the outskirts of Port-Harcourt and earning a living as fishermen. It was indeed a precarious existence as what they earned was hardly enough for the large family.
The Peterson's had a neighbor who works in one of the multinational oil companies as a field staff and was a bit well of. He had watched Oruene grow from a toddler into a budding beauty. Oga Benson as they all called him was a middle-aged man in his late forties who seeks out sex with pubescent children.
He knew the Petersons were struggling financially and had begun offering them help to gain acceptance which they misconstrued as kindness and quickly opened the doors to their house for him.
"Can Oruene help me out in the house on Saturdays since I hardly have time to clean up during the week?" He asked their mother one evening.
The unsuspecting woman was glad to be of help and immediately gave the green light for her twelve-year-old daughter to go to his house on Saturdays without further question.
Oruene would go to his house on Saturdays to cook and clean up and at the end of the day, come back with money and lots of goodies which the family deeply appreciated.
But it wasn't long before she realized his offer wasn't particularly in good faith.
"I'm not going to Mr. Benson's house again." She told her mother in confidence one evening.
"Did he do anything to you?" She asked suspiciously.
"He has been trying to force me to sleep with him," Oruene said innocently.
"Shh...Don't let your brothers hear you." Her mother whispered urgently as she quietly took her aside.
"Oruene my daughter, you should learn to use what God gave you to take advantage of Mr. Benson. He has money, you should collect it from him."
At first, Oruene was surprised at her mother's comment but it only took a few persuasion from the old lady before she gave in and began sleeping with Mr. Benson who in turn showered her with gifts even when it usually left her bruised and empty inside. All to please her mother.
You can't imagine what it feels like to have your mother sell you to the highest bidder because not long after, she began arranging her for other rich men and would wait and get paid before handing her over to them. It wasn't that she was taken or kidnapped, her mother practically gave them the keys to rape her at such a young age.
Please send in your comments. Wait for the concluding part next week.
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