7 Years Ago He Raped Me And Ran Away, Now He Is Back And Wants My Son- Part 2

By the time my step mother came back, I was totally unconscious. I spent the next 2 months in the hospital treating not just my tears but terrible STD infections, he was sexually active, a part of his life nobody else knew about.

I missed my exams; I missed a whole year to say the least. I was confirmed pregnant and my father refused me getting an abortion. Francis absconded without a trace. The police in Aba put out a search warrant on him but it did not yield any results.

I left Aba and came down to Lagos to meet my father. I went back to school but this time around was allowed to be in Arts. My grandmother took care of Samuel for me while I started building the blocks of my life back.

I got into LASU to study Law and was done 2 years ago. I served in Kano State but refused to stay over in the north because of my son. I wanted to be a part of his upbringing too and be able to explain why he does not have a daddy in his life just like other kids in school.

I started working in a law firm in Ikoyi, and been a rockie, I was tasked with doing most of the paper fillings in court so I was always on the move. It was on such official errands, this time around to Ibadan, that I ran into the devil himself; Francis!

We had stopped to eat with the driver, using the official car meant it had our logo by the side. I was not in the mood to eat heavy so I was just on the table eating my meat pie while Deji, the driver was busy attacking his semo and egusi soup.

He walked up to our table and stood some few yards away from me, Deji enquired; “Oga wetin you dey find?” it was at that point I looked up and saw the bastard in flesh and blood. I could still remember his looks vividly; the looks of a beast that took away my innocence and almost destroyed my life.

For a minute I froze completely and just stared at him, lost in my thoughts. Anger from the deepest part of me was brewing up so quickly. He knelt down, at the full glare of everyone in the room. I could hear some idiots say “say yes, say yes”, apparently they thought he was about to propose to the love of his life. Nonsense!

He busted out crying, crying profusely while I just sat there not knowing how exactly to hurt him. I wish I had a gun, the table knife from the cutlery set didn’t look sharp enough to me that can slight his throat.

I had goose pimples all over my body; I was shaking not for fear but for rage. I just wanted to hurt him so badly the same way he did me but I was caught off guards. If I knew I would ever see him again, I would come prepared. 

“Madam, do you know this man? Why is he kneeling and crying now? madam don’t mind all these lagosians o, they can pretend for Africa, he just wants to beg for money ni ma”.

Deji lets go, and for you, turning and looking at him still kneeling on the floor, i don’t ever want to see you again. The next time I see you I will kill you and I mean it. I brushed him aside and hurriedly dashed off to the car. Deji came in behind me shortly and entered the car.

Francis also followed and was knocking on my side of the windshield, beckoning on me to wind down but I refused. He was crying so hard but I was not ready to listen to anything he had to say. All through the trip back to Lagos, the events of that day, 7 years ago kept flooding my mind. I thought I had healed completely from his actions but my wounds were fresh and bleeding afresh.

The next 2 weeks were terrible. My productivity levels dropped tremendously, my boss called me into her office and said; “you obviously appear to have so much going on in your head, I will not pressure you to share but I can allow you take some time off to get your acts together. Is that okay?” I nodded in affirmation.

I was shocked when Deji called me 3 days to say “madam, that yeye man we saw that day for Ibadan came to look for you in the office this morning”. But I didn’t give him my address, how did he know the place? Oh my, he must have read the inscription on the car that day. No!

By the time I resumed back, he had made several visits to the office. And on such unplanned visits, he was ushered in by my boss who wanted to know why he had been a constant face in the reception hall.

According to her, he confessed all that he did. He is now ready to face the law and be punished for all he did to me. He is the pastor of a church on the Island and dos not mind leaving all that behind. He is begging for my forgiveness and wants to know when I will be ready to charge him to court.

All he asks is to meet his baby, before he goes to prison. He knows he was once a rapist but now he has turned a new leaf but will gladly serve his time in prison.

What should I do? Deny my son the opportunity to know his father, make him realize his father is a rapist and live with that burden or shame for the rest of his life?

What should I do?