#MeToo My rapist bribed my father for my silence – a young girl’s ordeal

For many, a parent is the one sure center of refuge. You don’t even think about it, you know they will always be there for you. Until you are down, look up and they are nowhere to be seen.

Today we share a story of a young woman, 22, who was forced to shelve her rape ordeal from authorities by the one person she expected would be her source of support at her lowest moment, her father.

Here’s her harrowing story.

I was on my second term school break of my last year in high school. Customarily, I would use this time to hang out and catch up with my friends.

I decided to check up on Tony who was my long term childhood friend that I could confidently confide in as my brother and best friend. Tony had just concluded his Form 4 studies the previous year as he was only a year older than I.

As best friends have a go-to, ours was binge watching on series’ the whole day and sometimes late into the night.  A habit our parents were okay with since they were good friends. Notwithstanding, Tony was like family to me since we had grown together, shared a primary school, church and even had mutual friends.

If there is something as more than a brother, that was what Tony was to me, at least I thought.

However, this fateful day that I visited Tony, it was not laughs, popcorns and schmoozing as usual.

A few minutes into the movie he got a bit touchy, maybe I led him on with how my body was responding. This was unfamiliar to me because Tony had never touched me in that manner. As much it was unfamiliar and confusing I was still processing the shock.

By the time I was back to my senses, Tony was trying to undress me, I asked him to stop and told him I am not ready for what he was intending to do. However, Tony did not stop, he kept going and got physical pinning me down.

After receiving several beatings, he comfortably raped me to his satisfaction. I had lost myself in the middle of ordeal because my brain could not process all that was happening.

When he finished, I recollected my remaining strength and confronted him. I craved to see guilt written all over his face or remorse in the depth of his eyes.

Sadly, I could not recognise the man I had shared my best childhood memories, instead, he rewarded me with fast jabs to the face for calling him a rapist, even kicking me out of their house without my shoes.

I called my lady friend to pick me up, and asked her to escort me home. When I got home I could not stop crying and our house help got so persistent in finding out what was wrong with me.

In a way, she had an idea of what had happened, with her cues, I was able to tell her what happened. That is when she called my mother who rushed home and took me to the hospital.

It was not long before my father was informed of the same, he was angry and wounded, especially since it was his friend’s son who had raped me.

I went to the hospital, got the necessary medical attention and even took a P3 to warrant a report to a police station.

The following day, we went to their place to solve the matter, a place I dreaded ever returning to.

Predictably, he denied in a well composed manner as if he had rehearsed the answers. Our parents failed to solve the case due to the innocent facade he was pulling.

At this point, I was still confused why we were solving the case when we have the police for that and the hospital including my mental state was solid proof that I was raped.

When I told my dad we should go report him as I wanted nothing but to see him locked behind bars and to see Tony endure my pain in equal measure maybe more, because maybe just maybe, it could heal me.

However, my dad said that my rape case was nothing they could not solve.

Tony’s mother who had missed the most part of the conversation, came back with bundles of cash in an envelope gave them to my father and then said ‘we are sorry’.

That is all my parents ever did to solve the rape, until date, I do not know how much money my father quoted for my rape.

The worst part is that, I walk everyday seeing the guy who raped me and I cannot do anything about it and to make it more haunting is that, we are in the same campus.