ONE WRONG TURN
EPISODE 21
The sullen look on her face presented a kind of guilt I couldn’t understand. She avoided eye contact with me. I was very sure she knew something that she wasn’t telling me. My heart raced as we entered the psychiatric hospital. The sheer magnificence of the building wowed me a little. But it still did not shew my anxiety. I know that mad people were usually admitted here, hence I did not know if I should pray to find Hannah here or not.
As we walked in, Sarah began to drag behind. Her unwillingness to enter the building gave her away. I looked suspiciously at her and left her behind. Unlike the previous hospitals, this one had no reception.
I looked around for a while, hoping to find someone to talk to. I ran towards a nurse who seemed to be hurrying out of sight.
“Excuse me ma, please help me I’m looking for someone ” She neither lessened her pace nor stop to look at me. She was focused on the file she was carrying. She walked and spoke at the same time.
“Who exactly?” she asked, flipping through her file and walking briskly.
“It’s my friend, her name is Hannah, I don’t know if…….. ” She stopped abruptly and shot a horrible look at me immediately I mentioned Hannah’s name. I stole a glance at the file she was holding, it had” Hannah Balogun” written on it, with a tag next to it stating clearly “Emergency”
“Are you the Sarah? ”she asked, grabbing hold of my hand.
“No ma, Sarah is just outside, I’m Ruth” I replied, trying to wriggle free from her grip.
“Take me to her” she ordered, as she pulled me towards the door. My anxiety increased, at this point I was certain that Sarah had a lot to do with what was happening.
“Do you know your friends Parents or anybody we can contact ?” she stopped and asked. I thought about it for a while, if Hannah wanted them to contact her family, she would have volunteered those information. I decided to withhold answers myself.
“No ma, I don’t know anyone ”
“What about your school? ”
“School has closed” I replied.
She resigned from her questioning and continued towards the door, till we were out in the open.
“That’s Sarah” I said, pointing towards her. The sight of the nurse holding my hand firmly, and pointing at her frightened Sarah. She began to retreat towards the gate as we approached her.
“My friend stop there! “the nurse ordered.
Sarah froze, with a frightened look on her face. The nurse approached her and grabbed her by the hand.
“Come with me, you have some explanation to do” she said, as she led us all the way up to her office. Sarah was shedding tears already.
We passed through an open ward to her office. The sight of mentally challenged people gave me the creeps. Some looked calm and well behaved, you’ll rarely notice their madness. Others were obviously unruly and disorderly. Some showed waxy flexibility. I wondered why Hannah was in a psychiatric hospital. Has she suddenly become mad? I wondered. I began to recollect stories of young girls who have been used for money rituals by boys of this kind. My own thoughts sent cold shivers down my spine. But I knew my curiosity would soon be satisfied, as we entered into a small office with three chairs and a table. She pointed at seats for Sarah and I, while she sat across the table facing us. I looked around the office uncomfortably, wondering what was about to happen. Sarah on the other hand was sobbing. Her face was soaked with tears. For what reason, I had no idea.
The nurse placed her file on the table, and flipped through several pages, clearly searching for something. She looked up, staring into our eyes, alternating between I and Sarah.
“Lets hear your own side of the story” she said, pointing at Sarah. Sarah shrugged, and turned away from the nurse. She directed her gaze to the floor, sobbing profusely. I was getting more agitated and worried, I desperately needed to hear what happened.
“I didn’t know it was going to be like that, I thought she would agree" Sarah said in between sobs.
“But why did you not offer yourself instead, or at least return their money?” the nurse replied, in a stern voice. She was getting impatient and angry too.
“Ayo wanted me to himself, I have spent part of the money. Hannah was the only option left” Sarah continued.
“So you sold your friend for how much?” She shouted, springing up from her seat and banging her fist on the table. Sarah’s head dropped to the table, her sobbing had become weeping. I turned my head from side to side, trying to decipher the situation. I just couldn’t gather the story in my head.
“Pray nothing happens to your friend, you prostitute.”
“And you” focusing on me
“how did you become friends with this girl?” I looked sullenly at her, if only she knew how much I regret knowing Sarah.
“What happened ma? ” I asked almost inaudibly.
“Your friend here was paid sixty thousand to arrange three prostitutes for a boy and his friends. She took you and Hannah to them. Obviously you were not open to the arrangement, I guess. I heard you threatened one of them with a sharp object”
“Yes ma, ” I replied.
“When you left, he demanded for his money or another girl. But I guess your friend here has spent all the money. So they settled for Hannah instead, without her knowledge. Apparently Hannah refused to ‘accommodate’ two guys at the same time, so they resorted to coercion. They forced a substance into her mouth and nose. I’m not sure what it was, but from the description, it might be cocaine. Anyway Hannah passed out, she had no idea what happened. When she woke up, she was bleeding and acting abnormally. So they brought her here and disappeared. Well, your friend suffered from the effect of cocaine and the trauma she also passed through. She had a miscarriage too.” Her last sentence shocked me, I almost jumped out of my seat.
“How is that possible?” I asked, with tears falling freely from my eyes.
“Well she told us she was six weeks pregnant, and Sarah here has been giving her pills to terminate it. I guess she has succeeded now” I stood up from my seat with uncontrollable anger, and grabbed Sarah by her collar. I wanted to choke her badly.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 22
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