The Elder’s Daughter – Episode 21

The Elder’s Daughter – Episode 21

© Jennipher Duru

“Esther! Esther! Please wake up! It’s 10am!’’ Angela said as she tried to wake Esther up the following morning. Esther slightly opened her eyes. “Ouch! My head! My neck!” she said, putting her hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes again. “You need to wake up Esther. We have to go to the library to revise” Angela insisted, this time around trying to pull her hand. “Ouch! Ok, I am awake now. I am awake” Esther said. She sat on her bed with her hand on her forehead, groaning in pain. Angela looked at her, wondering what was wrong with her. She sat next to her and put her hands around her shoulder.

Angela: Please Esther, tell me what is going on. Yesterday you came back crying. I asked you to explain the reason to me, but you promised to do so this morning. Now you are groaning in pain. Please tell me what happened yesterday.

Esther: Nothing serious Angela. I am just not feeling well right now. I have a terrible headache and my whole body hurts!

Angela: Don’t lie to me. There is definitely something wrong. Esther, I am your friend and I can help

Esther: If you want to help me, then just get me some pain killers.

Angela sighed with anger “I just wish you could tell me what is wrong. Ok then, go and wash your face so that I can escort you to the dispensary because I don’t have any painkillers with me” she said. Esther stood up slowly and tried to change her pajamas. She held on to her study table next to her to get some support. Upon seeing this, Angela rushed to help her “There, remove your hand” she said as she helped her dress up. Esther walked slowly to the bathroom. Angela looked at her and shook her head. She picked up her phone and dialed David’s number. However, there was no response. She tried a couple more times but there still wasn’t any response. “I am sure David is behind this. He’s probably afraid to pick up my calls because he knows I will give him a hard time” she said to herself.

Esther returned from the bathroom. She looked quite weak. “Esther, you were crying again, weren’t you?” Angela asked. “No I was not. Please let’s go to the dispensary” Esther answered. Angela replied “Yes you were! I can see it from your eyes. Well since you don’t want to tell me exactly what happened, I will not force you”. Esther did not answer back. They both went to the dispensary. When they arrived, a beautiful young lady came to attend to them. She looked at Esther and asked “What is the matter my dear?”. Esther hesitated for a while before she could answer. “I am..I am…I am having body pains and a terrible headache” she answered.

The young lady: Since when did you start experiencing all this?

Esther: Yesterday, I mean today when I woke up

Angela: No it’s not yesterday. She came in last night complaining of the same thing

Esther: Yes, it was yesterday, sorry

The young lady: Ok. And do you perhaps know what caused it?

Esther: Y-e-e-e-e-s. I fell down in a ditch near the university. I was concentrated on my phone and didn’t pay attention to the ditch in front of me

The young lady: So sorry about that my dear. Please put this thermometer under your armpits for a few seconds.

Esther did as she was told. The young lady checked her eyes and mouth as well then she went to talk to one of the Nurses. Angela looked at Esther and said “Why did you lie about falling inside a ditch, because I know that it is a lie?” Esther did not answer. As they sat there, David walked in. When he saw them, he looked closely at Esther, fixing his eyes on the thermometer. He wanted to go and ask what was going on, but he went straight ahead to the young lady that was attending to them “Hello Betty. How are you doing this morning?” he said and they both started having a discussion. Esther and Angela looked at each other in astonishment. After a while, Betty came back to check on Esther, while David sat across the reception area as he seemed to be waiting for something. “Hmm, your temperature is quite high. Do you have any wound anywhere?” Betty asked as she shook and looked closely at the thermometer. Esther hesitated “No, I don’t have any wound. I just hit myself quite hard on my head” she answered. Betty went to the drug storeroom. Esther put her head to rest on Angela’s shoulder. David glanced at Esther, trying to figure out what was wrong. However, he refused to succumb to the desire to ask them what was going on. Betty came out and gave David a certain document. “There you go big boss. See you this evening” she said. David smiled and left the dispensary. Angela followed him while Betty spoke to Esther as she gave her instructions on the drug dosage.

“Hey David. I need to talk to you” Angela shouted. David turned back.

David: Yes Angela, how can I help you my dear?

Angela Are you trying to say that you did not see us?

David: I am sorry my dear, I am quite busy right now and I had to collect this important document from the dispensary

Angela: You are a joker David!

David: With all due respect Angela, I think you are being disrespectful by calling me a joker

Angela: Why won’t I call you a joker? First, you start ignoring Esther and I as if we are viruses and now you hurt my friend physically to the point that she has to seek medical attention

David: What! What are you talking about? Who did I hurt?

Angela: Oh please don’t pretend to me. I know very well that you had a fight with Esther yesterday. She came back in the night crying with pains all over her body

David: What! What happened to her?

Angela: You are a big pretender David and I am disappointed in you. I am very sure you are the one with whom Esther fought. I would have thought it was her fiancé but he is not around yet and you are the only person I can think of. Now Esther is sick and you even dare walk out on us.

David: I am so surprised that you can accuse me of physically abusing someone, especially Esther. Just because I have been avoiding her doesn’t mean that I can do anything to harm her. The last time I saw Esther was yesterday in the late afternoon when she came to my shop. Her so called fiancé came to pick her up from there and that’s the last time I saw her.

Angela: What! So you mean Jacob is in town?

David: yes he is. Now tell me what happened exactly?

Angela: Esther came back in the night crying. She was so weak and when I woke her up this morning, she was in total pain. I believe Jacob beat her up yesterday.

David: Oh my God! Oh my God!

Esther came out of the dispensary limping on the right leg. David looked at her and left. “David, please wait” Angela said. Suddenly Esther shouted ‘Let him go! Who the hell does he think he is? Let him go please!”. Both David and Angela were surprised. David looked back to see if it was truly Esther that had shouted. When he saw the anger on her face, he walked away. Angela said “Esther what is wrong with you? Why did you have to shout like that? I just spoke to David and he told me that you were with Jacob yesterday. But you refused to tell me. I wonder what kind of friendship we have”

Esther felt bad. Tears ran down her cheeks “I hate men! I hate them with passion! They are nothing but dogs and beasts” she cried. Angela held her hand and they walked to the hostel. When they arrived, she took a glass of water and asked Esther to take her medicine. “There, take your medicine so that you will feel better and please stop crying otherwise your headache will get worse……Now please explain to me what happened” she said. Esther wiped her tears and took the medicine. She was in deep thoughts for a while before she finally spoke

Esther: Jacob is in town, although he had not informed me. He met me at David’s shop and took me by force to where he is lodging. When we got there, he started accusing me of going out with David and when I answered him back, he hit me on my head and pushed me against the wall.

Angela: Jesus Christ! That animal! And you are peacefully sitting here? Have you informed your parents? Did you report him to the police?

Esther: I don’t think my father will believe me. Jacob explained to me that he even had hypertension when Jacob told him that I am sleeping around with David. And I guess Jacob is also right when he says that my father doesn’t really love me. He is only interested in money

Angela: Esther, I cannot believe you choose to believe this beast. How can you even believe such things about your father? This guy needs to be exposed. If your father is behaving this way, it is only because Jacob is pretending to be a saint when in the actual fact, he is a devil. You need to inform your dad. I don’t even believe the story of hypertension. He is just scaring you

Esther: In any case, I am not going to inform anyone. Right now, I just want to finish my third year and try to run away from the house once I get a job. I don’t think I mean anything to anyone. I believe that I am just a useless being who doesn’t deserve to be happy.

Angela: Stop saying that Esther. There are many people who care about you, including me and David

Esther: Please don’t mention that wicked person’s name. All men are dogs. When I went to see him yesterday, he treated me like dirt. I guess Jacob is right: I am a nobody. Now I believe why Janet and Naomi always treated me like a fool. I am not worth anything.

Esther wept bitterly. Angela tried to console her but to no avail. She kept repeating how worthless she was. After a while, Angela received a call from her father informing her that he had come to pay her a short visit. Esther watched as Angela left the room. “What a lucky girl you are to have people around you that care for you. As for me, I was born to suffer and be rejected because I am worthless. I have no value here on Earth. That is why nobody notices me. People abuse me and use me anyhow they want. Even my own family doesn’t care about me. My parents only care about the money that they will get from their business transaction of selling me off to a monster” she lamented to herself. “I curse the day I was born. I wish I had never existed” she shouted. She looked at the packets of tablets that she had received from the dispensary and fixed her eyes on them “Maybe I should just end my life. Do I have anything to live for? What is the use of living in a world where no one values or cares about you” she thought to herself.

To be continued

 

ALL EPISODES

5 Comments

  1. Should I say Dave got what he deserved . his last saving grace was when Esther and Angela came to the dispensary, yet he threw it away.
    Trust me, Dave and even the Jacobs will be shocked at the Esther they will start to know

  2. Kuvira u can't blame Dave, he is under oath with d stupid elder. Esther should open up to Angela so they find solution before this rape results to pregnancy.

  3. Dave is not at fault here. The Elder made him swore not to have anything to do with Esther again and and neither tell her that he and the Elder have had an encounter concerning their friendship. I think David is right as it seems Jacob have spies around.

  4. Hmmm, i smell attempted suicide with overdose intake of drugs by Esther. However, am sure there's gonna b a resurgence of a new hardened Esther.. I only but feared for her friends Dave and Angela and her mum.. More insight pls, ride on..

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