MY MOTHER IS A VIRGIN

A STORY BY AYODELE ADEOYE

EPISODE FOUR

Mama became a murderer while defending her virginity. No one was ready to address the attempted rape that led to the manslaughter, not even the Baale. Mama was kept in the village dungeon for seven days awaiting trial. 'Funmilayo, why did you kill Bayo?' The Baale's personal assistant asked on behalf of the council of chiefs. 'It was an accident sir, he was trying to rape me and I made an attempt to defend myself, hence he died in the process. Please sirs I'm guilty but it wasn't intentional. I wouldn't kill the man I love, a man who gave meaning to my life when everyone abandoned me. Bayo was a good man and I have no reason to kill him, it was an accident.' Mama explained before the council of chiefs.

My mother was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour. It was 20 years of bitterness and agony. Her years in prison thought her hard lessons of life. Her determination to remain a virgin until marriage had landed her into 20 years of incarceration. Life became unfair to a young lady who did what was right but the glamour of this life rather chose to smile at the bad ones. If I had allowed Bayo to take away my precious virginity that day, no one would have heard about it. Even if I reported his attempt to rape me, no one will take me serious because everyone in the village knew us together. Twenty years was like two hundred years in prison.

The prison warders were not friendly. They were brutal and wicked. There was only one female prison wardere in charge of the ladies. Anytime she's not on duty the male warders took turns on the other prison inmates in exchange for one favour or the other. Two months after mama arrived the prison, Mr Bayo, the head of the prison warders set his eyes on her. Adebayo Owojola is gone, here is another Adebayo Daniel trying to continue from where Adebayo Owojola stopped.

Mama was a moralist, she was never a Christian but she knew God and the redemptive power of his dear son Jesus Christ. The latter Bayo had more advantage over her as an inmate than the former Bayo. If she has to keep her virginity she knew she needed God. Mama began to pray for God's help and started attending the prison fellowship. In no time she became a strong member of the prison fellowship due to her commitment and dedication. After a year she was made the women leader of the prison fellowship.

Mr Bayo did not give up his lustful desire to sleep with mama but several times mama had escaped his snares. He continued to push his ambition to fulfil his carnal desire on mama until this fateful day he had made up his mind like the late Bayo to have mama by all means. He stayed back after close of work and he had arranged with other female inmates on how he was going to humble mama. An announcement was made in the female room for all female inmates to report to the office of the head warder immediately. It was late in the night when everyone was ready to go to bed and no one expected any official call to be made at that time of the night but mama was wrong, it was well planned.

In a haste, every female inmate were assembled at Mr Bayo's office. But mama was the only inmate who came in without her prison garment. Without much ado, Mr Bayo capitalised on that, 'Funmi why are you not in your uniform?' Mr Bayo queried angrily. While mama was trying to explain why she didn't report wearing her uniform, he landed her a hot slap.

Did Mr Bayo succeed in taking mama's virginity that night? Let's see in the next episode....

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MY MOTHER IS A VIRGIN

A STORY BY AYODELE ADEOYE

EPISODE FIVE

While mama was trying to recover from the dirty slap Mr Bayo gave her, he ordered other inmates to go while mama was asked to stay back. Mama and Mr Bayo were left alone in his office. He headed straight to the door, jammed it and began to force mama unto her back. Everything that happened between mama and late Bayo was recalled in a flash. It was like history will repeat itself again. Mama will never break her vow, not with a prison warder. The struggle started again like the day Bayo died. 'Sir, don't do this to me I beg you. This was exactly what brought me to the prison, don't allow history repeat itself sir. I beg you in the name of God, see me as your own daughter who wants to keep her dignity at all cost. Don't defile me sir, I have a vow not to give away my virginity to any man but my husband.' On hearing mama was still a virgin he pushed harder to have her. Then another tragedy struck again. Having succeeded in getting mama down on her back, mama gathered all her strength for a push, she pushed him away and his head landed on the iron burglary proof of his office door. He fell down and began to bled. Mr Bayo screamed in pain and all the female inmates rushed out from the room. The scene was not different from what happened on the day Bayo died.

Immediately the ladies composed a song, "Funmi don kill Mr Bayo". Loudly they began to chorus it together until other male inmates heard and two other prison staff came in to meet Mr Bayo in the pool of his blood. Mama was whisked away while Mr Bayo was rushed into the prison clinic. Three hours later Mr Bayo was out of the clinic with bandages and stitches on his head, he made it.

Mama was moved from Kaduna prison to Kuje prison. Additional 5 years was added to her prison term for attempted murder. Her case became more complicated because the Inspector General of Police was interested in her case. Within a year mama was moved from Kuje prison to three prisons in Nigeria. In all of mama's predicament, she held firm to her decision never to give away her virginity. Mama got closer to God notwithstanding.

Why is mama's virginity more important to her than her life? Why did she gave up everything just to keep her virginity? Was it just that she wanted to keep her dignity or her desire to keep her virginity for her future husband? Who will marry mama after she's through serving her jail term. Mama was 22 when she was jailed and her first jail term was 20 years an additional 5 years. She will be 47 at the end of hee jail term. Who will marry a 47-year-old woman who has spend her prime years in prison? More revelation in the next episode....

Please don't edit or remove any content from this story. Be warned.


MY MOTHER IS A VIRGIN

A STORY BY AYODELE ADEOYE

EPISODE SIX

Men are the same everywhere. Every prison mama was moved to, there was an attempt to take advantage of her at one point or the other. Mama's beauty was irresistible. Even as a prisoner her beauty still glowed. Mama suffered many things from many prison staff as she was moved from one prison to the other.

Mama became a prayer warrior and a woman of strong faith. Even as she grew old while in prison she never stopped believing her virginity will be a gift to her husband. At mama's 42nd birthday, the prison fellowship organized a small birthday party for her. In attendance were some members of PFN (Prison Fellowship of Nigeria). When mama was invited to give her birthday speech, everyone in the meeting was moved to tears. Her speech made everyone speechless. Her boldness and oratory gave everyone reason to want to listen to her again. The director of social welfare was present at the meeting where mama gave her heart lifting speech and she was really touched. She promised to come back for mama.

With the permission of the prison authority mama was given an invitation to speak at a workshop organized by the department of social welfare for destitutes and ladies suffering from the trauma of rape and sexual abuse. She didn't just give a speech she also preached to her audience about the reality of God's love. Many of her audiences submitted their lives to Christ after mama's speech. Mrs Bala Hauwa became so much in love with mama and paid her a visit every week in the prison.

Mama's virginity was so important to her because of a story her mother told her. The story of the three virgins who kept their virginity at all cost and against all odds. They brought pride to their village when moral decadence was at its peak in their village. Only the three of them were found to be virgins in the entire village when they needed some virgins to perform some sacrifices to avert the wrath of the gods in the land. The king of their village and the entire villagers were proud of them. They were honoured and publicly celebrated for seven days after which they were given scholarship to study abroad in any university of their choice. It was this gesture that brought the families of these girls out of obscurity to limelight. Mama was moved by this story and vowed to make her mother proud too either alive or death.

Please don't edit or remove any content from this story. Be warned.