Heart of torment: Coming to the crossroad

What you need to know:

  • All was well in Hellena’s world until the day she realised she was pregnant and broke the devastating news to her widowed mother.
  • Her mother was worried that Hellena’s dream of joining university would come to a premature end.
  • All hell would have broken loose had Hellena’s cousin, Susan, not invited her to the city. But was the offer a poisoned chalice?

The story so far: All was well in Hellena’s world until the day she realised she was pregnant and broke the devastating news to her widowed mother. Her mother was worried that Hellena’s dream of joining university would come to a premature end. All hell would have broken loose had Hellena’s cousin, Susan, not invited her to the city. But was the offer a poisoned chalice?

Tears rolled down Hellena’s face as the bus driver engaged different gears in the rush to beat the snail pace of the traffic that jammed the busy street leading into the heart of the big city.

Her heart was heavy. The mountain of distrust between her and the drunken father of her unborn child had grown more ominous.

She had been texting him throughout the long journey and this had taken its toll on both her emotions and her little phone’s battery.

Dusk was descending on the city as the bus made its way gingerly towards the terminus, further confusing her.

And there she was, with a dying phone in her calloused hands, not knowing who she would turn to for assistance.

This was her first visit to the city and she had been warned not to ask for help from strangers.

When, at last, the bus stopped at the terminus, Hellena had no idea which way to turn. She decided to keep walking until she could find a security guard or someone who looked like a priest.

These are the only people she could trust. She turned into a dark alley, hoping all the while to meet a good Samaritan. She was still walking when she felt a sudden movement.

Someone jerked their strong arm, like a vice, around her neck. Before she could even scream, her attacker covered her mouth with a smelly hand, knocking the breath out of her.

She blacked out in an instant. Hellena had no idea how long she had remained comatose, or what had happened to her in that hour of darkness. She only came to when she felt cold water falling on her face.

She opened her eyes and saw a light face hovering over her’s. She screamed in fright.

“Do not be afraid,” said the man calmly. “I am Ahmed, I have been here with you hoping I might be of assistance to you. You were mugged and I brought you to a safe place.”

Hellena steadied herself and sat up- right, her hands trembling. From the corner of her eye, she saw her bag. It had been slit open. Instinctively, she knew that the purse with her money was gone.

She reached out for what was left of her bag. Her hand fished into ints innards and she found the note her mother had written, indicating where Susan lived.

“She is my cousin,” Hellena said, her voice trembling. “I will take you there,” Ahmed said after reading the note.

Something deep in her mind told Hellena that this was the good Samaritan she had been praying for before she was attacked and robbed.

For much of the Uber trip to Susan’s house, Hellena was in a daze, unsure of what direction they were taking. Everything looked the same to her groggy mind.

“Oh my God, what happened to you?” Susan asked in shock on seeing her cousin’s poor state and dirty clothes. “She was attacked,” Ahmed offered. “I must take her to the clinic at once,” Susan said, worry written all over her face. She was fearing the worst.

The doctor at the clinic dropped a bombshell none of them had anticipated. “She has had a miscarriage. She will need to stay here longer. In the meantime, she will need post-exposure prophylaxis.” Hellena was still in the observation room.

Ahmed and Susan gazed at each other in shock. None had any idea that Hellena was pregnant. For the two days that she was in hospital, Ahmed never failed to visit

Helena. Even after she was discharged, he continued visiting her. And when Susan was busy at work, he would take Hellena to spend time at his mother’s house to enjoy Biryani rice.

Once in a while, Ahmed would take her to the stadium where he and other young men enjoyed a game of football in the cool evening breeze.

However, it was not long before Susan grew uncomfortable with Hellena’s and Ahmed’s dalliances.

“I do not like your escapades with your new found town boy,” Susan opened up one a weekend as they washed clothes. “But without him I might not have been able to meet you,” Hellena said in self defence. She was already growing fond of Ahmed. She admired his confidence, the easy way he had around his friends and the rapport he had with his mother. “How much of him do you know?” Susan further probed.

Growing up as a Catholic in the village, Susan had little interaction with Muslims until she went to work in the city. Even, then, she kept her distance. Not so with Hellena. She felt at ease with Ahmed and his family. The only thing she had not done was to accompany them for prayers.

“Her mother and sisters were kind enough to accommodate me,” Hellena said, pouring out her heart in earnest. “Listen to me carefully if you want peace with me,” Susan, who was the elder of the two admonished.

“You know very well what brought you to the big city. I do not want you to fall in the wrong company or be misled by strangers,” she warned Hellena, who was already bristling with indignation.

She felt that Susan had misunderstood Ahmed and his intentions. That evening she decided to join Ahmed and the boys at the stadium, hoping to beat the boredom and to speak to him about her cousin’s fears.

Ahmed was late and Hellena decided to join the team, kicking the ball this way and that. Ahmed joined them as darkness descended surreptitiously on the field.

Hellena was excited to see him. She wanted to impress him with her footbaling skill. Just before the last whistle went, she scored a goal and was so ecstatic. The entire team congratulated her. The excitement left her breathless.

To be continued

Hellena’s journey to the city, and an uncertain beginning with a twist