OPEN UP

If Malik wants her to tell him everything, then he has to promise her that he would never try to judge her actions or anything.

"What do you want me to promise you?" Malik asks.

"Let's go to your room first." The both of them walks to Malik's room and Lola carefully shuts the door.

"Now tell me, what do you want me to promise you before saying anything." Malik whispers looking at Lola in a very cool way, at least better than the look earlier.

Lola sits on the bed and sighs. "Have your seat."

"I am fine standing, just say everything I need to know."

"Please." Lola begs.

"Well, if you insist." He moves close to her and sits on the bed too, leaving some obvious amount of space between them.

The both of them sit on the bed side by side staring at the door.

"Promise not to judge me when you hear my story."

"I promise." Malik murmurs.

"Thank you." Lola gives a bitter smile. "It all started when I was a child. I didn't just wake up one morning and decide to have extra marital affairs, but the challenges and circumstances pushed me."

"Were you sexually assaulted?"

"No, but I was emotionally and mentally assaulted by my father."

"Your father?" Malik asks again still maintaining his stare at the door.

"Yes." She nods. "My father was a popular politician, he had just one wife which was my mom. But had many mistresses and concubines."

"That would have ached your mom so bad."

"It wouldn't have ached her so bad if he didn't beat her in the presence of her kids."

That statement moved Malik's heart. He didn't get to grow with any of his parents, but he knows the kind of negative impact that such could have caused on her as a child. Some females that are victims, tends to hate the opposite sex and vow never to get involved with them. Some get depressed, some kill themselves. A few of them turn to bullies. He looks at her and noticed the pain she has written on her face, again he pities her but chose not to show it. He moves his stare back at the door. "I am so sorry about that." He whispers.

"Apart from paying our school fees, he does nothing else. All thanks to the small cosmetic store my mom owns, we managed to survive. Another terrible thing was, we couldn't ask for help from anyone, no one would believe what we have to say and my father might really kill my mom if we try to report him."

"That's the power of corruption my dear, once you have money. You can escape all kinds of punishment for your offense." Malik adds.

"It was so scary then." Her voice trembles as tears was about to drop off her eyes. But she clears her throat and threw her head backwards stopping the tears from dropping. She did so for about ten seconds, and when she felt a little bit relaxed, she continues her story. "But the tribulations started the day he came home reeking of alcohol as usual, my mom got so infuriated that she told him to be a responsible father. He flares up and begin beating her mercilessly. Then I ran out to call for help."

"Did he kill your mom after you called for help?"

"No." Lola shakes her head. "He divorced her instead."

"That's better, at least it would help her start a new life." Malik says with a tone of relief.

"Better?" Lola asks and laughs briefly. "That was when our real predicament started, if I had known I wouldn't have called out for help that day. But even though I didn't call for help that day, he might have beaten my mom to death."

"Predicament? What do you mean by that?" Malik asks confused.

"He threw us out with nothing. I had two younger brothers, there was no where to go and no one to run to. We passed the night at a motel and the next morning, all my mom could do was to go get a loan to get just a room and some necessary house items." Lola sighs and continues. "I felt like I was the cause of it all, only if I hadn't called for help, probably we wouldn't have been in this mess."

"Oh my God! You went through a lot. I am deeply sorry about that." Malik tries to comfort her even though he hadn't seen any reason that was connecting her story to the reasons she was engaging herself in extra marital affairs but he decides to just listen to her.

"We had to change school, to a very cheap one. Most times we starved, my mom's income was just too small for the expenses, she had a loan to repay, pay our school fees, feed and cloth us, even pay the house rent. All she had was a small cosmetic shop." Lola couldn't hold back the tears anymore, it was already gushing down her cheeks.

Malik looks at Lola again and sees the tears rolling down her cheeks, he feels like telling her to stop talking, wipe off her tears and embrace her. But it's best to just listen to it once and for all. Thus, he returns his stare to the door again. "It must have been so hard for your siblings to accept."

"In order to meet up to the expenses, my mom kept on taking loans, and the loans were seriously eating her up."

"She took more loans?" Malik asks loudly.

"Hmmmm! She did it because she had to, she didn't want us to suffer or lack. My mom is a very wonderful and brave woman." Lola smiles as she compliments her mom.

"Despite all she experienced, your mom kept on fending you and your siblings all by herself. Even though she had to take loans, but my mom sold me off the very moment she set her eyes on me." Malik laments sadly.