CROSSROADS

As the sun rose on the horizon, it became clear what had happened. Amanda had woken up a few minutes before 5 a.m. with a sharp pain in her head, and while that still lingered, her thigh felt strange and heavy. She could hardly lift her legs; obviously, something isn't right. She glanced around the room she was in and it all seemed strange; neither could she recollect how she got there. She was already panicking, thinking she might have been kidnapped, but the ray of sunshine that flooded the room at that instant drew her back to reality because it revealed the figure of a man that looked so familiar, and immediately the memories of the previous day began to flood her head.

She peered closely at him and realized he was deeply asleep; his appearance was handsome, fragile and innocent. Had she not just gone through one of the worst nights of her life in the hands of this same man. She would have argued with anyone that he isn't that type of man, and neither could he possibly hurt a fly, not to mention humans. Well, look where such a mindset had led her. In regret, she carried the stool beside the bed and almost threw it on his head because she felt like a fool for allowing his tender appearance and her trust in him to make her vulnerable to the point of letting him defile her and rip off the only thing she held valuable after the world had taken her through a hellish experience from birth.

What would she tell Alfred? Would he ever believe her? Would she have believed herself if she were in Alfred's shoes? These and many other questions kept ringing in her head, and she couldn't help but weep at the realization that her life and future had been truncated, all thanks to her stupid overtrusting and Allen's damned lust for what's under her pants. What made the situation more annoying was that now that the deal is done, she began to see all of the red lights that could have made her desist from thinking he's just a friend who has no such intention.   Her boyfriend, Alfred, warned her and tried to make her see things from his perspective but she remembered defending Allen and telling Alfred he's just being insecure. Haaaaasaa!!! She screamed at the top of her voice and the noise woke Allen. He began to try to play cool and apologize, but she was not having any of such. He had drugged and raped her forcefully, and here he's trying to act like an innocent sheep when it's obvious that he's a wolf in a sheep coat.   She summoned all the strength in her, stood up, gathered all the pieces of her clothes, put them on, and took a cab heading homeward. While the taxi driver drove, she couldn't help but remember all of Alfred's advice and how she deprived him of having his way with her despite the fact that they've been dating for the past two years. She had informed him that she's still a virgin and doesn't want to lose her virginity until her wedding night, and now her dumbness had made her lose her chastity to an unworthy Allen, who came like Satan, the biblical character who's famous for always coming in the night to cart away believers valuables.

She felt worthless, and when she glanced outside the window of the moving taxi and saw the waters of the ocean beneath the bridge, she contemplated alighting at that point and jumping into the river to end it all. Nevertheless, she knew that alighting at that odd position would raise suspicion from the driver who had questioned her repeatedly on whether she's okay because of the way she had been crying throughout the journey. With that thought, she changed her mind and decided she'd just go home and end it all in the comfort of her room, where no one would be able to stop her.   So with that in mind, she became invigorated and wiped her tears with determination concerning what she planned to do when she got home. On getting home, she paid the cab driver, gathered the pieces of herself, and walked down to her house. On opening the door, she was welcomed by a sight she'd been looking forward to for the past two years. There was Alfred, kneeling down with a ring in hand and asking her the very question she had been dreaming about: "Will you marry me?" All of these became too much for her to bear, and in seconds, she started crying all over again. To Alfred, she was just feeling emotional, like most ladies, whereas she was crying due to what happened a few hours earlier.   Should she tell him the truth and hope he'll understand and forgive her? Should she just say "yes" and act as though nothing happened, or should she say no, end the relationship, and give no reason why she's doing so? These and many other questions flitted through her head while Alfred waited for her response to his proposal.

That's about it for now. Thanks for your time. It's worth noting that this is just a fictional story with fictional characters. I hope you enjoyed the read.

_{Thumbnail designed on canva}