Chapter 1 Humairah

The day I started masturbating I had watched an American movie in my uncle's laptop. It was NC-17 rated, meaning only 17 and above could watch it but I watched it at 14 anyways. I couldn't sleep in the night, I kept turning from one side of my mattress to another. I don't want to use strong language here but, I ended up inserting my fingers in my... and that was how I started. I had an orgasm and I was satisfied. Since then it became a daily routine for me until one day, my mother barged into my room after hearing me mourning.

"What is going on here, you're masturbating?" She said in bewilderment. "Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un" She chanted. "Come here, your father must hear this!"

"No mama, please I can expl..."

"Explain what?" She cut in walking closer to me. "You have nothing to explain to me, I'm taking you to your father!" She said as she held my hand.

I tried to escape from her tight grip in order to adjust my dress but she was too strong, so I gave up. "Okay mama, I will go with you but please allow me to..." I was unable to complete my words when a resounding slap landed on my face. My eyes went blur instantly and all I could hear was a resonant sound. She dragged me to the sitting room and flung me in front of my father.

"Aisha, what is this?" He puzzled.

"It's your daughter, we should marry her off before she kill herself" She angrily said with her arms akimbo.

"I really don't understand, can you please explain further?" He said as he folded his DailyTrust newspaper and kept it on the table in front of him.

"Well, Alhaji as you can see how sweaty and half dressed she is, I caught her in her room masturbating" She explained.

"What?!" He removed his medicated glass and transported his hands to the back of his head while chanting "Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un"

That day, I received the beatings of my life. The whole neighborhood knew about it, you know how news like this can fly. I starved myself in my room for complete two days and no one even cared. I was ashamed of myself, I wanted to die by starvation but on the third day my father broke into my room and dragged me to the sitting room.

"That's her, Mallam Musa" He said as he sat down close to my mother in the sofa. "Just marry her off to any of your companions or students" He added.

"Yes, you can also marry her if you wish, we are tired of her" My mother said glaring at me with so much hatred.

That moment, my eyes filled with tears. Just because I masturbated, my parents treated me like a garbage. What if I had decided to sleep with men instead?

The clergyman cleared his throat and smiled. "Alhaji, I know you and Hajiya are angry about what your daughter did or has been doing but marrying her off to a stranger is not a good idea. She may not like the person" He said.

"May she not like the person, that is none of our business!" My mother roared.

The clergyman shook his head with a smile, perhaps wondering why a mother would be so angry with her daughter because of a sheer thing. "In that case," He cleared his throat again and continued. "I will talk to one of my friends in the neighboring area, he has a son and..."

"Thank you so much, Mallam Musa" My father cut in without waiting for the man to explain further. "I really can't wait for her to be married off!"

"Yes, me too!" My mother chimed in. "Please tell that your friend that he shouldn't worry about spending alot for the marriage, we want it to be simple"

I watched them as they kept talking with tears rolling down my cheeks. My dream was to finish my secondary school, enroll into the university, obtain a job, before ever thinking about getting married but here they were, ruining all my dreams...

The clergyman left with a promise that he would contact his friend and get back to my parents as soon as possible.