They had been together since they met each other in a ward. She had been visiting a relative with her family when they bumped into each other. Helping her pick up her bag, he couldn’t but help notice that she was so graceful with her movement. Mesmerised, it took him a while to register that she was apologising to him.
“Oh, it’s alright, Miss. It’s my fault for not looking where I’m going,” he smiled at her. It took his breath away just seeing her smile. After she left, he still had her image in his mind. Determined to know more about her, he followed her to her relative’s ward. It took some coaxing from a fellow trainee but he managed to find out what her name was.
They had their happy times but underneath the happiness, there was the fear from her, resentment from him. It took a while until he gathered his courage one day.
“We shouldn’t see each other again,” he told her forcefully. He couldn’t bear to but her parents’ disapproval was getting on his nerves and they were starting to match-make her with different guys whom they thought were better compatible. He was still studying and working as a trainee in a hospital, which her parents thought was not prestigious enough to suit their only daughter.
“If that’s what you really want,” she swallowed a lump in her throat. Unable to stop the tears, she turned around quickly and left him.
~*~*~*~*~
“Sis, please. You can’t keep this up. Look at your arms. They’re all bruised…”
“Keith, I don’t want to talk about this,” she stopped him with a finger on his mouth. Her brother was the first to reach the hospital and had been by her side since she came out of the operation theatre.
“Look, I’m your brother and I shouldn’t do this but this is the worst! How many times must you take all this shit from him? He had beaten you up before and you always insisted not coming for treatment. Now, I can’t stand by and just let that bastard beat you up like a punching bag. He shouldn’t have done it in the first place!” He was almost shouting now. Lowering down his voice, “I’m not going to let him get away with this. It’s not the first time. Sis, I’ll get him for everything he had done to you. A wife is not for beating up. I’ll get you a lawyer…”
“I’ll think about this, give me some time,” she waved him out of the ward tiredly. He left after tucking her in. He decided to find help.
~*~*~*~*~
She was in the bedroom. She was afraid to sleep there. Frightened that he might hurt her again. Suddenly, she was tied to the bed. It was the same every time; he’d smile weirdly and waved the lighter in front of him. The room was not so friendly like before. It had become a torture room for her.
“No, please. I beg of you. Lester, please. Aaahhh!” he wouldn’t listen. He started belting her hard.
Rita woke up with a start. It was the same nightmare over and over again since she was in hospital. Wiping the beads of perspiration from her forehead, she took a drink of water by the side. Lying back, she tried to think of happy times but the nightmare had done its deeds. She fell asleep fitfully after tossing and turning for a long time.
~*~*~*~*~
The doctor was tired. He had been going about his rounds and making sure his patients were getting their medications. His nurse was on urgent leave and there was no one free to help him with the schedule so he had looked through it when she called to say the schedule was on his top tray. He wished she was around, there was this old man in one of the wards who was stubborn, he wouldn’t take the medication although the good doctor had tried to coax him into it. Giving up, he left the tablets by the bedside hoping that he’s take it.
“Doctor Ritan!” he heard someone called him from behind. The man was familiar, then he recalled, his ex-girlfriend’s younger brother, Keith.
“Hi Keith,” he greeted when he caught up. Keith panted a little and greeted him back. Putting an arm around him, Keith mentioned that he wanted to have a talk with him, since his shift was over, Tim agreed.
~*~*~*~*~
The door opened. Rita was reading a magazine and looked up on the visitor, it was Keith. He had brought someone along. “Hi Sis, I’ve brought my friend here. He’s a good lawyer. John, this is my sister, Rita. Sis, John.” Keith made the introductions and sat down.
“Hi, may I ask you some questions?” John asked.
“Sure, but does my brother have to stay?”
“This is off the record. I’ll need some help from him anyway.” He smiled reassuringly at her. They took some photos of her bruises and cuts.
“If you want better,” wincing at the word, she continued, “photos, you can get them from Dr. Andrews. He took them for some examinations.” Nodding, John left after arranging with her for an official appointment.
~*~*~*~*~
Almost two months later, she was standing in the courthouse for her case. They had finished questioning her husband and it was her turn at the stand.
“Ms Tay,” her lawyer started, “May I know when did you marry your husband?”
“Two years ago, in June.”
Just then the door opened. It was him. She stared, stunned. All her memories returned. Thinking about the times spent together.
“Ms Tay?” John had been calling her for the fifth time.
“I’m… I’m sorry.” Shaking her thoughts back to the present time.
“Can you please tell me what did he do to you?”
“If I may start from the beginning?” She continued when the judged nodded. “I first met him during a match-making session my parents had arranged after I broke up. He was very good to me and treated me very well. He bought me a lot of things and was on good terms with my parents. They approved of him and were deliriously happy when I agreed to his proposal. Two months later, I was pregnant. We were both very happy and he was more excited than I was. I didn’t know how to take care of babies and worried about how I was going to take care of it. We have 2 maids and he starting planning on who was going to look after his baby. However, 3 months later, I had a fall and miscarried the child. After that, he didn’t talk to me at all.
4 months later, I was pregnant again. He wanted to try for another and I agreed. I was out shopping for some children’s stuff 4 months later when someone pushed me from behind. I lost my balance and the child was lost again. I had returned from the hospital after 2 days and he was home. This time, he lost his temper at me. Shouted that I didn’t take care of myself causing his baby to be lost. It was his and I should have taken care…” She took a deep breath before continuing, “He started slapping me and tearing off my clothes even as I backed away. However, I was weak from the ordeal and he gripped me and… and just shouted that it was my wife’s duties to please him…” Wiping a tear, she gathered her strength by looking at her ex-lover, “I got pregnant again after that… that rape,” she murmured softly.
“When I lost the baby again, he tied me to the bed and stripped me. He then took pictures of me in the bed. He took the film to be developed. For the next few months, he forced me to look at them and he displayed them as if they were his prizes.” At this, she couldn’t continue. John asked for an interval.
The judge gave the court till after lunch to return, a good 3 hours for Rita Tay to rest and compose herself. Keith stayed with his sister for a short while until she chased him away saying she wanted to be alone.
Tim Ritan approached her. “Rita?” he asked softly. She turned at the sound of his voice. The shock of seeing him in the courtroom had been unsettling for her. See him this close, still made her shiver, after 3 years. He still looked good and fresh, a vast difference to her appearance now.
“Tim, how did you know? My bro?” he nodded. “Can.. can you stay?” She held her breath.
He hesitated. “As a friend, please?” Feeling that she needed his support, he stayed. They had lunch together and she learnt of his wife who passed away 5 months ago because of cancer. It was wonderful simply to hear his voice again.
The trial started again.
“I’ll start from where I left off,” she sounded and looked more confident now, “He soon got tired of playing around with the photos and forced himself on me again. I lost the baby three months ago, and he made a movie out of parading me in front of our maids in nude. The maids were afraid of him and came to me when he went to work. I soon got close to them. He often belted them when they accidentally did something which he felt was wrong. He forced me to watch the video he had made, saying a good wife should do that more often. He tried the second time and this time I refused. I fought him and he started belting me and burning my… my vagina. He had stripped me and tied me to the bed and began playing around. When I saw the lighter in his hands, I said no, but he wouldn’t listen. He kept teasing around and claimed that I hadn’t been a good wife. The lighter started getting closer. The pain started and I was screaming begging him to stop. But he didn’t. I must have lost conscious and he had left the house when I woke up still dizzy with pain. I don’t know how long I laid down there with intense pain, but my maids found me nearly unconcious on the bed still tied up. They dared not come out when he lost his temper, fearing he’d take his anger out on them too. They called for an ambulance and the doctor said I might not be able to have a baby again. After 4 miscarriages, and a 3rd degree burn, it’s doubtful that I’ll be pregnant. Your honour, I’ve finished with what I want to say.” She bowed.
Gerald was sentenced to 7 years of attempted murder and 5 years of abusing his wife. The sentences were to run concurrently. The trial was finally over.
~*~*~*~*~
2 years later, Rita was greeted by her bed with a doctor holding her baby. “Do you want to hold your miracle?” he smiled at her.
“Thank you, I’d love to hold him,” she was beaming.
“I never thought you could give birth again. But this baby proved otherwise. Maybe it’s your good husband,” he winked at her. Laughing, she was about to answer when Keith poked his head by the door.
“Hey! Can I look at my nephew?” He had brought his wife, Nyla, along to see the new baby. “Ooh, aren’t you cute? He looks just like the mother. The eyes look like his dad though. That’s a good sign.”
“Rita? Where’s your husband? He’s working again?” Nyla asked. “His baby is here and all he does is work? Can’t he take a day off for his baby?”
Just then, Tim came in. “Nyla, I can’t, the hospital’s short-handed this week and my wife’s here and that proves that I’m needed here.”
“That’s no excuse…” Keith cut her off.
“Now, don’t you go poking around other people’s business.”
“That’s family matters.”
“It’s not yours to start with.”
“She’s still my family because she’s your sister. You,” she poked at her husband, “should worry about that.”
“Now, let’s not start on that, shall we? I’m sorry, I need to finish the rounds. I’ll come by when my shift ends.” Tim gave a quick kiss on Rita’s lips and left after giving his son a kiss on the forehead. Keith and Nyla left the room when the baby fell asleep.
When all was quiet in the room, “Maybe it’s pre-destined.” She smiled at the thought.
That was a useful post,You learn new things each day.