The Los Angeles International airport was completely filled with people from all walks of life, as usual. It was a very busy airport and Sylvia kept brushing and bumping into strangers as she made her way to the arrivals terminal.
"I'm sorry", she apologized as she bumped into another random person for the millionth time. It wasn't really intentional, but for the hoodie she placed over her head, and the constant eyes-on-the-floor walking style she maintained, which restricted her from properly achieving spatial awareness of her immediate surrounding. It was tedious for her, constantly bumping and apologizing to strangers as she made her way through the airport, but it truly wasn't intentional, for as her body subconsciously made its way through the sea of people, her mind was somewhere far far away.
She was here for a reason, the same reason why she lacked the confidence to raise her head and walk upright in public places. The same reason why she became introverted and antisocial. The same reason why she was depressed, for the past few years of her life.
Her Uncle Thomas, who made the biggest impact in her life. Correction; the biggest negative impact.
Technically, Uncle Thomas wasn't Sylvia's uncle. He was her mother's distant cousin, but either way, since her childhood, she always knew him as Uncle Thomas. Rich, generous Uncle Thomas who worked for a huge oil company and always sent gifts to Sylvia and her siblings during holiday periods. She had always admired him since she was a toddler, and looked forward to the day she would meet him in person.
One day, Sylvia's mum, Olivia, had barged into her room, clutching her phone in hand.
"Sylvia, God has finally answered our prayers", Olivia screamed excitedly.
"Mum, what is it?", Sylvia asked. Her mother's behavior had thrown her into anxiousness and she impatiently waited for an answer.
"Uncle Thomas has promised to send you to America to complete your education!"
Sylvia screamed excitedly, and so did her mother, and her younger sister Uriah, who also ran into the room after overhearing their conversation.
Phone calls were made and the arrangements were confirmed. Sylvia was to stay at Uncle Thomas' home in Lagos until her papers were ready, and after that, a one way trip to the States.
Sylvia arrived at her Uncle's home and she was welcomed by his wife and their children. She helped the family with the chores and errands, and patiently awaited the day her documents would be ready.
Three weeks after Sylvia arrived at Uncle Thomas's home, she noticed his demeanor had changed towards her. He stared at her for longer periods than usual and always tried to touch her whenever they discussed or when she served him food. He started addressing her as 'dearest', which was a title one would normally expect him to reserve for his wife. Sylvia noticed all these but she dismissed it, attributing it to the care he must have had for her.
One fateful day, after Uncle Thomas and his wife left for work, and the children for school, Sylvia was at home studying at the dining table, when suddenly the front door banged open and Uncle Thomas barged in, screaming her name. He ran into the dining room, and there he found her, confused and frightened.
"What's wrong? Did you forget something important?", Sylvia asked.
"My dearest, I can't resist this feeling anymore", said Uncle Thomas, as he gently walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I tried to focus at work, but all I could see was your luscious body, your small tender breasts, and your beautiful face."
"Uncle, you're saying stupid things, stop all this." Sylvia resisted and pushed his hands off.
"I want you, Sylvia. Right now!" he demanded and pinned her against the wall, while planting kisses on her face.
Sylvia fought hard and tried to push him away from her body, but she was just seventeen years old, and her tender muscles were no match for that of a thirty-eight year old man. She cried, and begged him to stop.
"I'm using my hard earned money to send you outside to study, so this is the least you can do to repay me"
He eventually subdued her, and ripped off the skirt she wore. There on the dining room floor, he had his way with her.
"Tell anyone about this, and your mom will never see you alive again", he threatened her when he was done.
Sylvia was shattered. She had seen this happen so many times in movies, but she never imagined it could happen in real life. For four hours, she lay on the floor, crying profusely. Then she ran to the bathroom and washed her body. After that, she ran to her bedroom and locked herself in.
That was the day Sylvia stopped smiling.
She desperately wanted to tell someone but lacked the courage to speak up, and went about her business like nothing happened, except for the fact that a hole had been created in her heart, and she would never be normal again. She kept herself distant from everyone around her, reducing her conversations to simple 'yes', 'no' or 'I don't know' replies. Everyday she spent in that house was agony, as she remembered the traumatic experience over and over, and every night she cried herself to sleep, wishing it never happened.
One week later, her travel documents were ready and Uncle Thomas returned home early from work to give them to her. Before he handed them over, he demanded to have her, and when she refused, he forced himself on her again.
Three days passed, and Sylvia was finally ready to leave the country. On this beautiful day, when she was supposed to be cheerful and bright about starting a new future abroad, Sylvia was a bag of gloom and despair. She ignored all farewells from her aunt and the children, and made her way absent-mindedly through the airport checkpoints, to the plane. For one thing, she was relieved to be free from the environment where she was emotionally damaged and she never wanted to see her uncle's face again.
That was 8 years ago.
Sylvia, now grown up, had received a phone call from her aunt two days ago, telling her about Uncle's business trip to America. She was asked to receive him at the airport and show him to her apartment where he could stay for the next few days until his trip was over.
Sylvia agreed, and she planned to give him a befitting welcome.
* * *
Throughout the years, Sylvia had tried to repair the psychological damage done to her by her uncle as best as she could. She attended multiple therapy sessions and joined a support group in her university for victims of rape. She tried as much as possible to not let her trauma interfere with her studies and successfully aced through her exams and graduated with honors.
But all that time, she was never able to make herself to socialize with anyone. Many fellow students had approached her for friendships, and she entertained them for a while, but whenever she remembered what her uncle did, she relapsed back into introversion, and cut them all off.
Years after graduating, Sylvia remained completely damaged, and still couldn't bring herself to heal. She visited multiple therapists, psychologists, doctors, and they all said the same thing; "Let the pain go", "Try to forget it", "Just be happy". But these were all empty words coming from people who had never gone through any real trauma all their lives. They had the book knowledge, but not personal experience. They couldn't feel what she was feeling inside her and she quickly lost faith in them.
She then tried visiting multiple churches, and similarly, they all said the same thing, "Forgive", "Love your enemies". She tried, she desperately tried, to forget all that happened and forgive her Uncle but no, she just couldn't. The memories haunted her constantly, and she cried herself to sleep every night.
Sylvia then contemplated suicide, but couldn't go through with it.
On one of her visits to a therapist, she was prescribed with antidepressants, and she immediately became addicted, for they were the only means through which she could escape the sadness. She overdosed multiple times and was twice admitted into a hospital. Her life became a complete mess, and she blamed and cursed Uncle Thomas everyday. She completely fell into depression, which turned to anger, and eventually turned to hatred.
Now, for the first time in 8 years, she was going to see his face again. The thought sent shivers down her spine and inwardly, she became conflicted. She had two options. Forgive and forget everything her uncle did to her, or seek revenge. The second choice seemed more pleasing to her. In her mind she entertained different scenarios in which she could humiliate him and force him to apologise. Yes, she wanted him to be disgraced and thrown in a cell for all eternity. She smiled as the thought gave her a slight feeling of happiness. But would humiliation and an apology be enough to set her mind at ease and erase the pain from all the years of trauma?
Sylvia finally got to the arrivals hall and stopped. It was crowded, with the hundreds more who were also waiting for their friends and family to alight from the newly arrived plane. She stood impatiently and her hands trembled, as she waited for the man who was responsible for her current predicament.
Alas, the doors opened and there he was, dressed in a black suit and tie. He carried a briefcase with his right hand and dragged a small travel box with his left. Immediately she set her eyes on him, Sylvia felt her heart burn. In her mind, voices yelled at her: "Forgive... Forgive... Forgive..." But Sylvia quickly dismissed them. She needed no further persuasion. She had long decided how best to settle her score with her uncle and her mind was already made up.
Sylvia kept her eyes locked on him and watched as he glanced through the crowd, searching for a familiar face. When he found her, a bright smile appeared on his face and he began pacing in her direction.
At least one of us is happy to see the other, she thought, and advanced quickly towards him. As they finally closed the gap between them, Uncle Thomas dropped his luggage on the floor and spread open his arms for an embrace, while Sylvia, forcefully walked right into it.
"It's been a long time, my dear", said Uncle Thomas cheerfully.
"Welcome, Uncle", Sylvia replied coldly.
The hug lasted for a while, but soon, the smile on Uncle Thomas' face faded, and his expression changed from joy, to confusion, to surprise. He could feel something prodding against his stomach. He pushed Sylvia away from him, and only then did he notice the small handgun, which Sylvia held firmly pointed at him.
No one noticed when Sylvia had put her right arm in her hoodie pocket. No one noticed when she pulled out the gun and concealed it in the arm of her hoodie. No one noticed when she advanced towards her uncle with the gun hidden behind her. All they heard, was the sudden scream of an old man, and a dull thud as he dropped to the floor, Chaos ensued in the airport.
Sylvia stood frozen with the gun trembling in her palm. This was her revenge; a decision she made two days ago. She had always wished for this day and she was prepared to face the consequences. So why, at this crucial moment, was she not able to pull the trigger?
Sylvia heard screams, and she heard sirens, but she never took her eyes off the face of Uncle Thomas. She tried as much as she could to force her body to listen to her commands and pull the trigger.
Just then, a loud gunshot rang throughout the airport. Uncle Thomas screamed aloud in panic, "Help me! This evil girl has shot me!"
Sylvia was confused. She didn't know when she finally pulled the trigger, but on closer inspection, she realized that she in fact, had not. She lifted her eyes from Uncle Thomas and glanced in front of her, only then noticing the police officers who were pointing guns at her.
In that moment, she finally felt it, a painful burning sensation. She glanced down at her body, and immediately noticed the dark red spot in the middle of her chest. She tried to scream, but her vocal cords failed to respond. Her breathing became labored, and her body went numb. The gun she held dropped, and she too followed suit, falling backwards onto the cold floor. A feeling of helplessness and regret filled her body, as her mind gradually faded out of consciousness.
Not (The End)