Broken Addiction

Her expression made it clear that something was not right. Of course! It wasn't. After she finished yet another round of watching porn and masturbating, who would think she would be alright? There was an unpleasant smell coming from the room. Her clothes were on the floor, and she was gasping for breath. Hot tears went down freely. She was pained, bitter. She never imagined herself engaging in such acts. She didn't include masturbation into the plans she had for herself. Her room was painted blue, the color of her bedsheet was the same as the room.

Her parents were the working class category, so she spent time with their house help. By the time she turned twenty, she was still struggling with her addiction to porn and her tendency to mess up her own body. Not only was she struggling with those, her self esteem was reduced. She would ask herself, how could she call herself a Christian, when her moral life was a complete mess. She lay on the bed, still shedding tears of regrets. How did she get into this mess? How did she end up here? Yes! She recalled spending her entire adolescence at the age of thirteen, she was still in her early teens.

******

7 years ago

The only child of her parents, Grace is a thirteen-year-old Nigerian teenager. As funny as it sounds, she was meant to be in school, but no, her parents declined the idea, simply because they felt their only daughter could be corrupted by her environment. So, to keep her educated, private tutoring were organized for her, from her stage as a little child to her teen age. No one could question the authority of the parents, they were people holding high offices and power in the society. From the look of things, one could easily say that Grace lived a happy life.

She was pampered beyond anything a girl could ask for. Their home included a swimming pool, a playhouse, housekeeping services, various toys, outfits, and footwear, ample funds in her account, and a smartphone-not just a smartphone, but a laptop as well. She had the luxuries of life at her feet. But Grace felt something was missing. Yes! A thing she could see her parents didn't see. She lacked communication. She was ignorant of her environment. She was smart, but she also had a very bad social life. Her Christian life was funny too. They were devout Christians who regularly went to church. They never missed one. She always thought she could exercise her freedom. But no, Sundays were supposed to be spent sitting with her parents.

A girl unintentionally stepped on Grace one Sunday after the service. The girl apologized, and Grace accepted, grinning broadly and saying, "It is okay." Her happiness was not derived from the girl's apology, but rather from her discussion with her tutors and a non-family member. But her joy was short-lived.

"Watch your steps next time girl!" her mother thundered, out of the blue. The girl got terrified and left the two immediately.

Margaret, her mother, questioned, "Are you okay?"

With a frown, Grace said, "I was," and left her mother alone. Can life be better than this? she asked herself, before getting into the car. They were driven back to the house by their vehicle.