EVER SPENT A NIGHT IN JAIL?
“What is a naive 16-year-old girl like you doing here?” she continued to ask. “I was reported lost, and when I returned home, my aunt immediately drove me here to report that I was found,” I replied. This is how I spent a night in a jail cell because of my aunt’s false allegations against me. In my head, I thought I’d be asked a few questions and return home, but this wasn’t the case.
After hours of fruitless interrogation, a gigantic man approached me where I was seated and instructed me to take off everything I had on, minus my clothes. Deep down, I wanted to rebel, but the man officer was too gigantic for me to refuse. As soon as I was done, he led me to a cell that was not big enough to even fit a baby’s cradle. I thought to myself, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Mummy is coming to get you.”
Within a few hours, I started to see a lavender color in the sky through the little outlet that was left for aeration, and I knew it’s getting late for Mummy to pick me up. It slowly came to mind that Mummy is not coming, and I have to survive this night myself. Later, the major woman officer comes to let me know that my mother will be picking me up tomorrow because she was not in the city at the time.
Tears involuntarily rolled down my cheeks, but I had to stop them to fit in and not seem so helpless to prevent bullying and teasing me. Despite my great desire and lust for food, I barely had any appetite. Later on, I ate the yogurt my uncle had brought me. Hours went by, and everyone fell asleep, but I just couldn’t because I wasn’t able to turn off my head.
In only a jean and blouse, my teeth started to rattle because of the cold, waking up the woman next to me. She was kind enough to offer to share her blanket with me. I cried myself to sleep, and a loud thud against the cell door woke me up, and it was the woman officer who had fetched us for roll call. When she saw me, she instantly told me to carry out the bucket where everyone else urinated, minus me.
I usually watched it in movies where new entrants were told to carry out the bucket, but this time it was me. I literally cried my eyeballs out at this point because I couldn’t hold it in any longer. She scolded me and told me to stop playing games and scrub the urine bucket. I relentlessly scrubbed the inside of the bucket after feeling my adrenaline levels rise, causing so much fear and tension in me.
At exactly three o’clock, my mother picked me up, but she was asked to first take me for tests. I was tested for every sexual disease you can think of and pregnancy. As soon as I was found to be negative, I became a free bird, and my mother drove me home. I have never been excited to have a glance at my bed after just 48 hours. This is my experience. What’s yours?
TUMUSIIME FLAVIA MARGRET
FORM 6 ARTS
GOD’S WAY HIGH SCHOOL
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