Siti was my best friend. We were ‘friendship goal’ kind of friends. On our graduation, we promised to be speaking often. However, Siti did not keep her word. She had gone silent. I had tried all means to reach her but to no avail. I called her boyfriend, Dee to enquire about her. Here is a short story about Dee. He was a very handsome guy. He loved my friend and, I liked him for her. He was respectful and caring. He cared a lot about Siti’s performance in her school work. They were my favourite couple. They had become my yardstick of love. Oh how I longed to see the kind of family they would raise. It would be perfect.
Upon calling Dee, he revealed they had not talked for a while. That was alarming. It was unlike Siti to just disappear. I couldn’t rest not knowing what was happening to my friend.
One day as I was going about my day, I received a call from a strange number. It was siti on the other end. She sounded sad. I was so elated that I could hardly wait for her to talk. It was in the middle of my questions I realised she was sobbing.
“Siti, what’s happening?” I asked in confusion. “I need you.” She responded amidst tears. We planned a meet up that night. She had insisted to meeting at night. I immediately called Dee. We met under a tree in a bushy area. She sat there tears rolling down her face. She couldn’t look at Dee in the eyes. She didn’t want any of us to touch her. She started talking, of how her family had given her off to be married by a distant cousin; Forced into female circumcision. She said she didn’t know the man she was married to. He was a drunkard who beat her up every day and forbid her from reaching out. Siti had marks of violence all over her body and seemed in pain.
Dee was already tearing up. Looking at my friends, I also broke down. A wasted education, another female lost in traditions. Dee pulled Siti off the ground, and put her in the car. We sped off only to stop after a distance of driving. We hugged in fear and tears not knowing what to do. The turn of events still seemed like a dream.