The poor widow - S01 E03

Story 2 months ago

The poor widow - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

The Poor Widow Episode 3

Jecintha had now spent five nights in police detention. Her strength was fading fast. Her body felt weak, and her clothes were dirty. Her mouth was dry, and her head pounded with pain. Each day felt like a punishment she didn’t deserve. She sat quietly in a corner of the cell, praying and hoping for a miracle. No one had come to check on her. She didn’t know where her children were. Each time she remembered them, her heart broke. “God, protect them for me,” she whispered. She had committed no crime, yet she was suffering like a criminal.

That afternoon, a policewoman came and opened the cell. “Madam, the DPO wants to see you,” she said. Jecintha stood up slowly, using the wall for support. She didn’t know why the Divisional Police Officer would want to see her. Her heart began to beat fast with fear. She was taken to a big office inside the station. The DPO sat behind a table. He was in his forties, fair-skinned, and well-dressed. When he saw Jecintha, he smiled and offered her a seat. She sat down, confused. “You’re Jecintha, right?” he asked. “Yes, sir,” she replied, her voice weak and shaky.

The DPO looked at her carefully. “You’re a beautiful woman,” he said. “Even in your current condition, I can see you used to be very fine.” Jecintha kept quiet. She didn’t understand where the conversation was going. “You’ve suffered,” he continued. “And I believe you’re not a thief. You’re just unlucky.” Jecintha nodded slowly. “Please sir, I want to go. My children… I don’t know where they are.” The DPO leaned back and said, “That’s why I called you. I can help you. I can take you to my house. I will care for you and your children.”

Jecintha looked at him in surprise. “Sir… you will help me?” she asked. The DPO nodded. “Yes. I will give you food, clothes, and shelter. I’ll put your children in school and pay their fees. You’ll never suffer again.” Jecintha’s eyes watered with happiness. She almost cried on the spot. It felt like God had answered her prayers. “But,” the DPO added, “I won’t do it for free.” Jecintha’s heart broke. “What do you mean, sir?” she asked, even though she already knew. He looked at her straight in the eye and said, “You will sleep with me. That’s the deal.”

Jecintha’s heart dropped. All the hope she felt vanished. She looked at the DPO and saw a man who didn’t care about her pain. “Sir, please,” she begged. “I’m just a widow. I have suffered too much. Help me for the sake of God.” But the DPO shook his head. “Nothing goes for nothing,” he replied coldly. “I like you, and I can change your life. But you have to give me something in return. If you agree now, I’ll take you to my house this evening. If not, I’ll return you to the cell. It’s your choice.”

Jecintha sat there in silence. Her heart was broken. Her health was getting worse. She was hungry. She didn’t know if her children were safe or if they had been kidnapped. She had no one to help her. Now this man was offering a way out, but with a terrible condition. She didn’t want to lose her dignity, but she also didn’t want to die. She didn’t know what to do. “Sir, please help me,” she begged again. “Please, don’t let me go back to that cell.” The DPO stood up and said, “When you’re ready, you’ll know what to do.”

Then he called the policewoman again. “Take her back to the cell,” he ordered. Jecintha stood up slowly, tears running down her face. As she left the office, she felt like a broken woman. She was not just tired physically, but emotionally and mentally. When she got back to the cell, she didn’t speak to anyone. She sat in the same corner and closed her eyes. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked herself. “What did I do to deserve this kind of life?” But no answer came. Only silence. And her hunger kept growing stronger.

That night was the worst she had faced since her husband died. She felt pain in her chest and weakness in her legs. Her stomach ached from hunger. She didn’t even have the strength to cry. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but the DPO’s words kept ringing in her head. “I can change your life… if you sleep with me.” She kept thinking of her children, especially Junior. “Are they alive? Are they eating? Are they crying?” she wondered. The pain of not knowing their condition was worse than the pain in her own body.

The next morning, the DPO sent another message. “Tell her she has three days to decide. After that, I will charge her to court and make sure she goes to prison,” he said. When the policewoman brought the message, Jecintha didn’t say a word. She just nodded and turned her face to the wall. She had three days to choose between her dignity and her freedom. Between her body and her children’s future. It was not an easy decision. Her heart was heavy, and her spirit was tired. “Lord, help me,” she whispered. “I don’t want to fall.”

But even in that cell, Jecintha made up her mind. She would not sell her body for survival. No matter how hard life was, she didn’t want to become someone she wouldn’t be proud of. She would rather suffer than lose her self-respect. Her answer to the DPO’s offer was a clear and painful no. Whatever would happen next, she would face it. Even if it meant going to prison for a crime she did not commit. “I didn’t come this far to lose myself,” she said to herself. “I will survive, somehow.”

To be continued