By Emmanuel Fashakin
This was an unusual tale because it took place on a Monday. I don’t do tales on Mondays, my busiest day of the week, but Monica (not real name) had a tale to tell, and she could not be denied. Once she started, she could not stop; so I dropped my stethoscope and listened.
Monica came into our Brooklyn location for the Federal Government mandated biennial medical examination for commercial drivers, our office being one of the approved centers. That Monica was a commercial driver raised my eyebrows: she is only 37 years old, slim, and pretty.
What business does a petite 37-year-old have being a commercial driver? We have a few female commercial drivers, but they are usually in their fifties, burly and strong. Not like Monica, who appears to be ready to break in two at the waist at any minute. She passed the physical examination easily enough, but I could not hide my surprise. So I asked her: how the heck did you become a commercial driver? My question opened the floodgates.
Monica was brought up by a single parent, her father, who doted on her, and by her admission, gave her extremely good care. Her father would not let her keep bad companies, which are quite easy to come by in Brooklyn. At 14 years of age, she ran away from home to her cousin’s place, because she did not like her father’s strict discipline. At her cousin’s place, she ran into a 19-year-old street toughie called “Rico.”
Rico pulled her into some decrepit house and raped her. She was so terrified that she ran back to her dad’s home. As the days went by, she got better, and soon forgot all about Rico. Unfortunately for her, it was almost five months after the Rico incident that she realized that she had not seen her period. A quick visit to the Family Doctor confirmed her father’s worst fears — she was pregnant. She told her father that Rico did it, and together they went in search of Rico. It was then that they learned, to their dismay, that Rico had been killed in a gang-related fight two months earlier. She did not know Rico’s real first name, not to talk of the last name or even his home address. They had no information on Rico’s family, and it appeared that she hit a wall whenever she asked on the street because nobody was talking, apparently fearing reprisals from members of Rico’s gang. She had her baby quietly and named her Sandy.
Monica was never able to get back to school for a proper education. She drifted from job to job and ended up becoming a commercial driver. Her father took over Sandy’s care, and he said that he was determined to prevent what happened to Monica to befall Sandy.
Unfortunately, at precisely the age of 14, Sandy got pregnant for the first time. Monica said that her father was so distraught that he has vowed never to talk to her again, because according to him, Monica was responsible for Sandy’s predicament. Sandy is now 23 years old, she has had three children for three different men.
Monica said that the last Sandy pregnancy was particularly bad. They had a baby shower for Sandy, Monica’s friends and relatives were all there with presents for the baby, but the father-to-be brought only his three street friends, with sagging jeans and head bandannas, Monica said. And the guy was so rude, lambasting Monica’s aunties who complained that his people did not show up with any presents for the baby, and he and his friends were smelling of marijuana and reeking of alcohol. She said everyone was asking Sandy: why for God’s sake would you choose such a person as the father of your child?
Sandy, according to Monica, feels quite happy. She is on a mission to find her Dad, and Rico’s, people. She has not succeeded, but she is still trying. And she says that whenever she feels lonely or down, she could feel her dad’s “presence” around her, and that made her happy.
The banging on the door by my staff signaled to me that I had spent far too much time with this patient. I slowly allowed my jaw, which had been hanging open for about fifteen minutes, to swing back slowly upwards into the closed position. I could not say anything, except to mumble under my breath, “Rico oh Rico!”
Emmanuel O. Fashakin, M.D., FMCS(Nig), FWACS, FRCS(Ed), FAAFP, Esq.
Attorney at Law & Medical Director,
Abbydek Family Medical Practice, P.C.
Web address: http://www.abbydek.com
Cell phone: +1-347-217-6175
“Primum non nocere”
