#It Happened To Me: Date Rape
See how I missed Rohypnol o!
It all started with a LinkedIn message.
I was in the office when the message came, and when I opened it, I saw, “Hey Beautiful…” I was slightly annoyed by the boldness of the sender, but when I opened up his profile, my annoyance changes into awe. He was a successful Lawyer, called to Bar in the U.S, U.K and Nigeria. He has two first class degrees, and he had his own law chambers in the London and Lagos. I was 27 and single, and I thought to myself: “Maybe this is the man I have been waiting for!”
I replied him with a bright “Good Morning! Thank you for the compliment,” and his next message was, “Please can I have your number? I feel awkward chatting to you here on LinkedIn.” I was already in love with the guy (or in love with his accomplishments) so I sent him my two cell phone numbers. He called immediately and that was how it all began.
He was so smooth with his crisp British accent and his unending wit. We would talk on the phone for hours non-stop about our jobs, all the countries we had travelled to, politics, art and music. He said he was 37 and that he had never been married. I thought it was strange that someone of his age had not been snatched by one of those ‘marriage hungry Lagos girls’, but then I reassured myself with the thought that maybe God had kept him just for me.
After about two weeks of the long phone calls and sweet text messages, it was time to finally meet. I suggested that we see a movie, but he said that he wanted to spend some alone time with me. He then suggested that I come to his serviced flat in Ikoyi for dinner. At this point, I should have said a big resounding NO, but I thought that if I refused his offer, he would feel offended and then stop speaking to me. So, though my head was giving me serious danger signals, I said YES and we fixed the date for a Saturday evening.
When I got to his flat, I told the security guard that I was there to see him. After all the phone calls (that is the way it is done in all those posh Ikoyi apartments), they finally let me drive in. Climbing up the stairs, I could feel my heart beating. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but I knew something was wrong. But I brushed the bad feeling aside. I told myself it was just nerves.
I pressed the bell and he opened the door. All the fear I had been feeling disappeared in an instant. Though I had seen his picture on LinkedIn and Whats App, they didn’t do him any justice. He was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen with his tall frame, his jet black skin, and his well carved moustache. He gave me a hug, took my hand and led me into the cool embrace of his apartment.
I sat down on the sofa, and he sat down beside me. He took my hand and told me that I looked so so beautiful. Even the music playing (Donnel Jones’ This luv) made the moment perfect. He told me he had prepared dinner for us but he wanted to know if I would like a drink first. I told him I wanted wine, and he laughed and said that I would have to drink the whole bottle because he didn’t drink. I laughed and told him that one glass of white wine would be fine. He smiled at me, and the he got up and went into the kitchen.
At that moment, I decided that I would prefer red wine instead, so I got up and went into the kitchen after him. As I entered the kitchen, I noticed that he didn’t know that I had walked in (I was wearing flat sandals). His back was to me, and at first, I didn’t understand what I saw.
Then the image became clear.
I saw him take a white pill from his pocket. Then he crushed it in the middle of a paper towel with the bottom of the wine bottle and then poured the white powder into my glass of wine. My heart was beating so fast, I thought I was going to pass out.
I tiptoed back into the parlour, sat down, and held my hands to stop them from shaking. He came back, smiling, and then he handed me the glass of wine. I took the glass from him, thinking of how I was going to get myself out of the situation.
Then an idea came.
I placed the glass of wine on the centre table and told him that I had forgotten my phone in the car and I needed to get it. He told me we wanted to come with me, but I held his hand, smiled, and told him I would be back soon.
As I walked out of the door and down the stairs, it took all the strength I had not to fall down. When I came out from the apartment building, I ran to my car and screamed on the security man to open the gate. I drove out of that building with the speed of a NASCAR race driver and I didn’t look back. My phone started ringing and I saw it was him. At first I wanted to pick up the call and abuse the living daylight out of him, then I decided not to. I didn’t know what he was capable of, and I didn’t want to find out. I picked up the call, and I told him that there was a family emergency and I had to leave. His tone changed; it was almost as if he realized that I knew what he was about to do. He cut the phone, and I never heard from him again.
Now, I look back and think about how stupid I was. If I didn’t go into the kitchen, what would have happened to me? Obviously, the pill he crushed was probably a date rape drug, and if I had drank that wine, I would have passed out in minutes. At best, he would have raped me, and at worst, he would have raped me and then killed me. Now, there is nothing that can make me go to a guy’s house by myself, especially a guy that I don’t even know.
I was stupid once, and It won’t happen again.
