The World of the Boy Child: In the Eyes of Joshua.

My name is Joshua. My friends call me Josh. I will be 18 in December. I’ve some memories to share.

I started noticing changes in my body at the age of 12. Pubic hair in my private organs, my voice changing, sweating more. I also started having acne. First I was confused with what was happening, but I had overheard some of the older boys in my class “talk” and make jests. Lo and behold, it was happening to me.

My mum had earlier given my siblings and I hints about our body. But that was some years ago when my dad was still alive.

I lost my dad when I was 8. My mum has been caring for my 2 other siblings and I. At first, my mum found it difficult to deal with my dad’s death. It took her two years to get herself together. She is finally doing well in her business and supermarket. She ensures we are well cared for. Her mum lives in with us; we have a nanny who does a day job and a young maid who lives in. Our Maid was 24years old when I was 12.

The changes in my body are overwhelming. We are presently studying the reproductive system in biology. I am shy. How do I ask Mrs. Brown some questions.

During the weekends, mum is less busy, especially on Sundays. One Sunday, I muster courage to ask her some questions.

I ask my few questions, while looking on the floor, embarrassed. Mum hugs me and says: “You are an adolescent now. You are growing.” She smiles. She tells me in details about adolescence, and transitioning to adulthood. She tells me about sex, abstinence, use of protection (condoms), and made me promise never to rape or sexually molest a woman. What she never told me was that I too, could be raped or sexually molested.

She asks if I’ve more questions; I look away. I actually want to ask about what I have heard in school. “Sex between a man and woman.” I am shy. If I were white, you would see me turning red with blushes.

I reply her “No.”

She gives me a hug and tells me everything will be fine. I ponder over that.

I am 14years old. I experience my first wet dream. I wake up to see some fluid from my private organ. Mum is not in the country. She traveled to get some goods for her business. We are on holiday. I am scared. I quickly clean up myself promising to let mum know when she comes home.

A week later, I was rushing to pick up something in the kitchen. I collide into our maid. My arm brushes her breasts. I am embarrassed. I apologize profusely. She smiles and says “don’t worry about it Josh.” I walk away and totally forget what happened.

3 days later, the maid, Anna walks into my bathroom without knocking. I am naked. I try to cover up. She rushes to me, takes the towel away and starts rubbing my chest. I am shaking.

“Aunty Anna, what are you doing?” I ask with bewilderment.

She smiles and says, “you are a big boy now.”

She starts stroking my nipples. I look down to my penis; it is full erect. What is happening to me? What is this?

This is exactly what mum and I talked about. But with Aunt Anna? This is not right. I try to wriggle away. I make a desperate effort to cover my manhood.

Aunt Anna bursts into laughter, and tells me not to worry. “With time, you will get used to it.”

This keeps going on for days. Aunty Anna just barges into my room at odd times without knocking. I am too embarrassed to tell Grandma. My mum is due coming home in 3 weeks. I don’t want to discuss it on the house phone, where everyone is watching and listening. Aunty Anna is 26 years old.

A week before my mum comes home, Aunty Anna crept into my bed at 11pm. I was fast asleep. She starts caressing me. Unknown to me, I get fully erect. She gives me a blow job. I wake up to her doing it. I cannot stop her; or my spirit wants her to stop.

She stops looks at me and smiles, then she straddles me. I watch her all through, she is really enjoying this. She asks me to touch her nipple, then pushes the nipple into my mouth.

That was my first exposure to sex.

Was I raped?

All I know is after the first encounter with Aunty Anna, it never stopped. We continued. We found every opportunity to get ourselves alone together.

My mum came home and I didn’t say anything. Aunty Anna made me promise not to tell, or else, mum would sack her. At some point, my mum noticed the closeness. She called me to ask questions…

I carefully answered her questions and was evasive as much as possible. After two years, we move to Europe. That was good bye to Anna.

It was in Europe I attended a class and heard that men and young boys were raped too. I narrated my ordeal to a close pal. I had been raped. Stripped of my innocence without consent or asking what I wanted. Surprisingly, many young men also attested that their first sexual exposure was from an older female.

Young boys can be and are raped too. They too face sexual molestation. What is the society doing to protect us? Or do we not deserve to be protected?