BEING ALONE
EPISODE 1
A sl@p landed on my left cheek while I got a knock on my head from behind. “mummy, I swear, I didn’t take the money. I haven’t even swept your room this morning.” She looked at me with scorn and had another reason why i would be dealt with. “Chy, go and call your father.” she said to her daughter who was my age mate and had given me the knock on my head.
Chinenye ran into the house, leaving me alone with her mother who was my aunt.
My name is Chimamanda Okoye. I’m nineteen years old and just finished my waec. I don’t know my real parents but I grew up with mummy Joy and daddy Alex. According to what I was told, daddy Alex was my mother’s elder brother. They were the only children of their parents. My mother had died while giving birth to me three months after my father was buried. I grew up knowing Joy and Alex as my parents.
On the other hand, Chinenye and Chukwuebuka are the only children of mummy Joy and daddy Alex. They were twins. They’re older than me with just two months. We three wrote waec together and were awaiting our results. Chukwuebuka left for Abuja immediately our exams finished. He was my best friend, my confidant and my saviour. Daddy Alex was also good to me but he was never around. It was from one country to the other and whenever he was around, mummy Joy tried her best to prove to him that I was worthless.
Alex: Amanda, why are you kneeling down? What did you do?
I quic-kly noted the frown forming on Chinenye’s face. She had come out to the backyard with her father smiling sheepishly.
Joy: You won’t ask me, your wife, why I’m punishing her eh daddy?
Alex: What did she do?
Joy: She stole my money.
Daddy looked at me and frowned. He c@m£ closer to me and squ-atted, daddy was a tall man.
Alex: Amanda, did you take your mother’s money?
I shook my head as fresh tears fell from my eyes.
Alex: Speak my child and st©p nodding. Learn to defend yourself.
He spoke in a very soft way that I wanted to pu-ll him to me and hvg him for loving me so much.
Me: Daddy, I didn’t take the money. I haven’t even gone into mummy’s room this morning. I……..
Joy: Shut up your mouth. I’m still talking about the money that you stole and you’re drumming it into my ear that you’ve not swept my room this morning. What do I keep you in this house for?
Alex: And what will Chinenye be doing while she’s working herself up in this house?
Chinenye: Daddy……
Alex: Shut up and get into the house. Make sure you’ve swept the entire rooms before I get back into that house.
Joy: Daddy leave this girl alone. How can she be suffering in her own father’s house?
Alex: If sweeping the house is suffering, she should suffer. Now, get into that house now.
Chinenye ran into the house ma-king noise like she was crying. She had never t©uçhed a broom since our childhood. I wanted to st©p her and tell her to wait for me to do it but I caught daddy staring at me in a mean way.
Joy: Look how you overlooked this fool’s mistake and carried it all out on my daughter. Nenye is still a child. She…..
Alex: Woman, don’t provoke me anymore. You call that arrogant girl a child? If so, then Chimamanda is a child too. Why leave her to do all the work?
Joy: This is your house and Nenye is your child. If this bastard nee-ds someone to pamper her, she should go and look for her late parents and live with them.
Mummy Joy meant to walk away but daddy sl@pped her and she fell on the ground.
Alex; You dare call my niece a bastard? Twenty one years ago, who was i? Who knew me in this country? Her father made me who I am. Her father restructured my life and that is why you even married me at the first place. This house belongs to Amanda because her mother willed everything to her,the money and every other thing you used in starting your business,it was from Amanda’s money. Now, you call her a bastard. Is that how shameless you’ve become? I won’t say this again, l@yyour hands on this girl just one more time and that will be the end of our marriage.
I knelt there and tried to think over all daddy was saying. The house was mine? I had money too? Then why did mummy Joy always refer to me as a wretched child who her parents left with nothing? I wanted to smile and dance around for joy but not now, not when my mummy was on the floor in pains.
Alex: Amanda, go and finish with whatever you’re doing. Once I come back, you’re leaving this house with me.
Mummy Joy left as soon as daddy left the house but while mummy c@m£ back later around 8:00pm, daddy never returned.
BEING ALONE
EPISODE 2
I sat down on the muddy ground, looking on as daddy’s golden casket was being lowered to the earth. I had cried and gotten tired of crying. I couldn’t believe that my foster daddy was gone, after promising to take me away from mummy and her constant troubles. I looked at mummy, dressed in a lacy white go-wn. She was looking at me and I wondered if it was pity or hatred that I saw in her eyes. She wasn’t crying. She just kept her gaze on me.
*Three months ago*
After daddy left the house, I went into the house and saw Nenye struggling with the broom. I took it from her and swept the entire house before going into my room. I picked up my phone from where it was charging and dialled Emeka’s number.
Emeka: Sisi m
Me: Emy nwa, how are you?
Emeka: I’m fine. How are you?
Me: I’m not fine.
Emeka: Ahn ahn. Are you sick?
Me: It’s mummy. She…..
Emeka: Did she beat you? I’ll call her up right now.
Me: No. No. She’s having problems with daddy because of me.
Emeka: How?
I took time to explain to him all that happened that morning, including the sl@p.
He sighed de-eply and paused for a while before speaking.
Emeka: Nne, I’m sorry about what mummy did. I’ll round up my computer clas-ses and come back as soon as possible.
Me: Daddy said I’ll leave with him today.
Emeka: Sisi, you’re not going anywhere. I’ll call daddy immediately and plead with him. For my sake plea-se.
Me: Its okay. I also want to stay with my family. Daddy is just angry,when he comes back, I’ll talk with him and we’ll settle everything.
Emeka: Thanks Sisi m. Where is mummy now?
Me: she left while I was sweeping the house.
Emeka: Okay. But trust me, I’ll be back as soon as possible okay?
Me: Better o cause I’m missing you too much.
Emeka: Me too.
We spoke a little longer before we said our goodbyes and I went to eat breakfast. Nenye didn’t come out of her room till I served lunch. She ate and asked me to keep food for mum and dad before she went back to her room.
While frying plantain for dinner, h0t oil poured on my leg. I cried out in pain and cried while the plantain burnt away. Mummy c@m£ back around 8:00pm and I served dinner. On a normal day, she would beat me once she sees any burnt p@rt of the food but today, she ate it without saying anything to me.
I did the dishes that night, using the opportunity to wait for dad. I wanted to talk to him. He nee-ded to st©p beating his wife. I waited till I sle-pt off on the couch.
The next morning brou-ght about the worst news I’d ever heard. Daddy was found in his car along the road, dead. It was not an accident, he was not sh0t or injured. His head was on the steering, like he was )
I watched as the men from Kingdom Heritage funeral un-dertakers lowered the remains of my daddy to mother earth while on the other hand, mummy stared at me, not removing her eyes for once. We were all dressed in white but I didn’t care. I was sitting on the muddy ground as it had rained heavily that morning. Emeka stood beside me. He was crying his eyes out. My friends from school were all around me but will their pres£nce bring back my daddy Alex? I only c@m£ back to the pres£nt when Ginika tapped me, asking that the priest was talking to me. I stood up and realised that everyone was looking at me. I looked at Father Jude, he was our parish youth father. He was a close friend to the family. He was smiling but today, I wouldn’t smile with him.
Fr. Jude: Amanda, show respect to your father.
The catechist handed me a shovel. I took it from him, collected some sand from the heap on the floor and held onto the shovel. For the first time in two weeks, tears fell from my eyes.
Me: Daddy, why didn’t I leave the house with you? I would have being with you today. Why did you choose to leave me alone? Why daddy? Who did you visit? Who did this to you? Is this where you promised to end? I thought you promised to be there with me all the time? Are you happy seeing our faces this swollen and red? Daddy why didn’t you fight death? Why didn’t you come home like you promised? Or is this a better way of ma-king peace reign? Daddy who will take care of us? Daddy I have so many questions to ask you but since you swore not to answer them, rest in peace. Since you were weak to fight death, daddy, fight now that you’re immortal. Fight whoever did this to you daddy.
The shovel left my hand and landed into the grave, right on t©p of the casket while I slumped on the floor, crying my heart out. Emeka and some of my friends c@m£ and took me away into the house while the rite continued.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 3