MY ORDEAL✊✊
Episode 1.
Story by Miriam Edem (Miriam Eyen Efik)
My name is Dorothy, but my friends in school calls me Dora.
I lost my dad 2 years ago to a fatal accident in the company where he works, he left us with my 2 siblings and my mother who sells foodstuffs in the market.
My father death c@m£ so sudden that we were not prepared neither did we see that coming, but life had to go on with us.
I’m almost done with my secondary education, while my younger ones are still in the nursery.
One fateful day I pas-sed from my school to theirs to pick them up home, and on getting to the house I noticed the door was open.
It was unusual as I expected my mom to be in the market, but we got in and saw our mom cu-mddled on the be-d covering a blanket.
“Mommy, I called shaking her and she slowly turned to me. I t©uçhed her n£¢k with the back of my palm and saw her temperature was fiercely h0t.
“Mommy you’re h0t, let me get drugs for you, I said taking her purse and brou-ght out some notes.
“Take off your uniform Samuel and Edward, I’ll be back soon, I said to my brothers and hurried off to the pharmacy.
There I saw a woman who loves calling me Dora the fine girl any time I do pas-s by her pharmacy, and when She saw my face, she knew something was wrong..
“Dora fine girl what’s wrong? She asked when I drew close to her where she sat down.
“Aunty good afternoon, its my mommy she’s so h0t, I replied her.
“Is that so? How h0t is she? She asked.
“Very h0t o, I replied.
“Maybe its Malaria, do you know how long she has treat herself against malaria? She asked.
“Its been long though, you know we nee-d money to eat and not to waste it on mosquitoes, I replied her and she laughed.
“That means you don’t want Me to eat too, anyway it will be malaria because a lot of people are complaining about it. How much do you have with you? She asked getting up re-ady to pick the tablets for me.
“Just 500naira, I hope I will still have some balance? I asked her and she laughed again.
“Oh this girl will not kill me o, Dora is not even enough for the drugs, she said.
“Oh, my mom is not even aware I took such an amount from her purse o, I said.
“Okay i will give you some pain relieves to give to her, when she gets better tell her to quic-kly treat herself from malaria before It reforms it self again, she said.
“Okay aunty that will be Better, at least she will get the drugs herself, I said and watched aunty Magdalene mixing the drugs for me. Soon she packaged it for me and gave me a balance of 200naira from the money I gave to her, and she carefully told me prescription.
I quic-kly thanked her and hurried back home to deliver the drugs to my mom.
Reaching home I saw my brothers pla-ying football outside with their school uniform on and that got Me annoyed,
“Will you get in now and change up before I’ll sl@p you! I shouted on them and they ran in.
I sighed and got in too, took a glas-s of water and went to my mother room but met her stretching herself on the be-d.
I stood looking at her for a while confused as I didn’t know what to do, I carefully dropped the water and the drugs and t©uçhed her,
“Mommy what’s wrong nah? I asked.
“Dorothy fire, my b©dy is burning, my mom said still stretching uncomfortably on the be-d.
“Fire? Fire how? Come and bath na what kind of fire is burning you now? I asked removing the blanket totally from her and got something to fan her but it was of no use.
“Mommy take your drugs first, aunty Magdalene mixed it for you, I said raising her head up but she pushed the glas-s from my hand.
“Dorothy i say my b©dy is burning don’t you get it! My b©dy is on fire! She shouted on me. I turned and saw my brothers walked in with a teary face and I didn’t know if I should s£nd them away from the room when they began to cry.
“Mommy why are you doing this? Just tell me what to do plea-se you’re getting me confused! I shouted crying alre-ady but my mom kept Rolling on the be-d and stretching her b©dy.
I ran out in speed ignoring anyone who asked what the matter was and I arrived at my dad only surviving brother house.
I met him coming outside With a plastic chair and he stood looking at me as I ran into his compound breathing ha-rd .
“Who is pursuing you? Manfred asked holding his curtain re-ady to go in too.
“Uncle its mommy, she’s shouting her b©dy is burning like there is fire in her b©dy, I don’t know what to do, I replied.
“Your mommy b©dy is burning? Like real fire? Did you see the fire? He asked.
“No uncle but she’s complaining of heat, uncle come and see na, I replied.
“Ohhhhh I am just coming back from the farm now and I’m very very tired, I nee-d to rest. Did you get her drugs? He asked.
“Yes I got pain relieves for her but she doesn’t want to take them, I replied.
“Wait, let me get this leaves for you, it works very well okay, don’t worry in the evening I’ll come and see her, he said and walked up to a tree of moringa and broke some br@nches for me.
“Pound some of the leaves mix it with water and mas-sage it on her b©dy, just let it be there like a paste. Then boil the remaining leaves left and give her to drink, it will cool her system fast and she will be fine, its better than all this oyibo medicine. Wait let me go bring a bag for you to put them, he said and I nodded and added more leaves from the tree to make sure its enough for the pounding and boiling.
He c@m£ out later with a bag and we squee-zed the leaves into it,
“Don’t forget what I told you, pound some of it and make sure you pound it well, mix water but don’t make it too much then ru-b it on your Mother, make sure you mas-sage her with it let the nutrients get into her b©dy well. Then boil the remaining leaves and allow it cool, give her to drink, your mother will receive strength and before she goes to be-d give to her again. But before then I’ll try to come see if she’s okay, he said.
“Thank you uncle, bye bye, I said and took my heels back home……….
I got home and didn’t waste time to do what my uncle instructed me, I put the smashed leaves in a pail and mixed it with water and took it to my mom room.
There i saw my brothers tired with crying and my mom was a little calm, she leaned her head weakly on the wall with her eyes closed.
“Okay Sam and Edward go to the parlor, mommy nee-d to rest, I said carrying them down from the be-d and they slowly left whispering sadly “sorry mommy”.
I closed the door and quic-kly did what my uncle said,
“What are you doing? I heard my mom weakly asked while I was mas-saging her b©dy.
“Mommy uncle Manfred said I should ru-b you with this, I have to try anything to make sure you are okay, I replied.
“Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm Dora go to the market, I didn’t pack my sales outside, my mom said.
“Mommy you are still thinking about that? Okay let me finish with this and give you what he asked me to give you, then I’ll go carry it for you, I said.
“Be fast okay, if not they may get stolen, my mom weakly said and I was done ru-bbing her the substance.
I covered her with a wra-pper and left to boil the remaining plant for her, it was still h0t and I told her to drink it later when it get cold as I hurried out to the market………..
I went to the market and saw the fellow traders looking at me when I arrived at where my mom do sell,
“Dora where’s your mommy? She just left the shop like that for hours now, the woman next to my mom asked.
“Ermm ermm she’s at home, she remembered she didn’t off the stove after cooking, the house almost got burnt, I replied them knowing very well they didn’t really like my mom to begin with, and I thought it will be best not to tell them of her health because of the way they do jealous my mom because of the customers that do patronize her.
Just then a customer walked up to me and I attended to her, but my intention was not to sell or stay long in the market and I quic-kly started to pack after selling for 2 customers and I took off to see if my mom has taken medicine………..
🚶🚶
TBC